Ameriserve

Dear [redacted] Please see below in response to the complaint filed by ** [redacted] regarding the work performed at her father; [redacted] ***’s home.We were contacted by [redacted] to go out to his rental property and check the furnace and water heater In order to get into the home we were instructed by [redacted] to go down the street to a store called ***'s and ask the gentleman behind the counter for a key to the building After doing so we proceeded to the home to perform a diagnosticWhen we got into the home the furnace and water heater were beyond repair and needed to be replacedWe left the home and returned the key to ***'s store Driving down the road to my next service call, I called [redacted] to inform him that the Furnace and water heater were beyond repair and needed to be replaced [redacted] asked for a price to replace them and I told him that I would prepare and estimate based on the equipment, materials and labor for all of the work that needs to be performed for the home to operate efficiently and safely and call him back at the end of the day [redacted] said fine and then asked me if I winterized the home? I said no there was no mention of winterizing in the work order [redacted] said he would like the home winterized immediately because there is no heat and the temperature was in the single digits and burst pipes would cause a lot of damage I agreed with [redacted] and told him I would go back to the house and winterize it the best I could and the fee for winterizing was $ [redacted] said fine, then I heard a lady saying it needed to be done right awayThe whole time I was talking to [redacted] his wife was listening on the other line I went back to the rental property and performed the service; while I was there I also took pictures of the furnace, water heater and mess in the home to give an estimate for the furnace and water heater at the end of the day Later in the day, once back at the office I prepared an estimate for [redacted] for the furnace and water heater, I called [redacted] to discuss exactly what needed to be done [redacted] and his wife were both on the telephone when we talked about replacing the furnace and water heater I told [redacted] and his wife to replace the furnace it would cost $4,and an additional $1,for the water heaterWe talked for a while about the price and explained to them that there was a lot involved to the installation as far as hook up, not to mention the 6” of ice, no parking on the street and all the mess that would need to be removed to get the equipment into the basement and in placeI then told [redacted] and his wife that the duct work was in poor condition and the gas line was also bad, I gave [redacted] and his wife two options one to replace the furnace and water heater for $and a second to replace the furnace, water heater, duct work and alterations to the gas line for $9, [redacted] and his wife said the want it done right and wanted it all done.We agreed that he would put $deposit on his credit card to start as soon as possible and final payment when the job was doneIn the mean time we would put the invoice and credit card authorization form in the mail and he would need to sign it and mail it back right awayThey both agreed and told me to call them when the work was doneWe also agreed that with the cold weather (degrees) and the pending snow storm of to 12” it should be done quicklyWe changed our schedule to get the furnace installed right away to protect his house from further damage caused by the coldWe installed the furnace on a Friday, and did not plan on doing any more work until the following weekOn Monday we received a call from their daughter [redacted] who lives in [redacted] CA asking us to not do any more work until she does some researchWe were fine with that, I then called [redacted] to inform him that we got a call from [redacted] and she asked us not to do any more of the workI told [redacted] that I would only charge him for the work that was done and we would wait to do any other work [redacted] paid for the furnace on his credit card and we refunded the remaining balance to his credit cardWe were fair and understanding to [redacted] ***, the agreed upon price for the Furnace was $$and I thank them for using our service.We will not be issuing a refund for the furnace installation that was completed as there was no overcharge in our pricingOur costs were determined on the equipment, materials; condition of the home, current equipment removal, as well as the extensive labor and hours needed to make sure the equipment was working both efficiently and safely in the home.Attached please find copies of the signed invoices and credit card authorization form we had ** [redacted] sign authorizing us of the work neededAt no time was ** [redacted] not informed of the work needed at this home nor the cost for any of the recommended services.Should you have any further questions about this matter please feel free to contact our office.AmeriServe

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because [redacted]/AmeriServe charged $3790.00 to install a $900 furnace.
There is no justification for this charge.  He blatantly overcharged and took advantage of an elderly couple.
$900.00 furnace $3790.00 installation - Total charge: $4690.00.
I believe a refund is in order.
Thank you,
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted]Please see below in response to the complaint filed by **. [redacted] regarding the work performed at her father; [redacted]’s home.We were contacted by [redacted] to go out to his rental property and check the furnace and water heater.  In order...

to get into the home we were instructed by [redacted] to go down the street to a store called [redacted]'s and ask the gentleman behind the counter for a key to the building.  After doing so we proceeded to the home to perform a diagnostic. When we got into the home the furnace and water heater were beyond repair and needed to be replaced. We left the home and returned the key to [redacted]'s store.  Driving down the road to my next service call, I called [redacted] to inform him that the Furnace and water heater were beyond repair and needed to be replaced. [redacted] asked for a price to replace them and I told him that I would prepare and estimate based on the equipment,  materials and labor for all of the work that needs to be performed for the home to operate efficiently and safely and call him back at the end of the day.  [redacted] said fine and then asked me if I winterized the home?  I said no there was no mention of winterizing in the work order.  [redacted] said he would like the home winterized immediately because there is no heat and the temperature was in the single digits and burst pipes would cause a lot of damage.  I agreed with [redacted] and told him I would go back to the house and winterize it the best I could and the fee for winterizing was $315.00. [redacted] said fine, then I heard a lady saying it needed to be done right away. The whole time I was talking to [redacted] his wife was listening on the other line.  I went back to the rental property and performed the service; while I was there I also took pictures of the furnace, water heater and mess in the home to give an estimate for the furnace and water heater at the end of the day.
Later in the day, once back at the office I prepared an estimate for [redacted] for the furnace and water heater, I called [redacted] to discuss exactly what needed to be done. [redacted] and his wife were both on the telephone when we talked about replacing the furnace and water heater.  I told [redacted] and his wife to replace the furnace it would cost $4,890 and an additional $1,995 for the water heater. We talked for a while about the price and explained to them that there was a lot involved to the installation as far as hook up, not to mention the 6” of ice, no parking on the street and all the mess that would need to be removed to get the equipment into the basement and in place. I then told [redacted] and his wife that the duct work was in poor condition and the gas line was also bad, I gave [redacted] and his wife two options one to replace the furnace and water heater for $6885.00 and a second to replace the furnace, water heater, duct work and alterations to the gas line for $9,985.00. [redacted] and his wife said the want it done right and wanted it all done.We agreed that he would put $6000.00 deposit on his credit card to start as soon as possible and final payment when the job was done. In the mean time we would put the invoice and credit card authorization form in the mail and he would need to sign it and mail it back right away. They both agreed and told me to call them when the work was done. We also agreed that with the cold weather (10 degrees) and the pending snow storm of 6 to 12” it should be done quickly. We changed our schedule to get the furnace installed right away to protect his house from further damage caused by the cold. We installed the furnace on a Friday, and did not plan on doing any more work until the following week. On Monday we received a call from their daughter [redacted] who lives in [redacted] CA asking us to not do any more work until she does some research. We were fine with that, I then called [redacted] to inform him that we got a call from [redacted] and she asked us not to do any more of the work. I told [redacted] that I would only charge him for the work that was done and we would wait to do any other work. [redacted] paid for the furnace on his credit card and we refunded the remaining balance to his credit card. We were fair and understanding to [redacted], the agreed upon price for the Furnace was $$4890 and I thank them for using our service.We will not be issuing a refund for the furnace installation that was completed as there was no overcharge in our pricing. Our costs were determined on the equipment, materials; condition of the home, current equipment removal, as well as the extensive labor and hours needed to make sure the equipment was working both efficiently and safely in the home.Attached please find copies of the signed invoices and credit card authorization form we had **. [redacted] sign authorizing us of the work needed. At no time was **. [redacted] not informed of the work needed at this home nor the cost for any of the recommended services.Should you have any further questions about this matter please feel free to contact our office.AmeriServe

Dear [redacted],
Please see below in response to the complaint filed by **. and [redacted] regarding the work performed at their home.
We were contacted by [redacted]. [redacted] regarding a service call to come to the home to hook up a gas line to the drier on March 10, 2015....

During the initial phone call with [redacted] we informed her of our company’s policies and procedures as well as our $79.00 service call fee. Our company does not provide estimates over the phone, so **. [redacted] was never quoted a price for the work to be performed; instead he was informed of the above service call fee, Our customer care representatives who answer the phones are not trained technicians so they would be unable to provide him with any form of price, We have found in our 20 plus years of experience that giving a price out over the phone are rarely in our customers' favor. We prefer to be reputable and professional and arrive at the home and give our customers a straight forward price depending on the work, maintenance or service that needs to be performed. After the technicians arrived at the customer’s home they began their diagnostic and evaluation. All of their recommendations and pricing were presented on the invoice. At that time the customer gave our technicians the approval to perform the gas drier and vent book-up. The pricing was clearly started on the customer’s invoice, which was then signed. The cost of the repairs were listed along with the initial service call fee, this information was relayed to the customer as well. At that time the customer could have declined the work had they not felt the pricing was within their budget. Our trained technicians did note on the customers paper work that the gas drier was making an internal noise after hook up. We informed the customer of this issue, and that the drier might be in need of some repairs. The book up was finished and in working order.Attached please find copies of the signed invoice authorizing us of the work needed. At no time was the customer not informed of the work needed and or pricing prior to work being completed. AmeriServe will not be issuing any credit or refund for the work performed, as our company provided the customer with proper service.
Should you have any further questions about this matter please feel free to contact our office.