Lakeside Septic

If I could give 0 stars I would. I had a horrible experience with Lakeside Septic today. Two months ago, I had my septic tank pumped, and calling around, everyone charged ~$500 dollars and I had it done at that cost. Now I am selling my house and need a selling inspection. My realtor made all the inspection arrangements through Above Grade Septic (they have been great), including arranging ALL payment through my realtor. However, Above Grade doesn’t do the pumping needed for the inspection, but they would arrange to have it pumped and the pumping would be ~$500 max, especially given I just had it pumped and it would for sure be less than 1000 gal. Again, my realtor made all of these arrangements and I have never talked with Lakeside or had any direct agreement with them. When Lakeside pumped, I was on a video meetings for work. The guy kept ringing the doorbell, which I was trying to avoid because my realtor made all arrangements. It became distracting, so I went down and answered the door. The Lakeside guy said he needed a check now for $835. I informed him that Above Grade said it would be ~$500, and my realtor arranged for all payments to go through him. He started yelling at me and said he need a check now. I informed him that my realtor made all arrangements including payment. He kept yelling that if I didn’t pay him now, he would call the police. I felt unsafe and threatened by this big man yelling at me. As I was shutting the door, he continued yelling that he was calling the sheriff. DO NOT use Lakeside – their guy is a bully and gougers. Luckily, I have security cameras that capture any movement on my property as proof of his behavior in case the sheriff does show up.

He showed up on time and helped me understand how to better maintain a septic system and made some recommendations to improve the reliability of the system.

Granted that there was too much in the tank as we had gone some years past when we should have pumped. Rick said he did have to use a special tool to loosen things up. Base price would have been $595 but I paid $802 and there is still a lot of water down there. I also had a broken lid that he offered to get for me for $300. I found them on Amazon for between $24 and $91, and I paid the upper end for a $91 dollar lid. He had called back and said he could get one for $200.

The company came up on Angies list when I put in our address. When I called Lakeside septic they said they did not service our area, we "are too far out". Lakeside is located in Everett, we are in Arlington. Google maps states we are 15 miles from Lakeside. The website states they serve King and Snohomish Counties!

Everything went well. They were on time and professional.

Rick showed up on time, and complained about my driveway being steep and how it would be difficult for him to back up his truck after the job. However, he accepted the job, and as I left to do chores around the house, I heard manhole covers being moved. When I went outside yo check on the progress, Rick was gone. My attempts to contact him on the phone were unsuccessful, and my voicemail and texts remained without response. After a few days I hired a different A-rated provider whose service was outstanding.

Steve was awesome. Super informative. He spotted a number of mistakes that prior service had made (not his own, but that of other companies). He worked quickly, effectively, and educated me in the process.

I started experiencing toilets on the main floor of our house that would not flush. After digging to open the septic lids I was able to confirm that the tank was full but nor sure if that was the only problem. As we had guests staying with us at the time I was in need of someone right away to inspect and confirm that there was not other issues. As I have used Rick previously and based on past experience he was my first one I called. Unfortunately he was getting ready to head out to a job that was going to take him most, if not, the whole day. He advised he would not be able to help that day, however, he told me that it may be possible that I have a clog in the outflow filter . He advised what I had to do to confirm and unclog the outflow into the drain field. If that was the issue it may solve my immediate problem. I was proceeding to do what he recommended (about an hour later) when he called back and said his job had been delayed and thought he may have time to come over to look at my situation. I awaited his arrival as he was only about a mile away. He arrived and confirmed that it was primarily a plugged filter. He proceeded to clear the clog and then advised that he would have time to pump the tanks as well. He was very professional and knowledgeable about the issue. He also was able to inspect the tank and advised (and showed) that some of the concrete near the ouflow had signs of starting to breakdown and he recommended that I contact another person to take a look at my drain field and see if it would be recommended to install vents. His experience has seen this before and knew that this is typically caused by all the toxic gases backing up from the drain field. Within the hour he had the tanks pumped and he was on his way. He made my day by resolving my immediate problem and helping point out what could be a serious and expensive problem if i don't do something soon. Thanks Rick

He was very quick to respond and helpful with advice.

Rick is professional, knowledgeable, and efficient. He provided us with fantastic service that went above and beyond. We appreciated his attention to detail and clear explanations for what our septic system needed. Highly recommend!!

Very happy with Lakeside’s service. We had to reschedule a couple of times due to weather but Rick was good about communicating those changes and working with my schedule. After pumping and inspecting my system he was helpful and patient in explaining the older system I have and what to watch for as it aged. I plan on using them again next time and would recommend Lakeside to my neighbors.

Same day arrival; completely resolved.

Completely satisfied with service over many years with two rental houses. Thank you, Rick.

Lakeside employees showed up only a few hours after our call for service. They were very prompt, professional, and efficient. We highly recommend Lakeside.

Prompt arrival. Explained well what needed to be fixed and how much it would cost. Very happy with the service.

1. He parked the truck, blocking access to our yard waste bin, so Waste Management was unable to pick up our yard waste and the several bags of trimmed branches that were beside it. 2. He insisted upon locating and opening up the manhole cover to the septic system, despite being able to use both visible compartment lids to access the septic system. 3. He destroyed the grass all around where the manhole cover was located. 4. When I called to complain about #1 and #3, he was rude to me on the phone, telling me not to call back.

How did it go? Not well! 29-30 March, told him it was good to go and sent him the address along with days we had open for him. No answer so queried Rick again on 2 April.His answer was that he lost our address (sent on a phone text) and that he was busy. He asked that I send it again. I did and gave him more open dates to come out. 2 week letter, still no answer so on Easter I sent him a text and told him to forget it, I'd find someone else. I got a sarcastic comment back about it being Easter.

Arrived on time. Knowledgable Got it done . Used Rick Twice over 36 months cost was $468 in June 2013 and $484 in Sept 2016 I will be reviewing another time I was going to use him when he dropped the ball. Based on his lack of dependability the 3rd time, I would not hire him again.

The septic take of managed property was overflowing and the tenants could not use the facilities. Once the tank was drained they are able to use the facilities while we get an evaluation done of the drain field.

Rick was great to work with on this project. From his initial site visit he was on time professional and took the time explain how everything worked and what our problems were in the system. While waiting for weather for phase 2 of the project, he stayed in touch to let me know how things were going. I'm very pleased with the service and help provided. I'd hire Lakeside again in a heart beat!

I was very impressed. We used Lakeside several years ago and they were great. Not only did he do what we needed he explained the system to me and how it worked. He recommended several upgrades and told me how to make them so I was happy to ask them back. He was prompt and got the job done quickly. He identified that our pump had failed and made and immediate referral so we can get it handled promptly and professionally. I gladly recommend him highly to anyone needed septic tank service.

Rick does great work and is very knowledgeable. Would definitely work with him again!

Great! They were very professional.

Exceptional service - Rick was prompt and able to find our home without any problems (we aren't on the main road). He did a great job, cleaned up the area and even put the grass back over the cover!

Rick was great! He really knows what he's doing, very professional and considerate. He gets the job done when he says and communicates very well. I watched him work his machines and he is fast and great. His prices are very competitive and I thought very fair. I'll use him again when/if I need any excavating done again.