Envirostar Corp

The first contractor I retained took two (2) weeks before telling me he wasn't an authorized installer of the indoor tank that was selected (a vertical tank due to space considerations) and therefore unable to sign off for the 30 year warranty on the tank, so I fired them and contacted Envirostar. Since they were one of the companies I contacted for estimates (and the only one who actually came to my house to see what I wanted) and I had their detailed estimate for the project, I signed their proposal and paid the required down payment. It was about two (2) weeks before my project could be scheduled, but their crew arrived at the exact day and time given to me. The in-ground tank was removed and its replacement 275 gal tank was installed in the basement all in one (1) day. After the in-ground tank was removed, significant soil contamination was present requiring remediation; It took six (6) days, seven (7) dumpsters full of contaminated soil, and three (3) truck loads of clean soil to fill the crater (it was about 25 feet deep when they found a clean bottom). On the sixth day, they came in with two (2) truck loads of topsoil, graded it across the lawn, seeded it and covered everything with straw, all during a rain storm. Throughout all of this, Mark DiBartolo maintained a constant line of communication. One of his first questions was "Who is your insurance company?" After I told him, he replied "They will pay for this." Mark contacted an adjuster at my insurance company, worked with him and the soil remediation is now handled. My only cost was for the in-ground tank removal and the installation of the tank in the basement. If Mark had not inquired about my insurance company, the cost of soil remediation alone would have exceeded $45,000. But he did. Prompt Courteous Most of all, Professional. Thank you Envirostar.

Envirostar recently removed a 550 oil tank that was approximately 45 years old and was installed when our home was first built. The tank was located in the front of the home near the foundation. I decided to have it removed proactively given the focus on buried tanks, specifically, the difficulty to sell a home with one, the potential for a leak and the massive clean-up cost, and the difficulty of getting a competitive insurance rate when you have one. Envirostar replaced the tank with a 400 gallon Roth double wall tank on the side of the house. The entire process took about a month from the date that Mark came to initially spec out the job. He was great to deal with, laying out the various options we had for where the new tank could go as well as the process for removing the old tank. He was extremely knowledgeable, and explained what he viewed were the difficult parts of the job (mainly the location of the old tank), but assured us that they would take care of it. He even told me that although the Roth tank that I wanted (my choice) was a great tank, that if I wanted to save some money, there were other tanks he could recommend. It was obvious he wasn't trying to up sell me, and was concerned with trying to save us as much money as he could. He gave us two separate quotes for each of the two options for the tank location and we agreed to the contract a couple days later. After we signed the contract, the office arranged for all of the permits to be filed. Everything was very smooth and they were very helpful. They came about a week before the tank was to be pulled and poured a concrete pad for the new tank. The day we were scheduled for the old tank to be removed, the team showed up right at 8AM (in fact 5 minutes early). They spoke to me initially and explained what the process and confirmed with me that I was not aware of any water lines or electrical lines before they started. Of course, with all projects, sometimes you hit some unknowns, and this project was no different. While digging the old tank out, they hit a PVC pipe that drains our gutter water into the backyard. I had no idea it was there and it ran directly over the old tank They were very prepared, and actually had PVC pipe on the truck and were able to repair the pipe after they removed the tank. After digging to the top of the tank, they brought a tanker to the house which they used to siphon the oil out and into the new tank that they installed. This was nice as we still had a few hundred gallons of oil in the old tank. They then removed the old tank. I have attached some pictures from throughout the day. By 4:30, they were done. They cleaned up, back filling the hole with fresh dirt. I would highly recommend this Company if you need to have your in ground tank removed. They were extremely professional and I was very impressed with how efficient they worked.

The real estate agent was also present when less than half an hour after the beginning of the operation the excavator ripped off the water line from the exterior wall of our house and a substantial amount of water started flowing in our basement from the severed pipe through the newly formed hole in the foundation. The workers did not have any tools to close the water main and they managed after a while to bend the broken line in such a way to reduce the gushing water to a trickle. The workers of the water department of Larchmont arrived and shut the main valve. Simultaneously Envirostar took the initiative to call Moran Plumbing & Heating, based in Rye NY, to fix the broken line. The plumber stated that considering that the water line had been subjected to violent stretching by the excavator, the whole line should be exposed and replaced. He started removing the meter from the remaining line inside the basement while waiting for the tank to be excavated and a new trench to be dug before laying the new line. At 2 PM the owner of the plumbing company called me aside and informed me that unless I paid him he would not complete the repair as Envirostar had not committed to pay him. I made it very clear that he was working for Envirostar and not for me. After a long discussion between the two plumbers and the team leader of Envirostar, and a telephone call to the Envirostar main office, the plumbers put the meter back on the broken line as they had found it earlier and left at around 4 PM. The Envirostar team completed the removal of the tank, prepared a trench for the new line and left us with no water and no word on what to expect next. At 7 PM, and without any warning, the head plumber showed up and announced that he had been contracted by Envirostar to repair the line, and he made an emergency connection between the outside hose of our next-door neighbor and the water inlet of our washing machine. The next day Envirostar and the plumbers completed the work that they had begun the day before. The material Envirostar brought to fill the space formerly occupied by the tank was a sludge full of plastic refuse like bags and bottles, and I had to tell them to stop using it as I did not believe such a material was appropriate for use in a residential area. In the attached letter sent to me from Envirostar I was accused of being rude to their workers, whereas as a matter of fact I was very kind to them: I offered them bottled water, ice cream and cigars. This is only one of several distortions of events contained in the letter. The main falsehood is that the markings of the gas and water lines were not present or clear. The technician from the village of Larchmont, in order to be extra sure, had even used magnetic tools to pinpoint the exact location of the water line. My neighbors, the real-estate agent, and the water department staff can confirm that: • The water and gas lines were very clearly marked • Envirostar workers used the excavator too close to the clearly visible blue marking • If the tank, as the letter from Envirostar claims, could not have been removed without cutting the water line, this could have been achieved by closing the main, very carefully exposing the line, cutting it and rejoining it upon completion of the work • My basement was flooded and my possessions stored there were severely damaged • There was plenty of time to repair the line the same day if Envirostar had assumed its responsibility rather than refuse to acknowledge their being at fault • None of the office based managers of Envirostar ever bothered to visit the site to verify the situation firsthand and never asked me about the damages caused by the flood Envirostar have demonstrated technical incompetence and a lack of accountability for their mistakes, they have also implicitly accused the staff of the Larchmont water department of having neglected their duties by not marking the lines. On top of that they blackmailed me into paying a total of $9410 in order for them to provide the paperwork necessary to close the work permit, thereby allowing the sale of my house to proceed. In addition to extorting $9410 (instead of $2289 due for the removal of the tank), they caused more than $6,000 worth of damage to my property and possessions, as well as causing me and my family to experience unnecessary stress and anguish during a time when we were already emotionally exhausted with the selling of our home for 26 years. I am committed to share this experience with everyone who is in a position to stop Envirostar from harming other potential customers, and we demand a reparation from Envirostar in the form of a donation of $10,000 to Habitat for Humanity and $10,000 to Veterans of Westchester. Attached is the letter I received from Envirostar. Please do not hesitate to email me if you would like to know more. Envirostar Jun 16 Dear Mr. Paganini Enclosed please find four invoices for the above work. Invoice # 14804 represents the balance due for the oil tank removal in the amount of $1,586.55 along with the work ticket which shows the additional fees of liquid disposal permit fees and soil sample, invoice #14806 represents the additional time, labor and material to assist and coordinate the repair to the unmarked water line that was damaged during tank removal. The invoice from Moran Plumbing & heating represents the new water line as per detailed description bringing it up to code as per the water department in the amount of $4,500.00 and the second invoice in the amount of $251.00 for the required permit fee. The total for the above 4 invoices amounts to $8,560.21 Please note that for the past two days I have been negotiating with the plumber to reduce his invoice as he first presented us with invoices totaling over $6,000.00 This whole situation has been quite unpleasant for everyone involved and although you feel differently than what has been revealed to me through pictures diagrams and activities, the water line was not marked out properly as it was over the top corner of the tank and there is no way that the tank could have been removed without damage to that line. If you read your contract it states clearly that we are not responsible for any unmarked utilities or any private utilities. The plumbers bill is the plumbers bill and I did not mark that up as is typically customary. I also understand that during the course of this whole unpleasant experience for everyone involved you were quite angry and rude to the workmen on the job. In the event we do not receive payment we cannot file for closure of this open permit and will hand it over to our attorney. I have a very lengthy report along with pictures if needed to substantiate the unfortunate situation. If you have any questions I will refer you to the Gentlemen Jim Selckmann who was present on two of the days spoke to all parties and compiled a three page detailed report. Respectfully Stephanie

They were terrific. They came out in a very timely fashion to make an assessment and estimate. They showed up exactly when they said they would. They dug it out was very clean and put everything back. They charged exactly what they said they would. It was by the book. It was outstanding work.

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Such a pleasure to work with a company that is efficient, organized and communicative! All questions were answered and options were made clear, up front and in writing. Company called to give us a heads up about start times for the day of work. 6 person team did the work in a day. Lined the hall to the utility room to prevent dirt from being tracked in for inside portion of the work. Explained process as it went along. Beautiful cleanup. Smoothed grass, sprinkled some replacement grass seed and hay in disturbed area of work. Price was competitive with other estimates we received. Really refreshing to have a job performed well!

They were very professional...got permits...soil sample will be coming back to finish clean up. Owner and workers courteous,clean and quick.

They did a great job! They brought soil to fill the 550 gallon pit. It had many, many great rocks for landscaping! Thanks.

Mark DiBartolo, an Envirostar VP, came to my house in late September to prepare an estimate. At that time he also explained in detail the entire process. We also explored alternative locations for the placement of the new, above ground tank and discussed the pros and cons of each. Mark mailed a detailed estimate a few days later. I considered his estimated cost to be quite reasonable and accepted his proposal. I would contact him to begin work in mid December when I had drawn down the fuel oil inventory in my 550 gallon tank sufficiently such that the remainer could be pumped into the new 275 gallon tank with minimum excess. Work began a couple of days after I contacted Mark and would have been completed in one day had the old tank been free of holes which were discovered after lifting the tank from the ground. This changed everything as now we were dealing with an oil leak situation which had to be reported to the DEC. Mark explained the next steps and advised us to contact our insurance company right away as we might be covered for such an event. We had our home owners policy for many years and the original policy would have provided coverage. However, the policy was amended several years later to exclude coverage for leaking fuel tanks. We would be covered if soil sample tests showed that the leak began prior to the amendment. Fortunately for me that was the case and our insurance company advised that they would provide coverage. Envirostar began the required cleanup work a couple of days later. In under two weeks Envirostar completed the work. The workers showed up promptly each morning and worked non stop all day. They were curteous and professional and tried their best to minimze damage to my propery. I was more than pleased with every aspect of their performance. I consider myself fortunate for having chosen Envirostar for this job and would highly recommend them to anyone considereing having their underground fuel oil tank removed.

.The man who came to give me an estimate was on time, professional and willing to answer my questions. The men who came to do the work were great. They worked carefully and professionally. They explained options and supported my decisions. I was impressed each time the company sent someone to my house. Unfortunately, the office which supports these men was unbelievably bad. I sent in a deposit and got a receipt and that was the last I heard from them. I waited 3 weeks and then called on a Friday, "Oh," said the secretary, "they are coming on Tuesday." I asked what was entailed - did I have to be there. "Oh yes," she said. I had to work on Tuesday and could not change everything on such short notice so with the help of a manager I changed the appointment to 11/24. Then on Thursday, 11/20, I got a message stating that there had been a scheduling problem and my date was changed to 12/1. When I called the office they did not explain why the time was changed and did not want to hear why that change was impossible for me. They were rude and told me,"Well nothing is written on your form. How should we know that this would be a problem?" I finally got the date settled again - another manager Stephanie - told me that they were changing their procedures so they called about appointments when they got deposits and writing down notes. I told her that the new tank was going over where the old one was so they could not do both parts of the job at once as she told me they were going to do. When the men arrived from Brewster they did not have the extra tank they needed because the new tank was going where the old one had been. They had to call Brewster and wait while the extra tank was loaded on a truck and moved down to my house - that took well over an hour. The information had not been written down nor given to the crew who was to do the work. Although the crew was great I can not recommend this company because of the incompetence of their office staff who made the entire process more difficult and very annoying

Envirostar was one of three companies we got quotes from. Envirostar was not the most or least expensive and the others seemed like they'd do a good job. We chose Envirostar because of friends' recommendations and online reviews. We are glad we went with Envirostar. They were easy to deal with -- making appointments, providing our initial quote and revising it as necessary, communications, etc. People at Envirostar fully answered our many questions in a patient and and thorough manner. Today, the work crew arrived as scheduled and actually finished the work early. Everyone at Envirostar (including the men who did the work at our house today) was very pleasant and easy to deal with, professional and accommodating. The men who did the work today were careful, left the site as clean as possible and did a very professional job. I am glad we chose Envirostar and recommend them without reservation.

I got three quotes to remove a 550 gallon oil tank below a concrete slab in the front of my house and install a new 275 gallon oil tank in my basement. Envirostar gave me a competitive quote and was almost half the quote that was given by Burke Heat. It took a couple of months to get the work done after I decided to go with them due to bad weather, and also due to the availability of the town's inspector. But through it all, the friendly staff at Envirostar's office kept me constantly apprised of the status and were very responsive to my questions. They did the work in early February 2014 over two days. On Thursday two guys came to install the new tank in the basement. On Friday two guys came to remove the old tank. They were very professional and cleaned up after their work was done. My oil delivery company needed to inspect the new tank installation before they would deliver oil, and the inspector commented multiple times on how great a job Envirostar had done in installing the new tank. He was also impressed by the great price I paid for all the work. The total cost to remove the old tank and install the new one was $3500, but after permits and oil disposal costs, in total I paid around $3,850. I would definitely recommend them based on my experience.

Excellent. Mark and team were friendly and easy to deal with. They did not charge a minimum for the job and came in under their expected cost.

Envirostar was very professional! Clearly in a job of this nature and magnitude there are a lot of starts and stops as you wait for soil samples and approvals. They were prompt in returning when due and extremely courteous and prompt in returning calls.

They showed up when promised and completed the work very professionally. The project went very smoothly and was completed in one day as promised.

Excellent experience. Job done well, on time.

They were professional, were on time and got it done in a couple of minutes. It was an old tank and they took it out and didn’t make a mess.

Excellent experience from start to finish.

I had another company drop the ball on a tank removal. As a result of the great Angies list recommendation for Envirostar, I called. At first they seemed great - friendly - anxious for there business and to help. Then The VP and foreman Mark came. He decided that I wasn't calm and polite enough and ran away crying refusing to do the job, even after I apologized if I had been too anxious (I needed this tank out for a closing on my house.) I need someone who can actually get a job done. Luckily, as a result of a recommendation of someone in town I found it. I suggest you find someone a bit less emotionally fraught.

Mark, who is owner, answered all questions during estimate, to my satisfaction. Called day of estimate to inform me he was running late.

I got four estimates for the job. All in all, each of the companies I considered was reliable and had referrals. I went with the lowest price and was very pleased with the job.

Had someone from this company come out to give me an estimate for digging up my oil tank and putting it in a crawl space. He alarmed me by telling me he thought the crawl space floor might not be strong enough to hold an oil tank and I should get an engineer in to do an assessment. I asked for an estimate anyway and meanwhile I got an engineer in, who rolled his eyes and said he had absolutely no idea why the Envirostar representative would think that. Meanwhile - I never received my estimate from Envirostar. So I called them and told them what the engineer had said and asked for my estimate. AND THEY NEVER RESPONDED! So basically - I wasted money on an engineering estimate when actually they probably just didn't want the business (Why, I don't know).

This company was highly recommended by a neighbor as well as my oil company. Mark, the owner, provided a fair and detailed estimate. The crew performed the work on the date promised and couldn't have done a better job. The new installation was done perfectly. The removal, went smoothly with minimal impact to the landscaping. Unfortunately the old tank was under a unilock pathway which had to be partially dismantled, but no other damage was done. I expected far worse. They were able to transfer 500 gallons of oil from the old tank to the new ones. My impression was that these were professionals who take pride in their work. I would recommend Envirostar to anyone in need of these type of services. One of the best experiences I have ever had with work done on my home. There is no need to call anyone else.

We needed to have an in-ground oil tank removed and the process was rather delicate because one of our previous contractors had abandoned the tank with 300 gallons of oil still remaining in it. Not only does this become expensive to remove but the tank needs to be cleaned entirely before removal so as not to contaminate the surrounding soil. We interviewed a number of companies and decided on Envirostar. Not only was their proposal price better than other companies but they also seemed to have the best handle on the environmental issues. When the team arrived, they located and dug to expose the tank, opened the tank and vacuumed out the oil, shoveled out the sludge, pulled the tank out, took the required soil samples from beneath the tank and then back-filled the hole, all in a matter of a few of hours. Of even greater importance are the ways this team went over-and-above the basics: 1. We had a cable line that had been laid on top of the tank years ago (both for television and internet). Our heavy-equipment man, Chip, carefully exposed the line, pulled it away from the excavation and continued to dig (leaving us with active service that we had fully expected would be cut off). 2. We have a brick patio, precariously laid right next to the tank. The team was able to remove the tank with the disturbance of only 3 or 4 bricks (out of approximately 700 bricks). 3. The team had to move heavy equipment over a brick walkway and they laid plywood for the dozer to move on and none of the bricks were broken or disturbed. 4. The man working the vacuum equipment carefully replaced the line after he was done so as to not spill a single drop of oil on our lawn as he retreated. 5. The company is fully aware of the various town ordinances pertaining to in-ground oil tank removal so we had all of the research done for us. 6. When the team was finished and all was back in place (including the 3 or 4 bricks), they re-seeded the entire area and covered with hay. I would recommend Envirostar to anyone considering removal of an in-ground oil tank, empty or filled. Their service was extraordinary.