Sell's Septic Tank & Cesspool

our septic backed up into the basement the day before July 4th. We called Sell's, they were very polite on the phone, telling us that because it was holiday/after hours, the charge was going to be $450 for a 1000 gallon septic tank pumping, if it's more than 1000 gallons, it is .45/gallon. (the septic didn't actually back up, it was a clog in the pipe that went from the house to the septic tank). They were here within an hour, as promised, and pumped the tank quickly. Then we had to deal with the clog. It took minutes, and they charged us $175 for that. So I asked if they knew how big our septic tank was, and he immediately answered "1500 gallons". The bill came to $850! I almost had heart failure, but we had to do it, since otherwise we would have had to go two days over a holiday in the house with 4 kids and a dog, and not being able to use any water. The next day, I went to the borough office to get a copy of the septic info for this house, which we were never given. Turns out, our septic tank is 990 gallons. Thinking that it was an honest mistake that they made, I called them (expecting to be given a refund for the overcharge, honestly) and told them about the papers. The guy called me back, saying "well, that 1000 gallons is WORKING capacity. What we pumped out of your tank, which was overfull, was more than that. Trust me, I have been in this business for "however many" years, etc.". I said "yes, but 500 gallons worth?" He said yes (of course). That afternoon, I called another septic person, who told me that a 1000 gallon septic tank, full to the top, and full from the tank to the house inlet, can only hold a maximum of 1300 gallons, and that's rare, and that he can't say where the other 200 came from, since he wasn't present. That's all I needed to know, to know that we got ripped off. I will NEVER recommend this company to anyone, nor will I ever use them again.

quoted $175 to pump out one thousand gallon septic tank. After the job is done, the bill is $276. Ask them why, the answer is " The tank is 1000 gallon, but we pumpped 1500 gallon " RIDICULOUS !!!