J.F. Sobieski Mechanical Contractors Inc.

Had a Pro Check done on our heating & cooling system. The service guy was professional in all aspects. His knowledge of the system was excellent. Very satisfied with the service.

They are good but pretty expensive.

Ms. [redacted] 
I have forwarded a copy of the invoice to both the Service Manager, [redacted] and the General Manager, [redacted]   I expect to have a resolution no later than Tuesday morning, October 11, 2016.
 
Thank You
[redacted]
Office Manager

Review: I first called J. F. Sobieski’s phone # ([redacted] and explained in detail that my home had a plumbing problem (“knocking noise” & diminished water pressure) that had been pinpointed by another plumber to a possible defective Solenoid Valve. The Sobieski Customer Service person that I spoke with told me that she could schedule a technician to come out on Thursday, July 9th, 2015 between the hours of 12:00noon and 4:00pm. She assured me that their trucks come fully stocked and that my plumbing problem will be resolved on July 9th.

On Thursday, July 9th, I patiently waited for Sobieski’s technician to arrive. I received a call around 4:00pm from a Sobieski representative informing me that the technician was on his way. The technician finally arrived around 4:25pm. I explained the plumbing problem to him and asked if any of this information ever got communicated to him. He then told me that your problem is right here: pointing to the Solenoid Valve. I then asked him if he had a replacment valve on his truck and he told me “no” and that his parts warehouse closed at 4:30pm. I then told him that if he had showed up on time, perhaps there would have been enough time for him to obtain the replacement valave.

So I began my first argument which was the $99 “Service Call” charge. Apparently, the technician’s visit is considered a “Service Call” and once the replacement part comes in, I won’t have to pay another “Service Charge” when the technician comes back out to perform the installation. Then came the issue of the technician not familiar with the Solenoid Valve (Parker Hannifin 2-Way Anti Water Hammer ¾ inch) that’s to be replaced. I had explained to him that I had been in contact with Parker Hannifin via email in an effort to obtain the part on my own. I opted to have Sobieski evaluate the sitauation so that I did not wind up purchasing a replacement valve only for Sobieski to determine that my plumbing problems had nothing to do with the valve. The technician went outside into his truck and told me that he had just ordered the part.

I initiated a complaint with Sobieski and did receive a call that evening from a representative who had ensured me that as soon as the part comes in, the technician will be scheduled to perform the installation and that the $99 “Service Charge” would be credited towards the cost of the job.

After numerous phone calls to Sobieski, I was finally informed that the part was on back-order. I found this to be unacceptable, however, I did reach out to my contact person at Parker Hannifin who verified that of the 2 possble valves, one had a 20 work day lead-time, and the other had a 30 work day lead-time back-order situation.

Then on Monday, July 27th, someone from Sobieski’s Parts Department called and left me a message that the part came in and she’d like to schedule a technician to perform the installation on Tuesday, July 28th. I promptly returned their call and confirmed the scheduling.

On Tuesday, July 28th, the Sobieski technician arrived around 9:00am and installed the “part”. I asked him what was the amount that I owed and he said $793. I handed him my credit card, he then asked me to initial and sign the paperwork. After he handed me back my credit card, he then tells me that I have no water. I asked him how was that possible. He said that the coil to the valve is not receiving 220-volt electricity and that I would need an electrician to come out and run a 220-volt line directly to the Solenoid Valve coil to provide electricity so that the valve could work.

Then he says to me, “I knew that you was gonna be pissed. If I were you, I would just get rid of the valve altogether”. I then asked him what would it take to cut out the valve and how much more would it cost me. He said nothing because I’ve already paid for everything. I then asked him what won’t be working as a result of not having the valve, more specifically, will I have “water hammer”. He said that I shouldn’t. I then asked if he could remove the valve that he had just installed.

After having removed the valve, the technician, came into my kitchen, cut on the kitchen faucet to show me that I now have running water. The water kept on spitting, so I questioned him about that and he said that was the result of him cutting the water off and back on again. He said that the “spitting” will go away.Desired Settlement: After assessing everything that took place with regards to Sobieski, I suspect that the wrong part was ordered and then installed. The basis for this assesssment is because the replacement part looks nothing like the part that was removed. Including the Solenoid Coil which makes the whole thing work. Furthermore, the correct replacement Solenoid Coil (Parker – C111P3) voltage would have only been 110/50, 120/60, definitely not 220 volts. Additionally, the technician, left me the (wrong) replacement part but not the “original” part (Solenoid Valve & Coil) that he removed. This puts me in the position to not be able to get this plumbing problem resolved correctly.

I would like full reimbursement of $892 and the return of the “original” Solenoid Valve (including coil) that was removed.

Business

Response:

After researching Mr. [redacted]'s complaint , we have offered Mr. [redacted] a full refund of $892.00 pending the pick up of the installed part. I called Mr. [redacted] directly and he has agreed to this settlement.

Consumer

Response:

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

Friendly and knowledgeable employees

Excellent service.

Service Rep arrived on time and was professional and polite.

Examined our HVAC unit. No problem found.

I was informed how to best run my zone heating and cooling system taking more advantage of it and hopefully reduce our monthly cost.

I was informed of other offers I could take advantage of.

I have a maintenance agreement with the company and plan to continue with the agreement.

Great job! Professional and knowledgeable!

Thanks!

Good service, friendly and helpful technicians.

I highly recommend [redacted] as he exemplifies professionalism in every aspect of his job

I did have areas of concern in the past with whoever was scheduling appointments but was ok this visit

Our tecnition, Chris [redacted] from Sobieski Services was very knowledgable and professional. Thank you Chris.

Great service on a Sunday! I have been a customer of Sobieski Services for over 20+ years and recommend them to everyone.Today's Technician [redacted] was great.

[redacted] did a thorough job installing the humidification system and was extremely flexible and accommodating.

I found [redacted] very knowledgeable and helpful

Would highly recommend him.

I had an after hour issue with my AC during a very hot period. It was handle quickly and very efficiently from the call center to the service tech. The technician [redacted] was very professional & friendly, diagnosed the problem quickly and explained it to me thoroughly. I would recommend Sobieski Services to anyone looking for service on their heat or AC system.

Technician Chris [redacted] did a fine job on my yearly heater servicing. Chris was clean cut and performed his job in a professional manner.

[redacted] is very thorough in his maintenance service explaining all the aspects of the system he has inspected. We have been trying to get a system upgrade through Sobieski for several years with no response. [redacted] is now on the case and hopefully we can get all aspects of the request answered.

[redacted] is always efficient and let's you know what he is doing and why. Always a pleasure to have him

They did a great job. Everything was handled very efficiently.

[redacted] did an excellent job in every aspect:

professional

courteous

technical side of the install was explained in detail & reviewed how the machine works

Clearly an asset to the company, representing excellence from start to finish.

Would use this company again and request [redacted]!

Review: We purchased a brand new boiler and it does not work. The company has sent numerous people out to look at the problem and they all say that they need permission from the office to install a new circulator pump. I have called many times and no one has returned the call or replaced the pump. It is almost heating season, we paid thousands of dollars and we are missing heat in one of our two zones of heating. The men who come out don't understand the two zones and have actually discussed my air conditioning and hot water heater with me, but cannot help to make the new heater work!

When they installed my new heater they flooded the basement and tracked rusted water through my house. We finally had that resolved but it took many phone calls and they covered the bare minimum.Desired Settlement: We would like to have the heating we paid for installed properly so that we have heat in both zones.

Business

Response:

Our company has reached out to Miss [redacted] at the number provided. We have left a message on her voicemail. Due to the circumstances, we would like to send out our Service Manager to give the customer's boiler a thorough evaluation. Any install related issues will be addressed and fixed immediately. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.