Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2025

  Type:Billing 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.

  On November 20th, 2024, I noticed that the Blower Wheel on my 40-yr-old Clare ******* was seizing up, so I called First Call Heating.On November 21st, their agent came and inspected the ******* and confirmed that it needed a new Blower Wheel, ***************** After he left, I received an Invoice for $******, their standard Service Call Charge, which I paid immediately.On November 22nd, their agent came, removed the wheel housing & took it to their shop for 3 hours, then returned and installed the new wheel. First Call immediately sent me their Invoice #****** for $1,581.70 (attached) for the new Blower Wheel, without giving any breakdown. Having diagnosed the blower wheel problem from the first, and having seen the simplicity of the job, I could not understand how the cost should be so high, as the total amount paid to First Call would equal: $1,581.70 + ****** = $1,738.15!!I sent two separate emails, on Nov 23/24 and Dec 13/24 (avail on request) to their ***************** requesting the Cost of Parts, Labour Rate, No. of Hrs worked, which my years as a Financial Broker had led me to believe were accepted as Standard Business Practice on big ticket invoices. Both times, First Call ignored my questions and concerns, not even acknowledging receipt of my emails, and sent me insulting Robo Responses along with the same Invoice #******, unchanged.I was able to price out the total cost of the parts at ***** Supply at $358.92, which meant that First Call was intending to charge me a total of $1,379.23 for 3 hours of Labour, or $460 per hour!! As a result of this finding, I bought my own parts and swapped out them out with their parts, which I mailed back to them on Dec 24/24, along with their Invoice #****** marked CANCELLED DUE TO ATTEMPTED FRAUD (with the Tracking No. showing that the parcel was delivered on Dec 27/24)First Call Heating tried to charge me a huge inflated amount, then thumbed their nose at my valid concerns. Surely BBB must sanction this company!

  Business Response

  Date: 31/01/2025

  We genuinely appreciate all customer feedback and welcome the opportunity to address any concerns.
  Transparency in our pricing and billing processes is a priority for us, and we regret any misunderstanding that may have occurred. Before proceeding with the repair, we provided a clear and detailed quote covering both labor and parts, which the customer accepted. Our service technician then completed the job, restoring much-needed heat on a cold day. If the quote was beyond the customer's budget, they had the option to decline the repair and pay only the previously communicated trip and diagnostic fee.
  Please be assured that integrity and customer trust are at the core of our business. We are committed to fair pricing and delivering excellent service, and we do not engage in deceptive practices.

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 31/01/2025

  First Call Heating said they were "transparent" but that is incorrect and dishonest.

  After repeated verbal (to their agent) and written (addressed to ******************** requests to clarify the actual costs of the required parts, hourly labour rate, and no. of hours requured, which were never specified, the company refused to respond for over a month.

  It was my personal research that uncovered this scam, attempting to TRIPLE the actual cost of performing the job required by the situation.

  I feel strongly that BBB must sanction such questionable behaviour in order to justify its existence.

  If you don't uphold and promote Standard Business Practices, who will?

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/02/2025

   
  Complaint: 22781827
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  First Call Heating said they were "transparent" but that is incorrect and dishonest.

  After repeated verbal (to their agent) and written (addressed to ******************** requests to clarify the actual costs of the required parts, hourly labour rate, and no. of hours requured, which were never specified, the company refused to respond for over a month.

  It was my personal research that uncovered this scam, attempting to TRIPLE the actual cost of performing the job required by the situation.

  I feel strongly that BBB must sanction such questionable behaviour in order to justify its existence.

  If you don't uphold and promote Standard Business Practices, who will?

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

  Business Response

  Date: 04/02/2025

  We can appreciate the customer concerns with the cost of the call but their was no fraud on the part of our company. We quoted our price for time and materials and presented it to the customer, he accepted the quote as presented, had the work completed, was presented with the invoice, made a commitment to pay and thus far, has paid 0.00 towards this bill.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/02/2025

  Despite their specious claims, it is my belief that First Call Heating has been getting away with Misleading and Grossly Over-Charging consumers for routine  services for years, perhaps decades!

  It must be High Time for BBB and other ******************* to PUT A STOP  TO IT NOW!

  Never nind what they say ---Talk is Cheap.

  Please investigate their questionable practices. Thank you!