Payless Sewer And Drain - American Home Shield Scam artists, terrible service, will con you on charges, ripoff, avoid! Woodstock Georgia

I am writing to report my experiences with Payless Sewer and Drain, based in Woodstock, Georgia.

In late August, we experienced overflow problems from our laundry drain. Payless Sewer and Drain was assigned as the contractor by American Home Shield. When the Payless plumber arrived on September 8, he took our $45 service fee, but literally did nothing except run our washing machine several times on the pump-out cycle to prove that water was flowing out and that therefore we didn't have a clog in the drain.

When we pointed out that the drain overflow problem only occurred when we used detergent, his explanation was that maybe we were using too much soap. He offered no other solutions and simply told us that there wasn't anything he could do without cutting our wall.

Since that time, we researched this problem and several plumbers told us that this was very likely a partial clog. One plumber stated that our first Payless technician must not have wanted to expend much effort, since any competent plumber would know that suds will react to a partial obstruction and back up, whereas clear water may still pass. Others pointed out other possible sources of our problem. Needless to say, it was a waste of our time and $45, and the problem continued to occur.

When I called AHS to complain, they arranged Payless Sewer and Drain to return for a recall visit. The recall visit was scheduled for September 13, 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. I took off the afternoon from work to be sure I would be here when the plumber arrived. However, at 3:15 p.m., I received a call from Payless Sewer and Drain, stating that they were running behind and wouldn't be able to make that day. I asked them if they could simply come later but they stated that this was impossible.

As a result, we were forced to accept a rescheduled recall appointment with Payless Sewer and Drain for September 15, 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. I again took off work to be at home. As of 11:15, there was no plumber and no phone call. We called Payless and were told that they are doing the best they can. They promised someone will be there within the hour. We pointed out that they had told us we were their first appointment in the 10 a.m. slot. As of 12:30 p.m., thirty minutes past our scheduled range, no one had shown up.

We called again, asking what was going on, and were told by Payless, Sorry, we can't get in touch with the plumber; we'll have to call you back. We called AHS at 12:45 p.m. and their representative called Payless and was told, The plumber is on his way. At 1:24 p.m., Payless called and again said Sorry, the plumber was delayed, but he is on his way. Finally, the plumber showed up at 2:20 p.m.

The plumber sent by Payless for the recall visit, Gregory, was very professional while at our house and did solve the problem. The only negative was that he told me that the service of cleaning out the stoppage would cost approximately $195.

We presented a coupon for $35, but when the plumber called in to Payless, they refused to honor it because we hadn't set that up in advance. He then stated that he was going to do even better, leading me to believe that we were going to receive a discount for all of this trouble. He said he was going to take $65 off.

Strangely, the bill total was $230.70 more than the estimate without the so-called discount. Puzzled, I examined the bill more closely later, and found that Payless added (but then deducted) a separate $65 for inspecting line in crawl area, diagnostic and washer removal and setup. These charges had never been discussed previously, so I found it quite interesting that our discount consisted of not having to pay them!

To top it off, the plumber had crossed off the pre-printed $29.95 Service Fee and wrote in $39.95, which was added to our total. He explained this as Our charge for coming out, due to the high gas prices. In sum, after being quoted $195 and then being told we would get a $65 discount, I was actually charged $230.70.

While the amount we paid was only about $35 more than the original estimate, we clearly did not get the promised discount. To really put the icing on the cake, when I complained about this to the Better Business Bureau, Payless provided a response in which the owner, Richard Sauerhoefer, flagrantly lied.

For example, he stated that they were coming at the scheduled time for the first appointment, but that we didn't answer our phone a complete fabrication and likely contradicted by their own company records (if they actually keep any) and AHS records. Mr. Sauerhoefer made no mention of their canceling our first appointment and arriving grossly late to the second, as they repeatedly told us that they were on the way. He also claimed that we were given the total price up front, a distortion of the facts.

Payless Sewer and Drain is possibly the worst contracting company I've ever dealt with. Their scheduling is disorganized and they promised dates and time slots that they subsequently couldn't make. Their dispatcher even lied and claimed that the plumber was on the way to our house, making us wait yet another couple of hours.

When the work was finally completed, they padded the bill while trying to act like they were giving us a discount. We paid them $230 when we should have paid no more than $165 (if they were in fact going to give us the promised discount.).

If you complain, rather than the customer is always right, they will assert that you are lying and trying to steal from them. Take my advice: do not use Payless Sewer and Drain.

Eric
Atlanta, Georgia
U.S.A.