Ashton Service Group

Plumbing
Richmond BC V6X 3M4
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HomeStars  >  Junk Removal in Richmond  >  Ashton Service Group  >  Wasted lots of my time and a bunch of money.
Ernie
Ernie
4 reviews Burnaby, BC
0/10

Wasted lots of my time and a bunch of money.

I chose Ashton based on all the great reviews here but I was seriously let down by the fact that I spent $560 and didn't get my problem solved.

This is long, but needs to be to explain how many steps and how much time I wasted with Ashton.

I made the first mistake by assuming that most well reviewed plumbing companies would have similar prices, so I called them to come look at my hot water tank which was turning off regularly. They came out and quoted $560 (inc tax) to change out the thermopile. I had already taken time off work and wanted it fixed, so I agreed to the price. This seemed high knowing the price of a thermopile isn't more than $100, and the tech fixed it in under an hour. I have since phoned other companies that gave me much lower quotes for the work, including one that immediately told me to call the manufacturer to get the part under warranty, and that they would do the work for $189.

So I've overpaid because I didn't ask for a quote up front which is my fault, but shortly after the tank is going out again. I email about it and don't hear back for weeks until I get time to call again. They send out the same tech who finds the pilot going out when he touches the wire, so he works on it again and leaves. There was no charge for this service, but he warned that if it kept up, we'd probably need to replace the gas valve controller.

The second fix doesn't work, so I contact again for the gas valve controller to be fixed. They schedule an appointment, but they don't end up showing up. I call and ask if they are still coming at the end of the appointment window and I'm told they don't have the part and shouldn't have scheduled the appointment anyhow. We book another appointment as I'm thinking that I've already paid $560 and assume that working with them to resolve this will be cheaper than bringing in a new plumber.

They call me back a day later and tell me that they can't get the Rheem part and that I need to contact Rheem myself to get it. I do, and they ship me a new part. I schedule another visit for Ashton to install it.

The day of my next appointment arrives and I get a call midday telling me that they have a job running late and that they won't be able to come do the work because it's scheduled as a 5 hour job. At this point I'm concerned about the cost if they're saying it'll take 5 hours so I ask for a quote before we reschedule (I had asked for a quote on this a few times before, but the dispatcher had said that they weren't sure). Despite watching a youtube video that shows that this repair is relatively simple, I'm quoted for $600-700. I decline. This doesn't sound right. I call another plumber and they say it'll be $115 an hour and shouldn't take more than 90 minutes. So I get another plumber to show up and they get the job done in 45 minutes.

I'm really disappointed in Ashton at this point. I've spent $560 and they haven't solved my problem. They've had me stay home from work twice and not shown up. I emailed them 2 weeks ago explaining this sequence of events and asking for a partial refund as I am pretty unhappy with the service provided, but they didn't respond. It would't have changed the content of the review, but would at least have shown that they cared if they provided a terrible experience. I've learned to work with smaller plumbing companies and get quotes up front from this experience. Maybe Ashton is good for large buildings with a strata or something, but as a single family homeowner, felt poorly served.

Approximate cost of services:
$560.00
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