Universal Electrical, Inc.

Dear Mr P***,
First of all, let me express my appreciation for the final acquisition and installation of the brake seal for my *** * *** whole-home standby generator I have been a loyal and regular customer of Universal since
As you might recall, the storm that hit the Stratford Hills area occurred on Tuesday, July 19th circa 5:pm My generator switched on as it has usually done in such cases, but stopped suddenly at 10:pm One of the reasons I originally contracted with your company was the advertisement of a “hrEmergency Response Team” so I immediately telephoned to alert your company that a Fault Code was showing The young woman who took the call indicated that all of her technicians were out and a service call was unlikely before the next day While this does not exactly meet the standard definition of “emergency response” I did understand that the severity of the storm was a barrier to immediate service
By 7:the following morning on

Universal Electrical set up our generator It took a couple of years before we lost power long enough to realize that the 2nd fl A/C fan didn't work When I called (repeatedly before the owner would call back) he said too much time passed and we'd have to pay to have them fix THEIR problem So, we PAID AGAIN to have them come back out This time they hooked it up to the 3rd fl unitAgain, it was about months before we lost power long enough when it was hot out to realize the fan wasn't working yet I called, and called, and called The owner wouldn't return my calls, and the receptionist said it was over a year, too bad So now I've paid twice for something that doesn't work Since the owner wouldn't return my calls, I could never discuss the issue with anyone other than the receptionist Her claim is that too much time passed (March of 2015), but we couldn't know that it was never fixed until the power went out, in the summer, when it was hot, and it was out for long enou

I used their company in through ** *** to install my hub for generatorI was pleased with their serviceMy green light on the panel went out the middle of May so I called Universal Electric to come out and resolve problemThe technician came out May 25, tested the wire inside the hub and said it was not the fuses and I would need a new board or hub itselfI immediately called *** *** who replaced the fuses for *** and all is workingUniversal Electric did not know system and only tested wiring and told me it was not the fusesTheir only recommendation was to replace the system at a much higher costThe technician was here no longer than ***I received a bill for *** at which time I called to see if we could negotiate the price but was told If I did not pay entire bill I would be sued by their companyI paid the bill in full on 6/16/but I don’t fill they provided me any service and was incorrect on assumption of what was wrong nor were they wi

Review: Universal Electrical set up our generator. It took a couple of years before we lost power long enough to realize that the 2nd fl A/C fan didn't work. When I called (repeatedly before the owner would call back) he said too much time passed and we'd have to pay to have them fix THEIR problem. So, we PAID AGAIN to have them come back out. This time they hooked it up to the 3rd fl unit. Again, it was about 15 months before we lost power long enough when it was hot out to realize the fan wasn't working yet. I called, and called, and called. The owner wouldn't return my calls, and the receptionist said it was over a year, too bad. So now I've paid twice for something that doesn't work. Since the owner wouldn't return my calls, I could never discuss the issue with anyone other than the receptionist. Her claim is that too much time passed (March of 2015), but we couldn't know that it was never fixed until the power went out, in the summer, when it was hot, and it was out for long enough to see that the a/c wasn't working. I called as soon as it happened. As it is, we spent an additional $250.15 to have them come out to "fix" something that that they did wrong in the first place. So, not only was it wrong to charge us to come out again, but they never did fix the original problem.Desired Settlement: The A/C fan will work on the 2nd floor.

Business

Response:

To Whom it may concern, This is in regards to case #[redacted]. We have contacted the customer concerning this matter. The customer is out of town and requested that we contact her the first of September because they were out of town. My manager explained to her that if it was something that we did wrong then we would not charge her, and that a year and 3 months had passed. As soon as the customer gets back in town we will contact her to set up an appointment to have my manager go and look to see what is going on with the generator that was installed June of 2007 and the circuits were moved in March of 2015, and why the AC will not come on. Kristi H[redacted] / Office ManagerUniversal Electrical Inc.

Review: Dear Mr P[redacted],

First of all, let me express my appreciation for the final acquisition and installation of the brake seal for my [redacted] whole-home standby generator. I have been a loyal and regular customer of Universal since 2008.

As you might recall, the storm that hit the Stratford Hills area occurred on Tuesday, July 19th circa 5:00 pm. My generator switched on as it has usually done in such cases, but stopped suddenly at 10:00 pm. One of the reasons I originally contracted with your company was the advertisement of a “24 hr. Emergency Response Team” so I immediately telephoned to alert your company that a Fault Code 7 was showing. The young woman who took the call indicated that all of her technicians were out and a service call was unlikely before the next day. While this does not exactly meet the standard definition of “emergency response” I did understand that the severity of the storm was a barrier to immediate service.

By 7:30 the following morning on July 20th, a service technician managed to re-start the generator, but told me this would be temporary as my system needed a new brake seal due to wear-and-tear. (As he predicted, his start-up only lasted 20 minutes before the fault code and shut-down occurred again.) He said that he needed to order the same part for another customer and would put both of our orders in together. I expressed concern since I pay for annual maintenance check-ups (~$250.00 annually); why wasn’t this wear-and-tear on the seal caught earlier? The technician responded that the part was in a location that was not ordinarily inspected during routine maintenance. I was also surprised that the part was not something kept in stock.

Given that we live in an era of FedEx and Amazon same-day delivery, I assumed the seal would be ready for installation within 24-36 hours. The storm damage in my neighborhood was severe and we were told that power restoration would not likely occur before the weekend – when temperatures were expected to reach 100 degrees. By Thursday afternoon, I was surprised that the part still had not arrived. The upshot was that my power was actually restored (Friday evening, July 22nd) before the seal was ever delivered and installed (Tuesday, July 26th).

My generator was non-functional for seven days. By the time electricity was restored, I had lost over $200 worth of food and the temperature in my home exceeded 81 degrees.

After the July 26th seal installation, the generator failed to test the next evening as scheduled and showed a fault code 4 (“engine fail to start”). On Sunday, July 31st, I texted the number I’d been using for you and was told a technician would return to check the situation on Monday, August 1st. The technician telephoned me at work that afternoon and told me that he was able to start the generator and did not know why the fault code would show. Happily, the generator successfully self-tested yesterday evening (Sunday, August 7th) so I’m going to hope all mechanical issues have been resolved.

Over the weekend, I was surprised and disappointed to receive an invoice from Universal totaling $309.96, $230 of which was for labor. I am happy to pay for the part and have already prepared payment from my bank. I take issue with the labor charges. Given the absence of anything remotely resembling emergency response, coupled with a puzzlingly long order time for a standard part, I am surprised that I would be charged what amounts to another annual inspection fee on top of the seal cost.

I am asking that you re-consider the labor charges for this issue. Please let me hear from you by close of business on Wednesday, August 10th so that I may determine if additional steps are warranted.

Respectfully,Desired Settlement: I have sent the appropriate amount for the generator part installed; however, due to the excessively long delay and lack of "24 hour emergency response" I am asking that the installation fee be waived.

Business

Response:

Dear Ms. Waugh On behalf of Universal Electrical Inc., I would like to thank you for your continued business with our company. Universal Electrical Inc. still does have 24 hour emergency services. To ensure the safety of our technicians we do not have them working during inclement weather such as rain; high winds, lightening, or thunder. Our first priority customers are nursing homes, the disabled, and customers with oxygen. Universal works on Generac, G.E., Briggs and Stratton, Cummins Onan, and Kohler generators. It is impossible for us to stock parts for everything. The supply warehouses that we order from try to get us what we need as soon as possible, we have no control over their shipping. With all of the calls that we received during the storm our employees did a great job responding to everyone in a timely matter. I do apologize for your inconvenience and would like to extend 25% off of your next service. Kind Regards, John P[redacted] President

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,

While I understand Mr P[redacted]'s comments about ensuring the safety of his technicians by not sending them out during inclement weather, the time-frame in question spanned far more than the 1 hour storm. In fact, I did not call the "emergency" line until hours after the storm was over. My primary complaint is not that no technician arrived immediately the night of the storm, but rather that the part took so long to arrive and that the service fee ($230) is -- in my mind -- exorbitant given the 7 days it took to procure the part, lack of generator service during that time resulting in a $200 loss of food and overall inconvenience to a loyal customer who has faithfully scheduled annual checkups each autumn since the generator's installation. This service fee is a lot of money to me as my household's sole income earner. I have already paid for the seal, but have not made arrangements to pay for the installation fee because I was certain that had to be an accounting error: surely, given the level of inconvenience, the fee would be reduced or waived. I am disappointed that Mr P[redacted]'s only concession is a 25% discount on future service. This will not be used because I plan to take my business elsewhere. I am asking for an adjustment to the service fee.