We have our septic tank pumped every three to five years wether it needs it or not. We are an elderly couple who don't have a dishwasher. We wash our dishes by hand.
SO: It's time to pump the tank out again..it's cheap insurance.
I dig out the old receipts for our past 3 pump outs (which have always been satisfactory) and find the latest website for this business is now only IN Spanish... Not speaking spanish I go to a more local place which has a pretty impressive fleet of trucks out front.
SO: Today I visit this NEW place first hand. The price to pump 1200 gallons will be $256. (It took well over a minute on a 1960s "adding machine" ...with the paper tape... to come up with this figure. OK: I am Still COOL.
I make the appointment for Friday. THEN.. the nice lady tells me there "May Be" an EXTRA fee to uncover (digging) the manhole cover to the tank. I inform her that I know Precisely where the manhole cover is. ...No searching required. I ask what that fee may be and she tells me that the "Technician" who comes out to the house MAY assess a fee of $75 to uncover the manhole cover.
I inform her that I have Never been charged to "Uncover" the manhole cover. She said she will get back to me on Wednesday.
I LOVE Free Enterprise....BUT I think I will be going elsewhere.
NB