The recent experience my family had with Van’s Plumbing & Electric was extremely unfortunate and weighs heavy on my mind. Let me begin by stating that my family and I are strong proponents of supporting local business and appreciate the honest work ethic that goes into creating a successful company.
The first time that I became aware that the job had exceeded the quote given, by close to three times, was roughly two weeks following job completion when I received the statement in the mail. I initially contacted Van’s Plumbing & Electric via phone to discuss the statement and after being placed on hold several times I was told that I would have to speak with the boss (owner). Following this phone call, I visited Van’s Plumbing & Electric in person in an attempt to respectfully and mutually come to an agreement regarding my concern with the statement I had received. During this visit I voiced my concern that the statement amount was close to three times that of which was quoted. I offered fair solutions to my concern which still exceeded the quoted amount. I was immediately met with confrontation and threats from the staff who were visibly upset (red facial color, body tremors and a lack of eye contact). After roughly five minutes of discussion with the employee who initially quoted the job I was told by the owner of Van’s Plumbing & Electric, who appeared from around a corner, to “leave” that he would “give me the job” and that I was a “charity-case.” The owner then denied me a receipt for waiving any charges and said I “will not receive anything else from Van’s.” With my family at my side we left in shock and disbelief of what had just transpired. Following this interaction we felt bullied and fearing future retaliation.
It is extremely unfortunate that a local business serving Whatcom County for over four decades has come to treat their customers in this fashion. Because of the unwillingness of the staff to understand my concerns and attempt to come to a mutual agreement, the threats made and ultimately the name calling by the owner, I can not recommend doing business with Van’s Plumbing & Electric.
