1 reviews | Active since Nov 2016
*********** plumbing, unprofessional customer service
<p>I booked a leak detection team with Drain Surgeon over the weekend and was reassured the plumbers would fix it the same day. The team came on the Monday and I assumed the hefty call-out fee would mean we were getting an incredibly competent plumber. It couldn't be further from the truth. They guy spent an hour - how I don't know - looking around and using fancy equipment to conclude "there are a leake coming from the rocks in the garden" - which was the reason I called them in the first place. I suggested a bypass - even though I know nothing about plumbing...</p> <p>But then I got a bizarre quote for an R8000 (excl materials) two day operation to dig up my garden.</p> <p> </p> <p>When I queried this I was told: "You can get your husband to give plumber a call maybe they will understand better."</p> <p> </p> <p>Despite the fact I told the plumber himself I wasn't happy to pay R1500 for the service I had received, and depsite reiterating this to the Cape Town office - they ignored the issue.</p> <p> </p> <p>I then called head office to complain and speak to a manager, and was told they'd all gone home at 4:30pm but would call me back the next day. I said I did not intend to pay for the inspection. They never called back. My husband called them the next day and spoke to a manager who did not apologise, but wanted to divert his complaint back to Cape Town.</p> <p> </p> <p>Since then we have been contacted numerous times via SMS, email and phone for payment. When someone finally basically said we didn't have to pay I received yet another email from someone else asking for money, even after I told a staff member earlier in the day in no uncertain terms it would be a mistake to contact me for payment again.</p> <p> </p> <p>Terrible customer service - terrible plumbing... I don't know why anyone uses this company. They have absolutely no shame.</p>
Attention: Aletta Harrison
The Drain Surgeon Franchising Head Office has investigated the above incident and would like to respond as follows:
Leak Detection especially underground is by its very nature not an exact science - one cannot see underground, we have in the past discovered an actual water leak three homes away from where the water was discovered.
We therefore try our best to increase our chances of success by using state of the art gas and audio leak detection equipment and even with this there is unfortunately never a 100% guarantee of the exact location.
Our plumber detected gas at the exact spot he pointed out to you. You got us out to repair your leak and to do that we needed to detect it and that is exactly what was done.
With regards to re route, the plumber was just trying to explain to you that, in order to bypass we need still need to open up and trace the pipe, as we cannot see where the pipe is going underground ,the pipe in many occasions splits and certain sections of the clients home are left without water.
We do however battle to understand how we did not perform the function you initially called us out for and could see absolutely no value in the service we performed and could therefore justify not paying us a single cent.
We would how ever like to express our disappointment in the manner in which you described the communication from our plumber, English is not his mother tongue and it truly does come across very demeaning if not ******.
Attention: Aletta Harrison
The Drain Surgeon Franchising Head Office has investigated the above incident and would like to respond as follows:
Leak Detection especially underground is by its very nature not an exact science - one cannot see underground, we have in the past discovered an actual water leak three homes away from where the water was discovered.
We therefore try our best to increase our chances of success by using state of the art gas and audio leak detection equipment and even with this there is unfortunately never a 100% guarantee of the exact location.
Our plumber detected gas at the exact spot he pointed out to you. You got us out to repair your leak and to do that we needed to detect it and that is exactly what was done.
With regards to re route, the plumber was just trying to explain to you that, in order to bypass we need still need to open up and trace the pipe, as we cannot see where the pipe is going underground ,the pipe in many occasions splits and certain sections of the clients home are left without water.
We do however battle to understand how we did not perform the function you initially called us out for and could see absolutely no value in the service we performed and could therefore justify not paying us a single cent.
We would how ever like to express our disappointment in the manner in which you described the communication from our plumber, English is not his mother tongue and it truly does come across very demeaning if not ******.
Your response is exactly in line with the unprofessionalism I've experienced to date. Accusing a client to being ****** is cheap and unnecessary - especially when the same client was subjected to ***ist comments from your staff (which you have not apologised for).
I find it funny that despite your continued insistence that the R1500 callout was justified, and the R8000+ repair fee quote was fair... I had another plumber in the next day who fixed it in half an hour for R1000 and charged no callout fee. They found the split to do a bypass within minutes. Yet you still insist on defending your prices and the quality of your service?
But I don't know why I expected your response on here to be any different to the interactions we've had so far - that it should even have come to lodging a complaint here is indicative of your poor processes as you should have dealt with the issue much sooner.
Your response is exactly in line with the unprofessionalism I've experienced to date. Accusing a client to being ****** is cheap and unnecessary - especially when the same client was subjected to ***ist comments from your staff (which you have not apologised for).
I find it funny that despite your continued insistence that the R1500 callout was justified, and the R8000+ repair fee quote was fair... I had another plumber in the next day who fixed it in half an hour for R1000 and charged no callout fee. They found the split to do a bypass within minutes. Yet you still insist on defending your prices and the quality of your service?
But I don't know why I expected your response on here to be any different to the interactions we've had so far - that it should even have come to lodging a complaint here is indicative of your poor processes as you should have dealt with the issue much sooner.