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North St. Paul resident warns council about plumbing solicitation letters
Summary
At the Feb. 4 meeting a resident, John Schwall, said he received a solicitation letter from a plumbing company offering free sewer scoping and warned fellow residents to be cautious about upselling practices.
At the Feb. 4 North St. Paul City Council meeting, resident John Schwall used the public comment period to warn neighbors about a solicitation letter he received from a local plumbing company offering a free sewer inspection and promoting replacement of clay or cast‑iron lateral pipes.
Schwall read portions of the mailing and questioned its accuracy, saying the letter claimed many neighborhood sewer lines were clay or cast iron and offered to “scope your pipe, your sewer pipe, give it a colonoscopy, and, for free.” He told the council he contacted a master plumber who said clay pipe was largely phased out in the 1950s, and that the letter’s claims and the offer of a free scope may be an upsell tactic.
Schwall said the letter was dated Jan. 13 and that he received a follow‑up mailing the previous day. Council members responded briefly, thanking him for the alert and suggesting residents check their mail.
No formal action or referral resulted from the comment; the item was recorded during the public comment portion of the meeting.
