Wow, I am not one for writing bad reviews because I understand how this can potentially affect a…read morebusiness's reputation; however, I feel taken advantage of and have given the owner (Luis) plenty of time to correct this issue. So here I go...
I am a new landlord who began renting my condo in October, 2017. The first month of renting, the kitchen faucet started leaking. After having the leak inspected by two plumbers (one of which was Luis), they came to the conclusion that not only did the faucet require replacement, but the hot and cold water valves under the sink were frozen (due to calcium buildup), which also required replacement. Luis immediately came onsite to replace both valves (or at least he told me he did). The total damage was $400, or $200 per valve. I did my research and $185+ is the standard labor rate per valve. I didn't mind paying the $400 because I just wanted the issue fixed.
In December, I asked my boyfriend's brother, who is a plumber and manages several of the properties owned by their family, to fix the water pressure for the kitchen faucet. The tenant informed me it was significantly lower and it started becoming a nuisance. Since my boyfriend's brother was injured in October, he was unable to help me with the water valve situation. After inspecting the kitchen faucet, he decided it was best to replace it. During that process, he remembered I had paid $400 to have the two valves replaced, and asked why I was charged so much when Luis had only replaced one! I was shocked and didn't want to believe it, so I asked for a photo. I know it is slightly difficult to see, but if you look closely at the photo, you can tell that the right valve was replaced because it is smaller than the left and bottom ones (which are the originals).
I texted Luis to understand the $400 fee when I should have been charged at least half of that. He mentioned that he guaranteed replacement of both valves. I said I'd feel more comfortable asking for a second opinion, and he said if I hire another plumber to look at his work, he will not replace the valves and cancel whatever warranty I had. The fact that he threatened me with that last comment, goes to show that the work he did wasn't honest. I didn't want to bother him anymore because he told me was on out of town and not returning until January. I did ask for a 50% refund (on 12/20) and now it's January 10th, and I have yet to hear from him.
Lastly, and this is what scares me... there is no license number on his business card or the Yelp site. Also, he has no business website (the one listed on Yelp does not work), so I couldn't even refer to that. I also went to the California Department of Consumer Affairs and wasn't able to find any information via the business name lookup, also checked the Secretary of State website and nothing! According to the California Business & Professions Code section 7028, it prohibits contracting without a license and is also a misdemeanor to act in the capacity of a contractor without having a valid license.
I am very disappointed because I obviously have no plumbing experience, so when an "experienced" plumber tells me what needs to get fixed, I am going to trust that source. This whole situation is very sad and Luis is shady. I offered him an opportunity to pay me back, but he never responded. I can't even file a complaint with my credit card provider because I paid him via check! I will definitely report this to the Better Business Bureau, and the California Secretary of State.