ComplaintsforHerrmann Services

• Initial Complaint

  05/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  On April 9, Herrmann services was hired to fix my tenant's water heater that was not heating. I was informed that they had temporarily fixed it and made it heat, but that it needed a more permanent fix, for which they gave me a quote. I agreed to the quote, but a different tech was sent out a couple of days later, who told us he was unable to complete the work as quoted. This same day, my tenant complained that they had not, in face, had hot water at all during this time, and that the plumber had misled me. Because of this, I was forced to hire a different plumber, who, upon examining the water heater, discovered that Herrmann Services had destroyed the viewing glass on my pilot light, effectively voiding the warranty on this brand-new water heater, and allowing for the slightest draft to blow out the water heater. This plumber fixed the viewing glass, and the initial issue for $465.75. A couple of days later, my tenants informed me the water heater had broken again, and my plumber told me it would need to be replaced--something that would be covered under warranty, but because Herrmann Services had voided my warranty, I had to pay $1,811.25 for a new water heater. I contacted Herrmann Services in an attempt to resolve this issue, and they offered me a refund of $288.00 of their $467.00 that was charged to "fix" my water heater. I reached out in response to that message, but they have not responded to my messages for 2 weeks.

  Business response

  10/31/2022

  To Whom It May Concern
  

  On Saturday April 9th we were contacted by a management company that we regularly work with to check a water heater at ** ******* property. We have a $179 emergency trip fee that was agreed to. Technician arrived to the job to check out the unit. Technician repaired the spark ignitor and lit the heater but inadvertently broke the sight glass in the process of diagnosing the water heater. The technician also noticed that the flue pipe should be repiped and left an estimate. Total charge was $467
  

  On April 12 we were called again and informed that the heater was once again out. We sent a different tech out to relite the heater and correct the vent per the prior estimate. The second tech determined that the current water heater would not work with the current vent and suggested switching to an electric heater rather than correcting the multiple issues. There was no charge for this visit but the technician left estimate for new water heater.
  

  On April 20th we were contacted for the first time by ** ****** questioning the work done at his property. After doing some research and having conversations with the technicians we found that:
  

  The first tech broke the sight glass. He had picked up a replacement for it and was prepared to install it when he returned to try and correct the vent. The water heater failed again and the first tech was off due to illness and we sent a second tech back. He did not know about the sight glass and also determined that in order to correct the venting the water heater needed to be replaced. He suggested an electric water heater to eliminate the current vent all together. At that point he did not do anything about the sight glass. All info was shared with *** ******’s management company. At this point we had no contact with *** ******.
  

  *** ****** then called someone else out, they reinstalled the sight glass and relit the heater but the pilot went out again a few hours later. Customer claims that since we removed the sight glass it voided the warranty, This makes no sense , the glass can easily be replaced and the heater would be back to factory condition. The customer had another company replace the heater and wants us to reimburse him for the install. 
  

  This was all done with out ever contacting us.
  

  Herrmann Services still tried to negotiate with ** ****** and offered to reimburse him the $288 charge for the initial call but not the $179 emergency trip fee ( we are very clear about trip fees, they are non negotiable ) even though he was not our actual customer. At that point ** ****** took his complaint to the BBB.
  At this point We do not believe ** ****** is being completely honest with us. We are also not sure the venting issue has actually been corrected. We are no longer interested in any further negotiations with ** ******.

  
  

  Customer response

  11/06/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  

  In response to Herrmann Services

  
  

  In attempting to “diagnose” the water heater, the first tech attempted to pry a screwdriver or similar underneath the sight glass, shattering it in the process. The tech made no effort to clean this up; shattered glass was left inside and around the heater. The next plumber I hired (not Herrmann Services) had to clean this up (see attached). 

  Although the shattered glass had its own dangers (as Herrmann Services failed to clean it up, it could’ve clogged the pilot flame), the biggest danger was the open flame. Herrmann Services did not notify me nor my property manager of the broken sight glass; I was told that the tech “removed” it, but there were no implications that it needed to be fixed. Under no circumstances should an open flame be unsupervised in a home, especially near a gas furnace. Given that this furnace is in the basement, closed off from the rest of the house, had a gas leak occurred, an explosion would have almost certainly occurred. 

  
  

  After the second tech informed us that he could not proceed with the repair quoted initially by the first tech, my property manager followed up multiple times to get advice on how to proceed, but after multiple follow-ups, Herrmann Services never responded. After numerous, unfruitful follow-ups with Hermann Services, on April 14th I determined that it was a lost cause, and contacted a different plumber, who ultimately fixed all issues. Herrmann Services claims their tech was unable to perform the work at the quoted price, however, I was able to find a plumber to carry out the work, and clean up Herrmann Service’s mess, at a few hundred dollars less.

  
  

  I would have preferred to let Herrmann Services right their wrong, however, I was not given the opportunity:

  Herrmann Services never informed me the sight glass was broken (the tech kept it to himself), so I was unaware that it was a problem that needed to be fixed.

  After the second tech’s visit (whose advice contradicted the first tech’s, and put us back at square one), multiple attempts were made in contacting Herrmann Services to fix the issue, but after two more days, they never responded. At this point, the hot water had not been working for 5 days, so I had no choice but to contact another plumber to fix the issue. From my short experience with them, and reviews I read online, Herrmann Services did not seem like a company that would be quick to respond/fix issues, (as later evidenced by my emails with them and their 6-month response to this complaint) so I opted not to continue pursuing their help. 

  
  

  Because the Herrmann Service tech left scratches from breaking the pilot glass, the ***** warranty was voided (the part did not fail on its own, it was broken by contractor negligence. Breaking this part also caused the water heater to malfunction, as the flame was exposed to air and drafts, which meant the water heater was inoperable not due to the fault of the manufacturer). 

  
  

  I was in contact with a manager from Herrmann Services when trying to understand why all this occurred, who took over two weeks to send three emails. I was prepared to accept Herrmann Services’ offer, but the manager did not respond to my email after sending the offer, so I had no choice but to contact BBB for a resolution. 

  Throughout my communications with Herrmann Services and BBB, I have been 100% honest. I would be happy to provide further information on any detail Herrmann Services believes me to be dishonest about. Herrmann Services claims their tech had a replacement part, and intended on fixing what they broke, but they never informed me nor my property manager of this. We were informed that the tech had “removed” the sight glass, so I believe Herrmann Services is not being completely honest on the subject of their tech’s intentions. Given the negligence of the techs, the lack of any semblance of a quick response, and negligible efforts to remedy their wrong, I believe the trustworthiness of Herrmann Services is dubious.

  
  

  
  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. ↩