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THE FOLLOWING SERVES TO WARN CONSUMERS OF, AND REFLECT UPON THE CROOKED TRADE PRACTICE OF J-STAR SERVICES, INC. EMPLOYEE (KNOWN TO ME AS ROBERT; A.K.A. ""BOBBY""; A.K.A. ""ROBBIE""), AND IN NO WAY REPRESENTS WORK CONTRACTED TO, OR PERFORMED BY J-STAR SERVICES, INC. PER SAY.
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A severe freeze took its toll on the old pvc piping of our mobile home last winter. A nearby relative referred us to a plumber that makes his home in her neighborhood. We called him, he showed up with a helper, and before long had our water flowing again.
Three weeks ago, we contacted the same plumber (Robert @ J-Star Plumbing) and had him come out to give us a bid on the repair of three seemingly uncomplicated, trivial items in our master bath, and to wrap the pipes that he repaired the previous winter.
In an attempt to show our gratitude from his work last winter, we thought we were being neighborly and doing the community good by hiring someone local... someone we had previously trusted to do the work they were hired to do.
He bid the work out at $500, which I thought was more than a little high, but we were prepared to pay it to get the work done. I gave him $200 that first day so that he could get the parts needed. He was to return the next day with those parts and a helper.
The next day he showed up two hours later than scheduled... with no helper. In fact, as he grunted and groaned doing the work (I was working in the next room) he would ask me no less than a half dozen times to turn the water off at the meter, then back on... which is a hike from our home to the end of the property.
Four hours later, one of the bathroom faucets still does not have cold water service, hot water does little more than trickle out, and the pipes have yet to be wrapped when he informs me he has done all he could for the day.
In good faith, I went ahead and paid him the remaining $300. He assures me that he would return at noon the following Monday to complete the job.
Funny thing is, he stopped answering his phone. Fast forward a week later, I get a series of incoherent, slurred messages from him stating that he went to the hospital for chest pains, part needed was not in stock at the supply house, part ordered, part will be in tomorrow, and more than a few times ""we'll be there tomorrow to get things wrapped up.""
As of this moment, his phone goes straight to voice mail. I regret to say that it appears Robert has no intention of keeping his word to complete the job that he bid on, and was paid in full to complete. We are left with little more than the surreal, obvious reality of having been ripped off.
This has been the utmost ROTTEN experience with a contractor, and it sadly reflects shamefully on the moral fiber of his employer.
I hope you feel good about yourself Robert!
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