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:05/03/2024

  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.

  I want to file a formal complaint against Rowan ******************************************* regarding the unsatisfactory service they provided to our residence located in **********, **. In 7/2023, we hired Rowan to conduct a presale inspection, as recommended by our realtor, to ensure that the heating and AC units in the basement and attic, were in good condition. Rowan assured us that the units were in good working order after inspection, and we paid them $758 to inspect, clean, and service the units. However, during the inspection conducted during the sale of our home, issues were noted with the same units that Rowan had supposedly serviced just two months prior. We had Rowan inspect the units again for a second opinion in 9/2023, and they then claimed that the units were "super dirty from not having regular maintenance." This raised serious concerns as it contradicted their initial assessment. Despite numerous attempts, both phone calls and emails to seek clarification and an explanation from Rowan, they have evaded our questions and have failed to provide any response. Furthermore, Rowan has continued to harass us for payment of an additional $411 for a service allegedly provided in August 2023. We ultimately paid this amount to avoid damage to our credit history, but the lack of accountability and transparency from Rowan is deeply concerning. They continue to evade my question despite having been given numerous opportunities to respond. This leaves me to assume that they really didn't service my units in July 2023. The lack of professionalism demonstrated by Rowan has not only resulted in financial losses for us but has also caused significant stress and inconvenience. We have been misled and mistreated as customers, and urge you to investigate this matter. We request that appropriate action be taken to prevent them from engaging in similar deceptive practices in the future and to seek compensation for the losses incurred as a result of their negligence.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/10/2024

  Dr. **** ******, 

  I'm sorry you were unsatisfied with our service.  We always do our very best to provide excellent service to our customers.  
  
  Dr. **** ****** were trying to sell their home. 

  By the way, for these circumstances, when we go on a service call, our technician always takes pictures for later verification as was done for each of these services.
  

  Here is what happened on our end: ************ were from 2006 and overdue replacement, as the home inspector noted on the buyers inspection report.
  
  This service was called in by the sellers because  the buyers inspector said within the inspection report the units needed to be replaced or cleaned.  These units should have been replaced because as noted, they were very old and also needed to be cleaned, but our main goal was to determine they were operating within specs.  
  
  Rexy and Beje Thomas were the sellers and obviously didn't want to replace the systems so we were called to see if this unit was operating within specs.
  Our technician determined each unit was 2 lbs low on refrigerant and he added 2lbs to each.  By adding the refrigerant the meters were reading that both units were operating within specifications (reading was a Delta-T at 3 degrees on both systems) when he left the service call on 7/7/2023.  
  
  On the 2nd visit almost 3 months later, there was an issue with the attic unit.  
  The attic unit had a double filter, where there should have only been 1.  Both these filters were so restricted that the air had to go around them.  The unit was trying to draw air from anywhere it could.  Because of this, the inside of the unit was completely caked with dirt, due to the lack of air being able to penetrate the double filter. 
  

  The technician took the blower motor out and cleaned it, but the only way to thoroughly clean the unit would be to completely disassemble the unit and clean each part.  Keeping in mind this unit, according to the serial number, was from 2006 and it needed to be replaced. If we disassembled the unit as it would need to be, very likely it would not have survived.  So our technician did the best he could under these circumstances.  
  
  The dispute came when we requested payment.  It took the customers almost 7 months to pay their bill.  We had no other option to let them know we were going to have to send them to collections if payment was not made, which is when these negative reviews appeared, here and on yelp.  It appears our company is the only review they have made here and on Yelp.
  
  We did our very best to serve this customer well.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 21660972
  

  We specifically hired Rowan at the request of our real estate agent to assess the condition of the units. We were informed that the unit, though older, was functioning well and replacement was not recommended. Had a replacement been recommended, we would have  complied. In fact, our real estate agent arranged for various professionals, including a roofer, contractor,  etc to inspect the house thoroughly before listing it. We completed all recommended work, investing tens of thousands of dollars to ensure the house was in top condition for sale.
  
  Rowan noted that this is our first Yelp review, though it's unclear why that matters. For context, we used several vendors simultaneouslycontractors, painters, landscapers, roofers, etc.and all provided excellent service, none receiving a negative review. 
  
  Rowan claims they've been attempting to collect payment for 7 months. However, they have not responded to any of my emails or phone calls during this time. This recent communication, aside from automated threats of collection, is the first we've heard from them in 7 months. Is it not reasonable to expect at least one phone call or email from Rowan?
  
  Additionally, Rowan has yet to address my initial query. They inspected the attic unit on their first visit, but when we contacted them two months later, they then described the unit as very dirty and mentioned double filtering. This issue was never brought up during their first visit. Why? Why would we invest in a pre-inspection and pay for Rowan's services, only to find the unit dirty two months later?

   

  Sincerely,
  

  
  **** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 05/24/2024

  Again, I'm sorry you were unsatisfied with our service.  We always do our very best to provide excellent service to our customers.  
  
  
  
  With this complaint the ******' are being very unreasonable, even if this complaint was valid, which it not.  They are requesting a full refund for the entire amount, but none is due.
  As stated before, our technicians  take pictures for later verification as was done for each of these services.
  This dispute came when we requested payment.  It took the customers almost 7 months to pay their bill but payment was due at the time of service.  We had no other option to let them know we were going to have to send them to collections if payment was not made,
  
  In response to this 2nd complaint, 
  Again,  Upon the 2nd visit, The attic Rexy and Beje Thomas were told by the home inspector and also by our technician the systems needed replacing.  On the 2nd visit almost 3 months later, there was an issue with the attic unit.  We are unable to control what happens after we leave a service call.   With the initial complaint,  they initially said it was 3 months, now they are claiming it to be 2 months between calls. When the technician arrived, the attic unit had a double filter, where there should have only been 1. This was not the case when we were there for the 1st visit where both systems were operating as they were supposed to. Both these filters were so restricted in the attic unit that the air had to go around them.  The unit was trying to draw air from anywhere it could.  Because of this, the inside of the unit was completely caked with dirt, due to the lack of air being able to penetrate the double filter. The technician took the blower motor out and cleaned it, but the only way to thoroughly clean the unit would be to completely disassemble the unit and clean each part.  Keeping in mind this unit, according to the serial number, was from 2006 and it needed to be replaced. If we disassembled the unit as it would need to be, very likely it would not have survived.  So our technician did the best he could under these circumstances.  
  We did our very best to serve this customer well.