text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">RESPONSE:
[redacted] was referred to us by an appliance technician who serviced [redacted] and noticed her dryer vent was not the proper material and was also unsafe due to the fact that the vent reduced from a 4” to a 3” opening through the concrete and brick wall.
My technician went to [redacted]’s home on 11.17.14 to service her account. It was explained in full detail as to why the hole in the wall needed to be increased in size from 3” to 4”. This is not only required by code, but any dryer vent that reduces in size is at sever risk of blocking. A blocked vent reduces air flow, puts strain on the dryer, and is the reason there are dryer fires when the flames get pushed back by reversed air pressure, or the heating coils overheat and burn the lint.
This will also cause the expense of running a dryer to dramatically increase.
As a company, we carry on our van the materials and equipment to perform the vast majority of all jobs on site. We are also able to drill through a brick wall with the equipment that we carry.
However, [redacted] not only has a brick outside wall, she also has a concrete cinder block wall inside. This required a hammer drill with an extended core bit – costing about $3000.
We do NOT carry this on our truck / van because we have had equipment stolen and I am not willing to take the risk when it is needed very rarely.
We often times also rent a hammer drill when it is needed. The $120 that [redacted] states they had to pay for the rental is in fact 160% discounted rate for drilling through brick and concrete. I did not add on the rental cost.
So to address [redacted]’ concern that we did not come prepared and did not have the equipment on the truck, in this particular case, we did not, nor will we for the risk is too high based on the fact that we also service the Milwaukee area, often in neighborhoods that are higher in crime.
After explaining in detail the reasons she needed to have this done for her safety and efficiency of the machine, but that we would have to come back and finish that portion of it, [redacted] opted NOT to have the work performed. She said it was because everything had been working fine so far.
However, when I was speaking to her on the phone about scheduling a time to drill the hole, I had the feeling she had a concern, but was not sure exactly what it was, nor did she talk to me about it.
She said she would get back to me. When I followed up, she explained that an electrician was going to put the vent cover on for her, but she did not indicate he was also going to enlarge the hole.
So, I sent [redacted] a bill totaling $138 plus tax for the vent installation and service call. This was at a reduced rate already, however I did not feel the need to tell her this. I reduced our service fee because of our need to go back and forth to get this squared away for her, which I know is frustrating for customers on the rare occasion it happens.
From the time that I sent out the invoice to the time she called and complained to the Revdex.com and to myself, [redacted] also talked with a few people. She spoke with a handy man, electrician as well as a lawyer.
Her feedback she received was that I was way overcharging her for the work done and that she could have gotten the job done for $50.
I tried to explain to her that in order to run a small business (a business that supports my family of 6) I needed to cover the costs of fuel, payroll for a technician that was 2.5 hours including drive time, vehicle maintenance per mileage average, materials, insurance, my certification, and all other expenses that go into running a business – including profit.
Comparing our services to a handyman who is willing to pocket a few dollars and has little to no experience in the area of dryer venting and code compliance is not an accurate comparison and needs no further defense.
Speaking with a lawyer, who has absolutely no idea what we do and what it takes to run this particular business, who will also turn around and charge his/her clients $200 to $300 PER HOUR, is also not an opinion that is valid and also needs no further defense.
Dryer Vent Wizard of North Milwaukee is highly respected in the entire greater Milwaukee area by appliance stores, technicians, real estate companies, property management companies and has an over 98% satisfaction rating with our customers that have voluntarily returned survey cards telling us how we did. We have received several phone calls from customers after services were performed who call for the sole reason of complimenting us, our service, our professionalism, etc. A business cannot receive a higher honor or compliment than that.
I am very glad that [redacted] did in fact have the electrician / handy man expand the hole in her home to 4”. But anyone who comes in second hand and knows exactly what needs to be done, has plenty of time to prepare for drilling through brick and cinder block, can go out and rent the drill needed and in the end looks like the hero – while at the same time bashing my company.
Either the handyman, the electrician or the lawyer also suggested that it sounded like we were taking advantage of two elderly ladies living together. [redacted] brought this up to me in our phone conversation saying, “how easy would it be to take advantage of two elderly women in their seventies?” At this point I made it very clear that I was offended and an offer was made to accept $100 dollars. The conversation ended.
I will in no way accept anyone who is going to undermine my integrity, my company, or make suggestions based on limited knowledge. And I make no assumption that someone is not capable of making a sound decision based on age. In fact, our average customer age is just shy of “senior citizen.”
My charges were very fair and reasonable for the services performed. Yesterday, I did receive a check in the mail from [redacted] for $75. This check is being returned today with a note that I am willing to accept $100 as stated originally.
Finally, we also have the original proposal that [redacted] signed giving us the approval to perform the services that were done. And she signed them for the higher amount than what she was actually billed. We have this on record. And no services were performed without her approval. In fact, her exact response when signing was, “It needs to be done right.”
[redacted]
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this customer complaint. If any further information is needed, please do not hesitate to email me.
Keeping you Safe!
[redacted]
Dryer Vent Wizard of North Milwaukee
C-DET: Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">RESPONSE:
[redacted] was referred to us by an appliance technician who serviced [redacted] and noticed her dryer vent was not the proper material and was also unsafe due to the fact that the vent reduced from a 4” to a 3” opening through the concrete and brick wall.
My technician went to [redacted]’s home on 11.17.14 to service her account. It was explained in full detail as to why the hole in the wall needed to be increased in size from 3” to 4”. This is not only required by code, but any dryer vent that reduces in size is at sever risk of blocking. A blocked vent reduces air flow, puts strain on the dryer, and is the reason there are dryer fires when the flames get pushed back by reversed air pressure, or the heating coils overheat and burn the lint.
This will also cause the expense of running a dryer to dramatically increase.
As a company, we carry on our van the materials and equipment to perform the vast majority of all jobs on site. We are also able to drill through a brick wall with the equipment that we carry.
However, [redacted] not only has a brick outside wall, she also has a concrete cinder block wall inside. This required a hammer drill with an extended core bit – costing about $3000.
We do NOT carry this on our truck / van because we have had equipment stolen and I am not willing to take the risk when it is needed very rarely.
We often times also rent a hammer drill when it is needed. The $120 that [redacted] states they had to pay for the rental is in fact 160% discounted rate for drilling through brick and concrete. I did not add on the rental cost.
So to address [redacted]’ concern that we did not come prepared and did not have the equipment on the truck, in this particular case, we did not, nor will we for the risk is too high based on the fact that we also service the Milwaukee area, often in neighborhoods that are higher in crime.
After explaining in detail the reasons she needed to have this done for her safety and efficiency of the machine, but that we would have to come back and finish that portion of it, [redacted] opted NOT to have the work performed. She said it was because everything had been working fine so far.
However, when I was speaking to her on the phone about scheduling a time to drill the hole, I had the feeling she had a concern, but was not sure exactly what it was, nor did she talk to me about it.
She said she would get back to me. When I followed up, she explained that an electrician was going to put the vent cover on for her, but she did not indicate he was also going to enlarge the hole.
So, I sent [redacted] a bill totaling $138 plus tax for the vent installation and service call. This was at a reduced rate already, however I did not feel the need to tell her this. I reduced our service fee because of our need to go back and forth to get this squared away for her, which I know is frustrating for customers on the rare occasion it happens.
From the time that I sent out the invoice to the time she called and complained to the Revdex.com and to myself, [redacted] also talked with a few people. She spoke with a handy man, electrician as well as a lawyer.
Her feedback she received was that I was way overcharging her for the work done and that she could have gotten the job done for $50.
I tried to explain to her that in order to run a small business (a business that supports my family of 6) I needed to cover the costs of fuel, payroll for a technician that was 2.5 hours including drive time, vehicle maintenance per mileage average, materials, insurance, my certification, and all other expenses that go into running a business – including profit.
Comparing our services to a handyman who is willing to pocket a few dollars and has little to no experience in the area of dryer venting and code compliance is not an accurate comparison and needs no further defense.
Speaking with a lawyer, who has absolutely no idea what we do and what it takes to run this particular business, who will also turn around and charge his/her clients $200 to $300 PER HOUR, is also not an opinion that is valid and also needs no further defense.
Dryer Vent Wizard of North Milwaukee is highly respected in the entire greater Milwaukee area by appliance stores, technicians, real estate companies, property management companies and has an over 98% satisfaction rating with our customers that have voluntarily returned survey cards telling us how we did. We have received several phone calls from customers after services were performed who call for the sole reason of complimenting us, our service, our professionalism, etc. A business cannot receive a higher honor or compliment than that.
I am very glad that [redacted] did in fact have the electrician / handy man expand the hole in her home to 4”. But anyone who comes in second hand and knows exactly what needs to be done, has plenty of time to prepare for drilling through brick and cinder block, can go out and rent the drill needed and in the end looks like the hero – while at the same time bashing my company.
Either the handyman, the electrician or the lawyer also suggested that it sounded like we were taking advantage of two elderly ladies living together. [redacted] brought this up to me in our phone conversation saying, “how easy would it be to take advantage of two elderly women in their seventies?” At this point I made it very clear that I was offended and an offer was made to accept $100 dollars. The conversation ended.
I will in no way accept anyone who is going to undermine my integrity, my company, or make suggestions based on limited knowledge. And I make no assumption that someone is not capable of making a sound decision based on age. In fact, our average customer age is just shy of “senior citizen.”
My charges were very fair and reasonable for the services performed. Yesterday, I did receive a check in the mail from [redacted] for $75. This check is being returned today with a note that I am willing to accept $100 as stated originally.
Finally, we also have the original proposal that [redacted] signed giving us the approval to perform the services that were done. And she signed them for the higher amount than what she was actually billed. We have this on record. And no services were performed without her approval. In fact, her exact response when signing was, “It needs to be done right.”
[redacted]
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this customer complaint. If any further information is needed, please do not hesitate to email me.
Keeping you Safe!
[redacted]
Dryer Vent Wizard of North Milwaukee
C-DET: Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician