I called this company because my old tankless water heater suffered an internal failure, and I wanted an estimate to determine whether it made sense to repair or replace it.
When I scheduled the appointment, I was told by Jeff that it would cost $99 for them to come out and provide an estimate. However, after the technician arrived, I was told the $99 was only to have him drive to my house, and that it would be an additional $175 just to provide me with an estimate. That was never explained when I made the appointment. It is also inconsistent with the receipt I got for my $99 service fee, which states that the service call fee "Includes travel to your home, EVALUATION OF YOUR PLUMBING SYSTEM, AND AN UPFRONT ESTIMATE before any work begins." They refused to honor that, and asked me to pay the $99 for no estimate or evaluation.
While the tech was still at my house, I called Jeff for clarification since the additional $175 wasn't disclosed when I booked the service call. Jeff said the additional $175 charge was because they would have to spend time on the phone with Navien (my water heater manufacturer) to properly diagnose the problem. Whether that charge is reasonable isn't really my issue--the problem is that it wasn't disclosed upfront, and is contrary to what their own document states was included with the service fee. Had I known the actual cost to obtain a simple estimate was $274, I would have declined the appointment before anyone came out.
The technician himself was courteous and professional, and I don't fault him at all. My frustration is entirely with the bait and switch approach this company took with my service call.
In the end, I paid the $99 and received no diagnosis or estimate from this company. I have since gotten 3 estimates from other companies -- none of which charged me a dime.
UPDATE: I am upgrading the # of stars to reflect the business's response, which I appreciate. read more