Mainline Pump & Irrigation

"We had a well problem we couldn't figure out. Chad had extraordinary patience and persistence in diagnosing the issue. Mainline Pump has always been very responsive when we needed them and their charges have always been fair."

"I don't like giving bad reviews but this situation was so over the top that I felt like I had no choice. We contracted with Mainline Pump to do a well pump replacement for us. They came out and did the work as planned, but it turns out there were two problems with the installation. When I brought the problems to their attention, Chad, one of the installers, called and said he would take care of them. Two days later, however, I received a letter from Sheila Griffin, the owner's daughter, telling me at length how they are the experts and that everything they did was correct and that they had no intention of fixing anything under warranty. She went on to suggest that I meet with her company attorney if I wanted to discuss this further. Ironically it was the pump manufacturer, Pentair Corp., that alerted me to the first problem. According to them, Mainline Pump did not follow best practices concerning the installation of check valves for our specific depth of well. I talked with four of their tech support people, and they all said the same thing. The second problem was the amount of electrical tape used to secure the power cable to the well pipe. Mainline Pump used the equivalent of about two rolls of electrical tape that was ultimately submerged in my family's drinking water. There are Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on electrical tape which list several contaminants that leach out of the tape, including lead and toluene, and none of which belong in drinking water. I composed a letter to all parties listed in the Oregon Business Registry for Mainline Pump, including her attorney, informing everyone that the installation wasn't complete and that if they weren’t able to make this right, I would hire another company to fix this and pay them from the money I owed Mainline. Shirley, Sheila's mother, got the letter and called me immediately offering to correct the problems at no additional cost. While it took another month to get the work completed, it was completed correctly. Marine grade, stainless-steel hose clamps were used in place of the electrical tape. Apparently Sheila has taken the reins of the family business after her father's death. Her combative nature-even rejecting my offer to come by to talk about a solution, and then suggesting that I talk with her lawyer-was way over the top. Even trying to have a conversation with Sheila was difficult, she’s long winded and prone to interrupting. In contrast was her mother, Shirley, who was easy to talk to and accommodating. I offered to pay for some of the adjustment costs, but Shirley said that they would cover everything. The cost to make this right was minimal, (3 hours labor and a few parts) and I appreciated it. Later I learned that Mainline Pump is required by law to submit notices of liability to me before the job starts, I didn’t receive these notices. Hopefully this doesn’t put anyone in legal jeopardy - I hope not. In Summary I would not be able to recommend Mainline Pump. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone needs to learn and grow, but if someone becomes so convinced that they are right, there is no path forward. Should Sheila reassess her current business model and her communication style, I think Mainline Pump has the foundation to do well. An apology would also go a long way. Side note: If you've used Mainline Pump, you might want to explore how much electricians tape was used in your installation. Electrical tape in really any quantity has no place in a residential water supply."

"John T speaking; there is no better person than Larry to solve your well,pump, or other water issues involving your rural home. AND,he will save you money over the advice you may get from the big box outfits. I KNOW for he and his been there for me for 40 years !"

"The folks at Mainline did some good work for me. I have high iron in my water. But the last experience was a bad one. They recommended an expensive filter that would solve my problems. It didn’t. I called them several times and the receptionist said, oh yes, they have you on their list. But no one got back to me or came out. Now I’m going with a different company. Extremely frustrating. I trusted them!"

"Materials were delivered 2 days late. I was initially informed that the pipes I ordered would be delivered on a Tuesday between 3-4pm, but was informed at 3:40pm that same day that there was an issue with the payment and that the pipe would not be delivered that day. The issue with the payment could have easily been resolved a week prior when the pipe was ordered. I called 2 days later to ask for a new delivery estimate, at which point they delivered the pipes within 30 minutes. Frustrated with the lack of communication and follow-through with what should have been a straightforward process. Edit: When my order was delivered, 2 10' sections of pipe were missing. I was not able to get a new estimate for when the remainder would be delivered. I called and left several messages asking for an estimate, but did not get one until a week later when I went in-person to the shop. While in the shop, the main desk attendant was extremely rude and confrontational. I will be taking my business elsewhere."