Drain Rescue Plumbers

I called DrainRescue (Toronto plumbing company) to investigate a leak coming from the bottom of a basement pillar. They came, opened up the pillar and found a large crack in the drain pipe of my two story house. I was quoted $600 to repair the section of the cracked pipe and was quoted (verbally) $1,100-$1,200 to replace the entire pipe. We made a decision and paid a deposit to replace the whole drain pipe based on the information were given. The next day, the same plumber and another plumber from DrainRescue came to start work on the repair and told me it would now cost $3,400 to replace the drainpipe. I have a wife and two year child and was left in a vulnerable position since we had a flood, no bath and now an exposed wall. Because of this terrible position I was in, I went ahead and agreed to have them start the work that day (my mistake). DrainRescue either deliberately took advantage of the vulnerable position I was in or employ incompetent people who don’t know what they’re talking about. Beware of the tactics or incompetency of DrainRescue.

Called about an obstructed kitchen drain. They charged $450 just to come out and take a look. He put a snake down and said it was now working. He also said the septic pump was broken and needs to be replaced. He left the drain disconnected and said it was not his job to fix that part. He left it as is and said it was our responsibility to put it back together. We finally connected it ourselves and found the pipe was still obstructed. We called the company to tell them they didnt fix it at all. He came out and said for another $3,000 they could dig up the concrete floor and investigate the problem for us. We decided to get a second opinion from another company. They redirected the pipe and connected everything back up, all for less than a $1000. They also said there was nothing wrong with the septic pump. Everything is now working perfectly, thanks to another company's service.

On Nov. 24, 2009 my father had a plumbing emergency in his building and called Drain Rescue to help resolve his problem. My father is 87 years old and speaks broken English.

The technician arrived and quoted a $4800 estimate to replace 30 ft. of cast iron pipe with newer pipe along with some new ABS drainpipe. He was then told that if he rejected the estimate he would have to pay $175 for the diagnosis regardless of the fact that Drain Rescue’s website clearly states that any drain estimates are free and they quote the entire job with no hidden extras.

Having a flooded basement and three units counting on running water that evening left my father little choice but to go ahead and fix the problem. So he did. Two hours into the job, he was quoted another $2500 to replace other sections of old pipe (that were not visible upon initial inspection). Having thought the first job would fix everything, my father was shocked at this added work and cost. He then asked if the new work would resolve a low-pressure issue with the cold water supply on the second floor of the building and was told it would. It did not.

The entire job cost him over $6700 for about 18 hours of labour (2 men, 9 hours each) including about $400 in materials. According to their website (www.drainrescue.com) Drain Rescue boasts that they don’t charge by the hour, rather by the job so there’s no hidden extras. On this particular job, their hourly rate exceeded $300/hour. That’s right! It’s no wonder they don’t charge by the hour. Since the low-pressure problem still persisted, my father was forced to hire another plumber to complete the job (at a much more reasonable cost - $2000 for approximately 30 hours of labour including materials). In fact, this $2000 service included more labour, materials and upgrades than the two Drain Rescue jobs at less than a third the cost.

Finally, the technician offered my father a senior’s discount of 10%. Their website clearly states that seniors receive a 15% discount. I’m not sure how this oversight occurred. When I approached the owner of the company, Terry Sakharevych, I was told that their pricing reflects the work done and in order to receive the advertised senior’s discount, I had to send him a link to his own website where he could confirm the offered15% discount to senior’s. Without this call, only 10% would have been granted. This was just another shoddy work practice.

After talking to him about my predicament, Terry Sakharevych passed me onto Walter who is their service manager. Basically Walter said that it’s too bad I’m not satisfied but they did not gouge my father for any extra money or work required. I asked about the satisfaction guarantee and was told there’s nothing they can do.

Here is what their website states:
Drain Rescue does not charge for estimates. All estimates are free.
We conduct plumbing inspections for Free if we are already at your home.
Drain Rescue charges per job, not per hour! We believe in being paid to solve problems and not for the time it takes to identify them.
A price upfront before the work begins. 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
We do not charge for our drain technicians to show up. All drain service calls are free of charge. With plumbing calls, however, there is a $65 service charge for the plumber to come to your home. However, if you decide to go ahead with the work the $65 service fee is waived.
Our dedication to customer service and our reputation within the plumbing industry is what motivates us.

My problem here is two fold. One, if they don’t know what the entire job entails, at the very least they should notify customers that their estimates are only guess work and can easily include extra work later on. That way, clients have a sense of what they may be getting into. Right now, they offer an estimate making you think that will resolve all your issues, when in fact it’s only a beginning. Pricing by the job can be reasonable if you know what you’re getting into, but when you don’t, the sky’s the limit.

Two, how does a company justify charging over $300 an hour and claim to be honest, reliable and reasonable? I understand pricing an entire job as opposed to hourly rates, but when you can’t fully assess a job unless you’re inside the walls, you should consider implementing a more honest hourly rate. $300 is simply gouging.

Shame on Drain Rescue for not honouring their own pledge, for not being honest about pricing, for taking advantage of a client who is in an emergency plumbing situation, for not dealing with our complaints and lack of satisfaction and finally for gouging an elderly man who was at the mercy of a plumbing emergency and was ready to do anything to resolve those issues so his tenants wouldn’t be without water.

I write this letter to notify and warn any potential customers about Drain Rescue’s working principles or lack thereof. I will never use this company again and urge you to do the same. I am considering making a claim against them in Small Claims Court.

Sincerely,

Steve Sanguedolce

Great job - in a very little time - just what we needed - affordable and timely. Thank you guys your great work is much appreciated - will call you again (hopefully not soon)!!

thank you,
your plumber come when my drain is clogged and he cleared it so that i can continue with my business, and i really appreciate his work. your company is a good company. i used it before and i will use it again.

thank you, jorge hernandez