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Review content:
Recently, as he was beginning an outdoor project in our yard, my husband came across a problem with a sewage pipe at our house. The pipe, which spanned from the inside of our house out, was leaking sewage every time that we flushed the toilet. Being that the leak was significant and neither of us had any plumbing knowledge or expertise, we understood that the problem needed a professional.
On Monday morning, I received a call around 8:30 stating that the plumber was in our area. He arrived and reviewed the problem. He explained that the sewage pipe coming out of the house was old, cracked and ill-fitting, the second pipe that comes from the ground and vents the gases was cracked and broken, and that sewage had been leaking into our foundation for some time. At this point, I was obviously concerned that the sewage was not only leaking in to the ground outside, but the foundation of our home! To add to my concerns, I was pregnant with our first child and realized that this could in no way be good for anyone’s health, let alone a tiny, developing baby. The plumber only encouraged my fears by stating that it wasn't safe to have the sewage leaking and "if you are ever going to have kids in the house, the problem needs to be fixed". Steve, who was referred to as one of the “best service guys” by the person on the phone provided a quote of $4715.99 – and this was AFTER a 15% discount and an online coupon!!! I was completely shocked with the quote. With absolutely no knowledge of plumbing and concern over the sewage leak and potential health problems, said “Well, it needs to be fixed”. With concern about spending all of our money, my husband told Steve that the charges seemed high. He responded that Gillece does the work that same day and that it has a lifetime guarantee. With that explanation, we assumed that the price was maybe a little higher than most, but never imagined the price difference that we later discovered. My husband asked if he could have a breakdown of what could possibly be $4715 and Steve told him that they charge “per project” and could offer NO information on how he arrived at the price. With all of the advertising and as much as I have heard and seen the Gillece name throughout the South Hills area, I assumed that they had to be a reputable company. Luckily for Steve, my husband had already done 99% of the digging around that area so he was able to get started quickly. After 5 hours, Steve completed his work. He took me in to the basement to get my approval on his clean up, which was fine. Then, he gave me the paperwork to sign. I first signed a page that had the total cost it. Steve explained that in Pennsylvania, we have 3 days to reject/cancel any work that is done and gave me the sheet to sign. Then, he had a form that labeled “Emergency Order” which he explained “this just says that you gave me permission to complete this work today”, so I signed it. The work was done and off went Steve.
Within the next day, we learn that the project that we just paid almost $5K for should have cost $1700 AT THE VERY MOST. We also learned that the “Emergency Order” form, which Steve explained as me giving him permission to complete this work that very day actually cancels the 3 day right to cancel in Pennsylvania. In addition, we learned that Gillece will not return calls to customers who complain and avoid them at every cost...only to send a typed letter to the customer's home stating that nothing will be done to resolve the complaint.
Lesson to be learned: (1) Gillece Services sets outrageous charges for their work and are a complete rip off, (2) Don’t assume that they must be reasonably priced with the competition because they are not...they will take as much money as they can from you and can't even offer an explanation as to how they come up with the charge, (3) Always get a second opinion and never trust Gillece to do work in your house.
Pros: Same day service
Cons: Pricing is outrageous, sneaky staff, don't return calls
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