Dryer Vent Wizard

I called for my annual dryer vent cleaning. The past 2 years, I have used Dryer Vent Wizard. Both times, the price was $275. So, naturally, I thought it would be around that again this year, possibly a 10% increase. But when I called for the appointment, they wanted to make me aware that the technician will inspect and give me an estimate and charge me $39! I told them that I have used Dryer Wizard 2 years in a row, they should and I know how much it will be! They would not put the $39 towards the price of the service. Do not use them. That is a true scam! They can just do $39 estimate calls all day long and still make money, without having to do any work! They can charge the $39, then tell the customer that the estimate is an exorbitant amount, the customer says no, then they can go onto the next call and do the same thing, all day long. I have never heard of such a thing!

Review: On February 25, 2014, I contracted a technician with Dryer Vent Wizard out of the Sacramento Area to come into my mothers home to perform PREVENTATIVE maintenance her dryer vent in the laundry room. This cleaning was ordered to PREVENT a fire from the accumulated lent that occurs after extensive use of ones dryer. I was referred to a Mikes Appliance who in turn referred me to Dryer Vent Wizard along with a $10 referral coupon discount off my total service fee.The technician assigned to fulfill this service who went by the name Will asked to come earlier than scheduled. He stated that it would be best for him so he could save time and gas. Not a problem since I was available at my mothers home all day. My mother was not at the home during the service. I ordered the service for her home and therefore would be the one responsible to pay for it. My mother who of course is an aging, retired senior citizen.When the technician. [redacted] came into the home he of course introduced himself and asked me some brief questions that included how to get under the home [a townhouse]. I stated that I did not know, yet there is a way, because a previous technician had to get under the home in order to install the water heater line less than a year ago. So he did no evaluation nor any work under the home. He showed me The Dryer Vent Price List and told me that he would of course give me the best pricing that was so discounted that I should expect to receive a call from his boss asking why I was charged such a discounted amount. [I knew then and I definitely know even more so that was a definite SHAM!!] I did not stand over him during his time performing the service. He told me that the meter that he used to measure the air flow coming from the dryer vent line was too low and therefore not enough air was getting through, because it was too clogged with lent that had accumulated over the years. This evaluation took no more than 6-10 minutes. He charged a diagnostic inspection of $69. The fee that he charged for the cleaning of the line with his equipment based on the length of dryer line that stretched from the laundry room to back side of the house was $178 for a total of $247 along with a $10 discount for a final total of $237. Before he started performing the service, he had me sign the paperwork that stated that I agreed to quoted service fee. In other words no signature, of course no service. That is usually how it goes. The technician performed the work in about a total of 45 minutes [not even an hour to complete]. He did not show me nor did he write down any meter readings on the contract to show me where my dryer vent readings were before he started the service and he did not show me any meter readings after the service was performed. I have never had this work done before and did not have any expectation of what to expect nor any standards to go by. After he said that the service was complete, he of course had me to sign off on the work order. He also said that I would start to seeing lent coming out from the line into the back yard. Not even a needle size of lent has been seen in my backyard since the service was performed. The Technician Will left and later that day my mother returned home. We decided to clean the floors around dryer of the excess lent and foot prints left behind after the service. To our immediate HORROR, we noticed that the back of the dryer vent line was completely unhooked from the back of the dryer. It just looked as though it was barely attached with a piece of aluminum foil. I of course took pictures of this tragic mess. It horrifies me to no end that IF, I mean IF we would not have decided to clean the laundry room and would have instead proceeded to dry our laundry load after load a FIRE would have happened, guaranteed. The lent from the loads of towels and clothes would have caught on fire from the heat of the dryer. Our dryer is also next to our water heater. The laundry room blocks the two front entrances to the home through the front door and the garage. My mothers room being upstairs would have had only one way to escape through the 2nd story window into the backyard surrounded by a 7ft high fence. When I noticed this atrocity to my mothers safety. I of course called my bank and put a stop on the check to pay almost $250 for my mothers home to be placed in a state of imminent danger from the dryer vent line being left totally unattached from the dryer. Lent would have had no where to go, but onto the floor where it would have ignited into a horrid fire within a matter of uses. This thought just makes me shutter. The VERY, VERY REASON that we called this company was to PREVENT a fire hazard and they placed my mothers home in DIRECT DANGER of that very thing happening. We had no problems or warning signs with the dryer. We called for this service, for precautionary reasons only after so many years to ensure dryer vent safety. I of course took multiple photos of this mess, showing this obvious and evident neglect to the SAFETY of my mothers home.I also called the main Dryer Vent Wizard number in order to complain and the Director for the Sacramento Office called me within an hour of my call. I stated that I did not want that same technician to set foot back in this house. She insisted that he needed to correct the job and was horrified at the fact that he did not place any clamp onto the line. She insisted that he needed to make sure that the work was corrected and installed properly and that he was to take a photo of the corrected installation. My mother was here for this 2nd visit and dealt with him completely. I had nothing to do with it. I received a call from the same Director at the end of March 2014 asking me about the stopped check. I told her that this was my definite course of action after seeing the SHAM of a job that was performed on my mothers home that put the home in imminent danger of a fire. Regardless of thisDesired Settlement: At this point, I want this litigation to be stopped and for the owner/director to stop expecting FULL PAYMENT for this mess of a service.

Business

Response:

In response to this complaint. If you read the details in the complaint my technician did everything according to DVW standards above and beyond. He evaluated, recommended, you signed off and the work was completed according to company standards. We did attach the "heavy metal transition" not aluminum foil as foil is not recommended and is a fire hazard and we do not ever carry this material on our vans. The transition was indeed "clamped" with a 4' worm clamp. It was underneath the tape on the transition in which the technician showed you on the return visit. You are trying to blame this fictitious complaint on our business because you had "NO" intentions on paying the bill. You received a non payment letter from our lawyers and you now have decided to place this lavish review on the Revdex.com website in order to force me to stop the demand of payment.

In your own words- (At this point, I want this litigation to be stopped and for the owner/director to stop expecting FULL PAYMENT for this mess of a service).

You purposely moved the dryer to "clean" as you stated, and as the technician explained to you once the "correct" material is on you can not just move the machine. Will is one of our outstanding employees and I know for a fact he did not leave foot prints and a mess in your laundry room as you stated. I too have hundreds of survey cards and pictures from customers that show the outstanding service not only Will provides but my company as a whole!

You moved the dryer causing the transition to come off and we went back out for FREE, 45 mins away and placed it back on for you, even after being told not to move unless you disconnect the dryer first. The reason why you do not see a lot of lint at the exit point is because the line is completely clean therefore allowing an excellent airflow. We have NEVER and would NEVER place our customers in a fire hazard state! This would directly go against our mission of dryer vent cleaning, and would make no sense, and needless to say, I would be out of business if this were the case.

You also stated you had no problem with your vent line and this is not true. Your vent line was completely clogged with lint and this is the reason you called us out, "not" as a preventive maintenance. Even setting up the appointment I am sorry to say but you were extremely bitter with a bad attitude over the phone. I do not mean to attack your character but I feel you need to understand that the way you have acted out in this complaint you have filed validates the type of person I spoke to over the phone. If we were the type of company you are trying to accuse us of being, then why would we have driven back to your home to accommodate something we did not do and you have admitted we indeed came back out, again, for "free", a 45 min drive? What company do you know that will provide this type of service for something we did not do?

We have went above and beyond to help you! My advise to you is to pay for the services that were rendered. I will not allow you to bully me around in order to get out of payment. I will contact my lawyers and pursue payment even for this low dollar amount. I feel you need to be stopped before the next service person becomes a target.

In addition-

We are rated #1 on Angie's list winning outstanding Super Service Awards year after year, we have won Honorary Awards through Homeadvisor and Service Magic, we have countless recommendation letters from Maytag and many other companies that use us exclusively because of the quality work we provide. The proof is in our reviews and the fact that we IMMEDIATLY went back to your home to assure everything was done correctly says the type of customer satisfaction and work we provide. If you would like to discuss this further I am always willing to an open dialogue.

Owner

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: