Septic system service
UnclaimedLee's Sanitation Services
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I am going to write a thorough review to help you understand the whole picture.
The start: My sink was having a hard time draining, it had been 2.5 years since the last septic pumping, so I thought it might be time. Lee's was ranked well on Google and they were close to my house so I called them. They were able to fit me in within a few days and came out to do the pumping.
Jeff was the tech who came out on September 22. He was kind enough, he helped me review the as-built and gave me a deal on digging if I agreed to replace the dirt. He also answered all of my many questions about how the septic tank worked, although I think it seemed to annoy him a bit.
I watched as Jeff pumped the tank and I noticed there was a large white object hanging out at the bottom after he was done. I asked him what that was. He said "A baffle". I asked "should it be laying there?" he answered "No." I asked "is it important?" and he said, "kind of - you'll want to get it fixed eventually" and I asked, "what does that look like" he explained they dig out the edge of the tank and reinsert that baffle, but he was tired and didn't want to deal with it today. I verified "so there is no problem waiting" and he advised there is not. He recommended I call the corporate office on Monday to schedule something.
I was out of town on Monday, so I called Tuesday, September 26 and left a message. I then called Friday, September 29 and left another message, then I was out of town from October 1 through October 10, so I called again on October 11, still not having received a call back from them. I spoke to the receptionist who advised me she would have Randy call me.
Randy (manager or owner?) called me and said his team is overbooked, and they are at least 6 weeks out. He also clarified that a baffle is no small matter and should be handled immediately as a missing outlet baffle might cause waste to be exported to the drain field which could necessitate a complete replacement of the drain field.
Needless to say, I was concerned. He agreed to come out the following day and take a look at it. I was not here, but my roommate showed him back to the septic tank and advised he was here for approximately one minute and then left. He called once (I think as there is no evidence of a voicemail...) and then emailed me on Friday, October 13, stating he could come out and pump it and do the repair on Saturday.
As I don't check my email every day, I didn't get the email until Monday, October 16. I called immediately and spoke to Randy. I asked why it would be so much, he explained for the labor of the digging and possibly pumping. I explained that I had just pumped it less than a month earlier and we could have done the fix at that time.
He stated that because I missed his email and didn't respond, he didn't know when he could send someone out at least 2-3 weeks was his estimate, because he was trying to squeeze me in. He also expected half of the over $900 down before he would even schedule it and he would be charging a 3.5% fee for using a credit card.
I decided to call around and talk with other companies. I ended up going with Sunset Septic Tank Co. I called them and they called back within a few hours and quoted 250-400 max. They came out the next day and dug up the two entry points for the two baffles and found that both baffles were in place and no repairs were needed.
Just think - if I had trusted Lee's and followed their direction, I would have been out nearly $950 dollars for repairs that were not even necessary. Based on the average experience I had with the septic pumping, I was considering rating them a 2 star to compensate for the lack of negative experience I had with Jeff, but based on the contradictory information about the importance of the baffle, the lack of responsiveness, and the gross unethical behavior of trying to cheat me out of over $900, I have to go with one star...
When my septic system went out, it was at the worst time it could happen and felt like an earthquake in my life. Randy kept me calm through the entire process and handled all of the details regarding inspection and permits, things that were completely overwhelming to me. The crew was respectful to me and my property, and the amount of damage to my yard was far less than I expected. I've never bought a septic system, and it was worth every penny. My only regret is that I can't give them repeat business! Highly recommend and appreciate their service! -Keiko Johnston
