ComplaintsforHome Comfort Practice Inc

• Initial Complaint

  10/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This was for home insulation. Most was meant to be covered by energy audit rebates. If before 9/30/23, I could get 25% off. If I did all 3 jobs (basement, attic, walls) together, an additional discount. Cost for me, $1266.45. NOTE: THE AUDITOR JOE INSPECTED THE HOUSE IN FULL BEFORE ANYTHING WAS SIGNED AND CONFIRMED 3 JOBS COULD BE DONE. -50% deposit was paid 9/7, the rest 9/11, 5 min before they told me they couldn't do it at all. We agreed to do 2 of the 3 parts of the job at my original appointment, 9/26. This is in writing. -On 9/26, nobody came. I contacted the office, and they acted as if this were my fault. After a talk with the auditor, I was told that now 2 of the 3 jobs could not be completed- for a new reason. -On 10/6, 1 person came for the remaining job. He had an invoice for >$5k with him that included materials and labor for all 3 jobs, without discounts or rebates. There were also new forms, which I declined to fill/sign. I both called and contacted Joe, and there was more miscommunication. Meanwhile, the guy only did part of job 3 and then left! I did not realize until he was gone. -I received no reply Fri-Tues so I contacted Joe today, 10/10. Now there is a completely different reason why they won’t do the rest of job 3. It’s clear that they just don’t want to deal with me. I'm so sad, frustrated, and disappointed- it's actually hard for me to adequately express. There were many opportunities for somebody to more carefully review my project and determine that it could not be completed- BEFORE drafting a contract and financially committing me for 3 jobs. Despite multiple visits from 4 different men and numerous emails with the auditor, HCP still could not get their act together enough to adequately or appropriately complete their work. HCP is a vendor of energy audit rebates, and I feel strongly that their contract as a vendor should be suspended until it can be more closely reviewed. I don't need anything else from them beyond promised refund

  

  Business response

  11/10/2023

  I am responding to complaint #********, which was filed by Ms. ***** ********.

   

  Home Comfort Practice ("HCP") dispatched its audit field supervisor to provide an insulation quote to *** ********. He quoted to replace/install insulation in the attic, exterior walls, and basement of *** ********'s home. The total cost for the entire project was $6,692.00. After Energize Connecticut rebates, *** ********'s financial commitment was $1,266.46. *** ******** paid a $633.23 deposit and $633.22 balance. Upon discovering knob & tube wiring in the exterior walls and attic, HCP refunded $1,073.51 to *** ********, and the $192.94 balance paid for 588 square feet of basement ceiling insulation. *** ********'s total out-of-pocket cost has been $192.94.

   

  Knob & Tube wiring in the exterior walls and attic of *** ********'s home represents a potential fire hazard. HCP's supervisor has explained this to *** ********, and she has been advised that a licensed electrician must deactivate the knob & tube wiring and update the relevant electrical wiring. In a 9/15 email, he wrote: "If the knob and tube is live in the walls, we cannot insulate them. It is that simple. It can't be disconnected and reconnected after we insulate them. It is a fire hazard. In order for the walls to get done, the knob and tube would have to be updated.  The article below explains why you cannot insulate around the knob and tube. It needs air to breathe. If we insulate the walls it will suffocate it and raise risks for a fire. ***************************************"

   

  On 9/27, *** ******** emailed to state: "I have decided to sell my house, actually. Whatever you can put in, even if it's just the basement, is going to help me out with the listing. The one electrician that showed up quoted me $1000 to fix the hanging wires in the attic. He told me not to bother because there is no return on that, and the market is so hot the house will sell quickly, for the most part as-is. He still said it was safe to install insulation, but if that's not gonna happen, it's not gonna happen...Honestly, I hate living in this house and have no local family or resources, so yall may have done me a favor with this knob and tube thing."

   

  For health and safety reasons, HCP cannot insulate the exterior walls and attic of *** ********'s home. If *** ******** invests to upgrade the electrical wiring in her home and to eliminate the potential fire hazard, then HCP would complete the work scope as originally proposed. 

   

  Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns. Thank you.

   

   

  All the best,

   

  Lorenzo W****

  practice lead & owner

• Initial Complaint

  10/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  September 13, Home Comfort Practice was doing installations at my mother's house and a worker had his ladder and heavy equipment on her deck and knocked down my mother's deck. Lorenzo the owner has not done anything to help with fixing or replacing the damage that his company has caused. It is now a safety issue; He has not taken any responsibility for his company action My mother is and elderly woman who still paid for the installation is now out of a deck an have a eye sore on the side of the house; (meaning a broken damaged deck hanging from the side of her home);

  

  Business response

  10/31/2022

  Photos of the deck ********************************************)

  Ms. ******’ daughter and grandson have been provided contact information for HCP’s insurance agent. The agent advised the family to submit a claim to their mother’s homeowner’s insurance. If their insurance carrier seeks compensation for the claim, it may pursue action  through HCP’s liability insurance carrier.

  Our employee only was carrying a drill that he used to drill 3” holes in the exterior wall in order to insulate that wall. He carried no additional heavy equipment, and he was the only employee standing on the deck when it failed. He barely escaped injury.

  Photos reveal the condition of the deck. Deck boards and framing were old and rotted. Only nails (not screws, not hangers) fastened joists to framing. No ledger board was used to fasten the deck framing to the house. The deck failed because it was old, rotted, and not constructed using building codes.

   

   

  Customer response

  10/31/2022

  
  Complaint: 18196368
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The deck did not collapse on its own, it collapses because the weight and the rocking back and forth of the employee

  we did not give this company permission to use the deck; and you cannot say it collapse because he was just standing on it, that's absurd.

  of course, you would like to use that as an excuse, but how come the only part that collapse is the part that your employee was standing on.

  the rest of the deck did not collapse.

  it is unfair and not right that this company can walk away with no ownership on what happened

  to take zero responsibility is unacceptable.

  We are not asking to replace 100% for a new deck but to offer anything is not right

  We understand that accidents happen, the total cost for a new deck is 15,000 that we were not expecting to spend 

  If we caused this to happen than it would be on us, but your company did this damage, and do not get to walk away.

  you should have a policy in place to not use customers decks without making sure the deck is strong enough to handle the work

   

  My mom is 88 years old and is in a bad situation because of what Home Comfort Practice did, it was clearly an accident from an employee who got up and ran, away from the scene after the accident. 

   

  I don't understand how a company with any moral value can walk away leaving a customer home the way you left my mom home

   

  Sincerely,
  
  ********* ******

• Initial Complaint

  09/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Home comfort practice on august 26th 2022 came and installed insulation in my basement, walls and attic. They spilled paint in my upstairs bedroom, drilled holes in interior walls (which in the contract it specifically states they will not do) and they were supposed to caulk all holes made in exterior of home and did not. I have contacted home comfort practice at a minimum of 6 times and are promised a call back and never receive one. I have called and asked for their insurance information and still have not received it. They received over $1000 from me and they collected rebates from ******** ** which amounted to over $4000 I think. I have taken pictures of all the damages and they came out for a post work inspection and took pictures and documented all the damage but still have not made any attempt to fix the damage over a month later.

  

  Business response

  10/31/2022

  Dear BBB,

  This is the response for the above complaint.

  Home Comfort Practice did submit this matter to his insurance company, the insurance contacted the customer ****** ***** on 10/17 & 10/18/2022, (Claim # ********), the insurance requested the customer to provide an estimate from his contractor. The insurance company is waiting for the customer's response.

  Thank you!

  Customer response

  10/31/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: although their insurance has reached out and I am working with them this is only after months of asking for the insurance information and still does not address the shorty and incomplete work performed.  Furthermore the insurance company was not interested in the incomplete work done on the outside of the house.  They are only interested in the damage that was incurred.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

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