AL SIEVERS SPRINKLER SERVICE

SHAME ON ME!I … I should have read the reviews on this web site before calling out this SCAM ARTIST. I assumed when seeing his truck in my gated community that he was properly vetted. My mistake. Like the numerous other negative complaints mine are very similar. He definitely has a pattern. I could go into detail but I’d be repeating what everyone else has written. It’s amazing to me he hasn’t lost his business license and has gotten away with this obvious scam. Do not waste your money…DO NOT CALL!

Warning! We were overcharged at least $1000 for installing a new irrigation controller. Found out after the work was done that the controller was still not operating correctly. Then found out that we had been overcharged around $800 for the new part and for other unlisted "parts." We are filing a complaint with the Oregon Landscape Contractors Board and may also go to Small Claims Court if this is not resolved satsifactorily by the company. Also, discovered that this company had been sued by the State of Oregon several years ago for overcharging seniors. This company should not be in business. Beware!

We didn’t check references we paid $6,050.00 in work and down payment to Mr Sievers before we changed companies. Some of our 12 working sprinkler lines didn’t start up in 2020 so we contacted Mr Sievers. Instead of testing the system he told us the wiring was all wrong and proceeded to clip the wires on several of the lines and totally disconnect our controller box. He claimed the system was too old and everything needed to be replaced. He worked 6.5 hours charged 1,050.00 and told us it was too complex he would need his son to help fix it. It would cost approximately 16,000.00. When the two valves he supposedly fixed broke we decided to hire Oregon Sprinkler instead. Derek came out and in 4 hours he hooked up the existing box, replaced the two valves Mr Sievers worked on, and fixed all the other issues. Mr Sievers estimated $16,000.00 to fix our sprinkler problems. We paid him 1,050.00 for 6.5 hours of work and a non-refundable down payment of 5,000.00. Oregon Sprinkler came in and fix all 12 lines and hooked up the system in 4 hours for $750.00. Don’t make our costly mistake.

Came out to repair leak, after his office had complete info on no pooling,water coming into street. Arrives,takes 10 minutes to operate control, as he can't bead and can't see, all at $2 a minute hourly rate.gies to truck, gets new $899 controller, he can install for $375.all on my fine!!!! Looks around,says "well I can't see underground, you need a leak locators".why did he come out???? Cost me $250 for nothing!!! Horrible, customer service, all while telling me how many years in the business. Run away.....do not use.

I have posted this on google reviews as well as Yelp! - but want to make sure to folks in my position in the future understand what they are getting into. Please listen to the reviews! I didn't believe them - until Al came out and I got burned like everyone else. I have no doubt that Al could do great work, but his pricing and desire to dismantle my existing system to install the perfect irrigation system on my residential lot was very much out of budget. We bought a house in the fall, and never ran the system. I called Al in the spring to get him to come take a look (to make sure I didn't flood my property when I turned it on for the first time) - and do whatever maintenance needed to get the system ready for the summer. After taking a look at the existing system, he told me I needed a new timer box, of which he had 2 replacements in his truck. One cost $850 and the other was a used/refurbished unit for $650. I shrugged, not knowing a thing about sprinkler systems, and decided to go with the cheaper, used unit. It was after he began to install that this process began to go sideways. I looked up prices online - and was shocked to see a residential unit for sale at the Home Depot for less than $150 (WiFi enabled too!). I'm sure the unit he was going to install was great - but I'm trying to water a 1/4 acre lot through the summer - not keep Augusta National green. I even asked if he would allow me to purchase and install my own unit - and continue to do the remaining work on the system (fix a broken sprinkler head, potentially move another). He said if I did that, he would not do any more work for me because he would not be another "Johnny Come Lately" who does half a job. I asked what was better about the head unit than the ones I was able to purchase for less than 25% of the cost. He began to talk about how difficult the "aftermarket" ones were to program. I'm 31 years old. I know how to work an iPhone and Google - I can figure out "how-to" pretty much anything, so there needed to be something more advantageous to be worth that cost...but apparently there was not. So at this point I had a $650 unit on my wall, but not installed yet, and a guy telling me he wouldn't do any more work on my system if I decided to get a new timer box on my own. I went inside for 5 minutes and chatted with my wife - and decided we shouldn't go any further before we got actual quotes for the job. After explaining that to Al, he took the equipment off the wall, and packed up his truck. I had signed the papers and understood his rates before starting - but was shocked to see a $565 bill for basically turning on my system once and finding a broken sprinkler head, and dismantling a timer that he deemed “poor”. He spent "2 and 3/4 hours" with me according to the bill, but did *maybe* an hour of work. It might have taken a full 30 minutes to write up the bill, for which he billed me. Again, my signature was on the work order before he started - so I'm sure there's nothing I can do. But boy, I wish I could get some of that money back. All that said - the joke is on me. I should have been scared off by the existing reviews. Toro should be ashamed to allow him to drive around with their name on his truck.

On June 11, Al Sievers made a service call to my property to resolve a sprinkler problem. I signed the front page of his service agreement and he found that the issue was a defective Rainbird control unit. He installed a replacement unit and tested the system. He the spent 1/2 hour filling out his invoice that totaled $1,305.00. In review of his invoice (after he had departed I noticed he had charged me $875 for the control unit. On checking the Rainbird website I found the list price for the replacement unit is less than $200 and was infact on sale for $152. Further a check of the Amazon website indicated the unit could be purchased for less than #100. I contacted Al Sievers to get an explanation for the clearly excessive mark up and have not been able to get a response. Further evaluation of his invoice showed other excessive charges: $35 to use an test meter (purchase price less than $20) $35 for switch box to test outside equipment (a simple transformer plus switch - purchase value less than $20) $35 for 3 screws (purchase price less than #1 and could have used existing screws) $35 for misc supplies (no idea what this charge was for) $95 service visit charge and $35 gas charge (office is 6 miles from my property) $180 service time (which included 1/2 hour to fill out invoice - shouldn't have taken more than 5 minutes) Clearly I signed the acceptance form and recognize that while I'm legally responsible for the charges however I believe the charges are unrealistic and I get a new invoice that better reflects a charge for the work performed.

Wished I read the reviews before calling him. How did I miss that? The guy is a crook. He works slow, engages you in conversation to drive the bill up. He checked out my controller and reprogrammed it which didn't need to be done. He cleaned his tools on my time. He takes multiple trips to do one thing. He tries to sell you on multiple of things. He was condescending and actually said he was explaining something to me "Because being a woman I wouldn't understand". He shows you the costs up front, but who charges an extra $35 gas fee after already charging $95 to come out, plus 120/hour. $538.00 for replacement of 3 sprinkler heads. By the time he came to my house I figured I was stuck because I would have owed him 130.00 for doing nothing. And, he was actually the only sprinkle firm who would take my phone call. That should have been the first clue, everyone else is 2 months out and I got in with Al in one week. He was older and so I was trying to be polite and move him along, but I was too nice and felt taken advantage of. Sorry, Al, you're a jerk.

I guess the sprinkler head is repaired - haven't turned the water on yet. But who charges $395 to do that kind of work?

So glad I saved all the documentation! Al personally came out and inspected the entire sprinkler system that had been installed by the previous owners. Our backflow is under the winter water table and so the handles rust out every few years. He inspected the entire system anyway, looking for more work. I should have trusted my inner voice, but allowed him to intimidate me with talk of reporting us when he found a portion of the pipe, lifted by a tree root, above the 18" freezing zone. I signed the repair estimate for a total of $1250.00, stupid, stupid, stupid...and I knew it. After he left, my husband and I discussed my disappointment, we called that afternoon to cancel the agreement that had been signed an hour before to make sure he did not invest in any materials for the job. I called the bank and also cancelled the $300 deposit check as I did not intend to hire him. Ten days later he left a note saying he'd received the call the next day, and that the cancelled check constituted a breach of contract. If we paid him the $300 he would not file suit. After discussing the entire situation with my cousin (Asst. D.A.) she advised us it would be far cheaper to buy him off immediately than fight him. I did, and contacted the Better Business Bureau hoping to find some way to give light to this man's methods. They, of course, were no help since they want all the parties satisfied, and as long as I had to pay someone off I would not be satisfied. Please note, the day after we received the note, "Down to Earth" replaced our handles for a total of $65.00 including parts and labor...very nice people who wouldn't consider such tactics. I am so glad I saved all the correspondence on this, as Angie's List is exactly what I needed back then. I have not had to deal with "businesses" like this since Angie's been around.

Al Seivers company is why I joined Angie's List-- We had an outdoor copper pipe break, and the total cost amounted to $8,982.00 We were aware of a trip charge of $95 when they come and give an estimate; also the hourly charge for Al--$120 per hour; Nick--$100 per hour. Most companies remove this trip charge if they do the work; we were charged this for all 3 days that they worked. They checked the system, and we were told that the total cost would be $5000 , as the system is older & needed more repairs than simply the pipe. We trusted AL that all repairs were necessary. My husband signed the papers to begin the work, every time Al came up with more work, he signed again. I spoke to Al, asking why it was so high, again he told me the system needed all repairs. Breakdown of the $8982.00 bill : Total charges are for 3 days of work. Trip charges 3 @ 95. per day $285 LABOR AL 3 days@ 120 per hour 17 hours $ 2040 LABOR Nick 3 days@ $100 per hour 13 hours $ 1300 Total labor charges (includes office & shop time) $ 3340 MISC charges Mole protection ( a small galvanized steel screen at bottom of boxes) $1500 Design fee (Nick) $1000 screen $500 Controller (Rainbird modular ESP $ $925 ( highest price right now of Rainbird web site ($391) Old copper pipe removal $ 500 ( This has value to recyclers) Gas Fee (2 trucks) $ 175 This company has such high fees for labor, parts, and other "extras" that are hidden until the bill is presented Finally a few days after the job was finished, we received a letter from AL about having a "Service Family Program Agreement" to have them come out twice a year for inspection & maintenance --for which the same fees are charged as the original fees. To top it off, they wanted a $150 payment just to sign up for the service!! My husband called Al a few days after receiving this, and told him we weren't interested in the agreement. To which Al said something like "We will not guarantee our work then" We talked with the local business that we have for our regular sprinkler system, and they told us not to worry, that they would stand by our system.

overall this gentleman game is the reason i joined Angies list the "servicing" we got was a continuous attempt to market something we did not ask for --and charge us for his time trying to sell us by adding that onto the service call --to the point i finally agreed to a couple of new sprinklers just to get him off my back. La\er after viewing a 2010 similar complaint on Angie's list we saw the stark reality--it was all about how to make as much dough as possible. His service agreement fine print included agreeing to an analysis of our entire system my favorite: One of the new sprinkler heads i really did not need (he price of which was twice that of HomeDepot) was installed in a way that the water over shot where it should have been directed. I could not figure out how to adjust it . I call Al. Al tells me there is a special tool to make the adjustment. He would be glad to come back out and adjust --of course for another service fee, truck and gas fee . Having viewed his service on Angie's list and becoming more than suspect, i suggested maybe i could just go buy one of these tools? . He was certain i should not do that . owners should not try to adjust because they usually mess it up. Says they cost 20 bucks but he would come out, make the adjustment and only charge the service fee and not charge for the "tool" if i would (ironically) go on Angies list and give a review of his fabulous work. I thank Al but decline. I locate a nearby a farm impliment store that carries the brand. The clerk says we do not carry the tool--we can only sell you the sprinkler head--it comes with the tool.! I tell him my Al's Sprinkler "service" story. He looks at me incredulously and says: " we have them laying all over the place here is one for free--its easy to do the adjustment " He was correct There is much more but this conduct --close to criminal--should convince you what not to do

I have used Al Sievers for several years now. I have them do annual start up maintenance every year. They do good work and are always honest, professional, reliable and technically knowledgable. I will continue to use their services. The prices for their services is in the same range as a plumber. You get what you pay for. For years I used the idiots at Prograss and when I finally figured out that they NEVER did the maintanence like they said they did, I dumped them for All Sievers. Initially, it cost a pretty penny for them to fix my system, but now that it's down to yearly maintainance, it's only around $500 for labor and parts (as nozzles and heads do wear out).

He was not upfront about prices, did work that at first seemed fine but eventually didn't work. He was very nice and very chatty but he charged me for every second that we talked.

I had tried a couple other sprinkler services and was very disappointed in the professionalism and quality of the work. When I found Al Sievers I knew that I had found a quality person who would perform quality work. This has always been the case in every project he has done for me and the yearly maintainence he performs. The system at my home had been done by the previous owner as was clearly of poor quality and did not fully irrigate the gardens. Al came and went over each and every aspect of the system with me. He was clear and knowledgeable. He installed new valves and control box and added a new zone to the system to cover an area not previously watered. He inspected the watering patterns and after consultation with me added new sprinkler heads and raised some where necessary to obtain total coverage. The job was done with the utmost professionalism and knowledge. It has worked perfectly and never have I had any problem with the system. I could not be more satisfied. Now he comes in the spring to charge and inspect the system. In the fall he comes to shut down the system. He insulates the valve box, and he uses compressed air to blow out any excess water to insure that there would be no frozen pipes. Al needs not to be overseen or checked upon. He will not do any additional work without consulting the customer and obtaining permission. I would reccomend Al Sievers Sprinkler Systems to anyone needing such services.

My only complaint is the cost of the service call which lasted less than 1 hour, although we incurred the minimum 1 hour labor charge. Both Mr. Sievers senior and his son performed work, each at $120 per hour. I believe the work could have been performed by one person within an hour. Their service call fee was $95, their use of testing equipment was $70, and they added a gas service charge of $75. They first thing they did when coming to the house was to ask for a signature and initials on their contract. Being a trusting person, I signed the contract before reading it very carefully and asking for an estimate: my mistake. He tried to sell me a new Rainbird ESP controller for over $1400 installed which I thought was excessive; we declined. In our experience, this contractor was much more expensive than others we have had do landscape irrigation work before.

He was very reliable, extremely informative about what to do with sprinklers. I was surprised at all of the knowledge he had.

Mr. Sievers came to our house to talk about an upgrade to our current sprinkler system. He told me on the phone about the $95 service call and $120/hour. However, what I didn't realize is that the $120/hour applied to chatting about future options or figuring out the final invoice. If I'm paying someone on an hourly basis, I expect them to be in "hustle" mode. He did replace two sprinkler heads and turned the system on from the winter. The cost would have been 1/4 if he only charged me for the actual work he performed. But, he spent way too much time "chatting" and trying to sell me on letting him re-zone our system, reprogramming our controller, etc. (which I'm sure would have been another 2 hours if I had let him to it.) Finally, he tacked on charges for "tool usage" and "towels". I feel I was completely over-charged for the actual work performed and will never call him back.

On time, ruthless in sales pitch. Refused to take less than $215 for 15 minutes he spent checking existing system & 45 minutes of sales pitch. I was victimized by this scam artist. Extortion followed by his threat to drag me into court if I didn't pay him. Check BBB records on this guy; I also reported to DOJ. He's a fraud & extortionist.

AWFUL! HORRIBLE! We had just bought the house and I didn't know how to repair a problem with an in-ground sprinkler system. Al Sievers came out and fixed the problem (a broken connection on a sprinkler head). I feel he overcharged for the work; in addition, he was more intent on selling me a new programming unit. He pushed and pushed and pushed until I had to be rude in saying no. My programming unit has continued to work fine for the past couple of years. He talked and talked and talked and I ended up paying for it. I think he saw a mark. I felt taken advantage of. Needless to say, I've figured out how to fix sprinkler problems myself.

His workmanship was good, but he denied being responsible for a toilet backup, due to an object coming in at the time of installation. He's an egocentric bombastic person and I am embarrassed that we foolishly contracted with him.

Rude - Charged excessive cost of $95 just to come over and check my sprinkler system - no free estimate - so beware before you contact this outfit.

I HAVE REPORTED THIS COMPANY TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU, AND THE OREGON ATTORNEY GENERAL'S CONSUMER PROTECTION AGENCY. THE LATTER FORWARDED MY COMPLAINT TO THE LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR BOARD(LCB), AND I HAVE SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT TO THEM. MR. SIEVERS SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME (AT $120/HR.). TELLING ME THAT I HAD TO HAVE MY CONTROL PANEL MOVED FROM THE BACK OF MY GARAGE TO THE FRONT WALL. HE CUT THE HOSE LEADING TO THE SPRINKLER HEAD THAT HAD BEEN BURIED IN THE TURF, AND THEN BILLED ME FOR THE REPAIR. HE CHARGED ME FOR THE "WEAR AND TEAR" ON HIS TOOLS (THE PUMP IN PARTICULAR). AT SOME POINT THE CONTROL VALVE WHICH HAD BEEN WORKING FINE, WAS NOT WORKING, AND WHEN MR. SIEVERS LEFT, I DID NOT HAVE AN OPERATIONAL SYSTEM. HIS FEES ARE FAR, AND ABOVE ALL COMPETITION, AND HE GETS JOBS BECAUSE CUSTOMERS ARE DESPERATE IN THE BUSY SEASON. I WILL PURSUE IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT AFTER THE LCB TAKES ACTION. THERE IS A LETTER ON FILE WITH THE LCB DESCRIBING THIS INCIDENT IN DETAIL.