POOR SERVICE -- AVOID AT ALL COSTS!\r
On Jan. 16, 2014, I had an appointment set with Albiero Plumbing, Inc. to install a new water heater, fix a leaking kitchen sink and repair our main level toilet. The receptionist advised me that they would be sending a plumber after the noon hour, but that it would be sometime before 2 p.m. as water heater installations take a few hours and the ""guys"" do not like to start an installation too much later than 2 p.m. in the afternoon. Per this information, I took the afternoon off of work (4 hours) so that I would be home in time for the plumber's arrival. Shortly after 2 p.m., I called Albiero to see when I could expect the plumber. The receptionist said I was the next on the list. Nearly TWO HOURS passed before I received a call from the Albiero receptionist who wondered if it would be an inconvenience if we rescheduled the appointment. I told her that yes it would be an inconvenience because I had taken off of work to have my water heater installed that day. She advised me that the plumber who had the water heater on his truck was running late at a job and would not be able to make it that evening. I told her that at the very minimum I need my broken toilet and leaking toilet fixed as I would be out of town that weekend and would not be able to reschedule until the following week. Shortly after 4 p.m., a plumber finally arrived. He replaced a fill valve in the toilet and repaired the leaking kitchen sink. He was there and gone within 15 minutes time. When I received the bill, I was shocked to see that two hours of labor (@ $99/hour) was charged in addition to a $45 service fee. When I called to question this, the receptionist told me the owner would have to call me back. I waited two weeks for my phone call to be returned before finally deciding to call again. When I was finally able to connect with the owner, he was nothing but rude. He did not apologize once for the service I received (a simple ""I am sorry that happened to you” goes a long way!). He informed me that the service charge is to keep the doors open and that the labor charge is from the time the truck leaves the shop until it returns. This baffled me. As someone who formally worked at a plumbing and heating company, I was shocked. Typically the service fee is used to cover the cost of the trip (gas, mileage, etc.), but apparently this is not the case at Albiero. It may also be worth noting that I was told prior to my appointment that the service fee would be waived due to the size of my original job. I guess the cost of their poor scheduling is left with the customer. \r
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I am completely appalled and dissatisfied with the experience I had with this joke of a plumbing company. The next week my husband contacted another company to complete our water heater installation. This company showed up on time and billed us nearly $200 less than what Albiero quoted. I will never call Albiero Plumbing, Inc. again and would advise anyone else considering it to do the same. \r
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