Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  02/03/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On June 16 2021 we purchased a furnace - a/c and a hot water tank from ***** Heating and Cooling which was bought by peterman brothers in may 2024. Fast forward jan 24 2025 my furnace quit working , so i called them they didnt have anyone available to come out until feb7th unless i signed up for they ***** month program and then they would send someone out on the following monday. i found someone else to look at it and found that the circulation motor had burned up and when he took the furnace a part it was cause the floor to be discolored or burnt because it wasn't installed correctly . we then calld Peterman brothers to come out and look at it on jan . 29th of 2025 their technician didn't even tear it a part to look at it he looked at the pictures that the guy took when he replace the motor and talk to the guy and said that he would have a meeting with his boss about what he found and would let us know . we have not heard anything back from them. it could be a fire hazard and i would like for them to fix it and stand behind their workers and products.

  

  Business response

  02/14/2025

  While we are disappointed to hear that the customer's experience with ***** ********************** for an HVAC installation was less than satisfactory, unfortunately as that company has gone out of business, their warranties are no longer valid. Peterman Brothers purchased the contact numbers and marketing material of ***** Plumbing, but we are not able to uphold warranties that our organization did not commit to or perform the original work on. We were able to review some past ***** records and it appears that the customer had not had ***** out to perform any maintenance or service since September 2021. Along with that, the labor warranty for ***** Plumbing installations was 1 years, so that installation from July 2021 would have had it's labor warranty expire in July 2022, well before Peterman Brothers acquired the customer information from ***** **********************. 

  Our management team is still in the process of reviewing the situation to determine if we can offer any possible solutions at a discounted rate as a courtesy to the customer. 

  Customer response

  02/14/2025

  I have include pictures of the poor service of installing the furnace. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/03/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have an invoice dispute over a project that I paid Peterman ~$10k for. There were two parts of the project - yard sewage work and crawlspace drain repiping. My complaint is only in regards to the crawlspace work.When Peterman came to complete the work, there was a team of plumbers that arrived and went into the crawl space. However, they did not complete the repiping work - I am not sure what they did down there. They told me the work was completed and they left. I went to run my shower and it did not drain at all - indicating the work was not completed.I called to have the plumbers come back and see what happened - they sent ONE plumber back and the plumber that came back told there was a misunderstanding on the scope of the work on their end and he wasn't aware of everything that needed to be done in the crawlspace. This single plumber then took two days to complete the agreed-upon repiping in the crawlspace.Therefore, I need the additional technician and 1 of the 2x labor charges to be removed from my bill. Additionally, I was charged for 2x drywall removal. After talking with ****** in Peterman's customer complain resolution team for weeks, they agreed to remove the drywall but told me that they "stand by" the labor charges.

  

  Business response

  02/11/2025

  Peterman Brothers was contacted to perform an ************ and also a service estimate for a drain line re-pipe. Peterman Brothers visited the home on 1/2/25 and identified that there was an issue with the drain line clogging and that we needed to have a drain specialist come out to evaluate. On 1/3/25, a drain specialist arrived at the home and provided estimate options to address the pipe issue. The customer opted to have a sewer line spot repair and a drain line re-pipe underneath the home. When the crew was out on 1/8/25 to perform the repair, there was an additional line that was identified as an issue and that required a field professional to return the following day and also a week later to install main line shutoff valve due to weather. This resulted in the job taking longer than expected and the customer logged a complaint for the extending time and some items on the invoice that were not actually completed.

  After Peterman Brothers reviewed the invoice, it was determined that the only item that was not correct was the drywall removal having a quantity of 2 instead of 1 (as agreed upon in the estimate). Peterman Brothers communicated this with the customer and also offered to compensate for the additional technician charge due to the extended repair timeline. The customer and ********************************************* agreed to adjust the final price of the project to $9,238.84. This was re-adjusted on the loan documents and customer completed all necessary signatures. At this time, Peterman Brothers considers this complaint closed with no further resolution necessary. 

  Customer response

  02/21/2025

  Petermans description of their resolution is mostly accurate. However, it proved to be one of the most difficult and time consuming problems to actually reach anyone that was willing and able to help with the situation at Peterman. There is no doubt in my mind that Peterman would do this to many other customers and get away with it simply due to the customers not having time/effort to fight for their money. In conclusion: complaint is resolved but I still have a sour taste in my mouth about the company and wouldnt recommend to anyone.

• Initial Complaint

  01/28/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company is scamming so many people out of money! They came to my house and diagnosed an issue stating that my sewer line was broken and damaged! They were going to charge me $29K to fix said issue. I didnt feel comfortable with that so I called another company when come to find out my secondary clean out was clogged and just needed cleaned out! I contacted Peterman Brothers and cancel the job just to be told I was to pay them $1500 for a service that wasnt needed! Ive read several reviews on their ******** page expressing how they are ripping people off for services not needed!

  

  Business response

  02/06/2025

  Peterman Brothers was called to the ***** home on 1/20/25 for a clogged line. Customer informed field professional that they had another company out in November to snake the drain. That company was not able to restore flow, but also customer wasn't having the back up problems that they were when we arrived. During our visit we attempted to clear the line however we were unsuccessful, hitting a hard spot around 75 to 80 feet. During this same visit, we had a drain specialist come out to perform a camera inspection on the drain. When speaking with the camera specialist, the customer did mention that their children had flushed some toys down the toilet at some point in time. Options were built and the customer opted to have a hydro-jetting performed to attempt to clear the drain and gain better visibility for camera inspection (view invoice ******).

  Peterman Brothers returned for the hydro-jetting on 1/24/25 (view invoice ******). After the first pass with the hydro-jet, our drain specialist performed another camera inspection and found that the line had a section near the secondary clean out that was sticking down and causing clogs. There was also a belly in the drain line that was identified and this can also cause issues with proper drainage. Our camera specialist spoke with the waste water treatment plant and verified that the customer is responsible for everything to the city main. Options were built to perform a sewer line replacement and customer agreed (view invoice *******.

  On 1/27/25, our drain specialist followed up with customer and the customer opted to add the *** truck to the job to allow for safe excavation around gas lines that are around the sewer line. The final agreed upon price of the sewer replacement came out to $29,403.48 and the customers opted to finance this work (view invoice ******).

  After Peterman Brothers was contacted by the customers with complaint regarding the work being unnecessary due to a ball being found in a cleanout by another company, Peterman Brothers contacted the customer and agreed to come out to perform another camera inspection by a different drain specialist to verify previous findings. Customer was present during this inspection and viewed the camera inspection that took place and verified the belly in the line and the break at the secondary clean out (view invoice ******). Video footage was forwarded to customers to review.

  At this time, ********************************************* does not feel that any reimbursement or resolution is necessary.

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/25/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On January 10, 2025, we had Petermans come out to do an free estimate on plumbing replacement of water pipes in our basement. My husband is disabled and not able to go downstairs so we were dependent on what he did. The tech took pictures and then also decided to inspect the water heater and softener (which we did not ask for or authorize). He stated that the water heater was leaking and ready to go and the softener needed adjustments. After showing my husband three estimates, one that fixes the pipes only, pipes and water heater, and then pipes, water heater, and softener. He left. When I got home that evening, there was no hot water. This water heater is less than five years old, so we called the plumber who installed it. He came, went down to basement and discovered the water heater had been turned down. Petermans knew my husband couldnt go downstairs to check so they decided to sabotage it! The original installer corrected the issue, and we called Petermans. At first, they agreed to replace the $100 that we paid the plumber to fix the issue that their tech did. Then we when got the invoice from the plumber and sent to Petermans, they claimed that they werent paying it cause we didnt call them back out. Are you kidding me!!? Why we would we call out the same ***** who tricked us to fix it?! This company is taking advantage of those who are disabled and tricking people into spending more money. We will NOT be recommending them ever to anyone in **************. The yard sign has been pulled.

  

  Business response

  02/04/2025

  Peterman Brothers was called to the ***** home on 1/10/25 for a plumbing service diagnostic. Customer had informed ********************************************* that there was a leaking pipe in the basement, customer also requested that we evaluate the exhaust pipe for the water heater. And because the customer is a ********************** *************** member, this visit also included a full 360 evaluation of the plumbing as part of the annual plumbing system check.During the visit on 1/10/25, our field professional performed his 360 evaluation and found numerous issues with the plumbing in the home, including corrosion on the water heater, water softener leaking and multiple leaks in the piping.Options were built for recommended repairs.
  

  Peterman Brothers was not aware of any issues following our visit or given the opportunity to resolve any issues that may have arose from our visit until the customer called on 1/14/25 to request reimbursement for the other plumber coming to the home. Our Customer Experience team informed the customer that if they could provide us with the invoice from the other company, then our management team could review the job we ran and also the other company's invoice. After reviewing the job that was performed by the Peterman Brothers field professional, there was no indication that there were any adjustments made to the water heater settings.
  

  After management review, the customer was informed that ********************************************* would not be able to reimburse for the other plumbing company coming out. Peterman Brothers does not feel that any reimbursement is warranted as there is no way of verifying that there were any adjustments made during the most recent visit. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/22/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On January 8, 2025 I authorized Peterman Brothers to install a new ****** BTU furnace in my home. the new furnace appeared to work fine several days until the temperature dipped into the single digits and the furnace could not produce sufficient heat to properly heat my home. The system was running but the home temperature would not get higher than 65 even though the system was running 24 hours a day. On January 20th, I called and was pleased that a tech came out tat day. He said he'd downloaded an update to the system computer which "fixed the problem. He questioned why the download wasn't applied at the installation. Within 30 minutes of the tech's departure I called back to let them know the system was still not heating sufficiently. They said they couldn't get anyone out for 3 days. I no longer trust that the system is functioning properly and have asked Peterman to come and uninstall the obviously faulty system and advised them I was going to have a different company install a different unit. I have had nothing but run-around from Peterman people, threatening me that they won't be able to refund all of the cost of the new system and they'd have to schedule the appointment to uninstall the faulty system. They could not give me a date or time for that uninstall appointment. I do not trust Peterman Brothers to plant my grass, yet alone treat me professionally and provide reliable service.

  

  Business response

  01/27/2025

  Peterman Brothers performed an HVAC installation for the customer on 1/9/25 (see attached invoice *******. ********************************************* was notified that the customer was having issues with the system keeping up on 1/21/25. A Peterman Brothers field professional visited the home that same day and determined that the system needed a system update, which resulted in the system being able to go from a temperature differential of 40 degrees to 56 degrees (see invoice ******). A short time after that job was completed, the customer notified ********************************************* that they were still experiencing issues with the system not reaching the set temperature. Because of the extreme weather temperatures at the time, Peterman Brothers was experiencing significant service demand, so the earliest available service was on 1/23/25. A complaint was logged due to the customer's dissatisfaction with the service wait time. The customer was informed by the Customer Experience manager and **** ********************** that we did not have any earlier appointments available. Peterman Brothers informed the customer that there would have to be labor charged if they opted to have the system removed and that the equipment portion of the installation would be the only refundable amount. Customer opted to allow ********************************************* to continue with the warranty call on 1/23/25. 

  On 1/23/25, Peterman Brothers' install manager and supervisor returned to perform further evaluation and adjustments on the system. It was determined after making some adjustments that they would need to return the following day to make some adjustments to ductwork in the home (see attached invoice ******). Later on the evening of 1/23/25, the customer informed ********************************************* that they were still having the same issues even after the adjustments that were made. Peterman Brothers install manager opted to proceed with replacing the 60k BTU furnace with an 80k BTU furnace on 1/24/25. This was completed on 1/24/25 and Peterman Brothers believes this should resolve the customer's issues moving forward. ********************************************* is happy to say that we were able to assist in this matter and provide a resolution that improved the heating of the home. 

  Customer response

  01/27/2025

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this response/resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  
  

  Regards,

  **** *******

• Initial Complaint

  01/17/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Last winter, we used Fairfield Heating and Cooling (now Peterman Brothers) to repair/replace a faulty furnace blower, which they did fully replace in March 2023. However, the blower might have been the wrong size for the furnace and the screws would not stay attached to the cage, regardless of how many times we tightened them. The night before Thanksgiving, the blower broke again. We wanted them to replace the blower correctly, but Peterman Brothers had "lost paperwork, including our warranty, during the acquisition of Fairfield Heating and Cooling."That night, their technician "fixed" the blower, remounting the blower with new screws, but left without fully testing the furnace. He did not perform a hard recent, leaving us without heat, until we figured out how to reset the system ************ temperatures dipped, the blower failed again and could not be repaired. Peterman Brothers was unresponsive about the blower warranty or to schedule a replacement, until a week later, when they installed a new blower, charging us $1200 for an hour of work. We had no choice but to pay the exhorbitant fee, as we had no heat. They also claimed our heat exchanger was cracked and we should not run our furnace, as we were in danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. OR we could buy a new exchanger at the cost of $6,432.53. Though temperatures were in the teens, we declined. We have since had R&N Heating/Cooling examine the furnace and run tests, inspecting the heat exchanger and oxygen levels, finding 89% efficiency and nothing wrong with the furnace. When asked why another company would so dramatically pressure us to replace expensive parts, he suggested that some guys work on commission, making money off those pressure tactics. We believe Peterman Brothers acted in malfeasance; they used fear, suggesting we needed to shut off our furnace on a cold night, to pressure us into buying a part we did not need and trying to get out of our warranty. They also overcharged labor.

  

  Business response

  01/27/2025

  The former company Fairfield Heating & Cooling performed a repair to replace the **************** and ************ Capacitor on March 29, 2023 (see attached invoice #i73939). This blower motor repair is noted on the invoice to have a 30 day labor and 1 year manufacturer warranty. Fairfield Heating & Cooling partnered with Peterman Brothers at the beginning of 2024. On 11/27/24, Peterman Brothers was called out for a service diagnostic because the furnace wasn't working, we were able to make some adjustments and made an attempt to better secure the motor and housing, and system was operational upon leaving (see attached invoice. Peterman Brothers was then called again on 12/26/24 for the same issue with the blower housing not being secure and the motor not working correctly. Peterman Brothers determined that the motor was causing issues with the mounting and not working properly. Peterman Brothers provided estimate for blower motor/housing replacement. Branch manager approved a 20% discount as a courtesy as the equipment was already out of manufacturer and labor warranty from installation in March 2023. Customer approved repair and signed off on estimate. Repair was completed on 1/3/25. During this visit, the field professional noted that there were signs of wear on the heat exchanger that could present issues in the future. An estimate was given to replace the out-of-warranty heat exchanger, which the customer declined. 

  ********************************************* believes we diagnosed the issue properly, provided proper estimate for out-of-warranty blower motor replacement (including a courtesy discount provided by branch manager), and completed agreed upon repair. Peterman Brothers does not feel that any further resolution is necessary. 

• Initial Complaint

  12/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  After a bad pipe leak, Peterman came to install ductwork and reinstall the ***** Since they installed ductwork, half the vents in my house are cold and no longer blow hot heat. They also said they would begin the work on a Monday, but didn't start until Tuesday which put my contractor behind and caused him to have to rethink the whole week's workflow. When I called to complain about the shoddy ductwork and the delay, I was supposedly connected to a customer complaint specialist (or something) who called me twice and then ghosted me and won't return my calls. When I called the main office, they said he was out for personal reasons. Fine, appoint someone else to my case. No, Peterman wouldn't do that. I want them to come back, properly install the ductwork, and connect me to someone who will actually help me.

  

  Business response

  12/06/2024

  Peterman Brothers was notified of the customer's complaint on 11/11/24. One of our Customer Experience team members made multiple attempts to contact during the week of 11/11-11/15 with no success. Customer then reached out and was unable to get in contact with the assigned customer experience team member. Notes were added to the assigned complaint task, however we unfortunately had not gotten back with customer yet. 
  
  On 12/2/24, the customer experience team member was able to connect with the customer and scheduled a warranty call for 12/4/24 to have a field supervisor come back out and re-evaluate the issues the customer is having with the work that was completed. On 12/4/24, field supervisor identified a supply run that needed to be ran to a bathroom and an additional supply run that seemed to be clogged. Return was built for 12/6/24 to perform these repairs under warranty. Peterman Brothers customer experience team will monitor this job and continue to work with the customer to bring this situation to a resolution. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On September 17, 2024, this Company allegedly checked the house I purchased to ensure the heating worked after the inspection came back that it did not. The service technician was clearly friends with the prior homeowner because it mentions his name several times and makes it seem like they are friends. The report is not incorrect in saying that the heating system turned on, because it did, however it did not produce heat. Less than one month later, we go to turn the heat on and no heat comes out. Their service person comes back and tells us we need a $1400 fix. The prior owner had a membership with this company that was still active during this time. All we are doing is asking them to agree to waive their fee ($95) to come to our house when in reality it was their negligence that missed this problem that should have been fixed by the prior owners. They keep telling us they are looking into it but have no notes on our invoice and have hung up on us when we ask actual questions.

  

  Business response

  11/14/2024

  A member of the Peterman Brothers customer experience was able to communicate with ******* and reviewed the situation with the service manager in charge of that department. Peterman Brothers was able to remove the diagnostic fee from this visit and did not end up charging the customer for this. ********************************************* communicated this with the customer on 11/7/24. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Poor install burnt up furnace after new install. Multiple times to contact, just make a ticket, no response. I paid 8k for new outside unit but they hooked it up so poorly it burned up my furnace and luckily not my house

  

  Business response

  10/23/2024

  Homeowner had system installed in June of 2022. Shortly after, Peterman Brothers stopped servicing the homeowner's area, but maintained a presence in the area for systems covered under a labor warranty. This system was covered by a labor warranty for 1 year post-installation, as seen in attached invoice. The labor warranty for this unit expired on 6/28/2023. Customer reported a part failure taking place in August of 2023. Part warranties can be supported by any licensed HVAC professional, and do not need to be serviced by the original installing company. 
  
  We have attempted to contact the homeowner to request the homeowner to send documentation from a licensed HVAC professional indicating that the failure occurred prior to June 28, 2023 or from a licensed professional indicating that the part failure was due to poor installation workmanship, but have not yet received any supporting documentation. 
  
  At this time, equipment failure occurred after the expiration of the Peterman Brothers labor warranty. Any failures of the equipment beyond that fall to the manufacturer and repair work can be performed by any licensed ************ provider in the area. Unfortunately, Peterman Brothers no longer operates in the area and cannot be that service provider.

  Thank you, 

  **** ****

  Customer Retention Manager

  Customer response

  11/03/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  This unit was not installed properly initially on 6/22/22. The house got warm again in under a month. The second installation was on 7/8/22 and workers were here all day redoing the unit. Even though this new furnace I had to buy was out of the labor warranty, due to poor installation was the failure of the furnace and costing thousands of dollars. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ******
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On October 7, 2024 I had Peterman Brothers *** ******* give me an estimate to replace my gas furnace which currently works and is 13 years old and my ac unit which does not. I wanted to know if it would be best to buy the ac unit and keep my existing furnace or replace them both. He asked me to give him a few minutes while he looked things over. During that time I had went upstairs. After about 5 minutes I heard a lot of what sounded like metal falling. I was tending to my granddaughter so I was unable to go back downstairs at that time. After a couple minutes he came back upstairs and showed me a picture and said well you have a duct separated and showed me a picture and said it looks like somebody just replaced your old system and left that stuff in your crawlspace then he continued to give me an estimate. I did not realize the picture was of my current duct work and somehow he pulled the duct work from the back of my furnace which caused it to separate from my intake vent and he needs to put it back onto my intake vent. I contacted Peterman Brothers and they had him call me today October 9, 2024 He is denying that he caused that. My duct work was fine until he came to give me an estimate. I want to warn anyone else who is about to use them that *** ******* is not an honest person & to not even fix what he caused! I do know that its probably not that hard to put the duct work back on the intake vent but to lie about it and not own up to it or to even try and make it right is very upsetting. If that is how Peterman Brothers does business buyers beware.

  

  Business response

  10/22/2024

  After careful review of job photos and discussion with the field professional that was in the home, Peterman Brothers has determined that the ductwork was already previously damaged prior to our arrival.  The noise that the customer heard during our evaluation was the furnace door falling to the ground accidentally. While Peterman Brothers feels it is not at fault for the current ductwork issues, we have been in communication with the customer and scheduled a return visit on 10/23/24 to re-evaluate ductwork issues and offer repair options to the customer. Photos of the damaged ductwork has been attached to this response. 

  Customer response

  10/23/2024

  Peterman Brothers reached out to me in regards to my complaint. They sent ****** out to my home on October 23, 2024 to connect my ductwork where it became knocked loose from my intake vent by *** *******. I am very happy that they fixed what was caused by one of their representatives. However I do not think I would ever hire them to do any work for me based on *** ******* lying about what had happened. If he lied about that I can only imagine what else he would lie about. I think that is something the company should definitely talk with the employees about. 

  Customer response

  10/28/2024

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this response/resolution is satisfactory to me. 

  Peterman Brothers reached out to me in regards to my complaint. They sent ****** out to my home on October 23, 2024 to connect my ductwork where it became knocked loose from my intake vent by *** *******. I am very happy that they fixed what was caused by one of their representatives. However I do not think I would ever hire them to do any work for me based on *** ******* lying about what had happened. If he lied about that I can only imagine what else he would lie about. I think that is something the company should definitely talk with the employees about. 
  
  
  

  Regards,

  ****** *****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩