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:06/17/2024

  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 used this business on the recommendation of BBB. I have had a horrible experience -- inflated prices, no contract, poor workmanship, no communication, no overseeing manager to inspect work. My heating system leaks. I am disputing the bill. This business still has a BBB good rating despite numerous customer complaints that I (given my experience) have found. Please explain why this business has a good rating.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/27/2024

  We will be adjusting bill.

  Please note, this job was a house that was vandalized and abandoned for quite a while. The boiler was frozen, (cracked) gas line would not hold pressure, and also not up to code. As it was disconnected for more than 6 months, this requires us to bring the system up to present code by law. When we come up on a situation like this, we cannot give good estimates, as it would be the same as looking at a system and asking how many leaks there are without testing. We also tested the lines for the heating system, all zones, to make sure there were no hidden leaks as well. Yes this is a long and arduous process as well as dealing  with soft copper lines that were distorted when vandals had stolen all the baseboard heaters. Not always easy to adapt to and make work well first time. And we did get the system working better than the original installation including freeze protection in the system by adding glycol.

  During or around this time, our office manager died and of course this put an administrative kink in our organization. It was also during the peak of an unprecedented pandemic which greatly effected supply chains in availability of basic parts we use everyday and also huge increases of costs. As an example some gas fittings were 4-5 times more expensive that normal if they could be found. At that time we were ordering gas fittings and other parts to complete ******* ******** job from the east coast so we could get heat on in the building in the middle of winter. Plastics tripled at that time from where it is present day, same with copper and brass. Finding a boiler at that time was also short of a miracle as lead times on boilers was 3-6 months.

  We did the best we could under the circumstances, we do not overcharge, if there were leaks that were not fixed by us, we were not informed of such leaks. Yes the bill is high and that was for a whole new heat and energy (gas) system. In normal times these are the costs close to what is expected for the work done. Some people do not realize the costs of such systems, particularly when so much was unknown before we started. Of course I could not give an estimate and be accurate. Many do not understand what is involved with a hydronic heating system, particularly if they come from a warm environment like Austin or San Francisco. And that is understandable.

  ***** *****
  
  

  President
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/08/2024

  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.

  Hello BBB,
  
  In August of 2023 we hired a plumber (Bond) to hook up a grill and convert it from propane to natural gas. I called ahead to get an estimate, and they guessed that the bill would be about $95. I thought that was a conservative estimate, so I mentally doubled it and proceeded.
  
  They arrived and hooked up the grill to the natural gas line in about 45 min, then started on the conversion. I purchased the correct conversion kit, which I verified by both the item description and item numbers via the maker's website. Regardless, they stated that I didn't purchase the correct kit, and therefore the grill could not be fully converted. We all tested the grill together, it only heated up to about 250, then they left. Bond then sent us a bill for ~2.5 hours time, totaling ~$450.
  
  We reviewed the manual, it was only about 5 steps long, and step 3 clearly addressed the issue they were citing. My partner and I fixed the issue in about 10 min with no additional tools or parts.
  
  We contacted the owner multiple times and explained the issue, said that the work done to connect the grill to the gas line was great and we would be happy to pay for that portion, but we would not pay for 1 hour & 45 min of work that did not even follow the basic 5 step manual. The owner said that "his guys don't make mistakes".
  
  The owner screamed at my partner and said that we should "pay what we thought was fair and not call again". We replied with an email once again stating what we thought was fair and asked for an updated invoice that we could pay, but he did not reply. Yesterday we received a call from his office threatening to charge additional interest for each month since September or else they would send us to collections.
  
  I would like some help working out a solution where we pay for the expertise that they provided, but not pay for time spent fumbling around that ultimately didn't amount to a reasonable solution. I don't feel that its a big ask from Bond. Thanks for your help!

  Business Response

  Date: 05/21/2024

  Greetings

  We were called by to extend a gas line and hook up a BBQ by the ****** ********. Their location is 10 minutes from our shop on a good day without construction or other delays. Our billing, as is standard in the service industry, starts at the time we leave our shop. Our licensed gas person left with his helper to do the job. For a journeyman and a helper we charge $190 per hour, a typical rate for our trades. These have been our rates for several years. After reviewing the bill and when travel time is included, this is what the job would be. Diego has been a licensed gas pipe fitter  for over 12 years or longer. When the guys hooked up the BBQ, they could not get it up to temp. We asked them for a conversion kit, the kit that was provided was not the correct one according to my techs and stated that the correct one will need to be ordered. Diego and my company have been doing conversions on appliances, furnaces and so on for many years, so yes we have a lot of experience in this area.Often we see others install conversion kits not designed for our elevation and have seen some equipment run unsafe and ruined because the wrong parts have been used, We are very careful on this score.
  

  I would not nor do I recall stating the price would be $95. As one can see, that is very far off from what we actually charge. We also make a habit of stating what we charge to our customers before we go to the job. I also would not give an estimate or guess over the phone what a job will cost especially when I have not looked at the job or supplied the equipment. I may give an average price, say for a water heater a range on an install where we do many a month, but not on a BBQ install.

  I did say pay what you think its worth as out time is very valuable and have little time to deal with folks who don't seem to want to pay for work done. At this point we have a lot of time in this so we will require the bill paid in full. I will however wave the finance charges.

  As far as me screaming, anyone who knows me will attest I do not scream professionally or in my personal life. I will however raise my voice, particularly when I am aggravated. I have a very professional team, we are bonded, insured and follow codes.
  

  The bill is attached, please pay this bill promptly to avoid finance charges.
  

   

  **** ************* September 18th 2023
  Hello,
  
  My Partner and I are
  reaching out to you all via email to discuss the Invoice #*****.  We are
  reaching out via email because our last efforts to talk over the phone did not
  go successfully. While trying to point out our concerns with the project Bond
  performed, we were told that we were wasting the owner's time and never to call
  for your help again. This did not help us resolve the issue and we were very
  lost on where to go next. We took these past few weeks to reach out to the
  proper sources who advised us on how to proceed. 
  
  We allege that the
  two plumbers incorrectly switched our grill from propane to Natural Gas and
  stayed well over the time necessary to install the grill. I will be referencing
  the link below and sharing the steps that were not follow
  
  Char-Broil 8259778 Natural Gas Conversion Kit Instruction
  Manual
  
  Char-Broil 8259778 Natural Gas Conversion Kit
  Instruction Manual
  engineer.ahsin
  Learn
  how to convert your Char-Broil Modular Outdoor Kitchen Medallion Series
  grill (model 8259778) from LP gas ...
  
  After not being sure
  of doing the project correctly, the Bond specialists informed us that the grill
  partially works (it did not heat up past 350 degrees). They then stayed for
  another hour and 15 minutes. According to them they were troubleshooting the issue,
  but the grill still did not get hot enough. We were billed for 2 hours, 2 men's
  work. We disagree that they "worked" for two hours, but again when we
  brought this up to Larry, he shouted us down and would not accept our claim.
  After doing my own research, I figured out that the specialists from Bond did
  not open the natural gas conversion kit that was provided with the grill. They
  skipped many steps of the instillation. The fix depended on them taking out a
  part that is required when switching the grill to natural gas (the grill now
  heats up to 500 very quickly). I will attach screenshots below here. They did
  not follow steps #2-5 for section 1. They then skipped steps #1-#6 on section
  2. The parts they skipped are detailed in the images below. They did section 3
  and we appreciate that:
  
  I know for a fact
  that this was not done because I did it a week later and now my grill works. I
  have the parts that they did not take out for proof. Again, when I pressed
  Larry on the fact that this was an easy installation, we were told that we had
  the wrong conversion kit and that's why our grill wouldn't function. The
  conversion kit clearly says it is for our grill - a 5 burner grill with a side
  stove burner. We are very thankful the Bond specialists installed the natural
  gas tube and we want to compensate them for that work. However, on the original
  invoice they wrote "grill working" and that was not the truth, as
  they knew. Otherwise why would they write "customer needs to order a new
  kit." We do not feel it is fair to compensate them for a job that was
  incorrectly performed and pay them for the extra hour and 15 where they did not
  fix the issue.
  
  I want to return to
  how we were treated by the owner. We have used Bond two other times and paid
  the full amount both of those times. It is probably obvious from this email
  that I am still in shock about being screamed at by your manager. I have not
  left any negative review, but the treatment from Larry was unacceptable and we
  will be proceeding with contacting the Better Business Bureau and the Town of
  Taos. 
  
  We want to resolve
  this issue as amicably as possible, given where we are now. Larry told me to
  "pay what I think is fair and not to call again." I will do both of
  these things by sending the email. Please let me know what you think is fair
  for 45 minutes of work to install the natural gas tube. We will be happy to pay
  it. 
  
  Thank you for
  reading,
  ****
  
  Lacey May
  7th 2024

   Called ****** ******* to see why invoice was still open form last year.  She explained that they had reached out and
  talked to larry last year.  They did not
  come to an agreement so larry told them to pay what they wanted and not to call
  us back for future services.
   Took customer off
  the list to send finance charges to and left this note to the account: They do
  not want to pay full amount because they said the conversion kit was included
  with the parts and they finished the job by watching a youtube video and
  completing it themselfs.  Said they spoke
  to larry and larry said to pay what they wanted but not to call back.  They then said they never recieved an invoice
  . i dont know how they would have fought the bill without ever getting it but
  here we are. ***
  5/7/2024 4:13:22 PM:
  
  **** ************* May 8th 2024
  Hello Lacy,
  
  I am following up on
  the invoice you emailed me yesterday by forwarding the email I sent you in
  September of 2023. This was the last thing that I sent to you and still have
  yet to get a response. My partner, ******, said you called and threatened to
  send this charge to collections. We feel that this is very unfair as we are
  still awaiting a response to this email. This is something I thought about and
  spent a long time writing so I would appreciate you reading and responding. The
  past email was sent to try and broach this topic of how much we need to pay for
  an hour of work where the Bond plumbers hooked up our gas line to our grill. I
  won't go into all the detail, as it is in the previous email I am forwarding.
  In short, the plumbers did not open the manual that instructs you how to
  install the grill and instead said we had the wrong converter.
  
  The other reason it
  is important that we get a response before moving forward and paying a fair
  amount is because your boss screamed at me over the phone to "pay what I
  thought was fair and not call again." The email I sent in September is
  attempting to reach some fair resolution to this charge and "pay what is
  fair." We want to compensate those plumbers for their work. Not for the
  work they didn't attempt. As I noted in my previous email, we have used Bond
  two previous times and paid the full charge will full cooperation. The moment
  we raised an issue, we were insulted, questioned, and yelled at for expressing
  the truth we witnessed. This is not something we are willing to budge on. We
  feel we were charged and treated very unfairly. Please send a new bill that we
  can be happy to pay.
  
  **** and ******
  
  Lacey May
  8th 2024

  Good morning,
  Thank you for your quick response.  I spoke
  with ****** yesterday because I was checking up on overdue invoices and
  informing people that late fee statements will be sent out soon.  
  Once she explained the situation to me I told her we will not be sending any
  late fees until I speak with Larry and resolve this issue.  She also said
  you never received an invoice so that is why I emailed it to you.  I
  apologize for the confusion.  We will get you a call as soon as possible!
  Lacey
  ************
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/22/2024

  *********: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This response does not show a good faith effort to address the issue at hand. I would like to pay for the work that was done, but not the time spent fiddling with a project that two amateurs were able to complete in under 20 min with one manual tool. Given that the majority of the time was spent on this step, I do not believe that the price is close to fair. 
  

  As for your point about an immense amount of time being spent on this, that is mutual. We could both be done with this process if you simply adjust the bill to reflect the quality work that was performed. 

  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** *******

  
  

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

  Business Response

  Date: 06/14/2024

  Thank you for your response.

  We had notification that you had filed a complaint to ************ ********** of NM regarding this job stating that we did not pull a permit for this job and the case was immediately closed due to the fact that for a gas line extension a permit is not needed.

  So, with that being the case and our company sending a truck for a service call that will generally take about two hours, our pricing is fair and just. If one is expected to dispatch a truck for "$95" dollars and pull a permit as was apparently expected  is quite unreasonable. I am getting the sense that what we are experiencing is a form of bullying, particularly due to the dismissed complaint to ***. I honestly am surprised at the complainant's actions and the total lack of understanding of what it takes to run a business that is fully licensed, insured and boned that sends certified, experienced personnel to perform the work we do. 

  I hope others will read this thread and be aware to not do business with the complainant.

  The bill of $420.88 is what would be expected to extend a gas line.

  I will settle for $350.00 and we call it done.

  ***** *****

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/12/2025

  Hi ********, 
  
  Thanks for talking with me just now. I would like to reopen my complaint. The conversation between myself, Valverde Energy (aka Bond Plumbing) and the BBB ended when Valverde energy sent a counter offer for ~$350, which we accepted. We have not received an updated invoice from their end, instead, we received more invoices for the original amount of ~$650. I'll forward this to you for reference. 
  
  I am happy to pay the amount that Valverde Energy offered in our last conversation, $350, immediately, as soon as an updated invoice is sent. 
  
  Thanks for your help!
  
  - ******

  Business Response

  Date: 02/12/2025

  We will get the corrected invoice out ASAP, sorry for the mix up.

  Larry M****