Shane Shaffer Inc

Review: feb 2014 during sub zero winter.streemed some water from faucets.I still got a frozen pipe.saw the water coming into the house was spraying.got the water co.they sent two men out and they shut the valve off.they told me regulator needed repaired & get own plumber.I called shane shaffer that gave me a $300.price to fix the regulator which included parts&labor.I needed water and they said they could give me it.it was near 3pm and they pushed me to after 5pm to come fix it to make more money off me.they sent a young guy that didnt seem to know much.could not find the right sized regulator.he then leaves the job to get help.the other guy comes in a red jeep which then built a bunch of pipes to fit the too big regulator instead of getting a smaller one.he looked over the pipes and added another approx $300.to the bill they were giving me.he said he was not going to give up his evening to finish the job.left me w/no water.when didnt hear from them in 3 wks I put stop payment on check.the xtra pipes used twisted out of line/wrong size regulator/busted water meter.I had to take showers at others'places or motels,use laundromat.alot of inconveniences.im told they want criminal charges against me for not paying the bill.they do not appear to like anyone older than themselves.they try to scare people and enjoy watching them go without such as without water.they take advantage of people anyway they can. I could bearly speak when they tacked on another near three hundred dollars to my bill for them doing nothing before they left me with no water after their visit.they like to use scare tactics to try to cheat people.what kind of doing business is that.what they did to me was criminal.these people should not be able to do this.you need to stop them.then I find my water meter is broken and spraying water after they worked on the repair of the regulator that helped cause the break. from may 11, 2014 draft. thank you.Desired Settlement: I want shane shaffer to leave me alone they caused me enough damage. other professionals are coming in to fix their mess.I not only do not think I should pay their bill but think they should pay my bills to refix what they messed up.they also owe me for all the inconvenieces they caused me with no water especially.had I not stopped payment on their check my other automatic withdrawals for other bills would have all bounced due to their check.I had enough of shane shaffer and their inconvenience.

Business

Response:

On 2/13/14 in the afternoon around 3 pm we received a call from this customer regarding here PRV needed to be replaced. We quoted here approximately $300 for parts and labor plus a service call fee of $99 (due to the time the call came in and our call volume that day. It was an extremely cold day and had many no heat calls that we were doing. Luckily, we were able to get someone, on call that day, there within the hour; however, we knew it would run into overtime hours to change out the PRV) She was not charged' the over time rate for the repair, just for the service call. She was charged to change the PRV at a lower cost than quoted ($227). In addition to that she was charged the service call fee ($99), for time to thaw out some pipes ($169), for the leak repair ($25). She was not charged an additional $300 as she stated.

Customer stated that we pushed her off until after 5 pm to come replace the PRV. As you can see on the attached GPS tracking for my technician van, we arrived at her home at 3.57 pm. As per the attached statement from the technicians, the customer was not home but at the store. My technician called her and she told him to wait in the driveway next door. The customer also stated that my technician left the job to get help. Actually, he left to go try and find the correct size PRV. He did have the plumbing truck, but we only had a 1/2" PRV and hers was 3/4"

Our plumber stopped to help the on call technician on his own time to try and get water for this customer. As stated on the attached statement, we extended the pipe to adapt the PRV. We were doing our best to try and get water for this customer. However, after the replacing the PRV we found water pipes to be frozen. This is a duplex unit and no one was living on this side so therefore there was no heat which caused the pipes to break as well as the PRV. ’

The customer stated that my technician stated he was not going to give up his evening to finish the job. First, the technician that was there first was on call. He actually had a few other call outs later that evening. Secondly, the other technician was there on his own

time. He was not getting paid to be there nor was she charged for his time. However, he did what he could for this customer.

We did thaw out some of the pipes and made a repair to one of the pipes. However the owner did not want to pay any extra to thaw out any more pipes. So we put kerosene and electric heaters in both basements to thaw pipes out. Owner was to call if she wanted us to come back after pipes thawed out. As for the water meter, we were never notified it broke. But, more than likely due to no heat on that side of the basement, the meter broke due to being frozen.

Customer stated that after 3 weeks, she stopped payment on the check. She also stated that had she not stopped payment on the check her other automatic withdrawals for other bills would all have balanced due to the check she wrote us

I was actually notified on 2/26/14 in writing from the bank that the check was returned due to the funds not being available. This was actually only 2 weeks after the check date. If the funds had been available the check would have been cleared at her bank and in our account with in a week. She would not have been able to stop payment on the check.

I tried to call the customer regarding the return check but she did not answer and I was unable to leave a message as the mailbox was full. On 2/27/14 I sent her the attached invoice showing the return check with the bad check charge. I did not hear from her and again I tried over the next few weeks to call her and even sent her statements. On 4/11/14 I sent her the 10 day letter via certified mail. At the beginning of May I received the letter back as unclaimed. I tried to call her again. This time someone answered but said the customer was not available at that time. I explained as to whom I was and that I needed to speak with her as soon as possible. The lady that answered the phone stated that the customer was not pleased with the job. I asked why then had she never called to complain about the job and the bill. Which, she never had. I also explained to here that I needed to hear back from her immediately or I would have to file at the magistrate either civil or criminal and that she would be responsible for those fees as well. Then we get this complaint.

1 believe that we did all we could do for this customer to get her water, that we arrived in a good time to the job, and that all the charges are justified. I have not had any complaints about my technicians not being courteous to our customers. In fact I have received compliments for both of these technicians from other customers that these two go above and beyond to complete a job. I also believe that we are due the total amount of the invoice as well as the return check charge fee. She never called us back regarding the job whether to have us come back and repair the pipes or to complain about the job. At no time did we try to scare, cheat, or take advantage of this customer.

Review: 2-7-2014 Shane Shaffer inc was called for no heat. Heat would not turn on. After many phone calls back and forth the technician said that it was a pressure switch. The technician did not check to see if propane was going to the furnace that night. He looked at the propane tanks and said one was 10 per cent and the other was 80 per cent. My husband told him that does not sound right. The technician should have pursued it with his boss and would have discovered that the propane tanks were empty. Instead he was going to get and bill us for pressure switch that they could not get until maybe the next day-- Saturday. This is rental property and it was extremely cold. My clients were freezing. The next day our clients told us stove would not light. My husband calls and tells Shane Shaffer that is the problem not a pressure switch. The technician comes back and gets the heaters that he left Friday evening for my clients. We did not tell him to find regulator was froze and equalizer tubes were holding pressure gauge on propane tank to 80 psi and tanks were empty. He should have found that on Friday. We had already called the propane company on Saturday morning to fill the tanks. We get a bill for $779.00. We believe that a call out for $99 is appropriate for Friday only. Shane Shaffer can bill [redacted] for the work they did on the tanks. Not us. We sent a check for $99 for payment in full and they will not cash. They said they are referring to attorney. We should not have to pay for an incompetent technician and his boss. Should have been detected on Friday evening.Desired Settlement: This bill is to be settled with the check for $99. Pennsylvania Propane must feel the same way because they gave us a credit of $90 and indicated on the credit form that it was for "Shane Shaffer Bill". Please take care of this. It has caused us months of grief and aggravation.

Business

Response:

Friday, 2/7/14 at 8:23 pm received an after hours call that a [redacted] gas furnace not working: Upon arrival at 8:45 pm, checked gauges on tank. Found one tank 80% full and other tank 10% full. Also found that the gas fireplace was working. (When the gauge has 80% full there should be gas in the tank) Began testing the unit and believed pressure switch was not making contact and letting unit turn on. We would have needed to order a new switch. We drove to our shop to pick up our 2 spare electric heaters and returned to jobsite to provide heat for the homeowner’s clients. Technician did not leave jobsite until 12:45 am except for time to pick up the heaters...which is billable. NOTE: homeowner was in Florida and was renting the home out for the weekend.

Saturday, 2/8/14 at 9:16 am received call from customer about gas stove not working. Technician arrived at 11:30 am (due to being out on another call) and was at jobsite until 3:30 pm. Checked the tanks again and found regulator was froze and equalizer tubes were holding pressure gauges on propane tanks to 80 % and 10% but tanks were empty. Leak checked the gas line to be sure there were no leaks. Also found out that the fireplace was on a different tank — location of tank unknown. This we did not know Friday evening. When we contacted the customer regarding the empty tanks, he stated that he couldn’t have his clients turn the equipment on and that our company had to stay until the gas company arrived and we turn the units back on. (The gas company can confirm that our technician was asked to stay until they arrived).

Please note that we were told by homeowner as well as the clients at the home that this problem started on Thursday evening when the clients called the homeowner to report that they had NO heat. Yet our company was not contacted until late Friday evening. Homeowner stated that their clients were freezing. Again, why wasn’t our company contacted Thursday evening or even Friday morning if the homeowner was worried about the clients freezing?

Also please note: Homeowner stated that we should have found the tanks were empty on Friday evening. With the gauge reading 80% full and gas fireplace working, there was no reason to believe that there was not gas in the tanks.

Even if we had found the tanks empty on Friday evening, the homeowner would have still been billed our after hours call out fee, billed for the loaner heaters, billed for the time to pick up the loaner heaters and return to the jobsite, and billed the after hours hourly fee. In addition, they would have been billed a return fee for Saturday to get the equipment running (which we did not charge them a return fee on the invoice), and billed the after hours hourly fee.

We believe that the amount of the invoice is more than fair. We had given the customer a break in our hourly rate as a courtesy. Actually, the hourly rate they were billed is our normal hourly rate and not the after hours rate. Had the homeowner not insisted on us waiting for the gas company, the bill would have been much less.

Consumer

Response:

Talked to our clients on Thursday evening at 7:14 pm when they checked into our home and said it was 58 degrees. I walked them through setting thermostat. Client said furnace came on and started blowing out heat. I also walked them through building a fire in the fireplace. There is a fire starter on separate propane tank that has been in place for 20 years. It is to keep renters from depleting gas for furnace and stove. Shane Shaffer was aware of this since he and his crew installed the furnace and a/c unit on 8/5/2011. At that time we relocated the gas tank to the left of the fireplace outside next to the driveway.

I called back to our clients about an hour later and client said the house had warmed up to 68 degrees. I had no other contact with clients until Friday night 2/7/14. They were gone all day. At approx 8:17 pm I received a call from ###-###-#### (our rental home) to my cell phone that furnace was not blowing hot air. I called Shane Shaffer at approx 8:24pm,again at 10:53 pm.

At 11:33 pm I received a call from technician named [redacted] ( his nbr was withheld on his cell phone). I had a total of 6 calls to and from Shaffer, Inc that involved two different cell phone nbrs. It was [redacted] the technician and [redacted] who was [redacted]'s supervisor. I talked to [redacted] on the house phone (###-###-####) he told me that the pressure switch was bad and would not let furnace turn on. I said I did not agree with that. I asked [redacted] if he was sure there was a gas supply. He was adamant it was not a gas problem. It was a pressure switch problem. [redacted] said he looked at the tanks and one was 80 per cent full and one was 10 percent full. I said that is odd. They should be equal. He agreed with me that it was odd. [redacted] said he was going back to the shop to see if he could find a switch that would fit our furnace. I talked to [redacted] ( [redacted]'s supervisor) that night and he told me it was a pressure switch problem and he would have to order one Saturday morning from Pittsburgh and if he could get one it will be Saturday afternoon before you my clients would have heat. [redacted] or [redacted] suggested that they had two electric heaters that they could take out to the house. I had no choice at this time. My clients needed heat. So I agreed to the heaters for my clients. Saturday- 2/8/14- received a call from ###-###-#### (house phone) from client that gas stove was not working. At that time I knew we had no gas. I called Pa Propane (see complaint nbr 10129252). I was angry and called Shaffer immediately after I called pa propane and told them it IS NOT a switch problem. It is a GAS problem.

12:12 pm Called client at the house and they told me that Shaffer technician was sitting in truck in driveway. I asked our client to go and get the technician ([redacted]) to talk tome on the house phone in the basement. I asked [redacted] if he had a heat gun on his truck. [redacted] said yes. I told [redacted] to get the heat gun and apply heat to the regulator. He did so and furnace turned on and then shut off. [redacted] told me that both tanks were now reading empty and he shook tanks and they indeed were empty. This should have been done on Friday evening as part of his troubleshooting procedure. We again discussed the 80-10 gauges and he agreed with me the gauges were wrong Friday nite. [redacted] said as soon as we get gas everything should be ok. I said to him "are you sure now ". He said "I think so". He did not sound too sure of himself so I told him to call his supervisor ([redacted]) and do what his supervisor tell him to do. It obvious it was not a pressure switch as he and he supervisor ( [redacted]) were adamant about on Friday evening.

Side note-- [redacted] no longer works for Shane Shaffer inc. My wife called the office on 7-10-2014 and [redacted] advised that [redacted] left the company in April 2014 for a job with a supply house. This agrees with info given to us from another furnace company to be discussed later in this reply.

Regarding technician arriving Saturday morning and finding problem. Not true. I did not tell the technician to show up in my driveway on Saturday. He never came to the door. My client said he saw him sitting in his truck in the driveway. See the info above. I had to tell technician to thaw out regulator. Why was he sitting in the driveway?????? Who told him to do that ?????

The complaint also stare that the technician had to stay to turn on the units after gas was delivered. What units. No problem with stove. It is electronic ignition as is furnace. Obviously he was not sure about his troubleshooting and his supervisor is just as bad, in my opinion.

Also on Friday nite I was on phone several times with [redacted] and there was no mention of wood burning fireplace in living room having a gas supply. If he would have asked I would have told him that is supplied by a separate propane tank. If he was unsure of gas supply he could have turned on gas stove and didn't do that either.

After this fiasco we talked to other furnace companies in the area that told me they would have found this problem in 15-20 minutes. All that should be charged is a minimal call out charge.[redacted] obviously feels the same that is why they gave us a credit of $90. Pa propane owe me $9 because a callout according to Shane Shaffer , inc is $99.

First thing they said was-- tanks are 80-10. That is a red flag. They should be the same. Next they said the technician could have jumped around the pressure switch and if you had gas furnace would have come on. Furnace would have come on and clients would have had heat until a switch could be replaced. This is something that could have been done in an emergency situation. This owner of a furnace company told me that Shaffer is noted for not having experienced technicians. His company gets a lot of complaints about Shane Shaffer inc. not having experienced technicians. He is the one that told me that [redacted] no longer worked for Shane Shaffer inc. my wife called Shane Shaffer, inc on 7-10-2014 to verify that. It is true. So this owner is a reliable source of information.

Based on all of the above we owe Shane Shaffer inc a callout of $99 which is check [redacted] dated 4-11-2014. The check had written on it paid in full that was sent to them by my wife and is not cashed. [redacted] sent a letter and asked if the check was a partial payment. My wife said no it is not. Check is still outstanding. That is all we owe Shane Shaffer based on all of the above info. This should have been found Friday nite early in the callout!!!

Please review both complaints. I believe paying $99 is what should be paid Shane Shaffer. Let Pa Propane and Shane Shaffer resolve the issue. Not me and my wife. In my opinion,we are the victims of incompetence all the way around.

Business

Response:

In response to when the problem, started. As stated we were told by homeowner and the clients that it began Thursday evening. However, this is neither here nor there regarding the customer’s unpaid invoice.

In response to the other tank for the fireplace and its location, our company does numerous jobs a year for numerous customers. It is impossible for us to remember everything about a job and equipment locations, especially jobs that were done over 2 years ago. We have several technicians and not all of them axe on every job we do as well. As of the technician that was on call this night, it was his first time at this location. The other technician that is referred to in their letter was only at their home one other time and that was for an air conditioning issue. As for Shane being aware of the location, again numerous jobs and numerous pieces of equipment, cannot expect him to remember every aspect of a job we have done.

Regarding our technician going out on Saturday morning (2/8/14), our answering service received a call from Mr. [redacted] at 9:08 am regarding the gas stove not working. At 9:16am the call was dispatched to our on call technician. So to answer the homeowners question as to who told our technician to come out, it was the homeowner himself. Technician arrived at jobsite at 11:30 am. (As stated on our first response letter paragraph #2)

The issue of the gauge readings on the tanks was also addressed in our first response letter, as well as, the time the technician waited for the gas company. The gas company can confirm that our technician was asked to stay until the gas company. Again, please refer to the first response letter.

Yes, [redacted] is no longer with our company. The fact that he is no longer working for our company has nothing to do with this homeowner or their complaint. Using the basis that another company told them [redacted] is no longer working for our company to make the

other company a “reliable source of information” is really reaching to try and prove a point. In reality, the fact that [redacted] is no longer working here is know by many in our small community. Also, other companies will say things that are not true and put other companies down just to get the customer’s business. This is a small town and there are many heating companies in our area making it a wry competitive field. This is something our company would not do and it is upsetting that some companies have to do that just to get business. With that said, if another company is going to criticize our company, we need to know who they are or possible slander charges could be filed upon this homeowner and the other company. The homeowner stated that the other company said our company is noted for not having experienced technicians. On average our company has over 12 years experience and combined 84 years of experience. Before slandering our company, they need to get their facts straight.

We still believe that the amount of the invoice is more than fair. We have nothing to do with the gas company and how they conduct business. What the gas company bills or credits the homeowner is not any of our business. It was the homeowner that called us out both days, used our heaters, and asked us to stay. We believe we should be compensated for the full amount of the invoice.