HomeSmart from Xcel Energy

HomeSmart has reviewed the customer’s complaint concerning the contended denied replacement helper claim. HomeSmart apologizes for the confusion. We have contacted the customer...

and agreed there were unclarified details and miscommunications regarding her claim. Ms. [redacted]'s replacement helper claim is valid and will be approved. Ms. [redacted] should be receiving her reimbursement amount of $1,000 within the next four to six weeks. As a goodwill gesture, HomeSmart has also credited the customer’s service/repair plan account $97.40, the amount of two months charges.

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]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/21) */
[redacted]
[redacted]
Eagan, MN 55122
May 21, 2015
Dear Ms. [redacted]:
HomeSmart received an escalation regarding the scheduling of a service call for your fireplace. We've reviewed your complaint.
Our records indicate that you...

called on 5/1/15 for service on your fireplace and that service was scheduled with our subcontractor [redacted] Plumbing & Heating for 5/6/15. [redacted] Plumbing & Heating did not show up for this appointment and did not follow up to schedule a new appointment.
On 5/6/15, you called and spoke with a representative here and were told that they would work with our contractor manager and [redacted] Plumbing & Heating to find a resolution.
On 5/8/15, you called because still no one had followed up with you to resolve the issue on your fireplace. A formal escalation was put in at this time for our contractor manager to follow up with you.
On 5/15/15, you called again and another order was put through to [redacted] Plumbing & Heating and they scheduled an appointment with you for 5/18/15 and your fireplace was repaired.
We apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused you. This is not acceptable service and we promise to follow up with those that are involved to ensure that this does not happen in the future.
Because we do value you as a customer and because of any inconvenience we caused you, we will be crediting a total of 3 months service.
Please let us know if there is anything else that we can do to help you resolve this matter.
Thank you,
[redacted]
HomeSmart Supervisor

I am disappointed that Mr. [redacted] is not pleased with my initial response. While R&H Heating may have been making service calls during the blizzard, HomeSmart made the decision to not to dispatch any of our employees or service partners during this blizzard event. Our decision was based on ensuring the safety of our employees and service partners. To clarify, the decision to dispatch was made based on the weather conditions along the entire Front Range. It was not based on the weather in Denver alone, and we have educated our after-hours call service, that the information they gave was indeed incorrect.  If R&H Heating was making service calls, it was on their own volition and for non-HomeSmart customers. They made no service calls at the request of HomeSmart from Xcel Energy. The newspaper article we referenced regarding weather conditions was indeed dated at 10:29 p.m. MDT on March 23, 2016. It was included in our response as a point of reference as it reports road conditions and closures between 11:30am and 4:30pm, as well as accidents reported on March 23 between 6:00am and 3:00pm. This is relevant as to conditions in the Fort Collins area at the time of your call at 1:00pm. As stated in my previous response, Safety is a key part of Xcel Energy’s corporate values, and protecting employees and the public is always the first consideration while planning or performing all work. I am sorry to hear that you do not agree with our policies. Xcel Energy will always base these decisions based on what we believe are safe or unsafe conditions. This is referenced in our Terms and Conditions: #10 Safe Access: HomeSmart from Xcel EnergySM technicians must have safe access to, and safe working conditions at and around, the appliances and equipment.Again, we apologize for any inconvenience caused by this weather event, and our associated decision process. If Mr. [redacted] would like to discuss this further, he can contact me directly at [redacted]Customer Service SupervisorHomeSmart from Xcel Energy Tell us why here...

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I talked with [redacted] from Home Smart today.  He apologized for his unprofessional staff and how they handled my request.  He is willing to NOT charge me the $270 cancellation fee and NOT charge me my normal charge for November.  I'm waiting for written confirmation on these charges before I agree to close this complaint.  Also, I did tell [redacted] that I never received anything last summer (email) about renewing my plan.  I had planned to cancel at that time.  Because I never received an email notification for renewal, it subsequently slipped my mind.  I actually wished that I would have insisted with [redacted] that I be refunded my monthly charges back to July (renewal month).  [redacted] has been fine, but I do not recommend Home Smart to my friends and neighbors.  To date, I had referred 2-3 people who also signed up.  There will be no more referrals from me.  I was with Home Smart for 6 years.
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.Only thing is I do not see that Excel energy has yet refunded me the amount they mentioned in the letter.Is it possible for me to...

keep the complaint open till I see the refund posted? Or should I close the complaint amd wait till next billing cycle to see the refund and reopen this complaint if they do not post the refund amount.2nd: I am very grateful to Revdex.com for looking into this. It is extremely important to have organizations such as Revdex.com who are consumer advocates. Otherwise there is no way available for consumer like me to appeal honest request. Consumers like me typically do not have time and resources to pursue big companies in courts. SO THANK YOU, THANK YOU.Regards,[redacted]

Hi [redacted],It is HomeSmart’s opinion that the furnace was operating unsafely based on the technician's inspection, and the heat exchanger issue needs to be addressed--the replacement of the igniter by another company has not addressed the fact that the technician determined the...

heat exchanger was bad and as a result, the furnace poses a risk to your household's safety, which is the primary concern here.  This is the reason why the furnace was removed from the plan. However, per your request, we would be happy to send another technician out to provide a second opinion on the furnace in question and to take another look at the heat exchanger.  A HomeSmart agent will call you to set up an appointment.  Hopefully the technician can address any questions you may have while he is on site.Regards,Jeff H[redacted]Manager, HomeSmart

Thank you for alerting us to the opportunity to resolve concerns regarding a request to update appliance information following the customer’s purchase of new appliances. Ms. [redacted] contacted the HomeSmart From Xcel Energy? Call Center on February 28th to request a change to the appliances on her...

repair plan because she had purchased new appliances.  There was a miscommunication between Ms. [redacted] and the Customer Service Representative (CSR) who took her call.  The CSR thought Ms. [redacted] wanted to change the composition of appliances on the plan.  For example, remove a brand new Clothes washer from the plan and add an old dishwasher in its place.  Such a request would have fallen outside the plans terms & conditions. However, what Ms. [redacted] really wanted to do was update the information on her appliances to reflect the newly purchased appliances; Ms. [redacted] was not requesting to swap out a newly purchased appliance and add an old appliance.  Ms. [redacted] called the HomeSmart Call Center on March 7th and spoke with a different CSR who explained how the plan worked.  Once Ms. [redacted] received this explanation, she better understood how the plan works and no longer had a complaint with the HomeSmart repair plan. I spoke with Ms. [redacted] this morning and apologized for HomeSmart’s delay in responding to her Revdex.com complaint, and I apologized for the miscommunication between our CSR and Ms. Ort.  In turn, Ms. [redacted] apologized for logging a complaint with the Revdex.com.  Ms. [redacted] confirmed she is satisfied with the way the plan works and does not wish to cancel her repair plan at this time.

Thank you for alerting us for the opportunity to resolve the concerns of Mr. [redacted]. We have reviewed this issue and prepared the...

following response.
To resolve this matter, we have verified the cancellation of his service plan and will issue a refund of $238.80, which are the HomeSmart charges incurred this last year for Mr. [redacted].  We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 16, 2016/02/24) */
HomeSmart has reviewed this matter and has had multiple discussions with the customer. We apologize for the length of time it has taken to review this matter, but wanted to fully understand the situation and resolution options prior to...

responding.
In October of 2015, HomeSmart service provider John's Appliance replaced the impeller and the seal kit on the dishwasher.
In December 2015, a HomeSmart service provider, John's Appliance diagnosed that the dishwasher needed to be cleaned of a sludge type material buildup of unknown origin. Cleaning is not a service covered by the HomeSmart service plan. The source of the sludge is unknown.
In January of 2016, the customer reported that they hired Sears. A technician from Sears diagnosed that the pump motor was defective and need to be replaced. Presumably this diagnosis did not include any disassembly.
In January, a second HomeSmart service provider, Omega Force, disassembled the dishwasher pump assembly and after viewing the internal sludge determined that motor replacement would not solve the sludge problem as several other major comments were damaged or plugged by the sludge material and replacement of the dishwasher was recommended.
Two separate HomeSmart service providers have concluded and diagnosed the pump motor failure to be caused by a significant buildup of a sludge type material of unknown origin. It is the opinion of both of the service technicians, after disassembly of the pump motor assembly, that the replacement of the pump motor would not restore the dishwasher to a satisfactory working condition, and both service providers recommended the replacement of the dishwasher.
HomeSmart was unable to connect with the Bosch factory to gain insight into the cause of the sludge material that has coated the interior of all of the working components and can only speculate on its origin. Some possibilities include, detergent type, rinse agent or the garbage disposal back flowing and draining into dishwasher due to drain hose loop configuration.
As a goodwill gesture and to resolve this matter, HomeSmart will reimburse the customer up to $350 for the pump replacement and suggest this be completed by a Bosch factory authorized service provider, in order to determine sludge build up origin and to ensure that the dishwasher is installed according to and being used according to Bosch requirements.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 18, 2016/03/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Hello,
Thank you for your recent response regarding my Revdex.com complaint. I appreciate your willingness to work with me in resolving this issue.
Since we did not hear from Xcel Energy until February 24th (more than a month after the last visit in January) and it was causing a huge delay and inconvenience to us, we ended up replacing our dishwasher with a new Bosch dishwasher purchased at Sears on 2/15/2016. The old dishwasher has been hauled away and no longer available. I am attaching the purchase receipt for new dishwasher and request you to reimburse $350 which you have set aside for resolving this matter based on my discussion with Lisa M. I will accept a reimbursement of $350 towards replacement to consider this matter closed and resolved although it covers only a portion of my loss. I would appreciate a quick response regarding this matter so that both parties can bring closure to this case and no longer pursue other avenues for resolution.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 20, 2016/03/07) */
HomeSmart from Xcel Energy has requested the payment of $350 to [redacted] on March 3, 2016. He should receive the check in two to four weeks from that date.

Thank you for alerting us for the opportunity to resolve the concerns of Mr. [redacted]. We have reviewed this issue and prepared the following response. To resolve this matter, we have verified the cancellation of his service plan and will issue a refund of $238.80, which are the HomeSmart charges...

incurred this last year for Mr. [redacted].  We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

We apologize for the difficulty Ms. [redacted] had in contacting HomeSmart. We experienced some team member attrition during the latter part of 2016, during our busy furnace repair season, which is the root cause of our longer than normal hold times. We are actively interviewing candidates for our...

contact center and should be fully staffed by the end of the month. As Ms. [redacted] is aware, we offer a voicemail option to leave a message, rather than wait on hold. Voicemail calls are generally returned within 24 hours. An alternate method of contact would be to send an email to [email protected]. Email requests are also contacted within 24 hours.   Our records indicate that we attempted to return Ms. [redacted]’s 1/11/17 call (voice mail) on 1/12/17. There was no answer, and there was no option to leave a voicemail at that time. On the same day we emailed Ms. [redacted] a letter detailing her coverage. The HomeSmart plan does not cover microwaves. We called Ms. Green on 1/13/17 regarding this Revdex.com complaint and left a message that the HomeSmart repair plan does not cover microwaves, but we would be glad to arrange a COD service call with one of our appliance service partners. If she was interested to contact us. As of this writing she has not contacted us for service. (As an FYI, we did not did speak to Ms. [redacted] earlier in the day on 1/13/17 and set up a service appointment for her Furnace)

Per HomeSmart Replacement Helper Plan Terms & Conditions, customer must provide proof of replacement to HomeSmart.  Detailed receipts containing name, address, and phone number of registered retailer within the state of...

Minnesota or North Dakota, date of purchase, proof of payment, make, model, and serial number must be submitted within 90 days of claim approval, or payment will be forfeited.
6/06/2016 requested receipt, received invoice, not showing paid.
6/13/2016 received an email but there was no attachment.
6/23/2016 received the invoice that showed paid in full with the check number and the date of 9/11/2016.
6/23/2016 later received an email with copy of cashier’s check from Blue Sky.
Upon receiving proof of replacement (receipt), a request for payment was processed on 6/23/2016, and customer, [redacted] can expect the Replacement Helper Plan reimbursement check of $450 within 4-6 weeks.

I have been a HomeSmart customer for several years and recently experienced the need to utilize the appliance replacement plan for my clothes washer. HomeSmart advised that they received my completed paperwork on 3/15/16 and I began to call and inquire about the status of my reimbursement check in mid April. After being told "it takes 6-8 weeks" well after 8 weeks had passed, two supervisor escalations and unfulfilled promises of return calls; I was finally advised that the check request was resubmitted to accounts payable on 5/11/16 and I should receive the check in 7-10 days. An outbound call was not made by HomeSmart. I only found about about the re-submission because I called again.

Each of my inquiries was met with what seemed like defensiveness, apathy and lack of corporate accountability. Wil- "No, you can't talk to a supervisor directly...Since it's not my fault, I don't think I have to apologize." Otto "I will definitely call you back about this." No call back. The last rep I spoke with finally agreed to waive 1 month of service fees at my request. A voluntary offer on the part of HomeSmart would have demonstrated more accountability and good will.

Now that the opportunity to provide adequate follow-through has been missed several times, I no long need a call back or response from the business. Disappointing.

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. Thank you for addressing our concern. [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]

Mr [redacted],   HomeSmart sizes heating and cooling systems based on Heat Loss and Heat Gain calculations, the design of your ductwork is also taken into consideration. When the calculation was completed on your home it suggested 2.3 Tons of cooling is required, the design of your duct system...

would allow enough air to support just under 2 Tons of cooling. This means installing the 3 ton system that you requested would not have been possible.  On the day of the install, our installer created a hole in ceiling near the mechanical closet; HomeSmart arranged to have the hole patched by a drywall repair company.  Once the system was installed and had run overnight, you informed us that the system wasn’t cooling as you had hoped. HomeSmart added returns to move more air and help your system cool better at no additional charge. HomeSmart also advised that your home did not have adequate insulation which caused the Heat Gain calculation to require above 2 tons of cooling, HomeSmart offered to have our service partner insulate the attic at no additional charge which would help lower the system sizing requirements.  Your system was installed compliant with code, and a permit was pulled. HomeSmart and HomeSmart’s service partners have made multiple attempts to return to the home in order to complete drywall repair and attic insulation. HomeSmart has not collected any money to date for this install, as it is still incomplete. HomeSmart returned 8/10/2017 and discovered that a roofing nail had pierced the refrigerant line, the refrigerant line is secured to the crawling surface of the attic. This was a result of roofing work that Mr. [redacted] was apparently having done by a roofing contractor.   Here is our proposed resolution for this matter to ensure that all parties are satisfied:  HomeSmart would like to 1) have our certified contractor repair the drywall, 2) have our certified contractor insulate the attic, 3) have the installation inspected by city officials to ensure everything is up to code, 4) repair the refrigerant leak caused by Mr. [redacted]'s roofing contractor, who had punctured the refrigerant line with a nail, and 5) collect the invoiced amount agreed to for the installation. Regards,[redacted]
[redacted]

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and accept this resolution. We have been contacted by the business, but have not received the check yet. Once we receive the check, we will be satisfied. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

HomeSmart has reviewed the customer’s complaint concerning the contended denied replacement helper claim. HomeSmart apologizes for the confusion. We have contacted the customer and agreed there were unclarified details and miscommunications regarding her claim. Ms. [redacted]'s replacement helper claim...

is valid and will be approved. Ms. [redacted] should be receiving her reimbursement amount of $1,000 within the next four to six weeks. As a goodwill gesture, HomeSmart has also credited the customer’s service/repair plan account $97.40, the amount of two months charges.

Per HomeSmart Replacement Helper Plan Terms & Conditions, customer must provide proof of replacement to HomeSmart.  Detailed receipts containing name, address, and phone number of registered retailer within the state of Minnesota or North Dakota, date of purchase, proof of payment, make,...

model, and serial number must be submitted within 90 days of claim approval, or payment will be forfeited.6/06/2016 requested receipt, received invoice, not showing paid.6/13/2016 received an email but there was no attachment.6/23/2016 received the invoice that showed paid in full with the check number and the date of 9/11/2016.6/23/2016 later received an email with copy of cashier’s check from Blue Sky.Upon receiving proof of replacement (receipt), a request for payment was processed on 6/23/2016, and customer, [redacted] can expect the Replacement Helper Plan reimbursement check of $450 within 4-6 weeks.