Kane Plumbing Co. Inc.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]
Regards,
*** ***
On behalf of my mother, I would like to dispute the charge
of $for the reasons detailed in this letterOn February 17, 2016, my
year old Mom, Mrs*** *** called Kane Plumbing because her heat pump was
not workingMrs*** asked the company if they repaired or replaced heat
pumpsThe Kane representative told her they did both, they called her back to
let her know they could send someone out the next morning to look at the unit
The tech, MrCecil L***, came out to her home on 2/18/16, during their
initial discussion he told Mrs*** it would be much cheaper to repair the
unit, so she decided to go with the repairMrL*** started to trouble shoot
and hours later he came back into the house to check the thermostatWhile he
and Mrs*** were chatting he was about to tell her a joke, but said he
didn't want to waste her timeMrs*** said that's fine she would listen;
MrL*** said "ok you're paying for it''That's when Mrs*** asked
him how much it was and to her surprise he said the fee was $an hourNo
rates had been discussed prior to this conversationMrs*** expressed her
concern to MrL*** about the high dollar amount, and told him if she had
known it was that much she would have never hired himMrL*** told her the
repair would still be much cheaper than replacing the unitShe told him she
didn't want to waste her money if he could not fix the unitHe assured her he
could repair the unitShe told him ok go ahead and repair itMrL***
continued to trouble shoot for more hours then told Mrs*** he would
return the next day to finish the jobThe next day, Friday morning MrL***
called Mrs*** and said after talking with someone he was advised not to
repair the heat pumpWhat he said he was going to do to repair the heat pump,
he didn't think would workThe unit would need to be replacedHe told her she
would not be charged the $904.00, if she replaced the unit for the cost of
$9,Mrs*** said she couldn't afford that priceAfter I heard about
the repair attempt and charges, I went to Kane Plumbing on 2/25/16, and talked
to MrL***I asked for a detail copy of the work he performed, he told me he
hadn't written it down yetHe said he could get us the detailed document the
next dayI asked for a copy of the work order my mom had signed (copy is
enclosed)MrL*** explained all the trouble shooting he performed for
hours trying to figure out what was causing the problemAfter exhausting
numerous options he told me he decided to place a gauge on the unit that was
used for testing the refrigerant and that's when he determined there was a
refrigerant leakComplaints and discrepancies for work order and invoice#***
• On 2/18/16, MrL*** did not leave any paper work with Mrs*** for the
service he performed• On 2/25/16, I her daughter *** ***, visited
MrL*** at Kane Plumbing to get a detail copy of the work he performedMr
L*** did not have any written documentation of the work performedHe verbally
explained to me what he did• MrL*** entered the crawl space that was the
furthest route to the unit and that access door had hardly ever been opened•
The use of the refrigeration gauges were MrL***'s last result to trouble
shoot the problemI don't understand why this test would not have been one of
his first choicesThe work order has no date or customer initial on the start
time• Mrs*** says the stop time on the work order was altered from 3:
to 3:• The trip and labor charges were written in pencil and Mrs***
states there were no amounts filled in when she signed or initialed the work
order• Charge of $an hour, is not the amount Mrs*** was toldThis
hourly rate is much higher than other companies I contacted to compare their
rates• During their initial conversation Mrs*** told MrL*** the date
the unit was installed, he was aware of the age of the unit• Mrs***
called Kane Plumbing on Saturday, 2/19/16, because she tried to tum on the fan
to her unit but it was no longer workingSomeone from Kane came out to her home
that day and turned a breaker back onMrL*** did not return to finish the
job and the breaker located in the crawl space was still turned off and wires
on the outside unit were left exposed (picture enclosed)• MrL*** told me
he would provide Mrs*** a detail copy of his work by 2/26/The invoice
is dated 3/2/16, and Mrs*** did not receive the invoice in her mailbox
until 3/9/The invoice due date is 3/2/• Mrs*** and I made attempts
to ask MrL*** to reconsider his charges and told him how dissatisfied we
were with the way the service call was handledMrL*** gave no consideration
to our concerns and was not helpful with resolving any of the issues we
discussedI feel Mrl***'s repair method was very misleading and the job was
not completed to satisfaction or as promisedI would like to ask that the
$charge be waived or reduced to more reasonable and customary amountTo
date the invoice enclosed has not been paid, please contact me by email or at
the phone number listed below to advise the best way to handle this disputed
bill

Review: I would like to file a formal complaint against Kane Plumbing Co, Inc. The tech came out to the home on 2/18/16. It was a discussion if the unit could be repaired or should it be replaced. The tech said it would be much cheaper to repair the unit. He started to trouble shoot the problem. 2 hours into the job the tech said the fee was $210 an hour; no rates had been discussed prior to this conversation. The home owner expressed her concern about the high dollar amount. The tech said the repair would still be much cheaper than replacing the unit. The home owner told the tech she didn’t want to waste money if he could not fix the unit. The tech assured her he could repair the unit. She told him ok go ahead and repair it. The tech continued to trouble shoot for 2 more hours then said he would return the next day to finish the job. The next day, the tech called the home owner to say after talking with someone he was advised not to repair the heat pump. The unit would need to be replaced. He said the $904.00 would not be charged, if she replaced the unit for the cost of $9,400.00. The home owner told him she could not afford that price. During their initial conversation the home owner told the tech what date the unit was installed, he was aware of the age of the unit.Desired Settlement: I feel the Kane tech was very misleading and his repair attempt could be similar to a bait and switch deception. I would like the $904.00 charge to be waived or significantly reduced since the job was not completed to satisfaction or as promised. The Kane tech failed to fix the heat pump and the repair is what the home owner agreed to pay for. We are disputing the charge of $904.00.To date the $904.00 invoice has not been paid, and finance charges are being added. Please advise the best way to handle this disputed bill.

Business

Response:

Dear Mrs. [redacted]: While there are reasons I have not

responded to your letter of March 18, 2016, I will not site them as they relate

to personal and not the business of Kane Plumbing Co., Inc. During your office

visit to me I asked you if your mother is responsible for her own affairs when

you stated .she didn't know what she was doing when signing and initialing the

Kane work authorization. You stated she is. As you did not place the call for

Kane Plumbing to come on site, nor were you there during the performance of

work, your description of what occurred on site is hearsay. If Mrs. [redacted]

wishes to direct such to Kane as to what occurred on site in a document under

her signature, it will be addressed in due course. Kane's agency is with and to

her, not you. That being covered, I will respond to some items in your

communication and you with regard to your office visit. My response to these

will not change regardless. While it is quite true I had not written anything

with regard to the service performed when you came in, you did not give the

reason and explanation I gave you for this. To refresh your memory, I did not

have the description for February 18 written as I initially was planning to

return the following morning. The reason for not returning is stated in our

billing invoice. During a phone conversation with Mrs. [redacted] Friday morning

February 19 I offered to forgive February 18 in exchange for the authorization

to replace the system. I had no communication from her with regard to this

before your office visit and consequently had not prepared it. The other item

to cover is the state of the equipment as left February 18. The pull disconnect

was left as shown to prevent line voltage supply to the unit. Again, I

initially expected to return the next morning which would give reason to not

have concern to replace the access panel on the unit Thursday as access would

have to occur Friday. Per Kane's write up of the problem initiating the service

call, the unit has not been operational since at least Christmas (your copy and

notation highlighted); there would be no consequence to having the cover off.

The service disconnect to the air handler in the crawl space was turned off

during work Thursday. Leaving the disconnect off was an oversight when leaving

Thursday which we were happy to correct Saturday after receiving a call from

our answering service. Had the issue of replacing the cover been dddressed to

us in the aftermath, we would have returned to replace it just as we responded

Saturday February 20. As Kane Plumbing has received two other mailings from

other entities, this will be forwarded to those entities as well. Submitted by,

Cecil L[redacted] Cc: Revdex.com

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

[redacted] On behalf of my mother, I would like to dispute the charge

of $904.00 for the reasons detailed in this letter. On February 17, 2016, my 81

year old Mom, Mrs. [redacted] called Kane Plumbing because her heat pump was

not working. Mrs. [redacted] asked the company if they repaired or replaced heat

pumps. The Kane representative told her they did both, they called her back to

let her know they could send someone out the next morning to look at the unit.

The tech, Mr. Cecil L[redacted], came out to her home on 2/18/16, during their

initial discussion he told Mrs. [redacted] it would be much cheaper to repair the

unit, so she decided to go with the repair. Mr. L[redacted] started to trouble shoot

and 2 hours later he came back into the house to check the thermostat. While he

and Mrs. [redacted] were chatting he was about to tell her a joke, but said he

didn't want to waste her time. Mrs. [redacted] said that's fine she would listen;

Mr. L[redacted] said "ok you're paying for it''. That's when Mrs. [redacted] asked

him how much it was and to her surprise he said the fee was $210 an hour. No

rates had been discussed prior to this conversation. Mrs. [redacted] expressed her

concern to Mr. L[redacted] about the high dollar amount, and told him if she had

known it was that much she would have never hired him. Mr. L[redacted] told her the

repair would still be much cheaper than replacing the unit. She told him she

didn't want to waste her money if he could not fix the unit. He assured her he

could repair the unit. She told him ok go ahead and repair it. Mr. L[redacted]

continued to trouble shoot for 2 more hours then told Mrs. [redacted] he would

return the next day to finish the job. The next day, Friday morning Mr. L[redacted]

called Mrs. [redacted] and said after talking with someone he was advised not to

repair the heat pump. What he said he was going to do to repair the heat pump,

he didn't think would work. The unit would need to be replaced. He told her she

would not be charged the $904.00, if she replaced the unit for the cost of

$9,400.00. Mrs. [redacted] said she couldn't afford that price. After I heard about

the repair attempt and charges, I went to Kane Plumbing on 2/25/16, and talked

to Mr. L[redacted]. I asked for a detail copy of the work he performed, he told me he

hadn't written it down yet. He said he could get us the detailed document the

next day. I asked for a copy of the work order my mom had signed (copy is

enclosed). Mr. L[redacted] explained all the trouble shooting he performed for 4

hours trying to figure out what was causing the problem. After exhausting

numerous options he told me he decided to place a gauge on the unit that was

used for testing the refrigerant and that's when he determined there was a

refrigerant leak. Complaints and discrepancies for work order and invoice#[redacted]

• On 2/18/16, Mr. L[redacted] did not leave any paper work with Mrs. [redacted] for the

service he performed. • On 2/25/16, I her daughter [redacted], visited

Mr. L[redacted] at Kane Plumbing to get a detail copy of the work he performed. Mr.

L[redacted] did not have any written documentation of the work performed. He verbally

explained to me what he did. • Mr. L[redacted] entered the crawl space that was the

furthest route to the unit and that access door had hardly ever been opened. •

The use of the refrigeration gauges were Mr. L[redacted]'s last result to trouble

shoot the problem. I don't understand why this test would not have been one of

his first choices. The work order has no date or customer initial on the start

time. • Mrs. [redacted] says the stop time on the work order was altered from 3:15

to 3:45. • The trip and labor charges were written in pencil and Mrs. [redacted]

states there were no amounts filled in when she signed or initialed the work

order. • Charge of $211 an hour, is not the amount Mrs. [redacted] was told. This

hourly rate is much higher than other companies I contacted to compare their

rates. • During their initial conversation Mrs. [redacted] told Mr. L[redacted] the date

the unit was installed, he was aware of the age of the unit. • Mrs. [redacted]

called Kane Plumbing on Saturday, 2/19/16, because she tried to tum on the fan

to her unit but it was no longer working. Someone from Kane came out to her home

that day and turned a breaker back on. Mr. L[redacted] did not return to finish the

job and the breaker located in the crawl space was still turned off and wires

on the outside unit were left exposed (picture enclosed). • Mr. L[redacted] told me

he would provide Mrs. [redacted] a detail copy of his work by 2/26/16. The invoice

is dated 3/2/16, and Mrs. [redacted] did not receive the invoice in her mailbox

until 3/9/16. The invoice due date is 3/2/16. • Mrs. [redacted] and I made attempts

to ask Mr. L[redacted] to reconsider his charges and told him how dissatisfied we

were with the way the service call was handled. Mr. L[redacted] gave no consideration

to our concerns and was not helpful with resolving any of the issues we

discussed. I feel Mr. l[redacted]'s repair method was very misleading and the job was

not completed to satisfaction or as promised. I would like to ask that the

$904.00 charge be waived or reduced to more reasonable and customary amount. To

date the invoice enclosed has not been paid, please contact me by email or at

the phone number listed below to advise the best way to handle this disputed

bill.