Customer Engagement Form

Standard Labor Rates*

One Employee Hourly Labor Rate (Business Hours)	$145.00
Two Employee Hourly Labor Rate (Business Hours)	$265.00

Emergency Labor Rates and After-Hours Labor Rates Work Week*

One Employee Hourly Labor Rate	$185.00
Two Employee Hourly Labor Rate	$315.00

Emergency Weekend & Holiday Labor Rates*

One Employee Hourly Labor Rate	$245.00
Two Employee Hourly Labor Rate	$375.00

Leak Detection Fees

Leak Detection Hourly Labor Rate (During Work Week Hours)

$225.00

Equipment Fees (Per Each Occurrence)

Leak Detection Equipment Fee	$75.00
Hydro-Jetter Equipment Fee	$100.00
Sewer Camera Equipment Fee	$75.00
Sewer Machine Equipment Fee	$75.00
Nitrogen Gas Injection Equipment Fee	$125.00

Travel Fees

15-49 miles	$70.00
49-89 miles	$90.00

Travel Fees

Travel Fee charges are applicable and added to every invoice for all jobs or projects having a driving distance greater than 15 miles from the Water Fixers corporate office located at 2893 Industrial Parkway, Santa Maria, California. Multiple travel fee charges could apply depending on the length of the job or project. On occasion, the travel fees could be waived and you would be advised via text, email, or written message. And on occasion, travel fees may be increased depending on driving distance and geographic location. 

Additional or Increased Labor Rate Charges*

Isolated Rural Communities, Isolated Rural Dwellings, Farms, Ranches, Private Communities, etc., could have increased Labor Rate charges applied to the hourly labor rate billed. An assessment of the geographic location before any appointment is scheduled or a service technician is dispatched will be evaluated and you will be notified in advance via text, email, or written message if increased hourly labor rates apply.

Disposal Fees

When removing any parts, fixtures, material, or equipment of any size, volume, or configuration from a client's property or business that requires proper disposal to a municipal disposal site there will be a $75.00 "MINIMUM" Disposal Charge for each part, fixture, material, or equipment. Depending on the size, volume, units, amount, or configuration there could be additional costs, fees, and applicable labor charges to accommodate the proper disposal.

Minimum Labor Billing Fee

NOTE: Water Fixers bills in half (1/2) hour increments for labor charges, with a 1-hour minimum charge for any onsite visit regardless if our employee(s) worked a full hour from their initial arrival time or not.

Special Services Labor Rates

Obtaining Permits, Technical Support Calls, Warranty Support Calls, Diagnosis, Parts Ordering, Parts Pickup, Landfill Disposal, Site Inspections, and other job-associated labor costs will be billed to the customer with the appropriate hourly labor rate.

Additional Employees' Labor Rates

If more than two employees are dispatched to a job or project, additional hourly labor charges are billed for each additional employee. Please contact the Water Fixers office staff for the additional employee (s) labor charges. When a written proposal or estimate has been offered to a client before any work has commenced the labor rates for multiple employees are typically pre-estimated within the estimate. When we hire laborers for a job or project from an outside source, those labor rates are billed at a different hourly rate than listed in the labor rates section above, and the labor rates can vary depending on the agency the laborers are obtained from. Water Fixers makes every effort possible to advise our clients in advance of any additional labor rate estimates, costs, or charges before commencing work on any job or project.

Labor rates are subject to change without advanced written notification.

You have elected to employ Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration, Inc, to perform alterations, modifications, improvements, enhancements, installations, diagnostics, or repairs to water, gas, or sewer plumbing infrastructure, fixtures, or equipment, or water filtration plumbing infrastructure or equipment.

Invoice Billing

An invoice is a bill submitted to you our client summarizing charges for the number of parts, material, equipment, labor, and fees employed for your job or project. The invoice is due and payable at the time of submittal. An extended job or project could receive multiple billing invoices for every visit to a client's personal property or business employing the Progress Billing method, or one Master Invoice once the job or project is complete. If multiple invoices are submitted during the course of your project you are expected to pay each invoice upon receipt of the invoice. The Master Invoice billing method must be pre-approved by an officer of Water Fixers before an extended job or project is commenced. Water Fixers does not take cash advances, pre-payments, down payments, or bills in advance for any parts, material, equipment, labor, and fees for any job or project. Each job and project is invoiced with each diagnostic, repair, service, or installation visit.

Water Fixers does not offer financing, payment terms, or loans to any client. Invoices are paid in full upon submittal. The only exception is when an officer of Water Fixers makes an agreement with a client to accept payment terms and then a payment contract is authenticated, signed, dated, and notarized. Payment terms are subject to late fees, interest charges, and penalties as allowed by California and Federal law.

Invoices can be paid by Cash, Debit, Check, Credit Cards (American Express, Discover, and Novus not accepted), or Bank Wire Transfer.

Credit Cards used for payment on any Invoice amount exceeding $2000.00 will incur a 3% surcharge processing fee added to the invoice total amount.   

Labor Billing

All Water Fixers employees are paid by the hour, not salary, piece rate, or commission. Water Fixers bills for all labor employed on a job or project by the hour for each employee involved with the job or project. Water Fixers employees and officers are paid by the hour for travel time, parts pickup, material inquiries, landfill disposal runs, filing applications, technical support calls, warranty support, text messages, email messages, compiling invoices, and cleanup of the job site, equipment, and tools, etc. Water Fixers bills our clients in half (1/2) hour increments, with a 1-hour minimum charge for any onsite visit regardless if our employee(s) worked a full hour from their initial arrival time or not. Any employee(s) working beyond the first full hour will bill in half-hour increments thereafter using the "Round-Up" to the next 1/2-hour increment billing method. This means that even working 5 minutes beyond any 1/2 hour increment, the client would be billed to the next succeeding half-hour interval. Labor billing will include working on-premise, travel time, parts pickup, disposal runs, filing applications, technical support calls, warranty support, text messages, or email messages involving gathering information to help our clients resolve their issues, and compiling invoices cleanup, etc. We do not employ Hourly Block Billing or Flat-rate Billing. Billing begins with our arrival at the destination site and ends with our departure (excluding the 1-hour minimum charge). ONSITE VISITATION MINIMUM CHARGE: If any employee or officer is dispatched out to a client's home, business, building, structure, property, farm, ranch, winery, land, etc., there is a 1-hour minimum charge upon each visit regardless if our employee(s) worked a full hour from their initial arrival time or not, and regardless if they performed any work or not. Travel fees or Trip Charges will also apply depending on mileage distance, terrain, geographic location, road conditions, weather conditions, etc.

Contract Billing

Per client request, Water Fixers will submit in writing a proposal estimate to include parts, material, equipment, labor, and fees to complete a job or project to the client's expectation and satisfaction. The parts, material, equipment, and labor proposed by Water Fixers will strive to be as accurate as humanly possible by offering a "Package Price" as compared to the hourly time billing method. Although every precaution possible is taken to be accurate and fair with each proposal, there are times when there could be additional parts, materials, equipment, fees, and or labor needed to complete the scope of work that cannot be calculated precisely and proposed until work is commenced. If the job or project cannot be completed within the proposal's estimate, then any additional labor will be billed using the 1/2 hour billing method, and parts, material, equipment, or fees will be charged at the current average market value price.

Parts, Material, Equipment Billing

Water Fixers sources and purchases parts, materials, and equipment from multiple vendors, suppliers, jobbers, and retail outlets. We are experiencing volatile market fluctuations with regard to pricing and therefore prices for parts, materials, and equipment are subject to change daily. We may find significant price variances depending on the source we access for inventory and the manufacturing country of origin, so our pricing could potentially be higher or lower than what our clients can obtain the parts for. We can no longer guarantee fixed pricing or comparison pricing due to supply and demand volatility from one source to another. We will always try to remain fair and competitive regarding parts, material, and equipment pricing. 

Travel Fee Billing 

Due to the high oil and gas prices to operate a vehicle in the State of California, costly insurance premiums, vehicle wear and tear, and that our employees are paid by the hour for all their travel time, there will be times when Water Fixers applies a travel fee or trip charge to your billable invoice. All Water Fixers employees will try to inform and advise you in advance of a travel fee charge before scheduling an appointment or commencing any work for your job or project. However, Travel Fees are listed under the Labor Rates and Fees tables above and you will be financially obligated and responsible to pay for all Travel Fees added to any invoice regardless if you were informed by an employee of Water Fixers or not. A travel fee charge is applicable for every invoice and trip to the property regardless if we are on a single-day job or a multiple-day project. However, travel fees could increase depending on mileage distance, terrain, geographic location, road conditions, etc.

Refund Labor Billing

Water Fixers does not offer refunds for labor, fees, permits, rental costs, or any other expense(s) that were billed on an invoice to start, pause, diagnose, investigate, or complete a client's job or project. This is especially relevant when performing Leak Detection discovery work, troubleshooting, diagnosing, investigating, excavating, or probing to resolve a water, gas, or sewer plumbing infrastructure leak or issue, or water filtration leak, issue, or performance complaint. Many water, gas, or sewer incidents require discovery or an investigative process to unveil the primary cause of the incident and then consulting with our client on how to resolve the issue in the quickest amount of time and for the least overall cost. As each job or project is somewhat unique, our client often needs to invest a reasonable cost to accomplish the discovery process before any actual parts, material, or equipment are installed, or the repair work is commenced. There may be an exception where Water Fixers would consider and or grant a refund for billable labor fees to a client depending on the discovery of evidence to warrant justification to do so, but this would only be authorized by an officer of Water Fixers. Permits, rental costs, fees, parts, material, or equipment employed, installed, and billed on any job or project will not be refunded to a client unless Victor Kernes, President, or Lynda Castleberry, Office Manager, deems a petition by the client for a refund is legitimately justified. Even then, there may only be a partial refund granted or none at all. 

Warranty Billing

The purchaser's sole and exclusive warranty for any appliances or products they purchase is provided to them by the manufacturer of that product if any warranty is available. Water Fixers makes no express or implied warranties. WATER FIXERS DISCLAIMS ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT WILL WATER FIXERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY FROM THE OPERATION OR USE OF THE PRODUCT. Some parts, appliances, and equipment have a limited-time manufacturer's warranty. The warranty might replace the part, appliance, or equipment for you at a reduced cost or no charge once it has been determined a failure has occurred or a defect exists under the limited warranty stipulated by the warranty coverage period. However, DO NOT ASSUME there is automatic warranty coverage for any defective, malfunctioning, or non-operational parts, fixtures, equipment, or components. Any claim for warranty coverage to replace or reimburse you for any parts, equipment, or components at a reduced cost or no cost to you must be approved in writing by the manufacturer.

Warranty Labor Charges
Most manufacturers DO NOT pay, reimburse, refund, or compensate for LABOR CHARGES employed to discover, investigate, diagnose, install, service, or repair any item, part, equipment, appliance, or fixture that may be covered under their manufactures limited time parts or equipment warranty coverage period. If they do have a labor provision it is typically within the first 90 days of purchase and a maximum payout of one hour of labor for the warranty period. If you employ Water Fixers employees to assist you with a warranty claim and the manufacturer does not or will not pay, compensate, or reimburse Water Fixers for any and all LABOR charges to discover, investigate, diagnose, install, service, or repair any item, part, equipment, appliance, or fixture that may be covered under a manufactures warranty, then you assume responsibility and will be liable to compensate Water Fixers directly for any and all Labor charges billed to resolve the issue you employed us to help with. You agree with the Labor Billing terms and conditions as outlined in this customer engagement form.

Warranty Freight Charges
Some manufacturers will include the costs for freight and shipping charges when replacing parts, equipment, or components under their standard warranty terms. However, this is not always the case. The client should always reference the warranty coverage documentation from the manufacturer and consult with them when a failure or defect occurs to ensure they will be compensated to their full expectations. If you employ Water Fixers to assist you with a warranty claim for parts, equipment, or components and the manufacturer does not or will not pay, compensate, or reimburse Water Fixers for any and all Freight or Shipping charges then you assume responsibility and will be liable to compensate Water Fixers directly for any and all Freight or Shipping charges billed to resolve the issue you employed us to help with.

Additional Warranty Fees, Charges, Costs
In most cases, any extra costs involved to investigate, diagnose, purchase, remove, replace, and return a failed or defective item that is not covered by the manufacturer is the obligation and responsibility of you the client (purchaser) to compensate Water Fixers for all additional charges and fees. These extra costs can include labor, travel charges, permits, disposal fees, freight, rental charges, parts, material, equipment, or other charges to complete the replacement of the part, appliance, or equipment to the client's complete satisfaction. There are some instances where a manufacturer may cover the costs for freight charges and possibly one hour of labor fees under the terms of the warranty, but we have found this to be rare. The client should always reference the warranty coverage documentation from the manufacturer and consult with them when a failure or defect occurs to ensure they will be compensated to their full expectations.    

Estimates

Water Fixers from time to time offers free estimates to select prospective clients. A free estimate is a simple visit to a client's home or business with just enough time to take photos and measurements generally. These visits are pre-scheduled when it is convenient for the client and an employee of Water Fixers to meet, considering both parties' schedules. If a client expects any work to be done under the umbrella of a free estimate, the client should expect and will be billed for the employee's time, parts, material, or equipment. We try very hard to offer free estimates and to be competitive when there is an amicable benefit for the client and us. Clients will be notified via text or email message that they are receiving a free estimate. Otherwise, all clients are responsible for compensating Water Fixers for all their onsite property visits under the Performance Billing terms herein stated.

Water, Gas, and Sewer Line Re-pipes

Replacing the main exterior water, gas, or sewer line from the public utility domain to the entry point of a residence or commercial structure, or repiping the entire inside water, gas, or sewer lines for a residential or commercial structure is a several-day project and on occasion several weeks or even months. When working with public utilities there is typically a permit process and a utility line locating and marking process of all existing utilities on the property which could cause days and even weeks of delay before any work can commence. When permits are obtained there is also an inspection process that could take several business days or even weeks to accomplish which delays the completion of the project. And, with these larger projects, an estimate will need to be compiled and submitted preliminary before commencing any work which could also take one to two business days and delay the project further. These delays can cause uncomfortable, inconvenient, and sometimes frustrating challenges. WATER FIXERS HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THESE PROTOCOLS AND CAN NOT BE HELD BLAMEWORTHEY, LIABLE, or RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY AND ALL DELAYS INVOLVED WITH ALL RE-PIPE PROJECTS. These protocols are the legal and legitimate methods for a successful and satisfactory outcome. The "Waiting Game" is a necessary part of the re-pipe process.

Estimates

Any project involving the re-piping of the main water, gas, or sewer lines on the exterior or interior of a residence or commercial structure requires a written estimate and contract submitted to the client, business, or Insurance Carrier before any work can commence. The estimate and contract must be signed and returned back to Water Fixers before commencing work. This could cause days and even weeks of delay before any work can commence. 

Insurance Claims

Any project involving the re-piping of the main water, gas, or sewer lines on the exterior or interior of a residence or commercial structure requires a written estimate and contract submitted to the Insurance Carrier if a claim has been opened before any work can commence. The estimate and contract must be signed and returned back to Water Fixers before commencing work. This could cause days and even weeks of delay before any work can commence.

811 (Dig Alert)

Any project involving the re-piping of the main water, gas, or sewer lines on the exterior or interior of a residence or commercial structure requires the locating and marking process of all existing utilities on the property by the utility companies which could cause days and even weeks of delay before any work can commence. Our experience finds that five to ten business days are the normal turnaround time for the utilities to respond and mark their utility lines. WE CAN NOT COMMENCE ANY EXCAVATION WORK FOR ANY JOB OR PROJECT UNTIL DIG ALERT HAS MARKED AND SIGNED OFF ON ALL UTILITY LINE LOCATIONS.

Permits

Any project involving the re-piping of the main water, gas, or sewer lines on the exterior or interior of a residence or commercial structure requires a permit to be applied for and registered with the governing agency building and planning department before any work can commence. Our experience finds that five to ten business days are the normal turnaround time for the agency to respond and validate the permit. Once a project is near completion an inspection will be scheduled and an inspector will visit the project site to validate all parts, fixtures, material, and equipment installed which could delay the completion of the project another five to ten business days. Some agencies will require drawings or additional information that will also cause a delay in the permit process which could add additional days or even weeks to the normal permit approval process. On occasion, if an urgent matter exists we can commence work under the umbrella of an Emergency Permit protocol, but we would still need a complete sign-off from 811 (Dig Alert) before commencing any work.

Employee and Laborer Availability

Re-pipe projects typically require multiple employees and or laborers to complete the project and most to all projects take days, weeks, and sometimes months to complete. Project completion times are subject to employee and laborers' availability. Illness, Injuries, Time Off, Holidays, Leave of Absence, or Emergencies all impact the availability to complete a project in the most expedited manner possible.

In many instances, Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration, Inc. will need to gain access to the source of the water, gas, sewer plumbing incident or water filtration plumbing or equipment incident you employed us to solve. Water Fixers will try to gain access to the incident's source with as little disturbance or inconvenience as possible and take due care and diligence to not cause any damage or harm to the property or structures if and when avoidable. This includes but is not limited to houses, buildings, structures, landscapes, or perimeter property areas. During the investigative, discovery, and repair work process, we may need to cut, excavate, demolish, move, remove, replace, break apart, or separate walls, framing, concrete, asphalt, stucco, tile, carpeting, laminate, linoleum, drywall, lathe, stones, pavers, rocks, landscape, wood, trees, grass, plants, flowers, shrubs, furniture, doors, cabinets, windows, sheds, fixtures, and other interior and exterior items to allow sufficient access to the source of the incident. WATER FIXERS CAN NOT GUARANTEE NO DAMAGE WILL OCCUR before, during, or after the water, gas, sewer plumbing incident or water filtration plumbing or equipment incident we were employed to solve. Also, during the investigative, discovery, and repair process of the source of the incident, there are occasions when old, corroded, deteriorated, defective, compromised, delicate, or fragile water, gas, electrical, or sewer drain plumbing infrastructure, fixtures, parts, or material fails, plugs, breaks, cracks, bends, leaks, or cease to operate when moved, bumped, shaken, grabbed, affixed, discharged, or attached to when work is commenced for any job or project.

(EXCLUSIONS INDEMNIFICATION:) Water Fixers will not be responsible, liable, required, expected, guilty, blameworthy, or held accountable to remove, extract, lift, withdraw, separate, pick up, take up, elevate, raise, replace, restore, return, renew, put back, repair, recreate, revive, or reset any walls, framing, concrete, asphalt, stucco, tile, carpeting, laminate, linoleum, drywall, lathe, stones, pavers, rocks, landscape, wood, trees, grass, plants, flowers, shrubs, furniture, doors, cabinets, windows, sheds, fixtures, parts, fittings, equipment, or appliances that have malfunctioned, ceased working, are leaking, dripping, dribbling, draining, fractured, shattered, breached, cracked, broken, busted, severed, separated, corroded, or deteriorated as a result of the process to diagnose, discover, or expose the source of the incident. We are also indemnified against any claims, lawsuits, allegations, actions, proceedings, or other insinuations or prosecutions for damages, harm, expenses, costs, loss, affliction, injury, detriment, harm, hurt, death, or any other mental, physical, or monetary suffering caused by any Labor, Fees, Parts, Fittings, Fixtures, Equipment, or Appliances employed and needed to gain access to the source of the water, gas, or sewer plumbing incident or water filtration plumbing or equipment incident. Water Fixers is also indemnified against the property owner or property owner’s representatives of the property, employees, friends, neighbors, relatives, individuals, or businesses that perform any work to the clients' property that Water Fixers Officers or Employees are not directly involved with. The only exception to these indemnifications is where any Water Fixers employee(s) can be shown to have acted negligently or maliciously. Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration, Inc. can replace, restore, return, renew, put back, repair, recreate, revive, or reset any walls, framing, concrete, asphalt, stucco, tile, carpeting, laminate, linoleum, drywall, lathe, stones, pavers, rocks, landscape, wood, trees, grass, plants, flowers, shrubs, furniture, doors, cabinets, windows, sheds, fixtures, parts, fittings, equipment, or appliances at the client's expense for all parts, fittings, fixtures, material, equipment, labor charges, fees, permits, and other fees and charges.

I have read, understand, agree, and accept the terms and conditions outlined and described above. If I disagree with, contest, or dispute any of the terms and conditions of this engagement form, I am not obligated to sign below and, therefore, cancel my proposed, accepted, or commenced job or project with Water Fixers. Otherwise, by signing below I am responsible and liable for all expenses associated and incurred with any job or project engaged in with Water Fixers Plumbing & Filtration, Inc., regardless of any dispute.