ComplaintsforHero Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Drains & Electrical

• Initial Complaint

  01/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In 2015 I bought a Halo whole house water filtration system from a company that was called Uptown. Since then they have changed their logo and name to ****************** There is a 10 year warranty on the tube. It has stopped regenerating so it is not softening the water. There is huge build up on my appliances and faucets. I called Hero and they confirmed that they use to be Uptown and could come out to fix the issue. ***** came out on Tuesday, December 25 at 8:00am. He came in to work on it but said he had to call the headquarters in ********** and he would get back to me the next day. He said that Maple Grove has very hard water and I said that is why I bought the Halo. He called me the next day. He had spoken to headquarters and they said it is not under warranty because of the hard water in Maple Grove so they would not fix it. ***** asked if I knew that when I bought it and of course they sold it to me anyway knowing it would not be under warranty when it would stop regenerating. I have found them to be untrustworthy as Uptown and now as Hero. They offered me some money off of a new water softener and I said not because I don't believe a word they say. I was sold that unit under the belief that there is a 10 year warranty on the unit and nothing was said that the warranty would be void because of the hard water. The Model is Halo 5 Stage-1". I would like the tube part to be replaced which could last another 8 years. Thank you so much for your help.

  

  Business response

  01/04/2024

  Hero installed the system for he customer with a 10 year manufacturer warranty.Since this warranty is not through Hero, we have no control as a company over what is covered and what is not. If the customer has concerns with her warranty, she needs to address them with Halo. Our technicians at the time of the install had no way of predicting that this specific issue would occur 8 years later, nor would they have known the specifics of the warranty since it is through ************* such as water softeners do require regular maintenance, and it is normal that repairs or replacement will eventually be needed due to years of use and environmental factors. 

  Customer response

  01/04/2024

   I am rejecting this response because: According to the person who was here to fix the issue, Hero is under the same management and changed the name from Uptown to Hero.  When I called Hero to have someone come out to service the Halo water filtration system, I was on their records from the sale 8 years ago.  If this is a different company, why was my information still on file? When I asked the receptionist if I was talking to the correct company that use to be Uptown and she said it is; just a different name. I would like Hero to honor the warranty and stand behind their product.  Thank you, ***************************
  
  
  

  

  Business response

  01/04/2024

  The manufacturer is different from our company Hero/Uptown. The manufacturer is the brand that produces the equipment. Hero provides technicians to complete the installs and makes repairs. Hero does not manufacturer any equipment. In this case, Halo is the manufacturer of your system, and holds the manufacturer's warranty. Hero simply installed the system, and we have accounts for customers we complete work for. Again: if there is an issue with the manufacturer's warranty, this needs to be addressed with Halo. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our blackflow to our irrigation system blew out in the fall. We called Hero a few weeks ago. They charged us over $2000 to replace the backflow and was told they would handle the inspections with the city. Their work did not pass inspection because it had to be 1 ft above the highest sprinkler head. **** then told us it would cost us an additional $1500 to re-do the work they already did to make it higher stating that they are "not an irrigation company" so don't know where the sprinklers are and just re-installed it to where it was before so they are not liable. When they initially installed the new backflow system, they ran the sprinklers for a few minutes and then confirmed that all was working properly. They could have checked to make sure that all sprinkler heads were at code at that time, but did not - although they claimed that the reason that they weren't responsible because at the time of repair they couldn't verify where the sprinkler heads are. We just moved into this house in the fall so don't know the history of how/why it was installed this way, but **** collected our money and do not believe they have any liability in bringing their work to code other than passing 100% of the additional cost on to us even though they didn't check with us or check before leaving that all was in proper working order and within code. If we would have received an accurate diagnosis from the beginning, we wouldn't have had to pay this much.

  

  Business response

  06/20/2023

  The customer called Hero to complete ******************** work in which we replaced a pressure vacuum breaker. Per requirements, a City Inspector came out to ensure the work was completed up to code. The city inspector found the placement of the pressure vacuum breaker was in violation of city code, and needed to be placed at least a foot above the highest sprinkler head in the homeowners yard. With the sprinkler head on a hill, this required the pressure vacuum breaker to be raised by at least 8 ft. This was a preexisting code violation and was the fault of the company that originally installed the sprinkler system illegally.Hero does not work with irrigation systems, and our technicians had no way of knowing the sprinkler system was already in violation of city code when we came out. Hero simply swapped the pressure vacuum breaker out and replaced it in the existing location. Hero provided a quote for the customer to complete the work to bring the system up to code, which the customer declined. **** completed the work as requested by the customer, and correctional work that is a result of existing code violations is not Heros responsibility. 

  Customer response

  06/20/2023

   I am rejecting this response because: as the "experts, they know better than I what the code rules are. They could have

  1. asked us about the sprinkler system prior to starting the work which they did not. They assert that a previous plumber had installed it "illegally" - however, there is no evidence that this is the case (we just moved in in the fall so have no idea of the history of the installation). Codes change and perhaps when either the backflow or the irrigation system was originally installed it was within the code. We are relying on these experts who should know what is required to at a MINIMUM ask us or educate us (as this would have prompted us to check and/or bring in an irrigation expert)- let alone run a check on the system zones after they "completed the work" which would have clearly shown that there was a sprinkler on the hill. While they don't know where the sprinklers are, they can definitely see that there is a hill in our backyard and simply asking would have avoided all of this hassle and headache that now us, the customer have to endure. It doesn't seem to be good business to simply replace work and then walk away - as they have not installed it "legally".  

  2. at least offer to rectify the situation at a SHARED cost. After additional digging on my behalf including contacting a separate plumber, an irrigation company AND the city they ALL proposed that raising the backflow was NOT the only solution.  Hero should have installed an RPV valve originally which would have NOT required the backflow to be raised. 

  We believe that they should install the correct valve at their cost or refund our money (over $2K) so we can have it completed properly as we are not within code until their work has been corrected. If their work does not allow us to use our system, it doesn't do us much good. 

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I called to get an extensive cleaning and hero refused to do that right away, they told me I need to do the $93 dollar main drain cleaning before they brought out a camera. I let them know that we knew what the issue was and that all we needed was the main drain cleaning and the camera. They finally forced me into the $93 cleaning. The specialist arrived on Monday the 21st. I wasnt home but my wife let him know to call me with any information, questions or concerns about any issues. I never received a call from them. They also asked about if we knew anything about our pipes. Which my wife responded that she did. We had ***** out before and we had the video footage showing the cleaned drainsy wife offered to forward the video footage. My wife also relayed my message telling them that we only had 50 feet of pipe before it hits the street. The specialist claimed that it didnt matter. The video footage wasnt going to make a difference and that he had a 100ft snake. Low and behold after denying to see and hear of any of the evidence disclosing what was in our drains the specialist ran the snake more than 20ft longer than we had advised him. He got his snake stuck in the street. Now hero is saying that its on us the pay for the repairs to remove it. They never mentioned anything about an obstruction, or anything in our drains. The plumber said that he ran it too long and its stuck in the drill hole. It was because of his negligence that this happened. It was to no fault of anything in our drains. If he would have inspected the video we had for him he would have known not to go far as he did. We didnt get any other information more than we had to cut the snake because I have somewhere I have to be. And they proceeded to joke about how will have to use dynamite to get the snake out and telling my wife that it would be in her best interest to just sell the house and get out asap. So, now we have 70ft of snake stuck in our main drain.

  

  Business response

  12/06/2022

  **** takes steps to assess the quality of a line before doing an extensive cleaning. This includes a camera inspection to determine what is causing the issue, and in cases of active backups such as this one, a cabling is done first to clear the line as best as possible to allow for visibility of the camera. Once this has been completed our technicians can review the footage and provide the client with options to suit their needs based on the condition of the line. This *** mean jetting the line, or determining repair. When the customer called to book this job, **** explained this process to the customer, and the customer responded that they understood. It is not ***** standard procedure to review or analyze third party information, such as the camera inspection that another company performed prior to Hero being called to the residence. It is ***** policy to do our due diligence to the customer by completing our own inspection, and to determine the most accurate condition of the line at the time of service. It is the customers responsibility to ensure the homeowner who is present is knowledgeable, authorized to make decisions, and sign off on work, including estimates and waivers. **** has since sent out a drains supervisor to camera the line again and review the footage with the customer, as he was not on site at the time of the original appointment. It has been explained that existing structural issues due to age and/or other factors could cause breaks during the drain clearing process. The customer has been provided referrals for companies that *** be able to assist him further. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I filed a complaint with the BBB about my experience in June 2022 with Hero but havent received a response. I received a piece of black tape and the fuse switch to the air conditioning unit was flipped after the man couldnt find anything wrong with my AC unit but was essentially charged nearly $500 for the service. I was fully aware I was going to pay at least $100 for the service call but after I explained to the man that I recently purchased the house weeks prior to Hero coming out in the winter, in which the inspector couldnt turn the unit on in Feb 2022, he reported that I had lived here for over a year in his report. I told him several times that he was reporting inaccurate info and that I could show him my recently purchased mortgage statement. Also after he couldnt find anything wrong with the unit he asked me where the fuse box was, flipped the switch and charged me again close to $500 for me fixing my own unit has he listened to me in the first place. The price for him switching the fuse up and purposely reporting that I had resided here over a year in his report, is not sitting well with me.

  

  Business response

  10/24/2022

  We visited the home on 05/13/2022. We rewired the condensing unit outside along with turning the breaker on. The cost included this repair plus our diagnostic charge. Customer was presented options for repair, and approved and signed off on the work before it was completed. The customer did not call into our main line to discuss these concerns.

  Customer response

  10/25/2022

   I am rejecting this response because: I have no clue what a condenser is. It was a cord going to the Xcel energy box, thats what was explained to me. **** put in his report that I resides here a year, which again wasnt true. I told him at least 5 times that I purchased the home on 3/1/22, not moving in until 5/1/22. He put the piece of tape on and that still didnt fix the *** Last resort I again I explained to him what the inspector told me and thats when he decided to flip the fuse box because he couldnt figure it out. And the reason I didnt call was because he called customer service the day of the repair himself with my disagreement and the only remedy was a 10% discount if I signed up for a monthly service fee from hero. 
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  10/20 I got hero out to work on my furnace it was producing heat the technician left less than 24 hour later it was not working called they said there was nothing they could do. I had paid around $950 to them for the work the day before.

  

  Business response

  10/24/2022

  Hero was out at the home on 10/20/2022. We replaced the pressure switch on the furnace. Customer called back stating there was still no heat. We returned to the home on 10/21/2022 and ************** completed work at no charge to resolve the issue. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hero technician came out to my home 6/20/22 to fix my A.C. the technician said the motor didn't work and I have an option of paying approximately $200 for a new motor that would fix the problem. They also sent me a quote to have different parts replaced for $780. The motor fixed the problem for 10minutes but as soon as the technician left if stopped. I called them back and said they did not solve my problem. The next day 6/21 /22the same technician came to my house this time he told me I need a **** compressor which he did not tell me about or quote me for the day before . He also stated they do not make the compressor anymore and the motor he put in is not the problem. I called hero and asked them to give me refund because they did not fix the problem, keep changing what needs to be repaired and have horrible customer service. . They reported the technician did not tell them I needed a compressor so they will not be refunding me for the parts that i purchased that did not fix the problem.

  

  Business response

  06/23/2022

  Customer and I spoke today regarding this concern. We stand by the fact that this issue needing a $4K repair was not present at initial time of service, so there was nothing further to recommend.

  We settled on a half refund of the job in the amount of $153 which was accepted by the customer.

• Initial Complaint

  01/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My daughters heat went out in her rental apartment, I had hero heat and Plumbing come out to get an estimate. I was informed that I needed a furnace. The technician called out a sales man to go over a quote. We discussed two options one for $5000 and $10,000. The sales man informed me that he could run my credit and get approved my Wellsfargo line of credit. I told him I had a fraud alert on my credit, he told to call him once I got the alert off and he would then contact Wellsfargo. I never contacted him back one being I had not talked to the landlord and secondly, I did not remove the fraud alert. I received a voice message a few days later stating they completed the work and and needed to get back into the apartment for an inspection. I attempted to call the sales man and I texted him , he didnt answer. Now Im receiving calls for a payment. I feel I am was forced into something I didnt agree to. I did not sign a contract or give a verbal agreement.

  

  Business response

  01/19/2022

  ******-

   

  We are very concerned to hear about your complaint. We do not have your name on record so we can not straighten this out for you. Please call our office and ask to speak to a manager so we can address your concerns. We do not work on rental apartments. Please call us ASAP. But we cannot reach your daughter's file based on your name here. 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. ↩