Bell Home Solutions

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 6, 2015/07/09) */ I have received the complaint from the Customer via the [redacted] The $Service Charge is to get the Technician to the Customer's doorIt does not include any diagnosisI know that sounds kind of cold, but it has slowed down the number of free estimates for repairs for people who have no intention of having us do the work, or having anyone else do the work, eitherI understand that the "Free Estimate" banner in the [redacted] can be confusing, but that refers to estimates of projects such as a kitchen or bath remodel, a replacement of an existing furnace or boiler, a new a/c unit or the replacement of an air conditioning system, or cutting in clean outs in an outside sewer lineA service call, such as the call in question, can be priced and given from our price book by a Technician and presented in writing to the Customer, and at that time, the Customer may accept or decline to have the work doneIf the Customer chooses to have the work done at that time, the $Service Charge is then waived Membership to our [redacted] is almost automatic when the work quoted exceeds a certain amount, the $to qualify for membership is about the same as the discounted pricing he would have received I truly do apologize for the misconception about "Free Estimates"In no way did we attempt to do anything dishonest or disrespectful to the CustomerWe haven't been in business since by taking advantage of our CustomersThe Customer may ignore the invoice for the $as I have "no charged" his Service ticketI hope that this satisfies the Customer

Initial Business Response /* *** ** *** */
I'm very sorry the customer thinks we are responsible for her damaged sidewalk, but I really don't think we are responsibleFirst of all, as she noted in her complaint we did the work in October of No damage was noticed to her sidewalk
until April of 2015, a full six months laterOur crews are trained to note any damages incurred on jobs before they leave the site and no damage was seen or logged at the time we completed the projectIt was after Denver Water performed their work in April in that same area that the damage was seen and reportedSidewalks are very visible - I feel that if the damage did occur during the time we performed the work, it would have been seen and reported at that timeIn addition, the cracks in the sidewalk do not match the width of our excavation equipmentSimply stated, I'm relatively certain we didn't cause this damageThat being said, even if our equipment did damage the sidewalk I still don't think we should be held accountableIf a customer asks us to use heavy excavation equipment in their yard, they should understand we have to get the equipment to the dig areaIf the sidewalk isn't laid correctly it can crack under the weight of the equipmentHowever, if this is the case we shouldn't be held accountable for it's repairIts not like the sidewalk was struck by careless work (the customer even states in her complaint she didn't feel we were negligent), she believes it was simply the weight of the equipment, which we have no control over
So in summary, while I sincerely feel sorry that the customer's sidewalk was damaged, I feel certain we did not cause the damage, and even in the event we do cause this type of damage we can not be held financially responsible
Sincerely,
*** C***, President
*** Plumbing & Heating Company

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/07/09) */
I have received the complaint from the Customer via the [redacted].
The $49.00 Service Charge is to get the Technician to the Customer's door. It does not include any diagnosis. I know that sounds kind of cold, but it has slowed...

down the number of free estimates for repairs for people who have no intention of having us do the work, or having anyone else do the work, either. I understand that the "Free Estimate" banner in the [redacted] can be confusing, but that refers to estimates of projects such as a kitchen or bath remodel, a replacement of an existing furnace or boiler, a new a/c unit or the replacement of an air conditioning system, or cutting in clean outs in an outside sewer line. A service call, such as the call in question, can be priced and given from our price book by a Technician and presented in writing to the Customer, and at that time, the Customer may accept or decline to have the work done. If the Customer chooses to have the work done at that time, the $49 Service Charge is then waived.
Membership to our [redacted] is almost automatic when the work quoted exceeds a certain amount, the $100 to qualify for membership is about the same as the discounted pricing he would have received.
I truly do apologize for the misconception about "Free Estimates". In no way did we attempt to do anything dishonest or disrespectful to the Customer. We haven't been in business since 1926 by taking advantage of our Customers. The Customer may ignore the invoice for the $49 as I have "no charged" his Service ticket. I hope that this satisfies the Customer.

I have received the complaint from the Customer requesting a refund of $103.00 because she felt that we overcharged her, as compared to other Service companies who I assume quoted her their price without actually seeing the problem or knowing that the coil was plugged. As our Service Manager...

explained to the Customer, our Technician spent 2.5 hours going through her entire system and did a complete check and service on her system and came across her a/c coil completely plugged. To clean the coil would have been an extra charge, and she didn’t want to pay for having the coil cleaned.  I still stand by what our Technician and Service Manager have told her.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

I am very sorry the customer is disappointed in our performance, but honestly, he never followed our recommendations.  The customer would like a complete refund because we "did not correctly diagnose or fix the problem with the cooling unit to the wine cellar. Instead, they replaced a fan that...

may have not needed to be replaced".  If you read the attached invoice which the customer signed, our technician never misdiagnosed anything.  The fan clearly failed.  Wires were chewed up where they were physically separated, as well as holes in the crank case, and the customer saw this with his own eyes.  It is common to start with what you can visibly see is a known problem, especially as it is the lower cost solution as well, which it was in this case.  The tech warned the compressor may also be faulty, but at the time he couldn’t tell for sure.  The customer accepted the least costly path understanding the risk.  With respect to the attic and basement air conditioning systems, we recommended from the very beginning that they be replaced, which is what the customer elected to do with another firm who actually charged $2,000 more that our estimate, so I don’t understand why he felt our Comfort Specialist was “a shady used car salesman”.  Lance has been with Bell for 4 ½ years and I’m not aware of a single other complaint.  He’s a very knowledgeable and compassionate man who receives nothing but praise from his customers.  I’m grateful that he works for us.  He only cautioned the possible need to cut a hole in the attic because the existing unit was installed improperly.  He was simply informing the customer of the potential charge, as he should. In the end, we did what the customer asked us to do.  I’m sorry he’s upset and I truly wish we could have performed the entire project for him.  But I don’t believe any money is due back, much less the entire amount.  RJ is an excellent technician and as you can tell by his invoicing, his communication is incredible.  He was performing in the customer’s best interests every step of the way.  As a result, I don’t believe any refund is due to the customer. Greg P[redacted], President Bell Home Solutions

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/10/23) */
I have received the complaint from the Customer, via the Revdex.com.
After speaking to our Supervisor of this project and out Sales Manager, I understand that repairs and restoration are under way, although not as responsive and...

reactive as the Customer had hoped, nor as I would have hoped also. I also understand that the Customer had offered to retract or withdraw this complaint once some progress on repairs and restoration had started.
At this time, I will assume that the Customer is somewhat pleased that some progress is finally being made.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/10/30) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Initial repairs have been started, but once again we are in a holding pattern. Now we have been told that the remaining work (flooring) won't commence and be completed for another 7-10 days. This remains unacceptable, and I will not consider closing this compliant until ALL work has been completed.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2015/11/13) */
I visited CWA and toured the construction with [redacted] after to speaking with Al on the phone. Delta disaster had completed 90% of the work and was dong finish work on the 12th of November and will finalize and perform a clean up on Monday, November 16th. I spoke with Al and will attend a final walk through as well as address a few concerns outside the scope of the work at no charge. [redacted]
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 12, 2015/11/25) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
All work has been satisfactorily completed as of yesterday. Thank you for your help.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/11/03) */
I have received the complaint from the Customer, via the Revdex.com.
I will authorize a refund check of $232.00 to be issued at the end of this week and mailed to the customer.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 8,...

2015/11/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Refund check has been received - thank you!

I do apologize for the experience that the Customer had with our Service Tech.  He has been with our company for three years and this is the first complaint that I have received concerning him.  And actually last month, he led all of our Service Technicians receiving compliments,...

receiving 6 out of the 37 compliments.  Maybe he was having a bad day?  Being in business for 90 years, we stress the importance of maintaining our excellent reputation.  I did talk to him about this incident and he also apologized.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/09/24) */
I'm sorry the customer feels they've been wronged. The Y-connector he's referring to is further down the line near the furnace. Every contractor in town will charge extra for replacing these, as well as any other inspection correction needed...

due to the condition of the home (as opposed to an installation error). This was an existing condition of the home, not a tech error. Had the tech noticed it he would have charged an extra on the spot. The customer believes we should fund this as our tech didn't see it initially. I disagree, but in the interest of resolution I've authorized the repair at no additional cost to the customer. Our service department will schedule this at the customer's earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
[redacted], President
[redacted] Home Solutions
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2015/09/30) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
In follow up to my original complaint, the inspector from the City of Denver did come back a second time to inspect the work after the necessary repairs to bring the job up to code were completed. I am happy to say that the job did pass inspection.
After the initial job was completed, two of the Bell plumbing techs did come out to the house and immediately recognized that the exhaust ducting was not to code. When replacing 2 water heaters entirely, the inspector stated that it was Bell's responsibility to make sure that all installation components i.e. water lines, gas lines, ducting was up to code.
My wife and I paid top dollar to get the installation completed initially on that Sat night, We expected that the job would pass inspection. Over the years, we have been very good customers of Bell plumbing and Heating. We have also referred many friends to them for service which is why we were shocked and disappointed initially at Bell's reluctance to finish the job unless we paid another $332 on top of the $1800 we paid for the job.
With the help of the Revdex.com, I am happy that a resolution was reached and in the end, the job done by Bell was a quality job. I just wish the transaction would have gone a bit smoother. I think we all learned something from this job.

I apologize greatly for the confusion on this order.  A refund should have been processed in October when the job was canceled.  The customer's card should never have been charged.  When the mistake was caught, Crystal did indeed process the refund timely, however, credit card...

companies often hold refunds for a week or more before clearing them.  They take our money instantly, but give it back slowly.  Because of the inconvenience this customer incurred, I also approved the refund of the $150, so the customer will pay nothing when all is said and done.  Please give the credit card company a week or so to process and feel free to call me directly if the transaction doesn't clear in a week or so. Greg P[redacted] PresidentBell Home Solutions

I’m very sorry the customer is upset with our services and/or pricing, but I really don’t think our technician or our company did anything wrong here.  The cost of the tune-up can’t be determined until the unit is inspected.  Among other things it can vary with the location/accessibility...

of the unit, age, size and the maintenance history of the unit (some clients have us perform tune-ups annually, other systems we can be the first one to touch it in 20 years).  After seeing the unit, our tech quoted $302 to conduct the tune-up to the husband, and he approved the services.  Also at that point, the $49 service charge is waived. Unfortunately (but obviously) it’s impossible to know if anything is wrong with a furnace or air conditioning system until you conduct the tune-up.  You can’t just look at it visually and see the hundreds of things that can be wrong – you have to perform the tune-up to uncover them.  This is true with any technician or firm, not just Bell.  Many of the systems we service need nothing done to them other than the cleaning and inspection covered in the tune-up charge itself.  Other systems require additional work, which can therefore incur additional charges.  I feel for the customer because R22 refrigerant is not cheap – it’s a high charge to us as well.  Like other firms, we charge by the pound (actually by the pound range) as well, but our technician new exactly how much refrigerant was needed so he quoted that dollar amount.  I am not aware of any firm, locally or nationally, that includes refrigerant in their tune-up charge.  This really can’t be done accurately as you never know how much (if any) coolant is needed until you inspect the unit.  I guess technically some could include a charge for coolant, but they would be over or under charging the vast majority of their customers. The customer stated in their complaint that we “are dishonest, price gouge using pressure tactics, and their pricing is 4x higher than their competitors”.  I’m sorry, but none of that is true.  Our customer service representative on the phone and out technician in the field were extremely up front with describing our pricing methods and amounts to the client before we provided services.  The husband gave us permission to conduct the service before any work or additional charges were incurred.  In addition, we use absolutely no pressure tactics at Bell whatsoever, and the technician who performed the services is one of the most honest, low key individuals I’ve ever known.  I’m delighted he chose to build his career at Bell.  Finally, there’s no way we’re 4x higher priced than our competitors.  I have a very good idea of how our pricing compares with our competitors as from time to time customers share written quotes with us.  No doubt our pricing is shared sometimes as well.  Most (if not all) our large competitors are more expensive than we are.  Are we the cheapest in town?  Absolutely not.   You can’t employ the best professionals, use the highest quality materials, give outstanding service and be the lowest price all at the same time.  I know we’re slightly above the middle of the road.  In the end, I feel terribly the customer was not happy with our services but I honestly feel our team did everything in their power to deliver a high quality customer experience.  As such, I don’t believe any refund is due to this customer. [redacted] – Bell Home Solutions

The accidental mailing of this invoice was completely our fault as the clerk was supposed to credit the entire amount, and I sincerely apologize for that.  I spoke with [redacted] and she apologizes as well.  We were conducting an internal audit of our accounts receivable and the invoice which...

had never been credited was accidentally mailed instead of credited.  I went into our computer system personally and confirmed our records show the client has a zero balance with us.  Again, I really apologize for the mishap and promise there was no ill intentions behind it.  [redacted] - Bell Home Solutions.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Sincerely,
[redacted] I expect an apology from the tech. himself with an email or phone call.###-###-####

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
I was in contact with Bell Home Solutions yesterday afternoon and the conflict has been resolved.You can cancel my...

complaint.Thank you[redacted]

There was no complaint; not even any customer info.[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: the Bell Service tech refused to come back to our home for a second time (3 -4 weeks after the first appointment) stating that he spoke to the original service tech and they agreed that nothing else could be done beyond what was already done on the first trip.  It is not accurate to say that I declined the second appointment.  I actually called Bell to schedule and was declined.  You should speak to the service techs - they will agree with the fact that they declined to come back to our house.Bell did offer to schedule a visit for an estimate to replace the A/C unit.  I declined the estimate appointment stating that I would rather not work with a company that does not guarantee their work.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted]. I would like to contact them to set up a meeting time.  
Sincerely,
[redacted]

I spoke with [redacted] this past Monday.  I offered her a $200 refund which she gladly accepted.  Most of our conversation, however, revolved around why her bill was the amount it was.  She's a valuad client to us and I wanted to be sure she knew that.  I explained that up front...

pricing is a game of averages.  When the tech looks at her shower he has to give a price before he gets into the wall to see how tough of a repair he has in front of him.  In this case, he's one of my best (and fastest) technicians and the job had no surprises (including removing the crusty old valve which can be a trick).  If the job didn't go smoothly, we would have had to stick to the price quoted.  That's the good and bad of up front pricing.  The technician also had just shy of 2 hours on the job, not an hour.  I'm sure that part of the time variance is travel, which customers rarely account for but is included in any service firms charges (we have to pay the technician to get to the job, and we all know what Denver traffic is like).  After our conversation, the customer seemed very satisfied and I'm hopeful we continue being her home services firm.   Greg P[redacted], PresidentBell Home Solutions