As I've developed a reputation to regularly write service and product reviews, I've had several people ask me if I target certain companies or products before developing my review. My honest answer is "No," it doesn't work that way. When I deal with an electrician or visit a new restaurant, the furthest thing on my mind is a review. I'm at a restaurant with family or friends to relax and enjoy myself. If I have electrical or plumbing issues that are beyond my pay grade, my focus is getting my issue resolved safely and with minimal inconvenience. It's only after dealing with some companies where I'm compelled to write a review. It just may come to me that my experience may warrant a review of some sort. It's not always negative, but frankly, it's much more common to be disappointed by service than being overwhelmed. As a gut check, I will sometimes tell my customer service experience to others to get their feedback to ensure I'm not being too picky or overly critical.
Back to my latest experience which pertains to my experience with R Carr plumbing, a company out of Safety Harbor, FL. In the summer of 2019, we had our kitchen renovated remotely in Clearwater and needless to say, it was quite challenging. Coordinating our maintenance personnel to let various contractors in and out of our unit was something I managed from afar. R Carr did the sink and faucet installation and things appeared to be fine.
On January 8, 2020, as I was hours before leaving Florida for the cold and blustery Chicago, I noticed about a quarter inch of water below the sink. There was a piece of hardware that connected to the intake water supply that was leaking. It was a constant drip, drip, drip and may have occurred a few days prior.
The good news, I was able to diagnose the issue, the bad news, I didn't have the right tool nor the appropriate hardware to fix the problem. Thankfully, I contacted our maintenance person who said he could fix it. We began to text back and forth and he eventually said he could not find the right part at the hardware store so he recommended that I contact McGill Plumbing, a provider with whom he trusted. He also assured me that a large bucket was under the sink meant no more water would escape that container in the coming days.
Once I arrived home in early January, I reached out to Melody, my Home Depot representative in Largo, FL, to ask her to reach out to our plumbing contractor regarding our kitchen project, and there were several emails that went back-and-forth emails and finally in early February she said that R Carr will reach out to me. It took one month for this to occur so don't get me started on Home Depot. Back to R Carr, on February 11th, I received a call from their representative Walt who asked me if the issue had been resolved. I said there was much urgency as we're dealing with water so I had to pay about a hundred and fifty dollars to a licensed plumber to get it resolved. Also, I felt compelled to pay our maintenance man for his assistance. After I mentioned this, Walt said "good," as he was ready to wash his hands of this issue (No apologies, no admission of guilt, just another call he had to make). Before he was ready to end the call, I asked him if there's a warranty on their work and he said he'd have to talk to his manager. I would think a warranty would be straightforward, you did some work for me about 6 months ago and you're hesitating on whether or not the job is covered by warranty? He added, "I'll call you either later today or tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb. 13). He did reach out about one year later to say his manager is currently reviewing the case and let me know. Still no ultimate resolution as of Friday afternoon, February 22.
However I must say that the experience I had this week with R Carr may qualify for incomplete good customer service.
I'll try not to paint with a broad brush here but it seems that more than several contractors and sub-contractors ignore your calls or emails once they've been paid. On to the next customer.
One more thing, if I hadn't discovered that leak, there could have been thousands of dollars in damages. Would R Carr be liable?
As I mentioned earlier, when I started this project the last thing on my mind was writing about my experience with the kitchen renovation project. I've worked with contractors in the past and it sometimes requires follow up to ensure things are progressing as smoothly as they can. It was only after a leak occurred about 6 months from the installation period and the further delay with Home Depot and the plumbing sub-contractor that I felt compelled to share my experience. I'd be delighted if future projects went smoothly so I'd be able to write a more positive experience with contractors. Stay tuned.
Their Mission Statement (On their Website)
Our goal at R. Carr Plumbing is to provide the highest level of customer service, and quality workmanship using the finest quality products. Our certified team of professionals aims to work efficiently, and to work together to maintain and excellent service atmosphere. Our Customer’s Satisfaction is Guaranteed!
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