Water Main & Sewer Replacement

Like many others I had a terrible experience with American Water Insurance after they continued to deny my sewer claims and for no good reason, they continued to give me different reasons for my denial each time I called (Yes- I do have my attorney working on this and all is documented). Finally I was forced to start seeking assistance from a private contractor after my sewer failed for the third time over a 30 day period. I interviewed 3 of what appears to be the main water main and sewer contractors in NYC and it was interesting how each of them were completely different from an operational standpoint. I wont take the time to shun the others but two of them were extremely expensive, terribly unprofessional and were literally trying to force me to sign a contract as I must have appeared desperate.
Finally I was referred to Harris Water & Sewer who exceeded my expectations, everything from a VERY fair price, office/work crew were great and the process was seamless. I come to find that they have been in business for over 100 years and its no wonder why.
I will keep every one posted on my update with the insurance company and if you have any feedback or a similar experience please do share. I have been told that illegally denying the claim is common with American Water and they have many active lawsuits

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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Thank you! That was great feedback. Punctuality and Responsiveness (good answers in a quick timeframe) can both strengthen and weaken a proposal for sure.

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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Thank you! That was great feedback. Punctuality and Responsiveness (good answers in a quick timeframe) can both strengthen and weaken a proposal for sure.

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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I appreciate your feedback and response. Let’s just say that the pros we experienced with Harris included a professional estimator who was capable of answering questions on site and didn’t have to “check back with the office” for everything, we received an immediate response on the proposal from Harris and didn’t have to wait 4 days to find out nobody was working on it. And last the pricing was reasonable when the other company was trying to sell us on the fact that they are very experienced and use the “best material” therefore we should spend an additional $3500. It was just a very odd experience with them and as I said, I have heard the same from others since I shared my experience.

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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I appreciate your feedback and response. Let’s just say that the pros we experienced with Harris included a professional estimator who was capable of answering questions on site and didn’t have to “check back with the office” for everything, we received an immediate response on the proposal from Harris and didn’t have to wait 4 days to find out nobody was working on it. And last the pricing was reasonable when the other company was trying to sell us on the fact that they are very experienced and use the “best material” therefore we should spend an additional $3500. It was just a very odd experience with them and as I said, I have heard the same from others since I shared my experience.

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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Completely understandable! We do both perform Sewer Cleaning (Clearing) but we rarely “compete” as we have different niches. That is why they reached out to us to work with us as we are growing rapidly. As a Residential company, we do have the capability to perform a Sewer Replacement. As you said, DOT Permits, Excavators, etc. are not something we do so we refer it out to someone like Balkan, Liberty, Figliola, etc. and they take the project fully. For instance, you would call our company because of a backup in the basement. If upon attempting to clear it and inspecting the line with a camera, we see a break in the street, we refer it out to the larger sewer companies.
I am more so curious with what lacked in the experience (customer service, workmanship, punctuality) as it helps me to see where people see value in our industry. If you see from the places I comment, it is either to offer advice or to find out where people see good/bad value.
Sorry for the rant, just had the late afternoon Preworkout so I’m kicking!

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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Completely understandable! We do both perform Sewer Cleaning (Clearing) but we rarely “compete” as we have different niches. That is why they reached out to us to work with us as we are growing rapidly. As a Residential company, we do have the capability to perform a Sewer Replacement. As you said, DOT Permits, Excavators, etc. are not something we do so we refer it out to someone like Balkan, Liberty, Figliola, etc. and they take the project fully. For instance, you would call our company because of a backup in the basement. If upon attempting to clear it and inspecting the line with a camera, we see a break in the street, we refer it out to the larger sewer companies.
I am more so curious with what lacked in the experience (customer service, workmanship, punctuality) as it helps me to see where people see value in our industry. If you see from the places I comment, it is either to offer advice or to find out where people see good/bad value.
Sorry for the rant, just had the late afternoon Preworkout so I’m kicking!

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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@ChrisPetri Are you a direct competitor of Balkan? How does the relationship work?

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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@ChrisPetri Are you a direct competitor of Balkan? How does the relationship work?

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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Crazy enough I had a very similar situation, almost exact. American water failed me after paying for years. I interviewed the same sewer companies and had same experience and Harris saved me with an emergency sewer replacement at a fraction of the price from others. I have yet to receive anything back from AWR but feel motivated to start the good fight again!

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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From what I have understood, Balkan is a larger company and has dropped the ball with some more residential clients. I believe that is why they reached out to our company in an effort to build that sector as we refer out probably two collapsed sewers a week residentially.
Can I ask what, without going into detail, was so negative? Scheduling, coordination, workmanship, etc. It can help my company in more ways than one; building lessons from negative experiences is literally what half our training wall is dedicated to!

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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From what I have understood, Balkan is a larger company and has dropped the ball with some more residential clients. I believe that is why they reached out to our company in an effort to build that sector as we refer out probably two collapsed sewers a week residentially.
Can I ask what, without going into detail, was so negative? Scheduling, coordination, workmanship, etc. It can help my company in more ways than one; building lessons from negative experiences is literally what half our training wall is dedicated to!

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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@ChrisPetri I dont know much about Balkan other than my experience and feedback from a few others and I cant understand how there may have been a positive representation after my dealings with them. I dont want to go into too much bashing but I am very happy I am dealing with Harris
@guikazoid this is good news and at a minimum this is what I expect- thank you for the feedback

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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@ChrisPetri I dont know much about Balkan other than my experience and feedback from a few others and I cant understand how there may have been a positive representation after my dealings with them. I dont want to go into too much bashing but I am very happy I am dealing with Harris
@guikazoid this is good news and at a minimum this is what I expect- thank you for the feedback

MDR | 4 years and 11 months ago

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I haven’t hired Harris myself, but I’ve been very impressed observing their work. There are a lot of steps involved and its’s tricky to deal with traffic if they cannot close the street and they to work on it in sections and finally fill it in and patch the pavement. They show up early with all the right equipment and will finish in one day even if they have to stay until 10 pm.

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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The last time I dealt with AWR with one of our clients, things went so south that I have it hanging over my desk as a a direct reminder of the lessons I learned from it.
That being said, I am curious to hear about Balkan. Our President and their President had a conversation last week and it went from positive from what I have heard.

lkrshacmzcy | 4 years and 11 months ago

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The last time I dealt with AWR with one of our clients, things went so south that I have it hanging over my desk as a a direct reminder of the lessons I learned from it.
That being said, I am curious to hear about Balkan. Our President and their President had a conversation last week and it went from positive from what I have heard.

guikazoid | 4 years and 11 months ago

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I had similar issues with American Water. After months of back and forth I gave us. They eventually refunded me every penny I contributed to this “insurance” program.

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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I had a very similar experience with the insurance company. My water main was actually leaking and I was told that it was a pre existing condition and this is after paying for the insurance for over 3 years. I fought for over 6 months and finally gave up. I ended up using Harris as well and was very happy with all from the most fair price, acting professional and having everyone I asked tell me they were the best company to use. I would be extremely happy if anyone could share details on how they fought the insurance company successfully!

Guest User | 4 years and 11 months ago

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@no-permitz Yes Balkan was one that I had called as well and without going into too much detail about my experience with them lets just say I made the right choice with Harris for a number of reasons.
@bobjbkln it seems that the company has taken so much stress off the DEP that they are ok with the questionable business practice. I continue to do research and it amazes me how many people have had a similar experience with the insurance company. I also read a post on here from a couple of years ago about the company Liberty who is their main contractor and was at my house- that post makes me question things even more!! I cannot believe what I read