Vinson & Sill, Inc.
305 N Range Line Street
Lima, Illinois 62348
 

Effective Date: January 1. 2025

Scope of These Terms

 

These Terms apply to:

• Use of the Vinson & Sill, Inc. website.

• Online appointment and estimate requests.

• Plumbing, HVAC, drain, sewer, excavation, septic and related services provided by Vinson & Sill, Inc.

Website use does not, by itself, authorize Vinson & Sill to perform work.

Service work is governed by the applicable estimate, proposal, work order, service agreement, change order and invoice, together with these Terms. If a signed job-specific document conflicts with these general Terms, the job-specific document controls.

 

Online Requests and Scheduling

Appointments submitted through our website are requests only. An appointment is not confirmed until accepted by our office.

Scheduled dates, arrival times and completion dates are estimates. They may be affected by emergency calls, earlier jobs, weather, travel conditions, technician availability, inspections, permits, material availability and other circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

After-hours, weekend, holiday and emergency services may be subject to additional charges.

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Authorization to Perform Services

The person requesting or approving service represents that they are authorized to request work at the property and agree to be responsible for payment unless Vinson & Sill approves another arrangement in writing.

Work may be authorized through:

• A written or electronic signature.

• Approval through a customer portal.

• Email or text-message approval.

• Recorded telephone authorization.

• Payment of a required deposit.

• Another documented method accepted by Vinson & Sill.

Allowing a technician to enter the property may authorize the requested diagnostic evaluation and disclosed service-call fee, but it does not authorize unlimited repairs.

 

Diagnostic and Service-Call Fees

Diagnostic, dispatch, inspection, consultation and service-call fees compensate Vinson & Sill for scheduling, travel, technician time, equipment use and professional evaluation.

These fees are due even when:

• The customer declines the recommended work.

• No repair is performed.

• The problem cannot be reproduced during the visit.

• Additional testing or disassembly is required.

• Replacement is recommended instead of repair.

• The condition is outside our scope of work.

A diagnostic fee will be credited toward repairs only when expressly stated in writing.

 

Estimates, Pricing and Scope

Estimates are prepared in good faith based on the information and visible conditions available at the time.

Services may be priced using flat-rate pricing, fixed pricing, time and materials, unit pricing, cost-plus pricing or another method stated in the applicable work document.

Vinson & Sill is responsible only for work expressly included in the approved scope. Unless specifically included, our pricing does not cover unrelated repairs, concealed defects, code corrections, finish restoration, landscaping, painting, drywall, structural work, hazardous-material remediation or work by other trades.

Estimates may expire or be revised due to changes in labor costs, material costs, equipment availability, taxes, permits or site conditions.

 

Concealed Conditions and Additional Work

Plumbing, HVAC, sewer, septic, electrical and underground systems may contain conditions that cannot reasonably be identified before work begins.

Examples include:

• Corroded or deteriorated piping.

• Hidden leaks.

• Broken or collapsed sewer lines.

• Unsafe wiring.

• Improper prior repairs.

• Code deficiencies.

• Structural damage.

• Buried concrete, rock or debris.

• Groundwater or unstable soil.

• Unmarked private utilities.

• Mold, asbestos, lead or other hazardous materials.

When an unforeseen condition changes the work, price or recommended repair, Vinson & Sill may stop work and request approval for a change order.

Additional work may be approved through a signature, email, text message, recorded telephone authorization or another documented method.

 

Customer Responsibilities

The customer is responsible for:

• Providing safe and timely access to the property and work areas.

• Securing pets and keeping children and occupants away from active work areas.

• Moving or protecting furniture, electronics, valuables and personal property.

• Providing access to utilities reasonably needed to perform the work.

• Disclosing known hazards, prior repairs, recurring problems and private underground utilities.

• Obtaining landlord, owner, association or building authorization when necessary.

• Providing accurate information concerning ownership and authority to approve work.

Additional charges may apply when restricted access, unsafe conditions, stored property or inaccurate information increases the time or cost required to perform the work.

 

Drain, Sewer, Septic and Excavation Services

Drain and sewer cleaning is intended to restore or improve flow through an existing line. It does not guarantee that the line is structurally sound or that a blockage will not recur.

Cleaning may reveal deteriorated piping, roots, grease, improper slope, damaged fittings, collapsed pipe or other underlying defects. Unless expressly stated on the invoice, drain cleaning carries no warranty against future stoppages.

Sewer-camera inspections are limited to portions of the line that the camera can reach and view. They do not guarantee that every defect will be identified.

Excavation and underground pricing is based on reasonably anticipated conditions. Additional charges may apply for rock, groundwater, unstable soil, buried debris, concrete, private utilities, shoring, traffic control, unusual depth, restricted equipment access or governmental requirements.

Unless expressly included, excavation work does not include final landscaping, seeding, sod, decorative concrete, asphalt, pavement matching or correction of future soil settlement.

Additional service-specific terms may apply to drain, sewer, septic or excavation work and will be identified in the applicable work documents.

 

Equipment and Materials

Vinson & Sill may use reasonably equivalent equipment or materials when specified products become unavailable or discontinued.

Manufacturer warranties are governed by the manufacturer’s terms and may require registration, maintenance, proof of purchase or manufacturer approval.

Vinson & Sill may decline to install customer-supplied equipment or materials.

When customer-supplied products are accepted, the customer is responsible for product selection, sizing, compatibility, condition and completeness. Additional labor resulting from missing, incorrect or defective customer-supplied products is chargeable.

 

Payment

Unless different arrangements are approved in writing by our office, payment is due upon completion of the service visit or applicable project stage.

Deposits and progress payments may be required before scheduling, ordering materials or beginning work.

Payment is not contingent upon:

• Insurance reimbursement.

• Manufacturer reimbursement.

• Financing approval.

• Payment from a landlord, tenant, general contractor or other third party.

• Sale or refinancing of the property.

Returned checks, rejected electronic payments and reversed transactions may be subject to lawful fees and collection costs.

Past-due accounts may result in suspension of additional service, warranty work or account privileges where permitted by law. Vinson & Sill reserves all lawful collection, mechanic’s-lien and payment-bond remedies.

 

Insurance and Financing

Vinson & Sill contracts with the customer, not the customer’s insurance company, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

We may provide estimates, invoices, photographs or factual service information, but we do not guarantee insurance coverage or claim approval.

Financing may be offered through independent third-party providers, Hearth. Financing approval, rates, fees and payment terms are controlled by the financing provider.

 

Warranties

Any Vinson & Sill workmanship warranty must be stated in writing on the applicable estimate, invoice or service agreement.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, warranties do not cover:

• Normal wear or maintenance.

• Drain stoppages.

• Customer-supplied products.

• Manufacturer defects.

• Preexisting or unrelated system defects.

• Misuse, abuse or neglect.

• Freezing, flooding, lightning or power problems.

• Work altered or repaired by others.

• Failure to perform recommended maintenance.

• Conditions outside the original scope.

• Unpaid work.

The customer must notify Vinson & Sill promptly of a possible warranty issue and provide us a reasonable opportunity to inspect and correct covered work before another contractor alters or removes it.

 

Existing Systems and Property Conditions

Repairing one component does not guarantee the future performance of the entire system.

Older or deteriorated systems may experience additional failures because of age, corrosion, wear, improper installation, deferred maintenance or unrelated defects.

Vinson & Sill is not responsible for preexisting damage or concealed deterioration merely because it becomes visible during normal testing, repair, removal, excavation or system operation.

We remain responsible for damage directly caused by our failure to exercise the standard of care required by law.

 

 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Vinson & Sill will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary or consequential damages, including lost profits, lost revenue, loss of use, business interruption, hotel expenses or similar economic losses.

Our aggregate contractual liability arising from a particular service will not exceed the amount paid to Vinson & Sill for the portion of work directly giving rise to the claim.

These limitations do not apply to liability that cannot legally be limited.

 

Opportunity to Inspect and Correct

Customers should notify Vinson & Sill promptly and in writing of any service concern.

We must be given a reasonable opportunity to:

• Review the service records.

• Inspect the reported condition.

• Determine whether the issue is covered by warranty.

• Propose or perform an appropriate correction.

This requirement does not prevent a customer from taking reasonable emergency action necessary to protect people or property.

 

Text Messages and Electronic Communications

By providing a mobile number and opting in, you consent to receive text messages related to:

• Appointment scheduling and reminders.

• Technician arrival.

• Service updates.

• Estimates and approvals.

• Invoices and payment notices.

• Customer-service follow-up.

Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Consent to marketing messages is not a condition of purchase.

Reply STOP to opt out or HELP for assistance. You may also contact us at (217) 985-5100 or office@vinsonandsill.com.

Carriers are not responsible for delayed or undelivered messages.

Electronic signatures, approvals, invoices and communications may be used in connection with our services and may be treated as originals where permitted by law.

 

Website Content and Privacy

Website information is provided for general informational purposes. It is not a diagnosis, engineering opinion, code determination, estimate or guarantee that a specific service is appropriate for a particular property.

Website text, photographs, graphics, logos and other original content are owned by Vinson & Sill or used with permission and may not be reproduced commercially without written authorization.

Personal information submitted through the website is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

 

Governing Law and Severability

Website use is governed by Illinois law, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Service work is subject to the applicable laws of the state and locality where the property is located.

If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect.

Nothing in these Terms limits a customer right or contractor obligation that cannot legally be waived.

 

Changes to These Terms

Vinson & Sill may update these Terms prospectively. Changes become effective when posted with a revised effective date.

The version incorporated into a signed or electronically approved work document will continue to govern that service transaction unless the parties agree otherwise.

 

Contact Us

Questions about these Terms may be directed to:

Vinson & Sill, Inc.
305 N Range Line Street
Lima, Illinois 62348

Phone: (217) 985-5100
Email: office@vinsonandsill.com