AVRWC partners with repair company (March 19, 2014)

APPLE VALLEY • Apple Valley Ranchos Water Co. has partnered with an emergency repair service company to assist customers with line breaks or other water problems that may arise on their property.

HomeServe USA has agreed to work with AVR to offer optional water service line, sewer septic line and interior plumbing and drainage repair service plans to approximately 19,000 homeowners.

We’re pleased to be able to offer our customers HomeServe’s protection plans and spare them the inconvenience and expense these types of home emergencies can create, said Scott Weldy, general manager and vice president of AVR.

A HomeServe press release said the company hopes to educate AVR water customers about their responsibility and value of being prepared when a home emergency repair is needed.

Over the recent weeks, water customers received letters from AVR explaining the service, which offers customer access to a repair hotline that is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and a local licensed and insured contractor who will be dispatched for repair work.

The optional protection plans available are priced between $5.25 and $10.49 a month, and AVR customers will have the convenience of paying for services directly on their water bills, the letter said.

Ralph Hopper, who owns Helping Hand Plumbing with his wife, Rita, said a simple residential water line repair could cost a homeowner between $475 and $750.

The cost also depends on the severity of the repair, said Hopper, who has been in the business for nearly 30 years. Most lines are 12 to 18 inches deep, and the cost to repair an entire water line from meter to house could cost anywhere from $2,400 to $3,500.

Hopper said AVR’s optional service coverage is a great deal, especially for frozen line breaks during the winter season.

If you don’t purchase the service, you may want to put that money away for future emergency repairs, Hopper said.

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Ranchos joins six other California-based utility agencies in offering HomeServe plans to its customers. HomeServe also serves more than 200,000 homeowners holding more than 280,000 plans in California.

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For more information, contact HomeServe at 855-336-2462 or visit www.AVRserviceplans.com.

Source: Rene Ray De La Cruz, Daily Press