This customer is not being completely honest. When we first submitted a proposal to this customer for the regular maintenance of their landscaping it was more than they wanted to spend on a monthly basis. We did cut it back (which we shouldn't have done) with the caveat that we would not be able to provide the same level of service as our higher priced quote. This customer wanted a 10 but was only willing to pay for a 7. That being said, there were some issues early on in the service. As the customer mentioned there were some issues with the mowing, etc. Their account manager, Randall, was very attentive as was there every time there was any issue. After the seasonal color that we planted died, we did replace it under warranty at no charge to them. Plants do sometimes die. The second time we planted we did cut the drip tubing in several places as we were not aware the beds were watered by drip. As per our contract with customers, it is their responsibility to ensure that we know about any underground utilities, invisible dog fences, etc. that are not readily apparent. Had the customer let us know about the drip tubing we would have, at no charge, came back out to fix it. They never let us know and attempted to fix it themselves, it was not done correctly and once I was aware, because they got extremely angry, I went out there myself to fix it, again at no charge. While there were some issues with the service we were always very willing to do whatever was necessary to make it right. The customer themselves admitted that the issues were relatively minor and that the major services were being done to their satisfaction. The last 4 weeks of service there were no issues whatsoever. This customer contacted me late August/early September about a leaking master valve. Typically those are the busiest months for irrigation repairs and it's not out of the ordinary that we have an 8 week backlog. In an effort to appease this customer after the issues they had with our service I did offer to shift some things in my schedule so that I could come out to fix it. The family was going out of town that weekend for Labor Day but I was scheduled for the 2nd of September. That day I did go out there to look at it and realized it was not a master valve but a double check valve, the main backflow prevention device that protects the public water supply from possible contamination. Because of this, the city of Mansfield (and all other cities) require a plumbing permit and testing after installation to ensure it was installed and working properly. That being the case I could not in good faith fix it right then and immediately called the customer to let him know. He did not answer but I did leave a voicemail. He did not return my call but was on vacation which made sense. I did not call him repeatedly since they were on a family trip. While the double check was leaking it was not a major leak and the valve could be closed so that no water came out. The customer could have, which I explained, continued to water his lawn and plants by opening the valve and running the system. Yes, that would have caused a small amount of water to be wasted. They returned from their trip on Monday, a holiday, and had apparently never checked their messages. They proceeded to harass my account manager and myself, on a holiday, about coming out to do the repairs. I told them I could come out the following day. The next morning I went out there, no one answered the door. I performed some other repairs that needed to be made and went on my way. As this repairs, with permits and testing, was going to cost approximately $400 I was not about to just do it before getting approval from the customer. A few minutes after I left the customer's wife called me extremely irate about the whole situation. When I tried to explain about the permits, etc. she was not hearing any of it and proceeded to insult me, call me lazy (I wanted to do the repairs and make the money but wanted to do it the right way, with permits,etc). She told me she had called the City of Mansfield (although I know no one was working that day as it was Labor Day) and that they had told her that no permit was needed and that she just thought I was lazy. The day before, Labor Day, she had apparently called a plumber they had used before and he had come out and fixed it, without a permit or testing the valve (1 out of 1,000 fail new out of the box). It is impossible that on a holiday they were able to get a permit, perform the repairs, have it tested by an licensed backflow tester and have a city inspector come out to inspect it. At no time did I insult this customer but I did say it was in the plumber's bad judgement to perform this repair without a permit or testing. I take great responsibility in protecting the public water supply and this is exactly why irrigators need licensing. Because they could be putting thousands of people in danger by not allowing the city to ensure the repairs are done properly and to code. In speaking with the city of Mansfield, they do require that any time a double check is replaced that a locking isolation valve also be installed to bring the system up to current code. This was also not done, nor were they aware that it should have been since they failed to obtain the necessary permits. I absolutely did notify TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) and the city of Mansfield, who both take this very seriously. The TCEQ did open an investigation into the plumber who did this. I did also review the company online in an effort to let others know that this was not a company who does things the right way and does not take our drinking water supply very seriously. A reputable plumber should have known the city codes and never should have done this. I would be interested to see the permits, test results and city inspection certificate they claim to have for this repair. If they do have one I can guarantee it is dated after the repair took place since that was a holiday. This customer is not honest. I did end up terminating their maintenance contract with us as I thought it was best for both parties. We try to do things the right way, although we do occasionally make mistakes as we did early on in this relationship, but will not be demonized or taken to task for trying to operate within the law and common sense. We know that as much as we would like to be, we are not the right company for everyone. Some customers are not a good fit for us and we're not the best fit for some customers. It was a lose-lose situation trying to make a customer happy who wanted to nickel and dime their way to cheaper service only to become extremely demanding. Needless to say, we cannot recommend this customer to any contractors out there. We realize mistakes were made and this customer cannot deny that we did everything necessary to rectify those mistakes, they know we did. We do not, however, think that insults, name-calling, yelling at people and demeaning people is an appropriate way to handle things when mistakes are made. Just let us know and we will fix it, every time!