Jim's Heating & Air Conditioning

[redacted] was in fact offered the opportunity to view our price book, to ascertain the price is the same for everyone.  Rather than accuse him of a fib, I can only assume he didn't hear the offer, as he was talking over me during our 2 way conversation. As explained earlier, we gathered all of our data, dating back to 1976, to arrive at the correct selling price for every service we perform.  Providing a flat rate price, in advance, is no different than companies such as [redacted], Television Repair Shops, etc. have been doing for decades.  Without access to our data, how can [redacted] arrive at what he considers a fair selling price.  Do I like paying $2.75 for a gallon of gas, $1.79 for a cup of coffee or $12.00 for a pizza?  The answer is no, but I trust that is the fair price in today's marketplace.  What do you think the proprietor of these businesses would say if I asked them for a breakdown of the selling price? Recently, I had a tooth that required a root canal procedure.  The pain was excruciating when I contacted my dentist.  Fortunately, he was able to give me an immediate appointment, identified the problem tooth, quoted me a price of $800.00, performed the procedure, and I was pain free within hours.  After I agreed to the price and had relief do you think he would have accepted $400.00? If I were selling neckties and shirts, I would tell [redacted] to simply return the unused product for a full refund.  Unfortunately we are selling procedures and services and in this case the procedure has been completed and all components expended. The fact remains that [redacted]'s fiancée was given the price to make the repair  before any work was performed.  She had the option to either accept or reject the price for the task at hand.  Had she rejected the quote, our technician would have left the premises with no further obligation for either party.  Instead, she authorized the work to be performed at the quoted price.  The procedure was completed according to specifications and industry standards.  A thorough check was made to be sure there were no defects, our technician was paid and departed the premises.   Every facet of this transaction is transparent and void of any fraud, scam or bait and switch, which I believe is the area where the Revdex.com, in it's Mission Statement, concentrates it's efforts.  As a professional in the service industry, we take great pride in our track record of performing over 10,000 service calls annually for our clients with the honesty and integrity they deserve.  The case here appears to be based on what [redacted] is willing to pay after the job was completed with no basis.  I can only question whether this was a planned tactic.......it's late at night, our tenant has no water, agree to the price, get it fixed and we will fight it out later. Sincerely,Kevin C[redacted]

We received a call from [redacted]’s fiancé on Sunday night (5-24-15) at approximately 8:00PM regarding a problem with the main shut off valve at the rental property she owns. We were informed that the water utility company for the local municipality had turned the water off at the curb area. The...

customer requested a price to make the necessary repairs and we informed her that without seeing the problem it is impossible to give a firm price over the telephone; but as is our standard night and weekend (outside of our clearly stated business hours) policy, there would be a $110.00 dispatch fee to visit the site to determine what exactly needed to be done and provide a guaranteed upfront price to remedy the situation. At which time the customer has the option to accept or reject the price before any work was performed with no further obligation.At this time the customer’s fiancé agreed to dispatch a technician to the address provided. Our technician arrived at the property shortly thereafter and determined that the main shut off valve was leaking and along with some pipe and fittings needed to be replaced. Our technician contacted the owner and provided her with a price of $493.61 to perform the task at hand with no “add-ons” whether he was on site for five minutes or five hours. The owner accepted the price and authorized our technician to proceed with the work. The replacement and repairs were completed; the water utility company was contacted to turn the water on. A thorough check was made to ascertain the integrity of our work. The transaction was completed and our technician departed the location. For the record, all of our trucks are equipped with GPS technology and the following are the times recorded that night:§  Dispatch/departed 8:25 PM§  Arrived at site 8:44 PM§  Departed site 10:45 PM§  Arrived at starting point 11:02 PMo   Total Time: 2 hours 37 minutesA copy of the record mentioned above can be provided. [redacted]’s request for an interim receipt came after the work was completed. The time and material method is outdated and has been for many years. We utilize a computer program with over 40 years of our data to determine the average price for any given repair. Our technicians are equipped with a price book with over 3000 tasks and the price for each. When [redacted] accused me of “taking advantage of a woman”, I invited him to our office so that he may observe the book himself; he declined. As stated above, we have found the guaranteed pricing method to be more than fair to the consumer, as the price is the same regardless of how long the task may take to complete. On the other, hand time and material is ripe for abuse by unscrupulous persons such as when a “ballpark price” is give and then the consumer is handed a inflated invoice because “ it took longer than thought.” In closing, in my conversation with [redacted] on 5-26-15, in a conciliatory gesture, I offered to refund the dispatch fee of $110.00 which he unequivocally rejected. With 2 hours, 37 minutes invoiced, I do not honestly feel the price for the service performed on a holiday weekend, at night (outside of our clearly stated business hours) was out of line. Sincerely,Kevin C[redacted] Sarah K[redacted] Plumbing, Heating & CoolingOffice: ###-###-#### / Fax:  ###-###-#### / PA #8229www.[redacted]phc.com . [redacted] . [redacted] . [redacted]+Logo 3 No Background

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Rather than stoop to [redacted]'s level and say that I will not call names or denigrate him and then doing so later in the response, I will choose to take the high road.  Fact of the matter is that multiple claims of "Up Front Pricing" are simply not true. That would indicate one can get the pricing information BEFORE paying anything.  That is not how this company works regardless of what they say.  There was a $110 charge to come out and look at it and then and ONLY then will they quote you a price.  That price is in ADDITION to the repair.  To say that one can decide to not use them is a fallacy.  Why would someone pay $110 to simply say, I'm sorry, you're too expensive.  That doesn't make sense and they know it.  That is why they do not give you the pricing information EVEN WHEN ASKED DIRECTLY for it prior to agreeing to the $110 fee.  i understand that they have no way to diagnose over the phone.  What they can and SHOULD do is when a person calls in and says, the problem is this, assuming that turns out to be the case what are we looking at cost wise?  I did this and was not given a price.  I have called a few times just to see as well and they refuse to give this information.  When challenged about this, [redacted] had no answer other than "we just don't do that"  If that is the case, the claim of upfront pricing is a farce.To allege this was a pre thought out scam is incorrect at best and slanderous.  This is how they choose to treat customers?  What kind of a business operator does that?  Not a very good one and certainly not one that cares about their customers nor has a shred of integrity.  That is the crux of this issue.  Integrity.  I believe that we were falsely charged for a repair that only took 45 minutes.  Even lawyers do not make $600/hr.  It is not our fault that [redacted] does not properly equip their technicians to allow them to operate the shut off at the curb like every other repair service does.  I should not be forced to, as [redacted] phrased it "Pay for that tech to be there."  That is his problem and cost, not mine.  The problem was a simple replacement of a valve that took less than $20 in parts and was very easily accessible.  That is no way shape or form justifies $600 worth of charges.  That amount is immoral and outrageous.  I am not sure how someone can look themselves in the mirror and sleep well at night after figuratively raping people like that.  In checking out [redacted], and the Revdex.com, it appears that I am NOT the only person who has had this experience.  It seems that this a common thread amongst the complaints.  I find it interesting that they are choosing to not respond to the review given to them on [redacted].  Only the Revdex.com who has the ability to sanction is the one they care about.  I wonder why that is???At this point I am still willing to pay for FAIR pricing.  For an hours worth of work, on a holiday weekend, $300 is a fair amount I feel.  That is inline with industry standards and the RIGHT thing to do.  I am willing to close out this dispute and take down all negative reviews for a refund of $300.  At this point, I am sure the amount of damage that is being done by having those reviews out there FAR exceeds the $300 I am asking for.  I hope that they choose to do the right thing.  
Regards,
[redacted]