On Jan 15 we had a pressure release valve on the outside irrigation system break after having frozen. Being brand new to Arizona a neighbor gave us Smiley Plumbing's card so we called and they said there would be a $49 charge to send a technician out and they could have one there the next day so we agreed.
The technician arrived on Jan 16 as promised and assessed the valve. He proceeded to tell us that it was a "very expensive part" and we could have it rebuilt (but they would have to send it off to have that done) or replaced. Naturally we decided to have it replaced. We asked about the cost to replace the valve but he tap danced around that and tried to sell us membership in the "Smiley Executive Club" and proceeded to tell us how great it would be to get a 17% discount etc if we agreed to pay xxx per month to join the club... Yadda yadda yadda.
Time was wasting away and we had an appointment to be elsewhere so we again asked about cost. He then told us that although this was a "very expensive part" and "other plumbers would charge us over $900 to replace it" he happened to have one left on his truck and would do the job for ONLY $735 which included a 10% senior citizen discount.
We had only moved to Arizone Jan 5th and were still unpacking when the freeze hit so had no knowledge about the yard watering system. We were stunned and shocked by the huge expense but felt we had no choice but to let Smiley Plumbing do the job since their tech said other plumbers would charge us over $900 rather than their "fair price" of ONLY $735, so we signed and agreed to let them do the work.
The next morning I mentioned the matter to our realtor who does property management and was informed in no uncertain terms that we had been scammed. She had just had to have quite a few of the exact same valve replaced in rental houses she manages and told me that the retail cost of the exact same Febco valve is about $65 and the plumbing service she used charged $115 total (parts and labor) to replace each one she had done.
She then sent me to talk with PORA in Sun City West and the president of PORA (Chuck Ullman) looked at what Smiley Plumbing charged me and confirmed that that valve only costs about $65 to $70 and removal & replacement cost is nowhere near what Smiley Plumbing charged me. He then took me to their consumer affairs department and had them check the approved contractor database and we learned that Smiley Plumbing had been removed from their database due to numerous complaints from other senior citizens about fraudulent business practices.in other words, Smiley Plumbing has a known and documented reputation for ripping off consumers.
I called Smiley Plumbing in order to try to obtain an equitable agreement with them and the man who took my call had a very hostile attitude and basically laughed at me and told me since I agreed to the work after being given the price I was screwed - end of subject.
That may well be the case, BUT, my husband and I would not have agreed to let them do the job in the first place had they not lied and misrepresented the part as being extremely expensive and said that other plumbers would charge over $900 to replace it. It was their fraudulent practices and intentional deception that led to our decision and thus to our "being screwed" by them.
I may well be screwed but I'm doing this report in the hopes that it may save another consumer from being equally screwed by them in the future. If I can help even ONE senior citizen by this report then it will have been well worth my time.
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