Jim Wagner Reviews & Testimonials

Plumber running late. Service called & informed me about delay. Thought very good customer service.

Great Service a d reliable crew

Dan did my installation. Dan is a very nice man and a pleasure to talk with. Actually, I enjoyed talking with everyone at Jim Wagner Service, Inc. (Dan, Ryan, and Brittany). With that being said, I must tell you that I will never call them for any service ever again. Here's why: Dan came out on a Monday and told me he could replace the sump pumps the following day (Tuesday). I heard from no one on Tuesday morning so I called their office Tuesday afternoon. Ryan told me the parts hadn't come in. Because rain was in the forecast, and to prevent my basement from flooding, I had to remove the failed pump and verify the very old backup pump and switch both worked. Not a good time, because of recent back surgery. Dan came out on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. to install two new pumps and two new switches. After he had done so we looked at his work. He re-used the original "Y" connector for the two pumps which forced them to be side-by-side in the pit. Normally not a big deal, but in this instance it forced him to mount the switches (diaphragm switches), in a stacked configuration. These switches work by sensing pressure on the bottom (diaphragm) of the switch when there is about 6 inches of water above them. Obviously, 6 in. of water doesn't produce a lot of pressure, so the area below the switches must be clear. Dan installed one 3 in. above the other, which meant that the electrical cord coming out of the lower switch could easily touch the diaphragm of the upper switch, causing it to turn on when not needed, or worse, run continuously until it or the pump burned out. [Not good]. Unfortunately, because he had them both installed so high, the second switch would never turn on [Also not good] because they turn on when the water level is 6 in. higher than the switch. (Note the location of the switches in the photos compared to the inlet pipie). The lower, primary switch was installed at a height that allowed the water level to reach the top of the inlet pipe. [Not good]. The switch is supposed to be installed so that when water reaches the bottom of the inlet the pump turns on. That's how it keeps water away from the foundation. The way Dan installed the switches guaranteed there would always be water around my foundation. [Not good.] Also, when I had brought Dan a bottle of cold water, I noticed a lot of PVC bits in the pit. That was from Dan sawing PVC pipe directly over the pit. I asked him how he would get the PVC debris out of the pit. He said there's no need because it wouldn't hurt the pumps. [Not good]. I asked if he had tested the system and he said yes. Being unfamiliar with the new switches, I asked him how I should test them in the future. Dan eventually said, "I don't build them, I just install them." [Not good.] So he had tested the new pumps by plugging them in, but he didn't know how to test the switches. The interesting thing is that he gave me the paperwork that came with the pumps and the switches. The switch paperwork clearly detailed how to test the switches on page two. Apparently, he wasn't familiar with the switch and had never read the paperwork. [Not good.] When Dan took my check, he had me sign the receipt that work had been completed. I signed and we said our goodbyes. After later reviewing the paperwork (written in unreadable handwriting), I discovered that he had written "tested" on the receipt. [Not good.] One last note of interest: When I brought Dan the bottle of water, I noticed he was scraping the Jim Wagner Services, Inc. company stickers off of the discharge pipes. Why would he not want me to think of Jim Wagner Services in the future when I have trouble with my sump system? As I said, really nice people and a pleasure to talk with; but I'll never have them in my house again.

Dan was amazing. Super fast and accurate, even cleaned up after himself. Couldn’t be happier. Will call again if ever needed.

Professional and courteous service.