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:07/29/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 5/31 and 6/1/22, Bell Gas did warranty service on my water heater that they originally installed. I received a bill on 7/15 for $333.04 which listed 6/1 service call $295.00, fuel surcharge $17.00 and tax $21.84. I called Bell Gas on 7/15 and asked why I received a bill and it was so high. ****** said the warranty covered parts, not labor and they charged for 1.5 hrs labor on 5/31 and 2.5 hrs on 6/1 at $95/hr. I asked for an itemized statement showing details of all the charges and left a message for the company owner, *** ****** to call me. Mr. ****** never called. I received the itemized statement on 7/25. The only additional information listed was “Service calls and labor - 2 trips-4 hours (5/31/22 & 6/1/22)”.
  
  Bell Gas was at my house for 25 mins on 5/31. They determined that the gas control valve needed to be replaced. They were there 2 hrs on 6/1. The valve was replaced in less than 45 mins. They spent the other time figuring out the gas pressure needed to be adjusted for it to work. Total time was 2.5 hours. The rate per hour is not clear. $295 /4 hours = $73.50/hr, not $95. They are also located 4 miles from my house, so $17 fuel charge is excessive.
  
  I want 1) the hours charged for corrected, 2) rate per hour listed, 3) it noted that the control valve was replaced and what the warranty is, and 3) calculation of the fuel surcharge.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/03/2022

  In response to the customer complaint of Ms. ****** ******
  the following will outline the details to the four aspects needing
  clarification in regard to billing and warranty below.
  
  Labor charges start at the time the
  technician leaves our premises and returns from each call.  If the technician goes from one call to
  another call, they report back to our office with departure time so the correct
  end time can be documented.  The technician,
  ***** ******, clocked in on the service call on 5/31/22 at 11:45 a.m. and
  clocked out of the service call at 1:15 p.m.  After diagnosing the problem, the technician called Rheem warranty
  department and filed a warranty claim before ordering the part. This process
  usually takes approximately 30 minutes. This time is all added into the initial
  diagnostic service call time spent.  On
  6/1/22, his clocked in time was 2:00 p.m. and clocked out time was 4:30
  p.m. 
  

  In regard to our hourly rate, continuous
  propane customers, are $85.00/hour.  Our
  non-repeat and/or natural gas customers are $115.00-$125.00/ hour based on
  services performed.  The initial
  installation of this water heater was done for Mr. ***** *******, who was charged
  and billed.  Ms. ****** was a new
  customer at the time the service order was placed.  Based off Ms. ****** being a non-repeat/natural
  gas customer, our charge for labor, if the discount was not given, should have
  been 4 hours @$115-125=$460.00-500.00.  Instead, we charged her a flat rate of $295.00, which computes to $73.75/hour
  charged. This discount is based off the fact that the technician could not
  repair the problem on the initial visit since a part had to be ordered, and a
  return visit to replace the part was inevitable.
  

  Per the
  warranty of the control valve, the initial warranty of the appliance is still
  the warranty date in place, even if parts are replaced during the warranty
  period.  To clarify this, if you have a
  water heater with a 5-year warranty and a part goes bad on year 3, the warranty
  left on that part is still only 2 years, since the warranty of the appliance, (ex.
  water heater) has 2 years warranty remaining.  Warranty only covers parts.  Labor
  is not included in the warranty.
  

  Calculating
  the fuel surcharge is a flat rate of $8.50/service trip.  Due to the exorbitant amount of gas prices
  today, as a small business owner, Bell Gas Co. had to start charging a fuel
  surcharge as of 4/1/22.
  

  In regard to never speaking with *** ******, he did speak with her, and she requested
  an itemized statement.  No other
  complaints that were mentioned above were brought forward via phone.  An itemized statement was mailed and received
  upon her request.

  
  As a home-owned propane business
  since 1952 and coal business since 1920, this is our first complaint sent to
  the Better Business Bureau.  It is our goal
  to provide licensed, reliable, and efficient service. This service call was initiated
  by a friend of Ms. ******’s, ***** ******, and not Ms. ****** herself; during a
  holiday weekend, *** moved Ms. ******’s order above other customers to expedite
  solving her problem.
  

  We hope this clarifies your concerns.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/04/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  

  
  

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and accept the response with the following corrections/comments:

  1) *** did not call back and all information on the complaint was relayed by phone to Bell Gas. On 7/15, ****** and I discussed the issue. I asked for an itemized statement and told her to ask *** ****** to call me. I did not receive an itemized statement or call from *** ****** by 7/22, so I called Bell Gas and *** answered the phone. I told him I left a message for him about my bill and need for an itemized statement and hadn’t heard from him. He said he was “lost”. I explained the issue. He said he’d have ****** send me an itemized statement.

  
  2) The service call was not initiated by ***** ******. I called over the weekend and could not reach anyone. ***** knows *** and was able to contact him. He told her I should call on Monday morning, 5/31. I called at 8:03 am and spoke with ***** who said he’d see if they could fit me in that day and call me back. I called back at 9:23 to check the status. ****** said she didn’t know if they’d be able to come out that day. I left a message for ***** to call me. At 11:54 am, ****** called and said they would be on their way in 10 mins.

  
  3) In addition to Bell Gas’ goal is to provide licensed, reliable, and efficient service, they should also add customer service to the list. If the requested detail had been provided initially, there may not have been a need for a complaint. Bell Gas' method of charging for service is not usual, especially for warranty service, and should be relayed up-front to customers. The only thing mentioned in the conversations with ****** was that it was covered under warranty. All efforts to obtain additional information was very difficult.

   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  Regards,
  

  
  

  
  

  ****** ******