Joshua P on BBB 3 years ago
06/10/2020, 10:36 AM
Beware, SCAMMERS, would give zero stars if i could. Had a back-up in our basement bathroom and called Drain Detectives on a Saturday to come out. They were responsive and came same day which may be there only redeeming quality. The plumber snaked the drain and was unable to clear the blockage and then used a camera to try and identify the issue. He noted tree roots within the sewer line and indicated they were outside the home and the section needed to be replaced. We ended up making the decision to the have the line replaced and scheduled for later the next week.
The crew arrived to start work and first used the camera on the line again to verify where the issue was. There were almost no tree roots visible and when we indicated that we still were having backups the plumber said that we likely had another issue causing our problems. The plumber indicated that there was a belly in the bathroom and suggested that it is possible we had an issue with the sewer vent on the roof as well. He and another individual went on the roof and used a camera to inspect the sewer vent. When he returned, he indicated that the sewer vent was “capped” which was what was causing our problems and said the only time anyone caps a vent is if it is broken and they don’t want to fix it. He then said our only option would be to replace the vent as well as fix the belly in the plumbing which involves having to break through the bathroom floor and thus redoing the entire (already brand new) bathroom even suggesting a restoration company to use to handle the demolition and remodel. He indicated that homeowner’s insurance would cover this and we filed a claim accordingly based on this information. We also elected to not have the sewer line repaired at that time as it would not of fixed any of our problems.
The insurance adjuster sent out a different plumbing company to verify the issue before approving the claim and this company not only found that the sewer line did not need to be repaired, they also found that there were absolutely no issues with the sewer vent. Upon their camera inspection, the only issue were tree roots that happened to be within the main line in the foundation of the home which were cleared with hydro jetting.
When we confronted Drain Detectives, they couldn’t provide an explanation for their plumber’s actions and had to discuss with management whether the deposit that was collected for the sewer line work was to be refunded.
In the end, our deposit was refunded but no explanation provided. What likely originally happened was a misdiagnosis of the plumber who came out and snaked our drain the first time. He probably thought the roots he saw where outside the home but in reality, were within the foundation as they were only 15 feet from the bathroom. Unsure as to why the second plumber thought the sewer vent was broken when in reality there were no issues but I guess we will never know for sure.
Do yourself a favor and use a different company unless you want to be scammed.