Central Oregon is going through hard times with wells drying up. Our home is in the Cloverdale area…read moreand we recently experienced a dry well. Unknown where to begin looking we contacted Aiken Drilling Company. We requested and received our first quote for $5200.00 to drill an additional 100 feet, which would include a well clean-out. Upon making a verbal agreement, Aiken sent us a new quote to sign to begin the work, however, the new quote only days later, was now $9600. We called Aiken for an explanation and was advised they forgot to list supplies on the original quote. Believing this was an oversite of the company, we signed for the work to begin. After set-up and the initial well clean-up was completed, we were advised that we were in luck. The clean-out was successful and drilling the additional 100 feet would not be required. As I walked up behind the drill operator, she had her speaker phone on. She was advising Atkins owner, Neal, of the results of the clean-out and his overheard statement was, "make sure you get the hours up on this one". I immediately questioned the statement, as she stated I was not supposed to hear that (obviously), and she would make sure she would save us all the money on the drilling as she could. Moments later, we were advised she made a mistake and our well did not have water as previously stated. This was moments after Neal's request to "get the hours in". There was no method for us to confirm the amount of water, except to take their word for it and continue drilling.
As the day progressed and the drilling continued at $600.00 an hour, the drill operator stated she had miscalculated how many lengths of pipe she drilled. The goal was to drill to 580 feet from the original 480 foot depth. She had missed by 42 feet. This missed calculation came after the drill had been removed from our well, which was a considerable amount of time. We were advised that due to the fact she ran out of water for the drill and her miscalculations, she would have to return the following day. This would cost us an additional 4-5 hours of drilling time, again at $600.00 an hour. I questioned the additional cost, because of Aiken's lack of water and miscalculations and was told she would talk to the owner (Neal) and we would should receive a call. The following day the work was completed they were unable to determine the gallons per minute or the fact if we actually had water, nor had we been contacted by Aiken. They packed up their drill rig and left.
Ten days later we received a bill for $11,900. I called Aiken with my concerns and they agreed the information I provided was "troubling". I spoke to Logan, (a relative of the company) and he stated he would speak to Neal and then return my call. I have not received a call, however, Aiken did re-send the bill by text.
I am aware many of our local residents are experiencing dry wells and have found the shortage of companies that drill in our area. As such, we rely on neighbors, social media and reviews from places such as Yelp to evaluate local companies that may provide us with fair and reasonable service. I am confident Aiken can drill our wells, however, I am not confident on the reliability of their quotes, billing, communication or integrity. There has been no communication or follow-up from Aiken, except to providing a two quotes and a bill during the entire process. Drilling a well is an expensive endeavor and communication should be a priority. There are other companies to consider.
