As the saying goes on Yelp: "I'd give zero stars if I could."
Over two weeks ago, Arch Plumbing employees working on an emergency job down the street in an unrelated building (a detail I learned later) blocked my apartment building's driveway for an extended period of time, with no note or cell number displayed. Just a big work truck blocking our garage with us having no way of knowing where they were or how long they would be.
These Arch Plumbing employees felt it was appropriate to block in random strangers up the block and leave us with no remedy other than a tow.
Despite not having received an ounce of consideration from Arch Plumbing or its workers, my apartment manager and I still attempted multiple times to reach someone before resorting to towing. It was a complete waste of effort, though.
I called the company number on the side of the truck twice. My manager called once.
Each time, we reached Arch Plumbing's answering service.
Each time, Arch Plumbing's answering service let us know that our issue would be handled the following business day UNLESS WE WERE WILLING TO PAY $250 FOR EMERGENCY SERVICE.
Yes, you read that right. Arch Plumbing was blocking our completely unrelated garage while earning emergency rates nearby, yet *WE* would also have to pay an emergency fee in order to reach anyone.
We clearly and repeatedly explained on each call to Arch Plumbing's answering service that it was in the best interest of their client to escalate to someone who could get the truck moved so that we wouldn't have to tow it.
Yet on each of these calls the answering service essentially refused to escalate unless we were willing to pay the $250 emergency service fee.
At least 20 minutes into being blocked THAT WE WERE AWARE OF - and even after I finally called 311 for a tow - I was Googling and calling every other Arch Plumbing number I could find online in order to avoid towing their truck. I even stood in the street and called out, hoping the workers would hear. Funny thing, they were close enough that the keys in their pocket were activating the truck lights but apparently they could not hear me calling out loudly.
Arch Plumbing simply does not care about being reached after hours. It does not empower its answering service to contact anyone there unless the caller is willing to pay the $250 emergency fee, EVEN WHEN ARCH PLUMBING IS AT FAULT. And they apparently condone their workers blocking unrelated driveways for extended periods of time without permission and without displaying a reachable number.
Adding insult to injury, Arch Plumbing's answering service - even after being fully apprised of the situation - felt it was appropriate to insist on personal information beyond my first name, location, and cell number. Why do they need my unit number? My email address? My last name? The operators had zero sense of urgency or contextual awareness, insisted on filling fields on their computer screen even as I repeatedly explained that I was not a customer but an unrelated party being impacted by Arch Plumbing. I simply needed someone at Arch Plumbing to remove their work truck or I would be forced to tow. Why would they need my unit number, my email address, and my last name? So aggravatingly intrusive and tone deaf.
Eventually - 40 minutes later THAT WE WERE AWARE OF - the workers returned to the truck and gave perfunctory apologies for making Arch Plumbing's business our problem (this is when I found out that they were working on a job down the hill). There were two of them but neither could be bothered to periodically check on the driveway they had arbitrarily blocked?
"It was an emergency!"
Then double park. Or one of you stay in the truck. Or even just CHECK every 10 minutes. The solution of making it as easy as possible for yourselves while imposing on others is thoughtless at best and mind-bogglingly entitled at worst.
It grates even more that nobody from Arch Plumbing has felt compelled in the last few weeks to at least call back to apologize.
Just a week before all this happened, I had to take my kid to the emergency room twice in a matter of days. If this had happened then, this would be more than a Yelp review.
Makes me wonder how they treat their customers once they have their money and something goes wrong that's not the customer's fault.
"We can have somone return your call if you pay $250."
Again: "I'd give zero stars if I could." read more