Joe Ricci, Owner
Emergency Plumbing, LTD.
56 Spalding Road
Toronto, ONT M3K 1J9
RE: Work Order G11401D, May 20, 2008
Dear Mr. Ricci,
On May 20, 2008, one of your employees named Steve (first name only on his business card no plumber's license #) responded to an emergency call to stop a small spurting leak from the waste valve on the main valve next to the hot water heater. Most of the water was draining out the drain in the concrete floor of the basement and some of the water was dripping onto the wooden platform where the hot water heater is situated.
Steve said he had to cut out the whole pipe section which included the waste valve and the faucet. I assisted him with getting permission to turn off the water for the row of townhouses.
Steve was here for less than two hours and he grossly overcharged me $521.73. When he first arrived he said he charges by the job and I told him that my husband had authorized me to pay not much more than $200. He would not give me a quote and he kept repeating that he charges by the job, and let's see, let's see was all he would say.
After he completed the job he became personable and he told me that he works over 60 hours per week and does not have time to have a girlfriend, and I answered his questions about how I met my husband and I took it all as friendly conversation and took no offense. At the same time I asked him, You are not going to charge me more than $80 per hour are you? thinking that a car mechanic would not charge that much. He would not give me a straight answer, but continued to fill in the work order. Again, no straight answers.
When he gave me the bill I was rightfully SHOCKED. Even though I asked him the reason for $521 more than once he gave me no explanation except to say that it took 3 hours of his time (1st untruth) and that I needed someone right away and I got someone right away. He was starting to become antagonistic and I did not want to get into an argument and I felt intimidated by the whole approach he took with me. I was even more confused than before he came here!?!
[NOTE] Looking back on it I do recall mentioning to someone while he was doing the work that I was going to the bank to pull out $500, and I know now that he took that as his cue as to how much he could rip off. Why don't you ask him if that is true.
He followed me to the bank and I pulled out the cash and paid him, but I was still in a great deal of doubt about whether this was really a fair charge or not, but I had no way of knowing and I did not even know what questions I should ask him, plus he kept giving me the run around, not directly answering my questions. Looking back on it, he came across more like a pressure salesman taking advantage of someone's panic and ignorance. I was working to meet a deadline for my next class and I felt too rushed to pursue the matter further with him. I still could not believe that someone who on the surface seemed friendly would take such gross advantage of my situation with the leaky waste valve. He came across as a nice guy, so how could I know right away without consulting with another plumber, if he was overcharging me? And I could not contact my husband at the time, plus I was under a time pressure with my job.
Since that day I have checked with three licensed plumbers (in case I have to take this to civil claims court), and they told me another way he could have fixed the leak, and that anything over $300 would be grossly unfair. They were quite adamant about it too. (Boy, do I feel stupid now.) That is allowing for $100 just to come out immediately, which I appreciate that he did. A more ethical plumber would have shown me how the situation was not as bad as it looked and calmed me and fixed it without the over-repair of cutting and welding the whole pipe section. Instead he played up on my ignorance and panic (and trust). I have strong intuition and insight that this is part of his operating basis. Mr. Ricci, do you support this sort of practice!? God, I hope not.
In the world of service providers there seems to be the few bad cases who look for and see a mark and they overcharge thinking that they can get away with it. I think Steve falls in that category, and is very experienced at sizing up how much he can get away with charging the customer. In this case he was so outrageously greedy (according to other plumbers I consulted) that I am prompted to take this case to its ultimate conclusion. He kept refusing to give me an estimate or work order while he was doing the job.
I have filed a report with the municipal Consumer Complaint and with the local Better Business Bureau. I see that your record with the BBB is unsatisfactory. I am not surprised, because it indicates to me strongly that your employee, Steve, who I was told has been with you for 30 years, that this employee is not service-oriented, but firstly $$$-oriented.
I expect to receive a refund of $200 and not pay more than $300 for the work done. And, if I must, I will go to the small claims court, plus I will do my best with all the connections I have to make sure that no one else in Southern Ontario is grossly taken advantage of by Steve who works for Emergency Plumbing, LTD.
I asked Steve if he was the owner and he told me that he runs everything. He was always giving such evasive non-answers to my direct questions. Why?
I attached a copy of the Work Order. You will see that it too is vague, for example there is no time of arrival and time of departure. He did not present this work order to me until after the job was finished, even though I repeatedly queried him about the cost and warned him that I could not pay over $200. A work order is to be presented before the job and an invoice after the job. This is highly unprofessional.By the way, he was very very concerned that I must sign the work order, but only after the job was completed. He kept evading giving me a quote up front. Why?
Also, he told me that I could pay him in cash and he would not give me a receipt, but I told him that I would need the receipt. He also wanted to keep the replaced pipe section but I insisted on keeping it. Later, on the phone he told me that there was a hairline crack in the pipe. The plumbers I showed the pipe too laughed in my face when I told them that.
On the work order he says flooded basement (2nd untruth). When I queried him on the phone about what exactly where was the leak, he saidI don't know. He said water was everywhere. That sort of suppressive generalization is his attempt to make the situation look worse than it really was, especially coming from someone with 30 years of professional experience. The fact is that water was not everywhere and the basement was not flooded, only a small portion of the concrete floor under the hot water heater had water spilling into the drain that was also under the hot water heater. I believe his exaggerated generalities are designed to create more panic than was needed.By creating panic, instead of bringing calm and order, he can extract the highest fee. Mr. Ricci, you are not naive, and I know you know what I am talking about.
Steve knew I was in a panic and clearly ignorant, and he played on that instead of calmly assessing the situation and telling me what was really going on. I also believe he purposely overdid the repair and that he was totally money-oriented and not service oriented. His behavior violates the code of ethics of service providers everywhere.
As the owner of A Emergency Plumbing & Drains, LTD I expect you to be responsible for keeping your employees ethical. I encourage you to look into this matter personally and to come and personally inspect the work that was done, plus the pipe piece that he replaced.
I faxed this letter more than once before I received a phone call from a woman in your office. I told her what happened and she said she would read the letter and talk with Steve and have an answer for me. I told her I would leave the fax machine on for a written reply. When I asked her why Steve did not have his license number or last name on his business card she became defensive and resentful in her emotional expression and tone and started to say something good about Steve. Fine, that's fine with me if he is an asset to your company, just make sure he does not pull this stunt again, okay? And refund the $200 out of the $521 that he unethically extracted from me. That means that your company still gets paid $300 for a job that was done in under 2 hours, by an employee who repeatedly refused to give an estimate or work order up front and who lied to me when I later queried him.
I have not received a written response from that woman in your office and that is why I am following through on my threats to go more and more public to expose what happened to me until I get my $200 back.
If I do not receive a return of $200 within one week from the date of this letter, or some such satisfatory communication regarding the return of $200, I will take this to the next level per advices from the Consumer Protection Branch and from legal counsel. I have a report from the BBB that you failed to respond to a prior complaint and I hope that that was an oversight and that you will get back with me (in writing) and fairly resolve this matter with me. I am trusting you to have the highest integrity of purpose for your company and the type of service it provides.
cc: BBB filing and report
Consumer Protection Branch, File #348012
Justiceforall
Mississauga, Ontario
Canada
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