B&B Heating & Cooling installed our Water Furnace geo system in Nov 2014. We've had several service issues and will no longer be using this company for service. Here's why: we experienced a "shakedown" on our recent service call.
B&B charges $110 "diagnostic fee" right off the bat, no matter what. (That may be fair, but is not fair when additional "diagnostic labor fees" are lumped on top of that) Unlike other HVAC companies they now charge a $50 or $100 travel fee. So, before any service is even supplied, you are out $210 at the $100 travel fee rate.We are about 45 minutes from the company's location.
The "last straw" was our recent service encounter: $110 "diagnostic fee", $50 travel, & $223 "additional labor" (which was all diagnostic). We paid this close-to-$400 fee, and the tech said he'd have to return to replace 2 sensors. I was notified up front of the $110 diagnostic fee and the $50 travel fee -- so I was surprised at the additional $223 labor fee.how expensive this half-hour diagnosis was, and said so. When I expressed concern about the unusually high diagnostic labor (about 1/2 hr of work), the tech said there would be no additional charges at all for the installation of the sensors.
Next day, we get an email from B&B asking for $100 to complete the job! I questioned this add'l fee in light of my discussion with the tech, and the the receptionist/ scheduler (Kelly) was extremely rude and demanded payment in advance "at this point". I proceeded to contact the owner (Bill). now that this routine service had somehow turned into a $500 repair. He apparently agreed that the $223 "add'l labor" charge was uncalled for, and refunded it. He would give no explanation for why it had been billed, and he apparently was "pissed" that he had been "caught".
I also questioned the add'l $100 fee being demanded, and he refused to reply. He then refused to complete the job! I contacted Water Furnace (WF) to complain about this customer treatment. WF told me that B&B was charging $100 for travel, and that customer (me) had decided to hire another contractor. (This, of course, was not true.)
B&B wouldn't answer me what the $100 add'l fee was for, but apparently was truthful with WaterFurnace. The $100 travel fee is obviously outlandish the $100 travel fee was painfully outlandish, and we avoided the $323 shakedown from B&B. We gladly took our business elsewhere.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE CONSIDERING GEOTHERMAL:
Beware of WaterFurnace's Warranty: It claims to cover all parts and labor, but the vendor that you use may not accept the labor rates that WF applies. WaterFurnace allows the vendor to charge whatever they choose, regardless of the set amount WF will reimburse. Though the rates are supposed to be fair and per industry standards, WF will NOT stand behind those rates. WF will back the vendor over any complaints made by a consumer. So, the $100 "travel fee" charged by B&B is not something that WF says they have control over. The WaterFurnace warranty is basically meaningless as it pertains to Labor.
ADVICE: If you are interested in getting a WF geothermal system:
1) make sure your contract has clauses (which you must insert) that state that your vendor will accept as payment IN FULL the parts & labor rates that are reimbursed by WaterFurnace.
2) Also, in writing, make sure there will never be any "travel fees" assessed. This is not typical in the HVAC service industry, though a fixed diagnostic fee may be "typical".
3) Verify if there will be any up-front diagnostic fee, and if so, what is the cost? And, is it a fixed cost, or can it change at any time?
Make sure you know UP FRONT what the inevitable service call fees will be, and protect yourself with an agreement that specifies how those service fees will be assessed. Avoid a "shakedown". read more