ComplaintsforDean's Home Services

• Initial Complaint

  06/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired Deans to repair a plumbing pipe break in May 2022- paid for services and repairs. There was a solution to help for future breaks due to the location of the pipe and winterizing sprinkler system. After this I had a winterization company that is insured and bonded and made sure they were aware of the previous issue with the frozen pipe burst in 2022. May 2024 after turning the water on- another pipe break in the exact same pipe that was repaired by Deans. I called Deans again because they had fixed the previous break in 2022 and should be aware of the issue. I was charged double the price from ************************************************************************************ 2022 and further questioning their service department- it was explained that they do not warranty their work after 12 months and that they are now claiming the pipe manufacturer to be at blame for another break, causing another water leak and more interior home damage and resulting in another insurance claim because the damage was so extensive. My insurance company requested that Deans file an investigation to find out if it was the pipe- they would not. I asked for insurance information from ****- supervisor - and told I can find that information on the insurance company myself. I was offered a home warranty for a year, which I declined. I am requesting reimbursement of my repairs and so needing to get in touch with their insurance carrier to find out more information about the pipe malfunction. This shouldnt be that difficult to get.

  

  Business response

  06/27/2024

  To whom it may concern:
  
  On May 9th, 2022, we had a plumber out to Stacies home to address concerns on a leaking pipe. During the appointment,our plumber recommended cutting out the 3/4 x 1 copper tee and install a new one, Re-pipe with a 1 drainable ball valve and 90 to which our plumber performed said repairs.
  On May 28th, 2024,****** called in having issues with a leak. We sent a plumber out to her home and found that a pipe burst due to freezing. The plumber noted that it was suspected that the part may have malfunctioned. There were also concerns about the pipes not being properly winterized to have prevented this situation from happening.
  To accommodate the situation, and to work with ******, Deans offered ****** a total of $1093.78 off the job(original bid was $1,843.78, brought down to a cost of $750).Although the job on May 28th, 2024, included an additional repair of the piping, we took the time to understand the situation that ****** was in and made those adjustments to accommodate her and the frustrating situation she was in. During those conversations, ****** agreed and accepted the discounts.
  We will not be offering any additional discounts on the job, as there was nothing wrong with the workmanship performed on May 9th 2022, the job was outside of the warranty period. We provided ****** with the manufacturer of the part, as well as the information she requested regarding our insurance provider and the policy number
  
  Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I contacted Deans on Monday, April 8th 2024, a plumber was sent out the next day to install a trim kit for a shower remodel. Before completing the work, he called another employee to ask what to charge. The plumber offered me a 10% discount if I signed up for the Deans Club Membership, total agreed upon was $475.87. I was confused when his work was done in less than 15 minutes, something that was not communicated up front and would not have been agreed to if known. The rate at which I was charged is $1,903/hour, an obscene charge and price gouging to the consumer. After the 15 minutes of work, the plumber asked if he could check out my furnace. In hindsight, what business does a plumber have looking at HVAC? Anyways, this resulted in two Deans HVAC employees coming out that afternoon, red tagging my furnace, and quoting me $15,000 for new equipment, and leaving me without heat from a furnace that had been working fine before they arrived. Before leaving, one of the techs mentioned while he was getting a pen he was told by the other tech he could bring down the quote to $10,000 if I agreed to the work today. I declined. The whole experience/business model is a set up to take as much money as possible from the consumer. I contacted customer service to request an explanation on why a plumber would cross over to HVAC, what the purpose of two HVAC techs was, and for a full refund. I was given no explanation of the service experience and was offered $100 refund, I requested further escalation. I did not receive a receipt or notes for either the plumbing or HVAC visits until I requested them from the tech and customer service team, several days later. I was not able to connect with an escalated contact until two weeks later, on April 23rd. I explained how the customer experience combined with the 600% markup to market price was outrageous. The option for money back for my experience was taken away, and there was no resolution provided.

  

  Business response

  04/23/2024

  To Whom It May ******************** contacted Dean's Home Services for plumbing services. Our technician, *****, arrived and assessed the customer's needs. While our technician was onsite there was a visible leak coming from the furnace and made our customer aware of the leak. Due to this, ***** asked if she wanted an HVAC service professional out to take a look at her furnace and the customer agreed. Our HVAC technician, ****, found water leaking from the furnace, failed secondary causing the flame to chatter and high ** in the flue. We are required at this point per code and regulations to red tag the unit and turn off the furnace. 

  Our HVAC team them provided 4 options for both repairs or replacement. The customer then contacted our office demanding a full refund for her Plumbing work solely for the reason of red tagging her furnace from our HVAC team. We do understand that we sometimes have to deliver hard news about a customer's home and it is never easy. Our Customer Experience Coordinator, ****, contacted the customer and explained our flat rate pricing, the difference between HVAC and Plumbing and her experience. **** offered $100.00 off due to her experience and understood her feedback. The customer declined her offer and requested to speak with ****'s manager for a full refund on her Plumbing work due to HVAC experience.

  Our Customer Experience Manager then contact **** and now ****'s feedback changed to how much we charged compared to a competitor. We then explained our pricing and **** agreed she did approve the work. We still offered her $100.00 off at the time of the call due to customer satisfaction and the customer only wanted her membership cancelled. 

  We will not be refunding the customer for the ********************** work she approved and we completed. 

  Thank you. 

  Customer response

  04/23/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  I am rejecting this response because my feedback against the business has not changed. As stated, in my first conversation with customer service, I had not yet received a receipt, I was waiting for line item details to explain the expense (which ultimately did not help,hence the second conversation). Although, I did in fact discuss the rate of another plumber on the first call, the focus of the first call was on the experience of a plumber crossing over into HVAC recommendations. Across the multiple phone calls and now in this response, it has still not been explained why a plumber would inspect HVAC. This business model is set up to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers under the disguise of helping. I did provide comparison data for another plumber and offered to accept a partial refund (not full refund) based on the market rate I obtained, and this request was also denied. In our second conversation the offer of the $100 refund was not denied, it was simply taken away as an option by Deans. This has also not been explained, hence the complaint. 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They came out to inspect our sub Pump They said it would be a forty nine dollar fee That's fine they came out. He didn't do anything he took a flashlight looked down in the path wiggle. The float and said it was broken and that we needed a whole new thing trying to say $1500. Well we said no we will get another opinion. *** says well it'll be $279 charge. We were told a $49 charge now all of a sudden. It was 279 for him to do absolutely nothing. We called another company out the pipe was simply disconnected from the Sub Pump We have now called 5 times keep getting told the same thing over and over again. That they sent the refund check we still have gotten nothing. They are nothing but Is rip off artist

  

  Business response

  05/01/2023

  Hi *******, 

   

  Deans reached out directly to our customer and resolved this matter. We sent a check as promised to *****, but the customer stated they never received it. Without contacting ** asking for a status, she submitted the complaint. We assumed she had received it but after tracking the check it was never cashed so we stopped that check and sent a new one out immediately. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  ****** installed our ** unit in June 2015. This summer, June 2022, the ** unit was not keeping up. ****** diagnosed low refrigerant and recharged the system: 3 hrs work plus materials - $1,700. Now here in September, low refrigerant again. The technician, this time, used a tool he didn't use the first time to find the leak was in the coil and that the coil needed replacing. From ******, the coil was under warranty and I would be charge for labor only. I was charged $1,700.00 again for 3 hours work. At this time, the technician was going to charge me $400.00 for accessory pump he claimed didn't work, which I found did work.I attempted to complain to ****** about this: that if, during the first visit, the technician used the appropriate tool, it would have been found that the coil needed replacing. I was charged $1,700.00 for refrigerant that has now gone into the atmosphere of Earth. Later, I was charged again, per ******, $1,7000.00 for 3 hours labor (parts warrantied) which is FAR above industry standards. The manager stated they "ate the cost" of the refrigerant during coil replacement but pricing shows they did not. If this is happening to me, it is happening to other customers of ******. I have sent a letter to the owner of ******, detailing all of this, with no response. I would have paid over $400 for a part that didn't need replacing had I not known better. This must be part of their training and practice to do this and to waste working parts.

• Initial Complaint

  06/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I called deans after calling two other businesses and being told they couldn't come out the same day to look at my broken ac unit. Deans told me they could come out but it would be a 99 dollar service charge. I agreed to the 99 dollar service charge. I told them I would not be home but my wife would be home. The "tech" showed up around 430pm while i was at work and talked to my wife. He made it seem like i had agreed to a *************************************************************** He preformed the diagnostic which took 20 minutes and told my wife that we needed a new ac unit and furnace. He then tried to sell my wife on a package deal for both without consulting me. My wife told him that she needed to talk with me before making any decisions on it. She called me and handed him the phone. He told me i needed to replace my ac unit and it would cost ****************************************************************************************************************************************** told him around 4k. He then told me he was talking about both the furnace and ac unit. I told him i wasn't ready to commit to anything and he said ok i'll just settle up with your wife for the 100 dollar travel fee plus the 380 dollar diagnostic fee. This was the first time i had heard about a 380 dollar diagnostic fee and i had not agreed to it. He handed the phone back to my wife and she hung up. I called deans about 20 mins later trying to find out why i was charged a **************************************************************** The rep put me on hold and told me after 10 minutes a manager would reach out to me in 24 hours. I got a call 2 days later from said manager trying to confirm we consented to the diagnostic charge. I told her i never consented and my wife was made to believe i did. She then asked me if my wife was able to make financial decisions in our household. At the end of the day they charged me 479 dollars, did zero repairs and tried to tell me my furnace was bad

  

  Business response

  06/27/2022

  To Whom It May ************************* customer called in with an AC not working and it would not turn on. Customer agreed to our travel charge of $99.00 to send a Technician out. **************, ****, arrived on 6/21/2022 and with approval began running all diagnostics to determine what was wrong with the customer's unit. We did receive both a signed estimate and verbal approval from the customer's wife onsite who was with our Technician at the time of service. During ****** visit, he found that the blower motor is leaking oil, the evaporator coil is leaking refrigerant, the service valves are leaking refrigerant as well. The dual capacitor is bad and the condenser fan motor should be replaced based on its condition. The customer declined repairs at the time of service. 

  ******* then called in saying he never agreed to the charge and that he did not know about the charge. His wife, who was onsite with our Technician, approved the diagnostic charge. Our team did ask if his wife was not suppose to approve any costs, repairs and etc. to ensure we did get the homeowners approval before completing any work, but to ********* response she is to a certain amount. ****** did receive an approval from a homeowner that was present at the time of service and received a signed estimate for documentation. 

  Thank you. 

  Customer response

  06/27/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  The company told me it would be 99 dollars to come out. They at no time in my conversation with them told me it would be an additional 380 to diagnose my problem. They made it seem like i had agreed to this price when they asked my wife for permission to preform the diagnostic which i had not. They then told my wife, not me, it would be over 6k to repair the unit and started selling her on a furnace and ac unit. My wife told them she needed to speak with me and that was the first time anyone from deans even reached out to me about any cost other than the 99 dollars to come out. If they had told me this over the phone when i called them it was going to be 479 dollars to diagnose my unit I never would have authorized them to come out.

  

  Business response

  07/12/2022

  To Whom it May ********  

  **************, ****, arrived and with approval began running all diagnostics to determine what was wrong with the customer's unit.  

  We did receive both a signed estimate and verbal approval from the customer's wife onsite who was with our Technician at the time of service. During ****** visit, he found that the blower motor is leaking oil, the evaporator coil is leaking refrigerant, the service valves are leaking refrigerant as well. The dual capacitor is bad and the condenser fan motor should be replaced based on its condition. The customer declined repairs at the time of service. 

  ****** did receive an approval from a homeowner that was present at the time of service and received a signed estimate for documentation.  

• Initial Complaint

  05/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We paid for services not rendered. We purchased an heating and cooling system for our central air. They took our money but nobody ever set up our AC unit. We have contacted them on multiple occasions with no luck. They always respond that they will give us a call back but we have yet to hear from them. We have tried online, text, and calling everyday. They keep saying we will be contacted in 24 hours but nothing ever happens. If you book online, they never show and claim the appointment was never booked. We have spent over $10,000 and still no working AC.

  

  Business response

  05/25/2022

  To Whom It May ******************************************************** called in wanting to get on our schedule to complete that last part of his project. Continued to reach our answering services after hours and did not receive any other correspondence the customer is claiming. After reviewing the customer's account, this is the tenant who submitted this letter, not the homeowner. We believe there was miscommunication between the owner and the tenant as we did keep the customer update on status. Customer's job has already been completed as our protocol and tenant's request on letter. 

   

  Thank you. 

*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. ↩