Drain Unblockers LTD / Meadowbank

They said they would ring before turning up, to check that I was there. They didn�t, but I was there at the time. They did turn up on the day they said they would, which was good.

When he sent the jet down the pipe, all he could say was that he hoped it didn�t get snagged � over and over he said this.

He quickly found where, under my lawn/garden, the blockage was, and instantly said that they�d need to dig it up. We both dug and… eyeballed the broken pipe. He said that tree roots could be a problem, pointing to the one nearby small tree (shrub, really � 2 metres away), suggesting that was to blame, but it wasn�t nearly big or close enough to be the culprit. My subsequent digging confirmed that the roots were nowhere near to cause problems.

There was a drain grill in the driveway a bit further down (5 -8 metres or so), but he dismissed that this had anything to do with this pipe. I later found that it was, so he could have tried to unblock it from that end, if he�d taken that initiative.

I paid by credit card, but when the invoice / receipt came I the post a few weeks (!) later, and as I�d already seen on my bank statements, they�d added a $5 charge for me paying by credit card. They hadn�t mentioned this at any time, before or after. I don�t say it�s unreasonable to have that charge, but it wasn�t OK with me that they didn�t advise me so that I could agree or pay another way.

Not having had drains unblocked before, in the end, I used their service as a diagnosis and did all the digging and replacing of the old ceramic pipe with new PVC myself.

In the end, it seemed that a section of the earth had moved � separating the pipe at one joint, and crushing it together at another.

Maybe this is all standard, but I�ll try another firm next time."