I had a backed up laudry room drain and extraction well, and was worried about water damage. Since I just moved into my house, I was unsure of what was causing this backup and assumed it was the extraction pump, but could not remove the well cover. ARS came out and immediately gave me a base charge of $196 as an hourly fee. The plumber removed my extraction pump well cover in all of 5 minutes and deduced that the pump was fine, but the check valve above it was malfuntioning. After a quick discussion with his manager he gave me a price of $496 to replace this plastic check valve. I expressed concern over the price for a simple valce and he ensured me that it was a good deal and that they had already knocked $100 off the price and would extend the warranty to 2 years. Still unsure of this price, I grabbed the check valve manufacturer and model number and did a quick online search. The price I found had me steaming... $34! On every website of looked at $34, $34, and then $27 on Amazon! I called ARS and expressed my concerns with the manager that had given the plumber the quote. He stated that he wished he could get parts for that cheap, but unfortunately was unable to. He would not tell me what his costs were for this plastic valve and refused to breakdown the $496 quote, simply stating that they were a flat-rate company. (Every flat-rate company I have dealt with in the past has all prices for services, and sometimes parts, in writing for the customer.) I asked if this was company policy or just personal preference to which he replied that he would not give me the pricing. After I refused to pay this BOGUS PRICING, the plumber replaced my well cover and left... After my $196 consult fee of course. I went back to the extraction well, turned the check valve to off and then on again, and plugged in the pump... TADAH! It worked great! Turns out I had briefly clogged up the valve after washing my down comforter and all that was needed was a little wiggle. This shows me that the plumber didn't even look into the valve or inspect it, but rather was going to charge me $500 for a replacement based solely on a notion!
Overall, poor customer service, poorly educated plumbers, and managers who obviously try to take advantage of unknowing customers for a quick payday. I will never recommend this company to anyone. Ever. Bogus!
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