ComplaintsforC-N-I Locates Ltd

• Initial Complaint

  10/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I called CNI inquiring about services they could provide in assisting me in location a buried PVC water line. A variety of options were outlined and it appeared they could do this but their ability to do so could only be determined by a service visit after which a cost could be determined. At that point I asked by property manager to talk with the technician who would be performing the repair of the line and he clearly requested that a subsurface radar device be tested to determine if it could locate the *** in the line which was buried three feet in the ground. We were asked at that time if an electric line was also buried in the line trench and as we had exposed a section of the line we told him NO A day or two later a serviceman arrived at the property to look at the job but announced, on arrival, that the charger for his radar machine was not working so he could not perform the service my property manager had requested but thought he could use a "witching tool" which yielding nothing and we were told a radar technician would arrive the next day.The next day the 2nd technician arrived and found in 10 minutes that he could not detect the line requested but then spent two hours identifying my electrical lines.When he finished he requested $405 and I protested saying that once he determined he could not find the line he should have so informed me so that I could end the investigation.Six hours after he left I receive a service agreement proposal with costs. I had received nothing prior to the service being performed and now payment of $550.00 was being demanded. Something I would not and did not agree too. I offered to pay for the service visit and the 30 minutes of time it took the technician to determine the radar could not detect the line. All other services were not requested and I refused to pay. I was told I owed $550.00 for the two visits and would now be sent to collections. (I will provide the post dated service proposal upon request)

  Business response

  10/21/2022

  We spoke to the customer regarding their scope of work on Friday the 14th.  The customer wanted to know where their electrical feed to their well head was along with a plastic water service.  We verbally and electrically shared a number of options and recommended 3 service applications to be performed in a sequence by the rate of potential success.  We also discussed the applicable rates, along with the varying degrees of limitations associated with performing each scan.  #1. Electromagnetically tracing the electrical to the well in the hopes the plastic water service was joint buried with it @ $100 an hr.  #2. Inserting a transmitter into the plastic pipe to trace its location @ $125 an hr.  #3. Use a plastic water pipe locator to introduce an acoustical pulse and listen to the approximate location of the elevated decibel levels @ $155 an hr.  A description of our service applications can also be found on our web site www.cnilocates.com. We guarantee 24 a hr. response time and bill port to port from our nearest field office locations (in this case Tacoma) plus time on site at the applicable service rate. 
  
  The customer subsequently scheduled for Monday or Tuesday and we guaranteed an hrs. notice in route to the site.  We arrived Monday the 17th to meet *********************** on site.  Instructions were to locate water and power (which may be jointly buried) to the well by inserting a transmitter or using a plastic pipe locator. Below are the 1st technicians documented findings.
  
  Technician met with customer on site for locate. Customer looking for plastic water at address. Clamped power at pumphouse and located electromagnetically back to garage in area. Customer looking for where main water line branches off and feeds neighboring building. Witched best signal throughout work area. Hooked transonde (plastic pipe locator) to multiple spouts, listening for best acoustic signals. Best acoustics signals at building in question are near doorway. Acoustics signals inconclusive. Customer not wanting to uncouple line for tracer wire insert at this time. Customer requests GPR cart locate and possible insertion for most accurate locate. Reviewed over all locates and limitations with customer on site upon completion. **no guarantees on witching.**
  
  Customer then contacted us asking us to return and provide Ground Penetrating Radar @ $200 an hr. and or insert the pipe @ $125 an hr. asap, Tuesday the 18th or Wednesday the 19th.  We returned on the 19th under the impression the pipe would be uncoupled for an insertion of a transmitter. Below are the 2nd technicians documented findings.
  
  Technician met with customer on-site to go over the scope of locate area. Customer requested water service & tee / lateral for irrigation water lines be located with GPR. Located private electric for garage / bldg., located irrigation control valve wiring electric EM (electromagnetically), and marked best most consistent signals. Performed GPR subsurface utility scanning throughout locate area. Marked multiple anomalies, with depth assessments, poor / lost visuals, and no visuals throughout locate area. Lost visuals on water line from pump house. Customer is going to expose water line at this location & cut line. Then have us come back out with camera insert. Went over locate findings on-site with customer after completion of locate area. Customer did not want to pay on-site, due to he was quoted $175.00 per hr. (the client may have mistaken our rates for a competitors). Informed customer, that he would need to take up with administration.
  
  Spoke to ***** and authorized to give customer $100 discount. Customer insisted in attempting to locate water with GPR, EM, & Transonde, we specified the limitations and the best way to locate would be inserting the line. Customer now wants to insert the line and not pay for the previous services.
  
  In Summary, the customer wasnt willing to follow our recommendations and instead chose the less invasive service options, with varying limitations.  Likely because those options did not require the customer to first dig up and expose the pipe to uncouple the plastic pipe, so our personnel would have a %100 chance of being able to trace the plastic pipes precise depth and location.  In an effort to limit the customers compounding costs we had not only offered a $100 discount on the 2nd visit, but followed up with additional offer to discount the total 2 days of service calls which totaled $971.25 to $100 an hour.  The credit was an offer to reduce the 6.5 combined hrs. of  service time and travel, plus bridge tolls to $100 an hr., plus the original $100 credit, for a grand total of $560.25.
  
  The customer elected to reject this offer

  Customer response

  10/26/2022

   
  Complaint: 18293956
  
  I am rejecting this response because: He is not telling the truth and his voice recording of our conversation, if he has retained it, will confirm telling him that there was on electrical line buried with the pipe in question and thus no need to proceed on that premise as we had exposed a section of the pipe and no electrical line was present. Thus all efforts, which was the majority of the work performed was not required.  Secondly, the individual responding is the the technician that my property manager spoke with and specifically requested a radar investigation.  The technician that arrived the next day did not even have a workable radar device.  I should pay nothing for this service. Secondly, the next day when the radar technician arrived he "lost the line" after a few feet as acknowledged in CNI's response.  He then proceeded to locate the electrical lines controlling the sprinkler system for the additional time he was on site. This should not be at my expense as I had specifically told all the technicians and the person I oringally spoke with that there was no electrical line in the trench that contained the water line.  

  CNI's response does not in any way address the concerns I raised nor does it recognize their failings in delivering the service requested by both me and my property manager and they continue to demand full payment.  I  continue to refuse this unfair  billing and feel that CNI did not deliver the services requested. Instead they delivered a service that was never requested and are attempting to take advantage of me as a senior citizen and my property manager, who communicated with the company on my behalf can verify everything I am claiming and has supported me in this complaint. 

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

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