A-Comfort Service

September 17,2020 - Service call.

Jared-15101 and Bayle H.

Both young men were very efficient, informative and polite. Would highly recommend A-Comfort Service to others.

* I called A-Comfort Service because they were recommended to me by a person I work with, who had good things to say about the company.

Mr [redacted] is now taking a different stance on the $dollar minimum charge which again was never disclosed to us First he claims that we knew all about it and that it is clearly disclosed and now it’s included in the invoice How can you charge for something that wasn’t disclosed and then claim that it was hidden in fees That’s exactly the reason that we called to ask for an explanation of the parts and labor The bill doesn’t state parts, labor, and minimum charge; it states parts and labor.? The back of the invoice states, in part, a notice of cancellation, “YOU MAY CANCEL THIS TRANSACTION WITHOUT AND PENALTY OR OBLIGATION, WITHIN THREE BUSINESS DAYS FROM THE DATE ON FRONT IF YOU CANCEL, ANY PROPERTY TRADED IN, ANY PAYMENTS MADE BY YOU UNDER THE CONTRACT OR SALE, ANY ANY NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENT EXECUTED BY YOU WILL BE RETURNED WITHIN BUSINESS DAYS FOLLOWING RECEIPT BY THE SELLER OF YOUR CANCELLATION NOTICE, AND ANY SECURITY INTEREST ARISING OUT OF THE TRANSACTION WILL BE CANCELLED.” While we did not provide a written cancelation, never was any service scheduled and when we called to ask for an explanation of the parts and labor we were never called back on the telephone number that we provided When I made the first phone call to A Comfort Service the day after the service call I told the receptionist that I would not schedule any service without an explanation of the charges The “contract” states that a material list available upon request and we clearly asked for that with an explanation A Comfort Service breached the contract by not providing that material list and explanation of the charges, any reasonable person would not agree to a contract that hasn’t been clearly explained We gave a reasonable amount of time for A Comfort to provide an explanation of the charges and when they couldn’t or wouldn’t we sought to have the service done by another provider Upon doing that, A Comfort service chose to charge us anyway After being told that we would still be charged I made another call to A Comfort for an explanation of that as well and was told by the receptionist that the $was the service call fee, the $was a fuel charge, and the $was the minimum charge (that was the first time that minimum charge was brought up) I asked for an explanation of the difference between the $and $fees since it seemed to me that they were for the same thing and that we were just being billed twice The receptionist was unable to give me a clear answer I’m not sure how a company can state that they stand behind their “good” reputation and the quality service that they provide when they have to charge for work that was never even scheduled We were in the position of selling our house and contingent to that sale was the inspection and repair if necessary of the pressure relief valve Based upon that necessity, my wife approved to have the services done and that they would be scheduled at a later date That work became unapproved as soon as we had a question about the pricing and had it been answered to our satisfaction the work would have been reapproved If you are going to charge up front, regardless of whether or not you do the work, you need to provide honest, clear, up front pricing The way that I read the invoice is the total bill is $(“value” price) and the invoice states that there is and a half hours of labor At a generous wage of $per hour, labor would be $leaving $for parts which are a #Extrol expansion tank (and a half gallon) and a pressure relief valve Neither part is complex or special, I found both parts in less than five minutes at a reputable plumbing supply store for under $total, so I wanted an explanation of the charges When they got caught trying to get away with an inflated quote not only did they not call us back they charged us on top of that We made certain that the new home owner of that property never uses A Comfort Service for anything, we will never use them, and we’ll make it a point to retell our story as often as possible to as many people as we can to ensure that they aren’t taken advantage of in the same way For any customer, before any work is done, they can expect to be charged between $120-$dollars The technicians spent a half hour in my house and provided an inflated quote for services, so at the end of the day they get paid between $120-$for a half hour to do no work or they over price the work that they do have to do and make 200+% margin There is nothing honest and up front about any of that To top it off, Mr [redacted] chose to insult us by offering us a $credit to use on the next overpriced service that we will never have done by his business

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
When I made the initial call to A Comfort Service to schedule the service call, no pricing was discussed AT ALL. What was discussed was the fact that I was moving and that due to a home inspection I had to have a leaking pressure valve checked. The service call appointment was scheduled. The technicians came to the house and provided a quote. NO WERE in the written invoice or at any time previously was the amount of $discussed as being the minimum charge. There is a $deposit/fuel charge and a $fee for a regular trip disclosed as line items in the invoice along with the description and price of the three items needed for the repairs. My wife gave the technician our credit card info knowing that we needed the work done to complete the sale of our house. At that time the work was not scheduled to be done on a specific date because the technician had stated that they were very busy and because this was not an emergency they would call later in the week to schedule a time for the work to be done. After some research the “Value” Rate of $seemed very high. I called & spoke to the receptionist; we asked for a detailed explanation of the parts and labor before we would schedule any service call for the repairs. I gave her my cell number because the home number was not in service due to the move. After no call back the next day, my wife called and AGAIN explained that we wanted to discuss the high quote and gave my personal cell number a second time stating that the home number did not work. I received no call by the third day. At that point my wife called back to cancel the $credit card payment. The service had still never been scheduled and due to a lack of communication from A Comfort Service the CORRECT phone number had NEVER been called to address our concerns. It was at that time that we were told that we were going to still be charged $for the service call. I am willing to accept the $($fuel + $reg trip) charge based on the invoice that we have; however, we do not accept the additional $that was never mentioned or documented on our quote. We were given an extremely inflated quote and were ignored when we tried to contact anyone for an explanation

We regret to hear of Mr.[redacted] experience and we do our very best to resolve these matters prior to Revdex.com involvement.
As stated in Mr.[redacted] complaint we did respond to a call for a leaking pressure relief valve on the invoice date and did provide upfront pricing prior to...

commencement of repairs.  At that time Mrs. [redacted] approved the work and the office scheduled a time for the repair. The repair was broken down into three pricing quotes plus a trip charge and fuel surge charge. We utilize a flat rate pricing system that includes the part, all associated miscellaneous fittings and components, labor to install the parts, and a full one year warranty on the repairs. We do not charge additional labor. The estimated repair time is between 1.5-2 hrs plus the time to retrieve the parts at the supply house and our office. We do not, and will never sell the parts for wholesale or internet pricing. The margin applied to the repairs allows an established, reputable business to maintain a competent professional staff to provide a warranted and reliable end user product. 
 
 When scheduling the call our reprehensive always reviews the minimum charges with the customer. Our office receives over 200 calls a day, and I can assure you that a standard has been established in regards to service call charges. The minimum charge for any service call is $120.00. This is what is owed for our technicians time and trip to Mr. [redacted]'s home.
 
 As for the return call, Our technician did call (###-###-####) several times leaving VM at this number.        
Should you have any questions regarding this matter please do not hesitate to call. ###-###-####
 
[redacted]

Mr. [redacted] is now taking a different stance on the $70 dollar minimum charge which again was never disclosed to us.  First he claims that we knew all about it and that it is clearly disclosed and now it’s included in the invoice.  How can you charge for something that wasn’t disclosed and then claim that it was hidden in fees.  That’s exactly the reason that we called to ask for an explanation of the parts and labor.  The bill doesn’t state parts, labor, and minimum charge; it states parts and labor.?
The back of the invoice states, in part, a notice of cancellation, “YOU MAY CANCEL THIS TRANSACTION WITHOUT AND PENALTY OR OBLIGATION, WITHIN THREE BUSINESS DAYS FROM THE DATE ON FRONT.  IF YOU CANCEL, ANY PROPERTY TRADED IN, ANY PAYMENTS MADE BY YOU UNDER THE CONTRACT OR SALE, ANY ANY NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENT EXECUTED BY YOU WILL BE RETURNED WITHIN 10 BUSINESS DAYS FOLLOWING RECEIPT BY THE SELLER OF YOUR CANCELLATION NOTICE, AND ANY SECURITY INTEREST ARISING OUT OF THE TRANSACTION WILL BE CANCELLED.”
While we did not provide a written cancelation, never was any service scheduled and when we called to ask for an explanation of the parts and labor we were never called back on the telephone number that we provided.  When I made the first phone call to A Comfort Service the day after the service call I told the receptionist that I would not schedule any service without an explanation of the charges.  The “contract” states that a material list available upon request and we clearly asked for that with an explanation.  A Comfort Service breached the contract by not providing that material list and explanation of the charges, any reasonable person would not agree to a contract that hasn’t been clearly explained.  We gave a reasonable amount of time for A Comfort to provide an explanation of the charges and when they couldn’t or wouldn’t we sought to have the service done by another provider.  Upon doing that, A Comfort service chose to charge us anyway.  After being told that we would still be charged I made another call to A Comfort for an explanation of that as well and was told by the receptionist that the $47 was the service call fee, the $3.00 was a fuel charge, and the $70 was the minimum charge (that was the first time that minimum charge was brought up).  I asked for an explanation of the difference between the $47 and $70 fees since it seemed to me that they were for the same thing and that we were just being billed twice.  The receptionist was unable to give me a clear answer. 
I’m not sure how a company can state that they stand behind their “good” reputation and the quality service that they provide when they have to charge for work that was never even scheduled.  We were in the position of selling our house and contingent to that sale was the inspection and repair if necessary of the pressure relief valve.   Based upon that necessity, my wife approved to have the services done and that they would be scheduled at a later date.  That work became unapproved as soon as we had a question about the pricing and had it been answered to our satisfaction the work would have been reapproved.  If you are going to charge up front, regardless of whether or not you do the work, you need to provide honest, clear, up front pricing.  The way that I read the invoice is the total bill is $797 (“value” price) and the invoice states that there is 1 and a half hours of labor.  At a generous wage of $75 per hour, labor would be $113 leaving $684 for parts which are a #30 Extrol expansion tank (4 and a half gallon) and a pressure relief valve.  Neither part is complex or special, I found both parts in less than five minutes at a reputable plumbing supply store for under $100 total, so I wanted an explanation of the charges.  When they got caught trying to get away with an inflated quote not only did they not call us back they charged us on top of that.  We made certain that the new home owner of that property never uses A Comfort Service for anything, we will never use them, and we’ll make it a point to retell our story as often as possible to as many people as we can to ensure that they aren’t taken advantage of in the same way.  For any normal customer, before any work is done, they can expect to be charged between $120-$140 dollars.  The technicians spent a half hour in my house and provided an inflated quote for services, so at the end of the day they get paid between $120-$140 for a half hour to do no work or they over price the work that they do have to do and make 200+% margin.  There is nothing honest and up front about any of that.  To top it off, Mr. [redacted] chose to insult us by offering us a $25 credit to use on the next overpriced service that we will never have done by his business.

The minimum service charges for the  contested service call would not be listed on the service technicians invoice due to the fact that the total repair cost with the trip charge was noted and approved at the time of the call.   In the event the customer chooses not to move forward with the repairs, then the minimum service charge of $70.00 would be applied to the total. That was not the case in this circumstance due to the approval of the proposed work. 
The trip charge for any service call is $47.00. This charge covers the time to get the technician to the home from the last location. Some companies hide this in a repair cost, or charge a higher minimum service fee. We choose to disclose the charge on the invoice.. The $3.00 fuel charge covers the elevation in fuel cost over the past several years. Our trip charge, minimum diagnosis charge, and flat rate repair guide has not  increased to reflect the rise in gas cost., therefore we show this fee independently.
The $70.00 (minimum diagnostic charge for a Energy Savings Agreement customer, $99.00 without the agreement) covers the time in the customers home, which includes time to find the problem, review the options, and in some cases even making a small repair. (breaker tripping, wiring issue, noise ect..) The trip charge will not and can not cover the time in the home. We have to pay the technician regardless of the outcome and that cost includes and not limited to his hourly wage, health care benefits, insurance, state local and federal taxes, truck maintenance and ownership cost, and money to keep our lights on! Unfortunately the trip charge  will not cover the cost of a trained professional service technician to properly diagnosis and repair a heating or cooling system.
 We do appreciate the opportunity to service our customers and regret any misunderstandings in this matter. We would like to  forward a $25.00 credit for future service. Please let me know if you have any further questions concerning this matter.
[redacted]

Review: On June 30, 2014 we had A Comfort Service come to our house to assess an issue with a leaking pressure relief valve that was discovered during a home inspection, pending the sale of our house. The repair man was at the house from 10:00am until 10:30am. He provided and estimate for a new expansion tank of $449.00 and $262.00 for a pressure relief valve. An additional charge of $158.00 was added for labor. The total of the estimate came to $919.00. Because we have used A Comfort's service in the past, we were signed up for a discount program that put the final estimate and payment at $797.00. My wife paid them at that time. After she called me with the estimate I went online and looked up the price of the parts. The charge seemed quite high for a simple expansion tank and pressure relief valve. I was able to find both parts online for less than $100.00 total. I spoke with an HVAC engineer who also thought the estimate was very high and recommended I get another estimate. I called A Comfort for an explanation of their estimate. I left my personal cell phone number and details concerning my call with their receptionist and was told I would be called back. The following day, after receiving no call, my wife contacted their receptionist to follow up. We were told again that we would be contacted. After yet another day of no call my wife called back to confirm that we were not using them for the repair service and we wanted our money refunded. At that time we were told we were still being charged $120.00, $50.00 the visit and another $70.00 as a minimum charge that would have gone towards the bill had they done the work. Paying the $50.00 service charge is expected and was outlined in the itemized invoice, however the $70.00 charge was not in the bill or mentioned during any time prior to us seeking a refund. It's not listed on their website or on our itemized bill. To receive no call back from the repair man for two days and to receive such an inflated estimate is unacceptable. We want the $70.00 refunded to us as well. We were able to have the repairs made by another company for HALF the price.Desired Settlement: We would like to be refunded $70.00, of the $120.00 they charged us.

Business

Response:

We regret to hear of Mr.[redacted] experience and we do our very best to resolve these matters prior to Revdex.com involvement.

I recently wrote a negative review about A Comfort Services but the owner has reached out to me to give me a better experience with them. I am pleasantly surprised by that and now have a better understanding of the situation. It turns out the technician that showed up for my service simply didn't explain anything the way he should have. I retract my negative review and would recommend them but just be sure to get a clear explanation of any costs or fees as you should with any service.

Review: We had a furnace installed 11 years ago by A Comfort Service - we had a 10 year warranty and paid this company $235. a year so that the warranty was honored -- they came out twice a year to service our unit. On April 3, 2008, they replaced the heat exchanger due to leaking water, we were told at the time the part was defective. Two service people came on 10/22/15 to check our furnace for the winter, we were told that the heat exchanger needed to be replaced once again at the cost of $560 for labor (serviceman told us it would take up to four hours) in 2008 it took two hours and that we would also have to pay $150 to have the heat exchanger shipped. We feel this is an excessive amount to pay.

The heat exchanger is from Trane if this part is defective shouldn't they have to replace it at there cost?Desired Settlement: The product seems to be defective we feel the cost is excessive, we had the furnace checked twice a year, kept the warranty up, and the same part is being replaced again at our expense (for labor and shipping). We would a more reasonable price and if nothing else we would like to have this complaint filed so if it happens to others perhaps something will be done.

Business

Response:

To all parties concerned , I have personally reviewed the customer history and found that the quoted work has not been completed. If the work is approved and I can get the freight charges dropped from the vender I will gladly refund the 150.00 however the labor to facilitate this process is as quoted. Please understand that the manufacturer is living up to its warranty obligation and also understand that we have addressed our frustration to the manufacturer on more than one occasion and there position is what it is. I respectfully ask that this complaint be removed from our account because the problem is more manufacturer related than is service related. The furnace is 11 years old! As a small business we cannot forever warranty this product and in our opinion the battle between the manufacturers regarding warranty has left us no choice but increase our labor charges. Respectfully Todd [redacted]

Consumer

Response: