I bought my house in 2015 - it has 2 bathrooms one above the other.
In winter 2017 the toilets started to give problems of slow draining. I asked around and Harris Plumbing were recommended to me
Their technician came and “snaked” a clump of tree roots out of the drains. He then put a camera through the drain and told me the drains were slow because the 50 year old main sewer pipe made of an asbestos type material had collapsed so tree roots were able to penetrate into the house plumbing. He told me they would need to dig down to the old pipe and replace it with new plastic pipe. Because it would be replaced from the house foundation wall right out to the street It would need a back-hoe to dig down and cost $10,823.14 – but their work carried a 20 year guarantee!!!
I was shocked but as they had come on referral and their assessment made sense I agreed to the replacement. They dug an almost 3 meter deep trench across my front lawn, showed me the old collapsed pipe, supposedly replaced it all and back-filled the trench.
Later that summer we got slow draining toilet issues again and they told me it was probably due to the old toilets. I bought 2 new toilets and they installed them. In December 2018 we had slow drain issues again and then sewage backed up into the basement floor drain. Harris Plumbing came and pulled out more tree roots! The plumber said he “had an idea” what might be causing the problem and would return with a camera “to check it out”. I then got a bill for $725.38. He never returned. I called and spoke with one of the managers but he brushed me off so I wrote to the owner of the company who subsequently called me and I explained my frustrations. He said the tree roots must have been “left over” from before the work was done. I asked why they hadn’t back-augered the house pipes while they had access from the open drain but he couldn’t provide a logical explanation. He agreed to waive their bill on this occasion and “to call again if there were any further problems”.
In January 2020 we had slow draining toilets again so I called Harris Plumbing – they never returned my calls so I asked another company to come. Once again they pulled out a clump of tree roots at a cost of over $500.
In May this year, right in the middle of the Covid-19 situation the sewer drain back flowed into the basement again so I called Harris Plumbing again. The woman who answered promised someone would call but they never did. I hired another plumbing company who came with a remote camera and discovered that a 8-9 feet section of the original sewer pipe was still present and collapsed so much that he was unable to get his camera beyond it. His opinion was this section of drain has been the primary blockage from the very beginning. This again cost me $500.
In the last week, I have called Harris Plumbing several times, sent 2 further letters and a copy of the video showing the problem. They have not responded to my e-mails or voicemails and it seems they now block my calls.
It is clear that for nearly 3 years they have tried to cover up the fact they left a significant section of the old pipe and did not completely replace it with new plastic pipe all the way from the house to the street as detailed in their work order. They have continually billed me for the work they do.
How can this company claim on their website that “OUR FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS PROUDLY SERVES OWNERS OF RESIDENTIAL, COTTAGE AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES WITH COMPASSIONATE SERVICE, THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF WORK AND DEDICATION TO GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT - THE FIRST TIME”
Courteous Care, Incredible Service, 100% Customer Satisfaction…………
My main sewer is still blocked by a faulty 9 foot section of the original old pipe yet this company has refused to fix it which is causing my sewer to back up into the house.
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