Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/06/2023

  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.

  We had dripping water in our ****** tank less water heater. Called Bryant, because they are the ones who installed it. They sent technician who ordered parts (heater is still under warranty). When parts finally arrived that technician , I was told, got sick with COVID. So, they had to reschedule and have another technician to come over. That second technician replaced all the parts and when all was done a new leak appeared, this time from secondary heater exchanger damaged while replacing other parts. This technician, who caused damage while replacing other parts of the heater, didn't admit his mistake but called ****** and ordered secondary exchanger, all the while fraudulently charging me $320 for damaging my heater (they charge $40 each 15 min). He said they would come and replace the secondary exchanger the same day when the part arrives. Next day the part arrived and we called to schedule a service. But we were told all technicians/plumbers were busy "doing the warranty work", so they had no one to come and correct the damage they have done. They have defrauded me of $320 (charged without authorization) on top $100 charged for the first visit, and I ended up with more damage than I had when I called them. They either did this damage because they are incompetent or, if they know what they are doing, they are doing it in order to charge exorbitant amount of fees for hours of work wasted while they replacing parts that need not to be replaced. When my husband called to escalate to management he spoke with some lady who was laughing and smirking, telling him they would not be sending a technician, that it was our fault that the heater was not in working condition, and that they had no intention to make good of it.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/13/2023

  December 13, 2023 
  
  Dear *** ********* and *** ********, 
  

  I am in receipt of your message. In reference to your note and concerns, I hereby address them. I have spoken to our technicians, read the service tickets as well as had the installing technician write up a statement concerning the installation of the replacement parts which were recommended to be replaced by the manufacturer. Tankless heaters although very efficient, conveniently sized, provide energy savings and endless hot water, require maintenance a minimum of yearly, as well as more in depth maintenance in hard water areas. This information was thoroughly explained in your homeowner packet which you would have received at the homeowner orientation. According to our records your home settled on or about July 18, 2017. 

  In reading the service order Work Order #****** dated November 30, 2023 the technician contacted ****** technical support who determined that the main heat exchanger, gas manifold, fan and circuit board need to be replaced. The parts were under warranty by the manufacturer and were to be shipped directly to your home as required by the manufacturer. While the parts were covered under the manufactures warranty the cost of the diagnostic call are not for which we charged $100.00 and the ticket was signed. We scheduled the installation of the above parts for December 5th at approximately noon.

  Due to the original technician being sick we scheduled another technician for the replacement of the defective parts. 
  

  Unfortunately, after the new parts were installed it was determined that the unit was experiencing additional issues. At that point, the second conversation took place with the ****** technical support representative which then required the second order from ****** for the secondary heat exchanger. The part was ordered with it also being shipped to your address. 
  
  In an effort to explain why an additional part was required our Senior Tech was dispatched to the home and explained the situation, after which the attached (Work Order #******) in the amount of $320.00 was generated, approved by ******* ********, who provided Credit Card information which was used to obtain the payment. At this point we understand that another plumbing company replaced the secondary heat exchanger which was diagnosed by manufacturer as a failed part. 
  

  I am sorry your experience with Bryant Group, Inc. did not meet your expectations. We made every effort to correct the problem as instructed by the manufacturer and do not feel we caused any leaks. Therefore, we deny your request for reimbursement for our technician's time. 
  

  Respectfully, 
  

  BRYANT GROUP, INC. 
  President 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/24/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Dear Better Business Bureau team,
  I have received response from **** ****** President of Bryant Group, Inc. Following is my reply to points raised and factual evidence to support my complaint.
  A) *** *****’s letter references a copy of the “work order ******” attached, but the attachment was not provided. Therefore, I have contacted Bryant Group, Inc. and asked them to produce it. What I have received (See Exhibit 1) is illustrious on following counts:
  First: It was fraudulently manufactured by Bryant Group, Inc. after they left our premises, because I still have the actual invoice No. ****** (See Exhibit 2);
  Second: It lacks the signature of home owner under “30-day guarantee on all C.O.D. work except stoppages”, just as the copy of incomplete work order shown in Exhibit 2.
  Third: the fraudulent invoice No. ****** has $320.00 written-in as a cost of work allegedly completed, whereas the actual invoice No. ****** does not, has only a start time of 12:00 and no indication of home owner approving any charges. I am attaching Exhibit 3, copy of the invoice No. ****** for November 30th, 2023 diagnostic work, as an example of what the completed work order approved by a home owner looks like. Note that the Invoice No. ****** has:

  a) signature of home owner under “30-day guarantee on all C.O.D. work except stoppages”,
  b) the time entered for start and finish of the job; c) total amount charged for work. None of these elements are present in Invoice No, ******.
  Under NO CORCUMSTANCES did home owner authorize any charges for the incomplete work performed on 12/5/23 by a technician, who caused multiple damages to heater while attempting to exchange the primary heat exchanger. As such, a charge of $320.00 is fraudulent, constitutes an act of embezzlement and shall be reversed immediately.

  B) Now I will move to citing documented facts of the damage done by the technician during his 12/05/23 visit to our home. To that end, I am producing Exhibit 4, Exhibit 5, Exhibit 6 and Exhibit 7.

  ? Exhibit 4 is an invoice for the work order performed on December 7, 2023, by licensed plumber, ****, from ***** Plumbing and heating. In his notes, technician stated that while installing secondary heat exchanger a leak on thermistor of the primary heat exchanger installed by Bryant Group, Inc. was discovered, which was due to O-ring missing. ****** technician who was contacted by phone explained to **** that O-ring for thermistor does
  not come with primary heat exchanger and had to be transferred from replaced primary heat exchanger, with Bryant Group failed to do. Thus, the invoice of $525.00 from *****, which went beyond estimated 2 hours of work required to replace secondary heat exchanger, was directly related to investigation, contacting ****** technical support team and discovering the issue (leak from primary heat exchanger) caused by Bryant Group while replacing the primary heat exchanger.
  ? Exhibit 5 is an invoice for work performed by licensed plumber, ***, on December 9th, who discovered, among other things, multiple O-ring leaks on primary heat exchanger installed by Bryant Group. Following are the notes written by licensed plumber, ***: 

  ? Installed thermistor and turned on water. Found multiple o ring leaks on copper primary heat exchanger installed by another company (i.e. Bryant Group, Inc.);
  ? Fixed o- ring leaks and found the sensor wire for heat exchanger was never install ed on primary;
  ? Found fan motor unhooked;
  ? Found none of the heater blocks installed on primary exchanger;
  ? Found fan plate was never installed when primary exchanger was installed (By Bryant Group, Inc.);
  ? Had to call tech support to program heater control board which wasn’t done by primary installer (Bryant Group);
  ? Tore apart burner chamber to plug in wires on back of gas valve;
  ? Heater not burning right due to oxygen fuel ratio without the fan motor cover.
  Will return when parts arrive to install. 

  *** had spent 3.5 hours on a weekend, speaking with ****** technician over **** on his phone, investigating and trying to find causes of leaks from primary heater exchanger installed by Bryant Group, Inc. and attempting to fix the heater damaged by Bryant Group. Homeowner had to absorb the bill in the amount of $787.47 as a result of the damages caused by Bryant Group.
  ? Exhibit 6 is an invoice for work performed by licensed technician *** and his assistant on December 12, 2023, when heater was finally fixed, clips for thermistor installed and heater restored to working condition.

  ? Exhibit 7 is a copy of the email requested and received from ******, the company that manufactured the heater referenced in this complaint. Note that the leak from secondary heater exchanges was not noted prior to December 5th 2023 visit by Bryant Group, during the detailed diagnostics call, they have made to ****** on November 30th.

  Below are the copy-pasted portions from the ****** notes that were highlighted in exhibit:
  ? 12/07/2023: A call back reporting, heat exchanger thermistor leaking, service provider pulled the thermistor and there was no O-ring;
  ? 12/09/2023: Advised to turn dip switches 3 and 7 ON. Currently all dip switches were OFF.
  ? After dip switches were corrected still have EC 73. Went through the manual data transfer process. EC 73 went away.
  ? EC 14. Tech stated the thermal fuse is just looped in the front of the HEX. He says part of the wiring was slightly damaged. Service provider explained he was able to get the wiring back into place. EC 14 cleared.
  ? Now EC 51. When the service provider pulled the manifold the wiring harness was NOT connected.

  ? The pressure screw is not in the manifold. A request will be submitted for a new screw to go out for the manifold.
  ? After clearing error codes 14, 73 and 51 the unit was short cycling. Monitored the unit. 
  Error code 12 while monitoring. Upon checking the fan for the fan plate. Discovered the fan plate is not installed.
  ? Post heater exchanger replacement issues were a result of: 
  ? The O-Ring had not been installed on thermistor causing a leak.
  ? EC73- When PCB was replaced data transfer was not done.
  ? EC14- Due to the thermal fuse not being installed fully
  ? EC12- Due to missing fan plate, fan was over powering flame
  ? Manifold screw was not installed, leaving the manifold gas pressure port open 

  C) According to State of Maryland Board of Plumbing it is a jailable offence to perform plumbing work without license and insurance. See Exhibit 8. Such offenses are prosecuted to full extent by the Consumer Protection Division of Maryland's Office of the Attorney General (“CPD”) It’s illegal for unlicensed plumber in the state of Maryland to work without direct supervision of licensed plumber. The name of Bryant Group plumber who filled out the work
  orders No. ****** and No. ****** is ******* (See Exhibits 1 and 2). Upon further investigation it appears that the full name of the said technician is ******* ******* ************* (See Exhibit 9, public ******** profile of individual who visited my household on December 5th, 2023).
  ******* is a former ***** package handler who recently started to work for Bryant Group as a plumber. Search of Maryland Department of Labor database returns no results when search is conducted for a plumber with a last name ************* (See Exhibit 10). As such, it appears that
  Bryant Group had dispatched unlicensed plumber to perform unsupervised work, which (if proven to be true) would be a major violation of Maryland Laws and the State of Maryland Board of Plumbing regulations. Under the legal doctrine of Respondeat Superior the Bryant Group, Inc.  carries direct and full responsibility for hiring and sending unlicensed plumber to perform unsupervised work in public and private residences. Upon information and belief, Bryant Group acted in bad faith and in violation of State law when it dispatched on December 5th an individual named ******* ******* ************* to install primary heater exchanger at my household.

  D) In light of above it is worth noting once again that no leak from secondary heat exchanger was detected during the November 30th, 2023 diagnostic visit by ******, another employee of Bryant Group who, having more experience performing work on the field, thoroughly examined and diagnosed the heater while on a **** call with ****** technician. The gushing leak from secondary heat exchanger, which was impossible to ignore, simply did not exist until after installation of primary heat exchanger by *******. See Exhibit 11 for images of secondary heat exchanger removed by *******. There is no trace of calcification or rust on this welded secondary heat exchanger removed by *******, and the only damage seen is the dent to top of it, apparently
  caused by ******* while he replaced primary heat exchanger. As I was told by **** from ***** plumbing, ******* may have dropped or otherwise damaged secondary heat exchanger while replacing the primary. I am keeping it as evidence, to be examined by experts who can testify to the condition of removed/old secondary heat exchanger, if necessary.
  E) It is also worth noting that the so-called senior plumber with Bryant Group (self-identified as ****) who was dispatched after botched work performed by *******, spoke at length with me over the phone on December 5th, 2023, to assure me that Bryant Group would not charge for the time spent on December 5th, 2023, and would only charge for work performed to complete the job when the secondary heat exchanger arrived. And that the only valid charge was in the amount of $100.00 for November 30th, 2023 visit by ******. It was clearly understood that there was no authorization to charge **** card for any amount or fee, until after the second heat exchanger arrived and was properly installed to complete the work order. It was also clearly understood that the secondary heat exchanger would be replaced the same day as the part arrived, which would be on December 6th, 2023. Needless to say, Bryant Group did not honor what it pledged to do, namely to arrive the next day, replace secondary heat exchanger which I strongly believe was damaged by ******* while replacing the primary heat exchanger. Instead, Bryant Group proceeded to manufacture another work order (without approval and signature of the homeowner) and fraudulently charged homeowner $320.00, which they had never been authorized to do.
  F) It is also notable, in light of above, that Bryant Group has a pattern of poorly performing plumbing work to the utter dismay and dissatisfaction of residential customers in the area of service. Please see Exhibit 12, which features public review left by frustrated customers on ****** reviews, pattern of causing severe damage, breaking home owner’s appliances and then never returning to complete the job.
  G) Another issue that I would like to bring to your attention is the improper installation of the drain pipe from ****** heater to the sewer or sump-pump hole several feet away from the installed ****** heater. I did not become aware of this issue until December 7th, 2023 **** call of ***** plumber with ****** technician (****** is the manufacturer of the installed water heater at my household), who was appalled by the improper installation of the drain pipe which, as she stated, “is a source of major issues with the heater that will generate error codes and fail if not properly installed”. Needless to say, Bryant Group had originally installed ****** heater in my house located at **** ***** ***, Frederick, MD *****. Bryant Group was one of the contractors hired by ****
  *****, who build this house in 2017 and sold to me. I recall having an issue with drain pipe shortly after occupying the house in 2017, which was caused by fault error indicating that my heater was not properly draining. At the time, my house was still under the **** ***** (Builder’s) warranty and Bryant Group dispatched the plumber who drained the pipe and left. Now, upon closer look and prompted by plumber from ***** and ****** (manufacturer’s) technician, I see clearly the glaring fault in original pipe installation. The pipe, which is way too long according to manufacturer and should not drain to sewer/sump pump hole, is also faulty in respect of lacking a proper support underneath it. This matter is a subject of separate investigation, to find out how could such a faulty installation be approved by inspector from Frederick County, who had to inspect and approve the appliances as meeting the statutory Codes before the house could be turned over to homeowner. See Exhibit 13. The only support under the drain pipe is a piece of plastic that stands on concrete ground without anything to keep it standing: it can easily be pulled (or fall) from underneath the drain pipe, which must have been a reason why drain pipe error code appeared on ****** heater shortly after I moved in, and (as evidenced) was not properly addressed by Bryant Group.

  H) The last thing I would like to address is related to a “warranty” and “maintenance” obligations of home owners mentioned by *** ***** in his response letter. It’s notable that Bryant Group kept raising this “warranty” and “maintenance” claim as a way to justify its failure to carry out and finish the job it started. Although the issue of “warranty” is completely unrelated to my claim, since Bryant Group was intending to charge for labor to complete the job and repair ****** heater, I am forced to address it to set the records straight. First of all, there is no “instruction to flush and descale” received by home owners in regards to ****** heathers, because it doesn’t exist. Instead, I am bringing to your attention Exhibit 14, pulled directly from the manufacturer’s (******’s) website titled “Tankless Myth 1. Tankless Needs Annual maintenance?” Highlighted portion of the article states, among other things the following: “Many believe that a tankless water heater needs annual maintenance, but that is a myth, according to ***** *******, marketing manager at ****** America.” It further states that “Unlike a tank-type water heater, which forces the minerals to collect on the bottom of the storage tank, a tankless water heater pushes most of the scale through the system. If there is a buildup of scale somewhere in the tankless water heater, the burner will be forced to work at a higher temperature to properly heat the water. Eventually, the water heater, if it comes with scale detection software, will provide an error message that service is required”. 
  Note that our ****** heater comes with complex and sophisticated Error Code generating software and it would generate error code if it was overheating due to lack of maintenance (which it never did), and if scaling was a real culprit in this case. The article also states elsewhere “In a very hardwater area, this could mean servicing the unit once a year, but in an area with softer water, you might go four to five years without any maintenance.” The next Exhibit presented, Exhibit 15, shows the US water hardness map as well as water hardness report (by county and city in Maryland) and annual water quality report for Frederick County, Maryland. At no point it is suggested that Frederick, MD has “very hard water”. At 99 PPM, well under the industry standard
  limits for hard water and nowhere close to “very hard water” like in Baltimore at 185 PPM, Frederick has only slightly hard water. Therefore, an attempt by Bryant Group to shift the blame to home owner for lack of allegedly required by ****** and presented by **** ***** maintenance instructions is just that, a false accusation designed to deflect the blame from *******/Bryant Group and to invent an excuse for itself, by manufacturing non-existent warranty and non-related maintenance requirements as a way to explain its own lack of completing the job started, sending unlicensed plumber and causing multiple damages while doing so.

  Demand:

  In the spirit of Holidays, the home owner agrees not to file Police Report for embezzling and fraudulently charging $320.00 towards the **** Card if Bryant Group reverses the said charge immediately upon receipt of this letter.
  Furthermore, Home owner agrees not to file formal complaint with Consumer Protection Division of Maryland's Office of the Attorney General (“CPD”), the licensing bureaus and the State Courts of Maryland, waiving a Tort claim of neglect, lack of due care and resulting endangerment, inconvenience, pain and suffering inflicted on home owners by December 5th, 2023 dated visit by *******, if Bryant Group compensates direct monetary losses of home owner in the amount of $1,871.20.
  Home owner gives Bryant Group, Inc. 15 days to consider this offer of amicable resolution of the complaint arising from actions of its’ employee on December 5th, 2023.  

  Sincerely, 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/24/2023

  Please see attached combined pdf file which includes all Exhibits in compressed format. Higher quality productions were emailed directly to Bryant Group and BBB. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/08/2024

  RE: Complain t ID No. ********

  Due to large size of the file that BBB portal rejected, all Exhibits were compressed in a ZIp file and emailed to [email protected] at 10:36pm on 12/24/2023. Please check the email box. Contact us if you have any questions. 

  Thank you,

  ******************************* and ***************************

  Home Owners at:

  **** *********
  Frederick, MD *****
  ************

  From: ************************* <*************************>
  Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2023 10:36 PM
  To: '[email protected]' <[email protected]>; '**********@*****.com' <**********@*****.com>
  Subject: BBB Complaint ID# ********; Email: ******************** -Response to Bryant Group
  
  

  From: ******************************* <********************>
  Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2023 12:54 PM
  To: ******************* <**********************************************>; [email protected]
  Cc: *************************;*********************** <**************************************************>;************* <****************************************>
  Subject: Re: Bryant Group response
  
  Attached is a response to the email sent to **. ********************** on December 24, 2023.  This response has also been shared with the Better Business Bureau.
  
  On Wed, Dec 13, 2023 at 1:01?PM ******************* <**********************************************>wrote:
  Good afternoon,
  
  Attached is a response to the email sent to **. ********************** on Thursday December 7,2023.  This response has also been shared with the Better Business Bureau.
  
  Respectfully,
  
  *******************
  President
  Bryant Group Inc.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/26/2024

  See attached response.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/29/2024

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  No response was received from the business to address our rebuttal letter with 15 Exhibits attached. Business merely attached its original December 13th, 2023 letter full of false statements and denials. As such, we have filed complaint with MD licensing bureau and MD Consumer Protection agency. Once those complaints have been investigated and resolved, we will proceed with civil law suit against Bryant Group, Inc. No consumer should be defrauded the way we were and no business should get away with such actions. I intend to bring the company before the Judge and Jurors and have them restitute our losses in full. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************************