Cliff's Septic Services, Inc.

This was my first and last time using Cliff's Septic Svc Inc to pump my septic tank, and my dire warning to anyone thinking about hiring them. The driver arrived late and without a phone call and proceeded to poke a probe with a spike indiscriminately over the side of my yard and into my neighbors yard. As he got closer to my house at the edge of my property, water began flowing from one of the holes from the probe. He stated it was overflow from my septic being so full. After finding the covers to my septic he began pumping it out. Meanwhile, the water is still flowing from the growing hole right into the tank he is pumping out. A while later he told me that it was not septic water, but from my sprinkler system or water main. He suctioned off some of the water from the hole to see the problem, but that created a 15 foot plume of water coming from the hole. He insisted it was a pre-existing problem that he only uncovered. It was in fact my water main coming in from the street. As I frantically tried to shut it off, he finished pumping and started to cover the septic lids even as water from the main streamed back into the tank. He didn't even hose the sides and the sludge of the bottom. I was unsuccessful turning off the water main, so I called the water department to shut it off. Still insisting it was a pre-existing problem, the driver had me sign for the pump out and pay, then he left. Twenty minutes later, the water department came and shut of the water main. He stated the repair and hundreds of gallons off water I lost were my problem. I got a shovel and dug out the hole to see what had happened. What I found was a perfectly round puncture in my main from the probe. I called Cliff's Septic Svc Inc, but I only got an answering machine. I left a message that the driver had punctured my main and I was now without water. Plumbers charge upward of $300 plus to come and repair pipes after hours, but a friend of my neighbors (handyman) said he would come repair it for $100 cash. He came, repaired the damage, and turned my main water line back on. I was angry, so I put a hold on my bank account until the situation could be resolved The next morning I received a call from Cliff's Septic Svc Inc. I explained everything that had happened and she immediately got a nasty attitude. She stated they are not responsible for any of the damage and that it states it on the receipt I signed. However, the owner might take it under consideration and meet me halfway if I send an invoice from the licensed plumber that repaired the work. I tried to contact the man that did the work, but later realized he probably was not a licensed plumber, but a handyman. I still tried to contact him for an invoice because I figured a repair was a repair, why should it matter? Later that afternoon, Cliff's Septic Svc Inc called back furious that I had put a hold on my bank account. I had already taken the hold off of my back account after the morning phone call, so the must have run the card early in the morning. Apparently they had run the full amount before I could even get back to them about the repair invoice. I said “I thought the owner might take it under consideration and meet me halfway if I provide and invoice?” She then went on a complete tirade that actually left me shaky after the call. She said “I am responsible for the work that was done and maybe the owner would have taken it under consideration by sending me a check but I doubt he will now.” She said “It does not sound like a licensed plumber preformed the work.” She said repeatedly that “It states on the receipt they are not responsible for any damage they cause.” Being really upset by the really bad customer service, I said “Fine, just run the card. She said “NO, it was too late and someone would be calling me Monday”… and she said it like a threat. I said fine and she hung up. So, just so we are clear: • The driver LIED about damaging my water main, never called it in, and simply walked away from the mess after doing a mediocre job pumping my tank and leaving a mess in my yard. • The company claims they are not responsible for any damage even though my water main IS NOT over the access plug to my septic tank as per there receipt that was signed AFTER the job was done “Not Responsible For Any Wires Lines, Sprinkler Heads, Etc. That Are Over Access Plug Of The Septic Tank” • The repair I had done to restore water to my house must be done by a licensed plumber or it does not count for some unknown reason. Please be aware that this company can come onto your property and cause expensive damage then claim they are responsible for NOTHING. If you dare to express a bad experience with this company, you will be met with utter nastiness.