Customers Have "Wrenching" Experiences With Plumbing Company

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Michelle L. Corey, 314-645-3300

Bill Smith, 314-645-3300

CUSTOMERS HAVE “WRENCHING” EXPERIENCES WITH

PLUMBING COMPANY

Ladell Owens Has History of Problems with Officials in St. Louis

and St. Louis County

St. Louis, Mo., December 16, 2008 - A St. Louis plumbing company that promises “100% satisfaction guarantees” is in hot water with many of its customers and St. Louis County officials for inferior work, long delays in responding to complaints and working without obtaining required permits, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

The company, known by the names All Phase Plumbing and Precision Plumbing, is owned by Ladell M. Owens and operates out of Owens’ basement at 1297 Oak Ct., St. Louis.

The company has been the subject of more than 60 customer complaints and reports to the BBB since April 2005, including 18 in 2008. Of the total, 35 have been unanswered.

Bob Gerber, assistant chief plumbing inspector with St. Louis County, said that Owens does not hold a license in the county and, as a result, cannot legally do work there. “I have sent him violation notices for working without a permit and he ignores them,” Gerber said. “He gets his money and runs.”

In an interview at his office last week, Owens said his company has handled more than 3,200 jobs in the area in the past three years, with fewer than 60 complaints to the BBB. “In my book, that’s an ‘A’ or an ‘A-plus,’ “ Owens said. “You can’t please everybody.”

Michelle Corey, president of the BBB Serving Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois, said that “good businesses will go out of their way to please their customers, and the vast majority do an exemplary job. But there are some bad apples in any bunch. And it appears that Mr. Owens’ company may be one of those.”

This is the second time the BBB has issued a warning against the company. In March 2006, the BBB also documented a series of customer complaints against Owens and All Phase.

In addition to his problems in St. Louis County, Owens was placed on probation by the City of St. Louis’ Board of Examiners for three months in 2007 for delays and substandard work. Bob Boyd, head plumbing inspector for the City of St. Louis, said the board acted because of the company’s history of “poor workmanship.” He said continued problems could lead to the revocation of his city plumbing license.

A man from Valley Park said he hired Precision Plumbing in July to do plumbing work at a condominium in Ballwin. At the time, the man said, a customer service person for the company assured him that it was licensed to do work in that area. It was only later, the man said, that he learned that the company was not licensed and the county inspector would not pass the work because it was improperly done. “We had to dismantle the entire thing and do it over again,” he said, noting that he paid the company $950. “It would have been nice to get some of my money back, but mainly I wanted to warn others about this,” he said.

A woman who was in the process of renovating a home she had purchased in University City in December 2007 said she hired Owens and All Phase to replace copper plumbing that had been stripped from the house. She said she paid $4,000 – all of the money she had in her savings account—for the pipe replacement and repair of a stack in the house. After she was told by St. Louis County that the work was done without a permit and was not to code, the woman attempted to get the company to make needed changes. When those efforts failed, she said, she was forced to take out a $5,000 loan to hire a new plumber to redo the work. “I’m doing extensive checking from now on,” she said.

A woman from Ballwin said she hired All Phase in September to perform cleanup work caused by flooding in her basement. She said a subcontractor sent to the house told her he could do the job for between $250 and $275, and she agreed to the deal. She said she was not at home on the day the work was scheduled and left a blank check with her sister who was watching the house. She said she was stunned to learn that the worker charged $650 for the work. She said she tried to get payment stopped on the check, but it was too late. “This was a learning experience,” she said.

All three customers said they were drawn by Owens’ advertisement in the phone book’s Yellow Pages. In the current edition of the Yellow Pages, All Phase Plumbing has a nearly full-page ad in the publication. The ad features a photograph of a group of smiling senior citizens and asks, “When is the last time a plumber made you happy? Ours will.” The ad lists six different telephone numbers for the company, including separate numbers for the city, Florissant, Ladue and Clayton, South County and West County. Owens acknowledged that a customer calling any of the numbers will get the same operator working out of his basement. Owens said that in an emergency, prospective customers often will call a company they believe can get to them in a hurry. Owens said he has workers who can do that.

Owens also has run into trouble for nonpayment of Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages advertising fees. The Yellow Pages sued Owens in St. Louis County in April 2007. Last December, a judge issued a consent judgment against Owens for a total of $49,941 plus court costs. Owens said he is making payments on that judgment.

    Owens provided the BBB with what he called a “Straight Forward Pricing” list that he or his workers give to all his customers. He said the list specifies what the company charges for different types of work, so there should be no surprises. He said he offers a 25 percent discount for customers who pay a $7.95 per month fee to join the company’s “Diamond Club.”

Attached to the back of the “Straight Forward Pricing” list is a survey postcard that he says is given to all of his customers. The card includes a section that is headed “100% Satisfaction Guarantees.” It says, in part: “If you are not 100% satisfied with the service we have provided, we will refund all of your money. If a repair fails in the first year, we will repair it again absolutely free.”

Records with the Missouri Secretary of State show that All Phase Plumbing was created in November 2005. It was dissolved in July 2006 for failing to file a current annual report. State records show that A Precision Plumbing Co., Inc. was created in May of this year. Owens is listed as the registered agent of that company.

The BBB suggests that consumers interested in home repair or maintenance work should consider the following:

• Look for a permanent place of business, a phone number, a tax ID number, a certificate of insurance, bonding information and (where required) a business license.
• Hire a company with a proven track record that readily offers references and a list of completed projects.  Do not hesitate to call others who have had work done for the company.
• Never pay a contractor in advance for the entire job and try to avoid paying in cash.