Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:13/05/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  May 2022 insulation firms were contacted to provide quotations to install attic insulation in our home. Energy Savers Insulation was chosen of the two quotes, in the amount of $2,524.20. During the site inspections both firms commented that there were no issues present with attic ventilation, the soffits were clear. Insulation stops were recommended to maintain this by both firms and were included in the quoted price.
  
  Work was completed on May 20, 2022. During the winter of 2022/2023 ice damming was noticed on the south side of the house. This had not occurred in previous winters, residing in home for 15 years. A roofing inspector/consultant was contacted to inspect the roof for cause and presented a report indicating there wasn't ventilation on the south side, causing the ice damming.
  
  Energy Savers was contacted mid-March 2023, requested a site visit to review the issue of the ice damming and were presented with a copy of the report. Tech stated the photographs were from the wrong side of the house, report based on assumption, contact office if still dissatisfied. Office contacted on April 1, second site visit with ******* ******* scheduled for April 19, with consultant in attendance.
  
  *****, ******* *******, was argumentative, denied responsibility and stated for him to enter the attic to check if the soffit area was blocked it would void the warranty. He later walked back from that statement and it was agreed that we would wait until the next snow fall to see if the issue re-occurred.
  
  In the interim another contractor opened the soffits from the exterior, (to not void the warranty) confirmed there wasn't any ventilation on the south side, soffits blocked with insulation. Photographs were emailed to ***** on May 12, with denial of responsibility. Stated insulation that is blocking the soffits was existing, contradicting the findings from initial inspection, with no sign of insulation block present. Work has a one year warranty that is not being fulfilled.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 25/05/2023

  Thank you
  for your review. Energy Savers has
  completed an investigation into the issues presented in your complaint.  We have concluded that the insulation and
  soffit stops that you requested were installed as quoted and up to our strict
  standards.  The area that was in question
  was, as noted by your roofing expert, inaccessible at the time of installation
  therefore insulation stops were not added in that area.  The balance of the attic space does have
  soffit stops installed correctly as requested and confirmed by your roofing
  expert.   The information provided to us
  by your roofing expert indicates that there is a blockage in the soffit area
  that was only visible when the soffits were removed from the exterior of the
  home.  The insulation that was found to
  be blocking the air flow is suspected to be original to the home and was not
  installed by Energy Savers.  The product
  that we used in this attic is a white blown in insulation which differs from
  the pink batt style insulation that was found to be plugging the soffits. 

  In your
  email to our office you have requested a $900 refund, we are unable to provide
  you with a cash refund for this service. 
  We are willing to have our crew remove the insulation that was found to
  be plugging the soffit and install soffit stops in that area from the exterior
  of the home if we can be provided with exterior access by the homeowner.  Please feel free to contact our office at any
  time to have our offered resolution fulfilled.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 25/05/2023

  
  
  Complaint: 20054084
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  The assessment from Energy Savers is correct in that the insulation that is blocking the soffits on the south side of the house is the original bat insulation.  It was pushed up against the soffits during the installation of the blown in insulation by Energy Savers, complete with the installation of the insulation blocks that were to prevent this from occurring.  The soffits were replaced in 2020, with no blockage noted during that time or any previous time from when the was home purchase to the winter of 2022/2023, post attic insulation installation. The soffits were observed and noted as being clear by both insulation firms (including Energy Savers) during the quotation site visit in May of 2022.

  Ice damming was not present pre-insulation installation.  It was only after the installation, with the soffits blocked that there is insufficient venting on the south side of the attic that caused the ice damming. 

  Previous attempts to amicably resolve this with the ******* ******* of Energy Savers were met with threats, hostility, accusations and condescending comments to both us the customers as well as the expert brought in to investigate the ice damming. 

  We do not wish to have Energy Savers in our home again, based on the past experiences in attempting to resolve this issue.  We will accept a refund in the amount of $900.00, the amount the ******* ******* repeatedly said it would cost him to have his crew return and investigate/correct the matter.  The funds are required to have another firm correct the issue.
  

  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 30/05/2023

  *****,
  While we appreciate your pursual of this issue and your
  confirmation that Energy Savers did not install the insulation that was found
  to be blocking your soffits, your determination that our installation process
  is capable of moving a batt of insulation into your soffits in incorrect.  The air speed of the machine is not capable
  of such feats.  As can be seen in your
  photos no modern material is present at all in the spaces around the
  batts.  If our product was found in the
  soffit or around the batts of insulation blocking your soffits this may have
  been considered for causation.  The
  soffits in the area in question are at least six feet away from any humanly
  accessible areas of your attic and therefore can’t be seen or accessed without
  removal of roof structure, or removal or soffits from the exterior of the
  home.  Energy Savers employees were not
  present when ice damning was occurring on the roof and therefore, we have no
  basis to make an assessment as to the cause of the ice damning.  We would concur with your roof inspector’s
  evaluation and agree that the eaves guards should be inspected in order to
  determine if they may have contributed to the ice damning on that area of your
  roof.
  Considering that we
  are in agreement that Energy Savers did not install the insulation found to be
  blocking your soffits we are unable to offer you a cash refund of any
  sort.  We are willing to return to your
  home free of charge and remove the insulation blocking your soffits if you can
  provide access from the exterior of the home to the area in question.  Please feel free to contact our office at
  your convenience to make the arrangements for the offered solution to your
  issue.
  Kind Regards,
  Energy Savers Insulation 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 31/05/2023

  
  
  Complaint: 20054084
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  It is agreed that Energy Savers did not install the original bat insulation in the home.  That is not the point of the complaint or issue.  What is the issue is that during the installation of the insulation stops and blown-in insulation, in particular the stops along the south side of the house, that the existing bat insulation was pushed against the soffit causing a blockage of air flow.  Thus resulting in ice damming that was experienced for the first time during the winter of 2022/2023. 
  

  As noted previously during the solicitation of quotes for the work to install insulation into the attic, it was noted by not only Engery Savers, but also by the other firm that all soffits were clear and free of obstructions.  This was also found when the soffits were replaced in 2019 and within the home inspection report at the time of purchase (2008), that there were no obstructions.  A recommendation to add additional insulation was noted within the home inspection and that was what was being acted upon in May of 2022.

  If during the installation of the stops and the insulation it was noted by the crew that there was an obstruction on the south side of the attic space that was impeding the installation of the stops, it was not relayed to us the home owners.   The onus to inform the customer of any found unforeseen conditions that impedes the prescribed method of installation rests with the contractor/company completing the work.

  With regard to the offer to return to the home and remove the blockage by Energy Savers, this too is unsatisfactory.  Attempts have been made to resolve this amicably and were met with negative outcomes on both home visits.  That the last visit was such that there is no confidence in their ability to rectify the matter satisfactorily or desire to have a crew with such a negative attitude in our home again.

  One last attempt to resolve the matter via arbitration through the ****** ******** ****** was/is being sought.  However if this too is not met satisfactory we will be seeking legal alternatives to resolve the matter.  What we are looking for is a refund of the cost of the installation to pay another firm to remove the blockage from the south side of the attic/soffits.  We should not be expected to fund repairs to correct faulty work completed by Energy Savers.  Nor should we have to have a company/crew in our home that we are no longer comfortable with or have any confidence in correcting the matter that satisfactory.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2023

  Thank you for your continued feedback.  I appreciate that we can agree that Energy
  Saver is not responsible for the issues that are occurring.  While we are not at fault, we do understand
  that regardless of fault you do need to have your issues resolved.  If you are still adamant that our crew not
  return to have this rectified we are willing to pay to have another company
  complete the removal of the batt insulation from the south corner of the attic
  up to a maximum of your requested $900.00. 
  Please provide our office with an invoice addressed to us from the
  company that is providing the services along with photos of the repairs and we
  will ensure that the invoice is paid directly. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/06/2023

  
  
  Complaint: 20054084
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  To clarify, we are in agreement with Energy Savers in the fact that they did not install the original bat insulation in our home.  What is not in agreement is that Energy Savers is not responsible for the ice damming that was noted on the south side of the roof, post insulation installation by them.  The ice damming was not noted prior to the work completed, with the blocking of the soffits post installation being the direct result.

  Again, to further assert that there was a pre-existing condition within the attic that prohibited the installation of the insulation stops was not relayed during the installation.  It also contradicts what was noted during the April 19 joint site visit with the consultant where it was re-iterated that they were they installed in accordance to the quote.  To stipulate that this was not the case in the May 25/2023 response is not accurate to what was witnessed previously or what was paid for at the time of installation.  The quote was for the installation of stops throughout the perimeter of the attic spaces, with a cost applied to the quantity needed to complete this.  If the stops were not installed as quoted due to a pre-existing condition, there wasn't a discussion or a reduction in the price to reflect this. 

  Thus and further to what was agreed upon on April 19/2023, the stops were installed along the south side of the attic space.  They pushed the existing bat insulation to cause a blockage in the soffit vent area, that caused the ice damming.

  To the offer of paying to the maximum upset amount of $900.00 to rectify the problem to another company.  This would be acceptable minus having the company bill Energy Savers directly for the work being completed.  It is not feasible to contract another firm to complete the work on the premise that it would be paid for by a third-party.

  What would be acceptable would be for a refund to be issued for us to have the work completed, or at a minimum to have us provide quotations to complete the work and a cheque be issued to us to pay for the work. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *****