ComplaintsforNorcal Food Equipment, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  08/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  on 8/1/2023 We called the company to check on our Ice Machine as it was leaking. They arrived, took a quick look at the machine at the back, and said that our back pipeline was not installed correctly. They quoted the price for the installation. This took around 5 minutes at maximum. We refused the service as it was too costly for us at the time, and that we would seek another business to fix the issue. The problem is this: after we refused the service, we were quoted the fees we had to pay. Included was the base fee [which when asked initially, were not told the price upfront, but that it depended on the issue] and a gas fee [which was never told to us anytime during this entire process]. A 98$ gas fee for a in city visit? We did not agree nor was notified of this additional gas fee- especially since the location of this business is not far in town, the fee is unreasonable. Eventually the employee who came to our restaurant just left instead of attempting any resolution with us. In addition to that: after contacting the business- the owner responded as if our confusion and upset were unreasonable, making no attempt to resolve any issues as no other customer had an issue with their hidden fees before. Ultimately he yelled at us and told us to "NEVER CALL BACK". This is unacceptable. We received a notice in the mail for a bill including the extra gas fee two weeks later. In addition they claim that our warranty is voided as we refused their service- without communication with us, they went ahead and acted as if we will not fix the machine at all. This is also ignoring the fact that at the initial installation months ago: we had taken a photo of the back piping/installation and showed it to the owner of this business and he said "it would work". We never said we would not pay the base price of the diagnostic service. It is just the 98$ gas fee that was never notified prior, and for a business that is practically a 5 minute drive away.

  Business response

  09/02/2023

  The customer was informed of our trip charge before we ever had a service tech go to the location, once on site we found out the company who had installed the machine had installed it incorrectly and that we could fix it, she was mad that this would cost her any money but again we were not the service company that installed it. She was then upset and believed this would be free to have tech go to her site and find out what was wrong even when she was given all the information while she was in our business the day before. She then began to scream and yell at the technician who called into the shop where we could hear her creaming through the phone, I asked the tech to let me speak with her and tried to calm her down for about 5 minutes while she wouldnt let me get a word in and ultimately I told her to never call us again and she never did pay her bill. The warranty issue she stated would have nothing to do with us as we didn't install the unit and we do not make that determination, that would come from the manufacturer, we stated we would not being doing the warranty work after her belligerent behavior, she can use another company for warranty, I think ultimately there was a language barrier that caused the issues as she didnt understand what we were telling her about the trip charge and labor cost. 

  Customer response

  09/03/2023

  I am rejecting this response because: they are not telling the truth. They did NOT inform me about this Trip Cost as a separate cost, they only told me about the service charge. When I asked when the technician was on site he said it is a 98$ charge for "gas money". When their location is around 10 miles away? Is there proof they spent 98$ to travel from their location to mine? Then I will pay. I am perfectly willing to pay the labor cost for the diagnosis of our issues.

  
  

  Business response

  09/05/2023

  The service industry has trip charges that cover the cost of employee compensation, gas, tires, oil changes, maintenance on the vehicle, workmans comp insurance, auto insurance, and much much more, this is not a gas charge like stated. The tech may or may not have come from ***** or a surrounding city but just because our shop is in ***** doesnt mean thats where the tech traveled from, our office location has nothing to do with a remote tech and where he traveled from. The travel charge is not negotiable and this makes no sense why we are going back and forth for something that was not paid for nor did we have anything to do with the bad installation, you should have the licensed installer pay you for the work that will cost you to fix, thats how any restaurant owner would typically react in this situation, you have recourse on the installer, if you are looking to redesign the industry for service that is perfectly fine and you are more than welcome to join the service industry but all companies have a travel charge, thats how the system works otherwise we could not stay in business, I could take away the travel charge and charge more for labor if thats what you are looking for. Not having an understanding of the industry seems to be the main cause of this situation. Again you did not pay for the service, and the way you treat people is completely unacceptable, you dont have the right to scream at people the way you do, this is completely unacceptable behavior from an adult. 

  Customer response

  09/06/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  

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