Pheasant Creek
Plumbing Issues of Concern.....
SEE: Comments at BOTTOM of this page.
There are currently certain procedures for leaks and repairs.
A) Owners are required to pay for a plumber to "turn off" water for repairs.
B) Few plumbers know how or where the turn-off is located or can access it.
C) The property manager will just refer you to a plumber.
D) The plumber with Pheasant Creek knowlege and experience is:
Bremers Plumbing Phone: 714-778-5500
There is discussion and differing opinions regarding who and how to get
emergency and/or maintenance plumbing solutions.
Voice your opinion - [HERE] 
COMMENT FROM RESIDENT (edited for brevity):
Dear frustrated guy who had the plumbing problem over 4th of
July Holiday:
I read your letter and understand your frustration.
Question: Who from Merit came out and unlocked the boiler?
What is their phone number? If the Merit sub-contracted
plumber unlocked it, then who did he get the key from?
KEYS TO THE BOILER: Did you receive a response re: the
homeowners having a key (like a pool key)? If not, I
suggest that you put it in writing.
If Merit denies your request, then perhaps Merit could
give a key to the sub-contracted plumbers to save time.
COMMENT FROM RESIDENT (unedited):
I'm writing this letter in order to express my feelings of
frustration and neglecting that invaded me in the event of
trying to fix a minor leak in my unit.
In order to do that, I must explain exactly what happened
and how everything was handled by Merit Property Management
Inc, which had total influence in the way I feel.
On July 4th I found out that there was a leak underneath
the sink in the bathroom. I immediately contacted my own
Warranty Company that referred me to a Plumbing Company
named Home Warranty Plumbing. On the 5th the same Plumbing
Company contacted me to schedule an appointment in my unit
for the next day in the morning.
On the next day, the 6th, the plumber from Home Warranty
Plumbing came and did his evaluation. We found out that, in
order to fix the leak problem I would have to have my water
supply, both hot and cold, shut down. However, because our
units do not have individual water shut-offs, I had to
contact Merit Property Management Inc in order to find out
how I could have my water supply shut down. I spoke to Irene
Wilson, who told me that I would have to have someone from
the Association to do that. She referred me to Rick, the
plumber that according to her takes care of Pheasant Creek
and that actually he was here at the complex that same day.
I called him but I was directed to the voice mailbox. I left
him a message telling him to contact me as soon as possible
in order for us to schedule a day when he could have the
water supply shut off. He never called me back ever since.
So still on that morning, my plumber from Home Warranty
Plumbing had to leave. Later on that afternoon, I called
Irene again. However she was not at her desk and another
person answered. It was a man (unfortunately I do not record
his name) that told me that he was not the one in charge of
that matter, but he could answer for Irene. He told me
something different: that I could shut off my water supply by
myself and the only thing I would have to do was to inform my
direct neighbors that they would experience lack of water in
a determined period of time. That was some information
different than the one I got from Irene. So I asked him if he
was sure of that and explained him what Irene told me. He, in
another hand, confirmed that I could do by myself. I tried to
contact Irene again the next day, but just was re-directed to
her voice mailbox. I left messages which she never returned.
So still with the leak and with the last information that the
man provided me, I scheduled another day for Home Warranty
Plumbing to come.
On the 9th the plumber came after I had distributed letters
to my direct neighbors about the lack of water. But them, we
found out that in order to shut off the hot water supply, I
would have to go into the boiler area, which was locked. I
called Merit which directed me to Irene again. I explained her
about my situation and she referred me back to Rick and
guaranteed me he was going to call me that very same day. He
did not. I called him again, left a message and, as I already
wrote, he never called me back.
During the next day, the 10th, I kept trying to reach Irene,
who never returned my calls either. So on that afternoon I
called Merit Property Management Inc and asked them not to talk
to Irene, but instead with her supervisor. So they transferred
me to Joe Maza, who was not at the office. I left a message in
his voice mailbox.
On the morning of the 11th, Joe called me back. I explained
him my situation and he explained that I really had to have
someone from the Association to shut off my water supply.
However in order to do that I would have to pay a fee to the
Association s plumber. He guaranteed me that Irene would call
me back that very same day and if she did not do so by 2 pm, he
told me to call him back again. On the same morning a plumbing
company named James Le Court Plumbing called me around 11 am
to 12 pm to schedule the water shut down and Irene called me
minutes later. I finally scheduled the work for the 13th, when
everything got done. James Le Court Plumbing came and shut
down the water supply and Home Warranty Plumbing did the work
in my unit.
So on the last phone conversation I had with Irene I started
discussing how bad I was treated and that I did not agree with
the fee I would have to pay just to have my water supply shut
down. I even inquired about the boiler systems, which according
to the CCRs is considered common area. If they are considered
so, every single homeowner has the right to use it and access it.
It should not be locked with access just for Merit Property
Management Inc staff. Irene then, in a very insecure way,
explained to me that those were the rules and that in the past
they had people trying to shut down themselves and causing
problems. I still argued that, even so, that should not be a
cost for me as homeowner to pay. But she again spoke that those
were rules and she did not make them and I should speak with the
Board of Directors. Hearing that, I thought that it was a good
idea and asked her if she could provide me with any phone number
or another form of communication to the Board of Directors. She
denied, telling that she was not authorized to provide me that
kind of information and told me that the only way would be to go
to the next meeting and contact them directly.
After all that, I want to summarize everything that caused my
frustration and why it did.
1- The fact that I had a leak which took more than a week to
get resolved is intolerable. I felt neglected. It does not
matter the size of a leak, it should always be treated in a
matter of urgency. It always can cause further damage to the
structure not just for the unit it afflicts, but also for the
adjacent ones (right next to or bellow it). After all my
unanswered messages (by Irene and Rick the plumber) I keep
thinking that if any homeowner had a really obvious emergency,
by the way I was treated, I doubt that he/she would be helped
fast enough. We need fast and reliable forms of communication
with Merit Property Management Inc especially in these kinds of
events.
2- By saying that, comes the second frustration: in the event
of an unanswered plumbing emergency, we homeowners do not
have access to try to shut the water supply by ourselves. I
understand the security and hazards concerns which involve a
homeowner to try to do that. However this is a matter that should
be discussed for the reasons I just related. Maybe one option
would be placing weather resistant signs with simple instructions
inside the boilers to provide a way for homeowners to do it. It
took seconds for the plumber that came to do it and I m sure it
just involves turning two or more valves. Maybe if those were
specified in signs, it would be easy for homeowners to shut down
the water supply.
3- The other concern that I have is that, by the way all these
issues are being addressed right now, we homeowners do not have
the freedom to use any plumbing company we may like. We are
restricted to the company that Merit Property Management Inc refers
to us, and their fees. We cannot choose one cheaper or one that we
already trust. I am not saying that James Le Court Plumbings'
service wasn't satisfying. They were great. However I think we
homeowners should have the freedom to choose the company we
deal with. It is our right to do so.
4- Another issue I think it was absurd is the fee I had to pay.
In my case, it was 98 dollars for the water shut down (which I
think should be reimbursed to me) and, theoretically, the plumber
should have charged another 98 dollars, because the work took a
little more than an hour and James Le Court Plumbing charge per
hour. It is imperative to say that I don t think it is a
homeowners' obligation to pay an hourly fee to have our water
supply shut down. Especially when homeowners are not being given
the right to choose the company that does it and that the water
shut down has to be done in an area considered Common. The service
should be paid by Merit Property Management Inc or reimbursed to
the homeowner by the same. We already pay a high monthly
association fee that should include these kinds of procedures.
5- My final frustration is the fact that Irene denied to provide
me any contact information about the Board of Directors. It is
ridiculous that our right to know who makes decisions about the
place we live in can be denied the way Irene did to me. That was
another intolerable mistake in my point of view.
I would like to thank you in advance to take your time to read
this letter. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you have
further questions.
Pheasant Creek