BIGGS LANDSCAPE & IRRIGATION

He was very good.

My sprinkler system is about 25 years old. By this time 4 of the automatic valves had stopped functioning in their automatic mode though they did work manually until last summer when one of them was stuck "on" all the time. A friend had recommended Biggs. On the phone he told me the hourly charge was $80. He did not say how many men that paid for. Any parts of course would be extra. Maybe a week later he called to say he could do the work the next day or two. He sent a crew of three. Their English skills were limited, so communication was poor. I was on site to monitor their work. After looking at the valves, they said they could replace them, but we all agreed it would take less time to replace just the valve bodies, saving more cost for labor. Since the valves were so old, they did not have the parts in the truck. Instead they said they might be able to find new valves at one of the irrigation supply companies. I confirmed with them there would be no charges for their search for the parts. About 6 hours later they returned with the new valves, and two hours later the valves were repaired. It took them some time, however, to get two of them to function correctly. It was easy to find that one of the stations on the controller was putting out the wrong voltage and doing it all the time. I had to intervene then to keep them from digging up the wires to track down the problem rather than just swapping the wire to an unused station on the controller side. The other valve had an issue with a bad connection at the valve which took them 20 or 30 minutes to get right. Before leaving I confirmed with the crew they had worked 4 hours, but nothing was put in writing and nothing was said about the cost of the parts. Since valves these days are about $20 each at the irrigation supply stores, I was thinking the bill might be $450 plus tax or so and I expected the bill would come in a week at most. But time went by with no bill, and one or two months later I called Bigg's cell and left a message asking for the bill. I believe I left two messages over the next month. Biggs NEVER called back. FINALLY, 4 months later, the bill arrived in the mail - for $844.13!! What a shock to find he was charging $109.95 each for the 4 valves. The description of the work had no date of service and no description of the brand and type of parts. The hourly charge was not $80 but $85. And he forgot to charge for a valve box his crew installed. I left him 3 or 4 voice messages over a weeks time saying I was disputing his charges. He NEVER called back. He did have an email address on the bill which allowed me to write him and describe my dispute for his charges. He wrote back the next day and agreed to adjust the charges some, but I'm still paying about $200 more than I expected. You can read my email and his response below. I did look up the brand of valves he described in his reply. They indeed sell for $60-70. Mr. Biggs may be ok for new installations or landscaping. However, his repair work has left a very bad taste. My email: Dear Mark, I am disputing the bill you sent me for your services and parts. 1. I recall you stated the hourly rate would be $80/hr, not $85/hr. 2. The charge for valves of $109.95 is extremely out of line. I checked with a local professional supplier. The most expensive valve they sell is $19.50. 3. You did not charge me for the valve box your crew installed. The same supplier lists the largest one at $56 each. The bill should be 4 hours labor @ $80 = $320.00 4 valves @ $20 = 80.00 1 valve box @ 56 = 56.00 total $456.00 Please reply so we can get you paid! Thanks. Best regards, His reply: Hello Bob, Here is the response to your disputes. 1. We?ll make the labor charge adjustment. If you recall, the labor was for 2 men and we had more than 2 men, but we?ll adjust to $80. 2. We replaced the valves w/ your existing valves, which are not standard, everyday valves not are used. They are Buckner brass valves and are very expensive. That is the reason for the high costs. 3. OK with the valve box. 4. As far as the valves, I?ll agree to remove our markup of 40%, which puts the valves at 65.97 a piece. The bill would be: Labor ? 4 @ $80 = $320.00 Valves ? 4 @ $66 = $264.00 Valve box ? 1 @ $56 = $56.00 Tax $52.80 Total invoice $692.80 Sorry for the confusion on the bill. We appreciate the business and the opportunity to serve you! Thanks again, Mark 512-848-1420