Bell Brother's Heating and Air, Inc.

Bell Bros gives us great service. We always ask for Leroy as he is professional, courteous, and does a great job. He seems genuinely interested in making sure that our equipment is running properly, and takes the time to explain what he is doing and answer our questions. Thank you Bell Bros!

I was pleased with the service of Trevor G[redacted]. He was professional in his manner but spoke in terms I could understand. Bell Brothers is always prompt when we call them and section. We trust them to do the right thing.

Awesome troubleshooting skills! Others would have tried to gouge. They really are the no surprise/no gouging guys!

[redacted] came to my house for a heating issue, from the start he was so friendly to my husband and myself. He took the time to show us what was going on with our heater. [redacted] is very personable and made us feel comfortable to ask questions. Thanks again [redacted] and [redacted]

Adrian was professional in his work and took the initiative to summarize the work to be done.

Review: This letter is regarding an issue that occurred during the spring and summer of 2015. There were various techs from Bell Brothers at my house, and I also talked to [redacted] (I forgot his last name) in June. I told him I was unsatisfied with Bell’s response, or more lack of, to the issue. I told him I was going to be out of the country for almost 2 months, and then when I came back I was going to do some more research, but that I did not consider it a closed issue. I also called the Revdex.com; I did not discuss specifics with them, or even the company of concern. I just wanted to find out if there was any time limit on how long I had to open a file with them if we do not come to resolution; there is not. I do not want anyone to think I have not been concerned about this all along, and just suddenly decided one day months later that there was a problem. I would like this letter to go to someone who has the authority to address this issue, and I would them to call me to discuss.

My Trane heating and air was installed by Bell in 1997; there have been various people there who told me that was not possible; I have confirmed with others it was. It was of the Bells who installed the unit, whether or not they were doing business as Bell Brothers. The builder of the house was [redacted], who built primarily custom homes in the Elk Grove/Wilton area. He build this cul-de-sac of homes under the name “Bluegrass Homes”. Since I have been in this house, I have had the AC and heating serviced regularly, and always by Bell; no one else has worked on this unit.

On 4/10/15, your tech performed the normal springtime maintenance and service check (See Inv. #[redacted]). The invoice says “No issues found” “System Operational”. Due to mild weather and the fact I am not a big user of AC, I didn’t use the AC at all until early June. When I did turn it on, I found only lukewarm air came out of the vents. I called Bell Brothers, and a tech came out on 6/9/15 (See Inv. #[redacted]). The tech said the unit had no refrigerant and must have a leak. I really could not understand how everything could be fine in April, I never used the unit, and there was absolutely no coolant left. I was told it could spring a leak and everything leak out, even with no use. I asked at that time if there was something (like leaving a valve open) that the tech may have accidentally done back in April that could have caused the leak of coolant; I was told no. There was a lengthy power outage that day, so no other work or testing was done at that visit. A couple of your sales people did come out later that day to give me information on purchasing a new unit should that become necessary.

The tech returned on 6/11/15 (See Inv. #[redacted]) to do a leak search. He could not find a leak, so he filled up the unit with coolant, adder dye, and set follow appointment to come check again for a leak. He returned on 6/26/15 (See Inv. #[redacted]). He still could find no evidence of a leak.

I talked to [redacted] because I still could not understand how all the coolant could be gone, and there was no leak. I still felt it was possible the tech in April made an error. He told me that couldn’t happen. He said someone must have stolen it. He said if I wanted to accuse your tech of stealing it, they would look into it. I would NEVER accuse someone of stealing unless I had some facts to support it. That is a serious charge and impacts a person’s reputation and potentially their job. I also don’t believe someone came into my back yard with, which doesn’t have that easy of a quick escape, with the equipment needed to steal coolant. If someone wants to steal coolant, there are easier units in Elk Grove to access than mine. [redacted] seemed unwilling to even discuss any possibility your tech made an error.

Since that time, I have done some additional research. I certainly do not consider myself to be any kind of expert on AC units or coolant. I did get input from some people that I consider reputable experts. I was told if the cover that screws onto the valve that controls the coolant is not seated properly when it is put back on that indeed coolant can leak.Desired Settlement: I still believe that something happened during the April 2015 service that caused this issue. I paid almost $1200 dollars for the leak detection and coolant for a unit that has no problems and no leaks. As I stated earlier, I would like to discuss this matter with someone in your office that can hopefully work towards a resolution with me.

Business

Response:

In reviewing our records we are unsure as to how refrigerant was lost in her system however, we are issuing a full refund. Client has been contacted and is in agreement with this resolution.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

I appreciate your attention to this and am sorry it had to go to this level to get Bell to contact me. Not that it probably matters, but there is more information than just the cause of the leak is unknown. But, the main issue is they did contact me, and I have already received the refund from them. I agree this complaint can be closed. Thank you again. [redacted]

Plumbing Technician [redacted] was courteous and got the job done in a timely manner.

My experience with Bell Brothers heating and air was positive in every way

except --- their labor charges. I was charged just over $ 1300.00 for what amounted

to 5 man hours of labor. The original labor charge was over $1600.00 but having purchased their service contract for 1 year ($180.00) I was given a $300.00 discount on labor.

Thanks to Patrick P. for finding and fixing the problem with my furnace. He was professional and friendly.

Review: On January 20, 2014 my husband called Bell Brothers out for a service repair call on our heating that was not heating. On January 21, 2014 the Technician [redacted] came out to look at our unit. He stated that the unit came on and he did a safety inspection which he found to have two broken eyelets and two cracked chambers. He quoted us $1200 to repair and $4597 to replace. He set up a second opinion at that time for another Bell Brothers Technician. [redacted] came out for the second opinion and confirmed breach on heat exchanger and eyelet on bottom of chamber missing or cracked. He said the system is working but did not advise to use. He called my husband and said that we need to replace the furnace and it is a safety hazard to run it. On January 22, 2014 We called out another licensed HVAC company to check the furnace since we do not have a lot of funds to replace the unit. He reviewed Bell Brothers paperwork looked at the furnace and did not see any cracks at all. He stated the furnace is working correctly. I asked him to double check he went up and checked again and stated that he is in the business of making money but he does not charge people for something they do not need.Desired Settlement: I would request my $49.95 Service Fee refunded and our Club Membership Agreement with Bell Brothers Terminated immediatley.

Business

Response:

Home owner [redacted] was originally concerned that we found a possible breach in her heat exchanger which is an item in her furnace. After having another technician from another company look at the claimed damaged item (breach in heat exchanger) he reported that he could not locate the breach. I called homeowner ([redacted]) and let her know that the level of training that our technicians receive here at Bell Brothers supersedes other contractors in the area therefore we are better equipped to locate such damages such as possible breaches in heat exchangers. Our Guarantee here at Bell Brothers is that if we claim there is a breach in a heat exchanger and other technician from another company can prove it does not exist we will buy and install a new furnace for that homeowner at no cost to the homeowner. [redacted] loves that guarantee and is currently locating the original technician that claimed there is no breach.

I was referred by my tenant to this company. The AC unit had not been serviced in quite a while and my tenant mentioned something about the AC not being as cold as it should be. Maybe it needed some freon. There was a special promotion on AC tuneups by Bell Brothers so we decided to go with them. The technician that came out checked everything and said the AC was running great. Nothing needed to be done. The reason for the excessive heat was due to the windows facing the sun. He recommenced getting something to block out the sun during the summer because these windows face the sun directly during the day. Shortly after that, during the winter my tenant noticed the heater wouldn't come on. I told him I would come by and take a look at it when I had time. Two days later he tells me he got it working by unplugging the power cord to another outlet in the attic. It worked so we left it at that. I was told he had to do that a few more times during the winter. The AC worked fine that summer no issues. But during the winter we had issues with the heater again. Finally the heater wouldn't come on. Even unplugging the power cord in the attic wouldn't do anything anymore. Not being experts in this field we called Bell Brothers who had worked on the system before. A new tech came out, my tenant explained what had happened before with the heater and that he believed it was an electrical issue, and the technician said he would check. Turns out it was the igniter that went out. But the tech had to replace 2 igniters that day even though we were charged for only 1. About a month later the heater stopped working again. A new tech came out. My tenant also explained to him what happened previously. This time the tech said he found the problem. It was indeed an electrical issue. There was loose cabling. Well who else could have caused that? The techs at Bell Brothers are the only people who have worked on the system upstairs. Due to the fact that this issue is unrelated to the last incident I was again charged for their services. So Spring rolls around. Its getting hot. My tenant turns on the AC. The fan in the attic comes on but the compressor outside doesn't work. No cold air coming from the vents. In 11 years we have had no problems with the HVAC system. Not 1 single issue. After Bell Brothers came out we have seen numerous issues. I felt like we needed to get someone else out to look at the AC unit. At this point I started getting skeptical about Bell Brothers. So I went with someone else. When the new AC technician arrived, my tenant and I decided this time we were going to shadow him. Previously we let the Bell Brothers tech's do their thing while we waited downstairs. As we went up to the attic and watched the tech open the control panel, the tech knew immediately what was wrong. A red wire had been cut, it was a nice clean cut by some kind of wire cutter, and other wires were rewired. As soon as he reconnected everything the compressor outside came on immediately. Cold air started coming out from the vents. That's when I realized I had been ripped off. I saw it with my own eyes. Nobody has worked on the system upstairs in the attic except for Bell Brothers. I will never use this company again and I don't recommend anybody using them also.

zach m;matt p;jason f did an excellent job installing my new a/c and heater.. I give them all 5 stars

Annual maintenance service performed today by Matt H[redacted] with Bell Bros. He was excellent--helpful, prompt and courteous.

We recently had some work done at our home by [redacted], Service Technician from Bell Brothers Plumbing, Heating & A/C. [redacted] has worked at our home previously and once again did an outstanding job. He is very knowledgeable, efficient, and professional! Bell Brothers is quite wise to use [redacted] as a trainer. [redacted] was training a young gentleman by the name of [redacted] was an excellent trainee, as he was a great listener, asked questions, and was also very polite and professional.

Kevin B. did an excellent job. He went above and beyond….

My technician Bobby Y[redacted] was fantastic. He was informative and very nice. More importantly he re-set my thermostat back which no one has ever done for me before. Thank you Bobby!

We accepted 4 competing bids for a new HVAC unit. Bell Bros was a superior choice for us because their pricing was very good. Their team, however, made them stand out in the crowd and was the deciding factor in our choice to select Bell Brothers It was a pleasure working with Brian B. to select a new HVAC unit to meet our needs. He was knowledgeable, professional, and personable. Each member of the Bell Bros installation team worked diligently and professionally to complete removal of old and installation of new heating and air units from the attic, as well as ancillary projects throughout the house in only one day. They were courteous and professional, as well as personable and a pleasure to work with. They were very careful with our walls, floors, and personal property. It has been one month since our new unit was installed. Everything is working great, and we couldn’t be happier. Just in time too! When the cold snap came this year, it wasted no time getting down to freezing temperatures here in the valley. We, however, are toasty warm and comfortable. Thank you!

Had a problem with noisy pipe banging in the ceiling when the hot water was turned on. Area couldn't be reached from inside the attic due to roof structure so Adam and his partner that day Scott Riley, had to cut a hole in the ceiling to get to the noisy area to put a section of pipe insulation around it. The damage to the ceiling was repaired by Scott the next day, taped and textured and ready for painting, which will be done after the patching has thoroughly dried. Both Adam and Scott were extremely courteous and taped off the area so as to confine the debris from the ceiling.

Drew, Ken & Trey L did an fantastic job. They went over and above to make sure everything was perfect. Very friendly and knowledgable. Extremely satisfied with the whole process. Professional quality work.

Patrick P. saved me money and was fun to talk to...great job