MMB Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning

Guage v Bastis _{on ChamberofCommerce.com}

May 21st, 2022

I contracted “MMB Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning” on May 13th (Friday) 2022 to come out May 14th (Saturday) 2022 in order to snake a 4 inch drain pipe. At first I was happy with the responsiveness to my calls and willingness to work around my schedule. Mohammad and another man showed up at the designated time Saturday. They inspected the pipe and advised me on the price for snaking the pipe; $195 for the first ten feet and subsequently $95 for every ten foot section used after that. The reason I went with MMB was due to the urgency I needed the clog broken up. I have an elderly grandmother that I take care of and our facilities needed to be functional. My house is below the sewer line, thus we use a sump pump. The reason this is relevant is due to the fact that our 4 inch drain pipe is at an angle. The angle is steep enough to where the pipe holds the water till the pump runs another cycle emptying the tank. The drain pipe is old and made of cast iron so it builds up sediment slowly causing the diameter of the pipe to shorten. Before I called MMB out the pump still drained albeit it took far longer than it should, but it was still draining. Mohammad and this other man quickly went to work and opened the pipe and it predictably emptied the 80+ foot pipe onto the floor. They started the snake job and quickly used seven 10 foot lengths of snake. Including the original ten feet they ended up using 80 feet of snake. They backed the snake out and buttoned up the pipe and proceeded to run the pump for two cycles and called it a job well done. Upon payment Mohammad advised me that I had three options;
1) Pay in cash and avoid the sales tax (7%) and a credit card processing fee
2) Pay with Zelle and avoid the processing fee
3) Pay the full amount on the Credit Card
I chose option 2 and the total came to $920 after sales tax. I thanked Mohammad and the other gentlemen and sent them on their way. Less than 12 hours (now Sunday, May 15th) later and now the pump WILL NOT drain at all. I called Mohammad and told him it's still clogged. Keep in mind MMB is listed as 7 days a week 24/7. He informed me that he and his partner are out of state and can't come out till monday. This is when Mohammad trys to upsell me to do a hydrojet service in order to completely clear the pipe. Which would cost me $2900 on top of what I already paid. Mohammad then proceeded to say “i wont find a better price in around”. Well I needed the pipe fully snaked now so I called another plumber in my area and pleaded my case and they came out within the hour. Mr.Rooter out of Midland Park NJ (I CAN'T RECOMMEND THESE GUYS ENOUGH) snaked the line at a flat fee then proceeded to camera snake the drain (an additional charge if done by MMB) in order to ensure the drain was totally cleared and they wouldn’t leave until they were sure the pipe was clear. Best part Mr.Rooter did it for half the original price and that original $920 i spent would have been the cost of a Hydro jet done by MR.Rooter. I contacted Mohammed later that Sunday and explained nicely that the job he did wasn't done properly and I'd like a refund of the $920 minus a $50 mandatory fee. Mohammad said he’d have to call the office and that he would get back to me on Monday. Monday rolls around and no call, ok. Tuesday rolls around and still no call or refund. I called Mohammad Tuesday at 2:35pm and he states that the office still hasn't gotten back to him, ok no problem, I ask for him to call me back as soon as he hears back from them. I don't hear back from him at all. It's now Friday May 20th and now I'm getting agitated. I called Mohammad twice and he refused to pick up the phone. I then sent the second request for a refund through Zelle and texted Mohammad to please get back to me and acknowledge the money request. Friday turns into Saturday and Still no response either via text nor phone call. I again called Mohammad twice and again he’s refusing my calls. Fed up, I called from my work number and ding ding he answered the phone. It's the same rigamarole that he has to call the office and I said no that's ridiculous and I need my money back. He then states that he isn't the owner and to call this number (the number used EVERYWHERE they are listed) and talk to the owner on monday! I advised Mohammad that it was BS but i will call monday however do not dodge my call otherwise the next step will be court proceedings and I will file disputes with Zelle and my bank. I will update after monday to showcase whether he will refund or not. Do not use MMB, save your money and use another plumbing/hvac service.