Plumber returns to re-clog pipe after restaurant refuses to pay bill

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - In Evansville, owners of an Eastside restaurant say they feel extorted after they say their plumber returned to re-clog their pipes over a disputed bill.

Thai Bistro & Bar Operations Manager Jesse Sanders says when their kitchen’s grease trap started to overflow, they called Heavrin Plumbing Company to fix the block.

Three days later, when it happened again, they say they called the plumber back, this time saying it was an emergency.

After Heavrin Plumbing returned for the second job, Sanders says they received a bill for nearly double what they had already paid upon the first visit since the plumber returned on overtime.

“I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it, like okay is this really happening?,” asks Sanders.

The first bill was $235. The second was $390, and the owners say they refused to pay the second one.

“It’s not about the money,” says Sanders. “It’s about him just standing behind his work.”

Restaurant surveillance cameras show the plumber returning the next morning.

“The following day we received a text message saying that he’s on our property,” the restaurant manager explains. “He put a balloon into our grease trap, and he’s not going to remove it until we pay.”

Texts exchanged between the parties show the restaurant owners were given about an hour to pay their bill before the plumber would leave for the weekend.

“If we were to leave the balloon in there, it would overflow the restaurant with water, dirty water from the grease trap.” Sanders tells us. “Basically, we would’ve had to shut down.”

Heavrin Plumbing Company Owner Joel Heavrin tells 14 News over the phone, his business offers no warranty for drain cleaning.

“I don’t have a magic wand I can wave and remove all the garbage and debris the drain line,” Heavrin explains. “What we can do is, we can snake it; we can make sure that it’s open and working correctly. Which is what we did.”

Police officers came to the restaurant to mediate upon the restaurant owner’s request.

Evansville Police Department Public Information Officer Anthony Aussieker says these matters are normally settled in small claims court.

Heavrin tells us he didn’t want to go that route.

“Frankly it was not worth me pursuing it in court,” he says. “It was not worth my time, just wasn’t worth it for me.”

With officers on scene, and the bill paid, Heavrin Plumbing removed the blockage.

The restaurant says the bill they handed over ultimately was marked “Paid under protest.”

“Being a small business owner, we don’t want that to happen to other customers and clients of his,” says Sanders. “It’s just ridiculous that it had to come down to this.”