I had VIP put in some patio fans. The installation was fine. The installer was helpful and polite, and he did a good job. The proposal process was not acceptable, though. I used VIP because they came recommended, but the man who came over (Mike?) was in and out of my house within minutes. I asked how much for two fans, and he gave me a price. As it was about $75 less than I had been told it should cost, I accepted it. Mike scribbled some things on the proposal, then left. Nothing else was said.
Come installation day, the installer got started, At one point he asked me where my fans were, which was a surprise to me. No one had told me I needed fans. The installer called the office, and I was told that their policy was not to bring fans as the customer might not like them. This makes sense, but how was I to know their policy? I was told to look at the proposal, and yes, there in poor hand-writing, it did say "owner-supplied." Mea culpa on that. But I was treated like an idiot for not understanding their policy. I then asked what kind of fan I was supposed to buy, and I was told "any."
For me, I would think that I would have been not only be specifically told that I needed fans, but I should have been told exactly what kind of fans I needed for the situation.
I am not a fan expert. I've never had them installed. At Home Depot, they must have 200 of them. "Any" is not an answer, especially as the installation was set up for a remote-control fan. Luckily, the installer was more helpful. He gave me some parameters on how big, reminded me to get ones that can be worked via remote control, and gave me advice. I ran to Home Depot and bought them, but as he was waiting for me, I was rushed and couldn't discuss with the Home Depot staff.
In the end, I think I got a decent installation. But I would give Mike and the office one star. However, because the installer saved the day, and because they give a military discount, I am raising the star level to a satisfactory despite the poor proposal process. read more