Following a big storm, my carpeted basement floor was saturated with water. I called two companies for quotes - one was DrainWorks. The first to come spent almost no time investigating, refused to use the camera to look in the drains, and said I would have to do a $16,000 weeping tile replacement. Their representative was condescending and brusque.
The next day, Lou from DrainWorks came to my home. He spent about an hour thoroughly inspecting the basement from inside and out. He camera-inspected the pipes from two different entry points, and spent a lot of time educating me about how my pipes are laid out and what the different parts of the system are for. He was prompt, courteous, knowledgeable, and professional - not to mention patient with the several small children who interrupted us throughout the process!
He diagnosed a cracked and debris-filled P-trap under my basement floor drain. He clearly outlined his proposed fix for the problem, making sure that I understood everything along the way. He discussed with me some other options that I had in a no-pressure way; we agreed that we would solve the P-trap problem first, then see whether any other repairs were necessary.
After my husband and I cleared the area, he and his crew returned (two days later). Again they were prompt - a few minutes early, actually. They worked quickly and cleanly, stopping a few times to show me how the work was progressing and to seek my approval whenever a decision had to be made. They finished up the work in 4 hours and cleaned up completely after they were done, closing with a final camera inspection to show me the completed work.
I think the fact that DrainWorks plumbers are salaried rather than paid on commission makes a huge difference in how they deal with clients. I never felt pressured or up-sold - rather, they took the time to teach as well as to fix the problems. I would recommend them 100%. I also like their commitment to donate a portion of their proceeds to the SickKids Foundation.
