Goodbye 2010! Hello 2011!

Here we are, the last week of 2010. We knew the warm weather wouldn't last!! With temps dropping into the low 20's this week, we really need to think about our pipes!!! Ball Plumbing is here to help!

Winter is here!

This is the time to start thinking about your pipes. Are they insulated? We found a lot of people were not prepared for that snow storm we got last month. Frozen pipe repairs can be expensive! Call Ball and we will help prepare you for whatever nature throws our way! 360-647-2255, 360-757-4455.

Happy Holidays!

We wish everyone a very safe and sane holiday season and many, many thanks for the past year.

Here's to a leak-free New Year!

New Office Personnel

Nicole is the new "go-to" person in the office. She's here from 8-4:30, Monday thru Friday except when she isn't.

Lunch is 11:30-12:00.

website errors

I went through the website and corrected all the errors like old, disconnected phone numbers, addresses, etc.

Sorry...........................

New office in Burlington

We've moved to 10943 Chuckanut in Burlington. Nice big place with freeway access, parking and everything.

Phone numbers will stay the same, but 360-757-4455 is the main office number.

Watch for our freeway sign right before exit 231.

Phone numbers

We're consolidating a few phone numbers: 360-383-0203 and 478-7841 are history.

If you're in the north Whatcom, use 647-2255.
If you're in Skagit, use 757-4455.

These changes will likely result in a decrease in your plumbing bill...NOT! It'll help, though.

Thanks.............

New office in Burlington

We moved to 10943 Chuckanut Dr., Burlington, Wa. 98233! Right across the alley from the WSP!

The move will enable us to grow the business in a really nice office/shop within seconds of the freeway.

Happy 4th, 2010!

For all my grumbling, it is good to be a European-American!

We've incorporated!

As of July 1, 2010, we're Ball Plumbing, Inc.

P.K. Rugh is now the vice-president in charge of customer service. This is a badly needed change and one that will hopefully increase customer satisfaction.

Welcome Aboard, P.K.!

There are glitches involved in the switch over, but it should be okay really soon.

Complaint Department

We've added a page on the website for feedback; look for the "Feedback Department" link on top. Customers can now email P.K. Rugh directly with problems concerning Ball Plumbing: pk@ballplumbing.net

P.K. Rugh is the new Vice President, but more on that later when all the state paperwork gets processed.

PK is a professional customer service manager with vast experience in the field. You'll like her.

P.S. Feedback isn't limited to complaining. If you're happy, let her know....

Ryan Stiles Celebrity Golf Classic

We're sponsoring 8 golf carts for Stiles' July 18th, 2010 charity golf tourney. It's for the Burned Children Fund, which I fully support.

http://www.ryanstilesgolfclassic.com/content/partners/our_2010_sponso.asp

Google Business Maps

Another descent from the Google Business Map.

Another Wrong Phone Number!

This falls under: "Hey, if I were smart, I wouldn't be a plumber........"

I put back the 360-733-1292 number back on the website to make Google Maps happy again, but instead of 360-733-1292, I put 1293....I put in a wrong number! There are two correct numbers at the top of the page and the wrong number was in size 8 font on the very bottom, but you know which number everyone calls, right?

Funny thing is (more sad than anything) is I had a new customer mention the wrong number, but I thought she got it from the old phone book error, which was the designer's fault. She said she didn't and I shrugged it off until tonight.

Hats off to the gent who has the real 1293 number. He's had to correct many wrong numbers since the bad number started to circulate. I owe him big time, huh?

Google Local Business Map

Yikes! I got booted off the Google Local Business maps from the first page to the 5th page.

I think it was because I got a new vanity phone number, 360-647-2255 (BALL). This confused the Google machine and it dropped me! I just changed the number back to 360-733-1292 on Google, so let's see what happens now.

Use either 360-733-1292, 360-647-2255 (BALL), 360-383-0203.

Email: order@ballplumbing.net

Price Complaints

Whenever I leave a job, you'll hear "If there are any problems, call me." My warranty is honest...as long as the problem is my workmanship.

Lately, I've had a complaint about the price. Most of the time, the price is out of the price book (that's 4 years old) and a written work order has been approved and signed.

Okay, standard stuff for repair work. You get a price for it that includes parts and labor (excludes the Gov's Fee). If it takes me twice as long, the price is the same, right? My regulars know this to be true and as a consumer, I personaly prefer it this way.

But what if everything goes quick and my 30 years (yikes) of repair experience finally pays off and I gain an hour on ya? Should I discount the price? If I discount it, should I increase it if it takes me twice as long?

This all stems from a complaint on Angies List about a 250.00 bill. I left a response similar to this post, but more direct. I did NOT refund any money for the same reasons I posted here.