ComplaintsforAdvanced Sewer Cleaning

• Initial Complaint

  09/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Company did not follow agreed upon scope of work on a project at my home. Company then caused damage to plaster ceiling in room below unnecessarily due to the failure of employee. Company website at time of hire said they did drywall work. After incident, owner (who did the work) told me that was inaccurate and it has now been removed from website. Company offered a partial refund and has since not returned calls seeking refund method information.

  

  Business response

  10/14/2024

  On September 12 2023 the Mr. ****** hired me to install a customer supplied bathroom vanity and faucet in the 2nd floor. This included the process of shutting off the water and replacing 2 stop valves for the fixture, one hot and one cold. After replacing these valves, the water was turned back on to test for leaks. No visible leaks were found but the sound of water exiting a pipe inside a cavity was noticed. Work was stopped and Mrs. ****** was informed of the situation. After some observance, it was noticed that water was leaking from the celling below the fixture being worked on. Mr. ****** was phoned and a discussion took place as to what portion of the ceiling was to be opened. using a marker i  indicated where the leak was coming through the ceiling. The work schedule was significantly rearranged for the next day for us to return and repair the leak in the wall. The original process of opening the celling was done by Mr. ******. He had opened approximately a 12in x12in square directly below the area where the water lines went up in the wall to the backside of the new fixture. The water was not leaking in the ceiling from that area so with permission from Mrs. ****** I opened about a 6ft by 14in section of the dry wall. This drywall was already wet. After opening the drywall I did not find the section of the pipe that was leaking. After this step I turned the water to the house back on and discovered that it was leaking from directly above the area that had originally been opened up. The repair was made with some additional section of wall being opened up behind the bathroom fixture. The cause was a failure in the copper pipe on the hot side in the wall behind the new vanity. After the repair Mrs. ****** was thankful for the hard work and signed and paid the invoice.On September 16th Mr. ****** contacted the dispatch office and asked me to call him to discuss the "damage" that I did to his home. We discussed that the drywall being opened up was not malicious and that I was exploring where the water was exiting the celling. After this I was told that if I had simply turned the water on I would have known that the leak was in the area that had already been opened. This lead me to believe that Mr. ****** had already done this and had not disclosed the information of his diagnosis to me. After this I offered him the value of labor for the emergency repair. The Value of this offer was 1.5Hrs at $165.00. Which is our standard labor rate. He did not decline, but then proceeded to threaten me. He said that he will give me 24 hours to make the correct business decision. I asked him what he thought the correct business decision was. He said that was for me to decide but I will lose $1000.00 either way. Weather I give him $1000.00 to fix his celling or lose $1000.00 in new customers. After that I decided to not speak with Mr. ****** and instructed my staff to do so as well.Original quote for the vanity install was 3 hours of labor plus parts. The emergency repair was 1.5 hours plus parts. for a total of $752.43. The Full value of the invoice dose not completely involve the emergency repair and this is why I offered him the 1.5hrs as a courtesy.Our invoice clearly indicate that we are not responsible for drywall repair and this was said to both Mr. and Mrs. ****** before and after the work was done. We have not done drywall repair within the company since approximately 2013 when those staff members left. It is not listed in our website and never has been since our website is completely new as of Jan 2021.I tried to work with Mr. ****** but he refused my offer of what I had, instead he threatened me with loss of funds.

  Customer response

  10/15/2024

  Better Business Bureau: Once I have received this so called offered refund in my posession, (that the business refused to discuss) after they felt "threatened" I'll close out the claim. Not going to get into the detail of "false claims" as I know what I saw on their website and what was said on the phone. In addition to being dishonest, I guess this business also can't understand that the only issue I have is that they caused the damage unnecessarily by not following the proper scope of the work originally, which would have avoided all of this in totality. Mistakes happen, it's what you do when you make a mistake to make it right that tells you all you need to know about a person/business/ etc. Clearly this business doesn't deserve to be BBB rated and lesson learned on hiring them.  Regards, ****** ******* 

  

  Business response

  11/08/2024

  The check for the labor to repair the unexpected water line repair for a value of $269.15 is being written as i type and is on the way. Thank you. Tony L******* Advanced Sewer and Drain Cleaning  ###-###-####  1345 Military Rd. Suite 2, Kenmore, NY 14217

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Im may of 2022, I requested service for my upstairs toilet, advanced sewer took out the wrong part, said they needed to rebuild my toilet and since they did, the issue I was having persisted and I called them again, he came back took a look said it was fine, but meanwhile the issue persisted, and they blatantly told me they’ve done everything, and there’s nothing they can do. Well, yes because the wrong system was taken out, I told them my toilet bowl would not stop running and I had to check the handle when I flush sometimes… otherwise the water kept running, and off course that’s because my sealant was not going down after flushing, which is actually what needed changing, instead they decided to do something else, charging me more money and no change from the original issue. This company recently change hands I believe and the new owners are horrible, They also changed my downstairs toilet and had to come back two or three different times to correct the problem that caused major leakage to my basement, I had to keep calling and finally the owner came and said he would fire the guy that did it cause he realized they didn’t tighten it the first time and it took two other times to correct the problem, the tank was shaking and their plumber said that was okay second time they realize the leak was happening because bottom was not properly done again, their people are so inefficient, but I’ve been patient, however this has gone on long enough, they even sent me an online receipt forging my signature, The signature they signed as my name is not my signature. I have no idea what this company is under this new management. I had never had problems with them under old management. It’s under this guy Tony that I’ve had all these problems while using them. Again, I’m constantly opening the tank to push the sealant down, however, when they explained what they were going to do for corrections I assumed they knew what they were doing, as I am not an expert.

  

  Business response

  12/07/2022

  We have attempted to service this customer to the best of our ability (which is extensive). This includes but is not limited to our Master plumber even going out there to assist. We have found, in our many years of business that from time to time a client is "unserviceable" for whatever reason. Whether that reason is unrealistic expectations, or just a generally disagreeable demeanor, lack of understanding, etc. In this case, it appears to be a combination of things: 1) Unrealistic expectations: for example - We come out, and the customer has an old toilet that is extremely difficult to repair. However, they also do not want to buy a new toilet that is easier to fix. This is really not our issue and leaves us at a stalemate as a service provider (unserviceable). 2) Lack of understanding: Because the client lacks understanding, they don't trust us. Because they don't trust us, they refuse to take good and sound advice about the situation. Although we've spent many years striving to be a company of integrity and we have thousands of customers and many individuals that work for the local authorities that thoroughly trust us because of the work we've done. There are still a few outliers that just don't know what they don't know and have to become aware of the industry a bit more in order to understand that: A) We're a company of integrity B) Our prices are more than fair and C) We are experts at what we do. With that being said, we do regret what has happened here and we've accepted responsibility by providing the customer with not one but two service calls at no charge to them, however, they still decided to submit a complaint. The only thing that we can determine is perhaps they wanted to get the service for little or no charge which of course is not possible since we've already made it right. Sincerely, Scott *. U***** Advanced Sewer and Drain Cleaning

  Customer response

  12/12/2022

  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  Thanks for your prompt response. Yes I did need my downstairs toilet repaired and was told that a part could not be located as they the name of the toilet maker was not known and …, YES I did agree with their findings to replace the toilet, the replacement was a botched job, I had leaking from the toilet down to my basement after the replacement and also they did not screw the tank tight enough which was shaky and needed someone to come out three times to correct that job, and the owner: master plumber told me he was going to fire the plumber, I said don’t fire him retrain him. 
  My upstairs toilet I paid 289.00 cause they needed to rebuild something that the same plumber that screws up diagnosed however they took out a perfectly working component to repair and left the deficient component that actually needed repairing and they do not want to spend the money to redo a job that they obviously made a mistake on, how dishonest, I worked with them when they made a mistake with my downstairs toilet and it took almost a month to correct their mistake, I don’t care about money, I just didn’t want the water running continuously in the toilet tank after flushing, which was costing my water bill to go sky high as well. At this point I do not want them touching anything as they are a very dishonest place, that have lost all integrity and values since the death of the original owner. This person son I’m told is unbelievable, absolutely nothing like the person that must’ve run the company before. I will however finally get another plumber to fix the problem they were hired to fix, they never told me to purchase a new toilet for my upstairs bathroom, I was told they needed to rebuild a system, which turned up wrong after all. 
  I continue to take my tank off to put that rubber gasket/sealant down when flushing which is why I hired them and they couldn’t would’nt do it. I reached out after speaking to you and the letter writer even told me to go back to Jamaica… even though I’m not Jamaican. And he ask why am I mad? They’ve already fired the technician, and doesn’t care that my job wasn’t done right. Please be aware there were two toilets done. Why would I be told to replace one and I do it but not the other when the price was almost the same. It was cheap replacement only $500 for downstairs. 
  upstairs rebuild price quoted was 289, then why wouldn’t I had just done this, Mr. U***** also told me he wasn’t there when this happened so he obviously knows nothing or did not read anything. Please look at this matter and report this so that other unsuspecting consumers do not have to go through or have this same horrible experience. Thanks in advance. Regards, ********* ******* 
  

  

  Business response

  01/11/2023

  BBB spoke with Tony at the business who explained that there is a cover on the toilet that keeps the water running. The consumer simply needs to remove the cover, which has been previously discussed, and the problem will be solved.

  Customer response

  01/11/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  This company’s lacks basic trust and integrity, they lie without even thinking. Obviously, Mr. Tony doesn’t know what he’s talking about, this is a joke to them. So if that’s all it was why wouldn’t they had come to show me what to do after I had to spend $ 260.00 on repair for upstairs plumbing. That’s not what the problem was, they’ve chosen to not admit they misdiagnosed the problem, I recently got it repaired by the plumber I should’ve called in the first place, and it’s working properly now, it’s not any cover, it’s unbelievable how this new owner who took over from his dad is such a crook, they just make up things as they go along, can you people at the better business please ask them why didn’t they just tell me to do that initially when I called them about the piece not going down that I had to open up the tank with every flush then why spend 260 if the water would keep running. Does that make any sense!?? They’re just shameless and ridiculous. I recently spent 174 and it’s working… Thank God!! Regards, ********* *******
  
  
  
  

  Customer response

  03/14/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The consumer sent the attached receipt showing work done by another business to allegedly correct the work done by Advanced Sewer.  Regards,  ********* *******  

  

  Business response

  03/30/2023

  I have a couple of concerns here. #1 She had already claimed that she had the problem resolved by another plumber prior to the "closing" of this complaint prior to the 2-15-23 closing of this case. I believe it was over the summer after she discovered her large water bill. #2 The date on the invoice from **** ***** ******** **. is dated 3/4 or 9/2023. So, is she stating that the toilet has been not operating since the original complain was launched many months ago? She is contradicting herself. She had also called **** County consumer protections onto this concern. The case was reviewed and deemed that I, Advanced Sewer was not responsible for any further action and we had done or job to satisfy this series of complaints. We have all the filed at the ready including documented invoices from when the jobs were done with time stamps of when the service man was on site. We can provide them to you if you would like. This is the only complaint that I have had about this company since I have taken over from my late father who I had worked under for 13 years prior to his death and my purchase of the DBA in 2021. Please reach out to me to resolve this issue. Thank you. Tony Luckoski

  

  Business response

  04/19/2023

  Attached are the service records for Advanced Sewer and Drain Cleaning's work history for ********* ******* at ** *******, Buffalo. While you might have the history and response regarding this property from the BBB claim earlier in the year, I have included for your convenience.  The invoices have more details of the work that was done. The screen shot images verify that technicians went to the property multiple times.  Please feel free to contact Advanced Sewer and Drain Cleaning if you have any questions. Your efforts towards closure of this matter are greatly appreciated.  Sincerely,  Kate H******** Advanced Sewer and Drain Cleaning 

  

  Business response

  04/28/2023

  BBB spoke to Tony at the business and the following was relayed: We had already discounted the original invoice 1/2 on work order #**** and did not charge for the parts for the first floor toilet. In total, the customer had received approximately $150 in discounts and there is nothing further we are able to do.

• Initial Complaint

  06/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On June 2 I had Advanced sewer and drain cleaning come out and snake my line. The guy who did it said everything looked good. Low and behold a day later the problem returned. I have been calling and leaving messages for them to come back out and fix it and they gave me a 90 day warranty, I have yet to receive a phone call back or any word from anyone here.

  

  Business response

  08/12/2022

  The following are notes from 06/23 in our system.There has been no correspondence since this call.CUSTOMER CALLED AND LEFT MESSAGE ON 6/22 THAT HER PROPERTY HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME GURGLING SOUND FROM THE TOILET ON THE NIGHT OF SERVICE ON 6/2. CUSTOMER ALSO ALLEGES THAT SHE HAS CALLED 5 TIMES TO GET FOLLOW UP SERVICE. SHE ACCUSED US OF SCREENING HER CALLS. SHE WAS IRATE THAT HER BASEMENT HAD BACKED UP AND SHE HAD TO CALL ***'S OUT FOR SERVICE LAST NIGHT AND THAT HER BASEMENT WAS FULL OF WASTE. SHE COMPLAINED THAT SHE WAITED FOR 20 DAYS BEFORE RETURNING HER CALL. SHE WANTED US TO COVER THE COST OF ***'S. DISPATCH VERIFIED NOTES WITH TECH AND REVIEWED PHONE RECORDS (ONLY 1 MESSAGE FROM 3 DAYS AGO). DISPATCH CALLED CUSTOMER AND REVIEWED FACTS OF SHIFTED VENT AND THAT SHE WITNESSED THE LINES BEING CLEAR WHEN HE LEFT. TECH ALSO SAID THAT THERE WAS AN ODD BEND IN THE LINES UNDER THE HOUSE - NOT NEAR WHERE ADVANCED HAD CLEANED. FURTHER EXPLANATION INCLUDED THAT ADVANCED WOULD HAVE HONORED THE 90 DAY WARRANTY DESPITE VENT SHIFT HAD SHE CONTACTED US DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS SINCE WE WERE CLEARLY NOT GETTING THE MESSAGES AND ALSO THAT ADVANCED WOULD NOT BE REIMBURSING HER FOR THE EMERGENCY SERVICE FROM ***'S. During the past year we have had several upgrades to our computer and phones systems, as with all new processes and equipment there is an increased margin of error, we have done our best to correct any deficiencies or oversights in our processes and to educate ourselves to the use the new equipment and software.We do not screen calls and we honor our warranties.   The lack or loss of communication has not been verified and there was was, for whatever reason, no communication prior to the customer's contacting of a third party and we were not given the opportunity to correct the issue ourselves before the third party provided service. We advised the customer that we would not be reimbursing her for the services of the third party.  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩