ComplaintsforCartwright's Plumbing & Heating

• Initial Complaint

  11/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  lAt the end of August, Cartwright's replaced a leaking water heater with a high-end water heater. I paid far too much, but that is not the reason for this complaint. My water heater is the source of heat for my little apartment. (Heat pump?) Recently, it simply wasn't working. I set the thermostat at 75, my desired temperature. The circulating fan runs and runs but the temp in the room is in the 60s. They sent several workers, all very savvy. This Fri., he said something in the ceiling of the bathroom (where the fan is) needed replacement. Since then, I have emailed 3 or 4 times but get no response. This a.m. I filed a service request on their website. It said I would receive an email confirming receipt of the email. None came. I am left in the lurch. PS I still owe them another $300. I would like them to forgive that amount if they refuse to finish the job.

  

  Business response

  12/26/2023

  The water heater replaced in the customers home is not a high end water heater as she is stating it is a standard 40 gallon water heater that required being brought up to code. She has still not paid the unit off.
  
   
  
  The complaint is based around a heat pump in her home which is not associated with the water heater as we explained to her. We have explained to here she needed the Heat pump and well as some of the additional parts to upgrade her system. We have done emergency services for her placing other no heat calls on a back burner because her temperature will not stay at 72*. We did advise we could order the units she needed for the repair work but she would need to have a written estimate and it would require half down in order for us to proceed as she still has an outstanding bill. She was insulted by the fact we could not have good faith in her. This is company policy.

  We have not charged her for any of the heat pump work(6.3 hours’ worth of work) and we did properly install the water heater, this is what she would like us to “forgive” however she still has not finished paying. It is also a completely separate issue.
   
  She has taken this to the attorney general where we have addressed it with them explaining our situation.  I am not sure where we need to go from here as I did finally gain access

  Customer response

  12/28/2023

  I hope this manner of replying works.

  I was not entirely satisfied with Cartwright's response to my complaint. But they did, however, forgive the amount which I ostensibly still owed them, around $270. I had already paid them around $3200.

  As I doubtless said in my original complaint, I felt fleeced by Cartwright's. This matter originated around the end of August, when I discovered a leak in my water heater, which is also the means of heating in my little (740 sf) apartment. They sent a fellow out; he diagnosed it promptly, said it would cost around $2800. As I am a little old lady on a fixed income, that seemed pretty high, but I was leaving two days later for a visit with my kids.

  When I was in Seattle with my kids, Cartwright's and I exchanged a few emails. They gave me a quote around $3500. I hated the idea of coming home to an apartment with cold showers. So I agreed. There is no dispute about that: I said OK, in desperation.

  Two men came the day after my return, Aug. 30, I think. They did a good job and were here less than 2 1/2 hours. I have no complaints about Cartwright's promptness.

  I think I was quoted such a high price for two reasons primarily: I am a little old lady, 88 yo. That was certainly apparent to the fellow who came to my apartment and diagnosed the problem.

  And I live in a condo complex most of whose units are very high-end costing $1,000,000 or more, but the complex has a half dozen or so city-subsidized units, small, and with cheap appliances, cabinets, etc., including a heating system that defies the laws of physics. The heat, which is furnished by the water heater, comes in at the ceiling. However, that's not Cartwright's fault. Even I have to admit that.

  Another man came out a few days later, as the weather had cooled and the heating system didn't work. I asked if it could be a thermostat issue, and he looked at the thermostat and said no.

  I began paying my bill, I think $2200 the first payment, followed by two payments of $500 each. BTW, Cartwright's had installed a commercial grade water heater in this tiny apartment. Overkill? 

  In my original complaint, I asked that the remainder which I ostensibly owed be forgiven. It was. But I think I should have asked for a refund that would total the difference between what ******** originally said, $2800, and the amount ultimately charged, around $3500. 

  AND: to top it off, since the thermostat didn't work, I called another plumbing/heating outfit. Their employee found that it was indeed a thermostat issue. He installed a new thermostat.

  End of story.

  **** ****** ************ (but I don't answer calls unless I recognize the caller ID)

• Initial Complaint

  11/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear **** *********, My name is **** ****. I have been having trouble with my heater and contacted your company for help. When I called to make the appointment, I asked how much it would cost. I was told they would let me know up front before making any repairs. I was scheduled for Friday November 11. They arrived but could not identify the problem. They told us our vents needed cleaning. They told my wife there would be no charge today because they weren't here very long. I was skeptical about this diagnosis. On the following Monday my heater was not working again. It's an intermittent problem. So, I was hoping they could come out again and maybe figure it out now that it is acting up. I called and was told they would try and come out sometime on Monday November 14. And they did. At 11.44 am I got a call from *********** that they were on their way. I texted my wife at 11.45 am that they are on their way. I am at work. At 12:07 my wife texted me that they arrived. She later called me at 12:41pm and informed me what they did and that they departed. They turned down the burner. On Thursday November 17 I got a call from the hvac tech who did the work telling me that I owe him $559.97. I was shocked no one let us know about how we were going to be billed. I called and spoke with ******* several times last week. She informed me that the labor rate is $229.00 per hour. I told her by our calculations they were only there 34 minutes. She says they arrived at 11:46 and departed at 12:57. I can show you on my I phone the times I previously mentioned. Why is there such a discrepancy and why were we not told what the labor rate is prior to getting billed? ******* says her techs told my wife. I've confirmed several times with my wife. She states this is not true. So, it seems we were billed for two hours. I am not entirely sure we did not receive an invoice with the breakdown of the charges. I just got an email with a total of $559.97. We actually got refunded $80.00. My wife actually went in to speak with ******* and ******* would not listen to what my wife wanted to say. My wife **** got so upset she had to leave. Unfortunately, on Friday my wife informed me that the heater was not coming on. So, I called ***********s and asked when they could send someone. They informed me not till the following Tuesday. I also requested a different technician and she said that wouldn't be possible until early December. I also asked if I was going to be charged additionally. I was informed we have a one-week warranty. At this point I was exhausted from talking with ******* about being charged incorrectly and not being informed on the bill that I didn't set any thing up. I actually threatened litigation at some point. I know intermittent problems can be difficult to figure out. I cannot afford to pay for more diagnosis. Since I already paid for a repair that did not resolve my issue, I am asking for your company to figure out what is going on with my heater. I hope to hear from you soon. ************* My address is **** ******** ****** ***** ** ** **** **** This is the email I sent to the owner of the company. It contains all the details of my experience. I did not hear back from him.

  

  Business response

  12/02/2022

  The office manager and the operations manager tried to resolve this. We had 2 people on site for 2 days resolved the issue. Called back a week later went on site Advised the wife of pricing and we would charge this time, repaired the issue and restored heat. ******* did try to work with **** and refunded the amount of 80.00 to be fair. When Ms. ***o stormed into the office on November 18th she was taken to *******'s office and was heard using profane language and being irrational, ******* offered for her to wait and speak in person to the operations manager and while waiting attempted to show our GPS to Ms. ***o she stormed out screaming profanities in front of families and other clients at our office. This was quiet an unpleasant experience. Once she left they called in another work order but demanded another HVAC technician which I did not have available. We offered to send the original they did not like that. As you can see on the invoice it is a 30day warranty. We offered to send another tech out but it would not be until Monday the 21st and Mr. ***o refused saying he would fix it himself. We already refunded more than a fair amount to this customer and he accepted. We do have GPS, Time tracking, and Recorded Phone lines. We strive to please all our customers but when you come to an agreement and accept the offer that creates a mutual understanding the situation is resolved. 

  Customer response

  12/10/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  **** **** * *** ****** ** ** ******** **** ****** ** * ****** *** ******** **** **** * ****** *** **** *** ********* *** ********* ** *** ******** **** *** ******* * ****** *** ********* **** ** ****** *********

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