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:05/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore 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.

  Boiler Installation
  Oct 02 2023
  Invoice I-*****-1
  $12,400.00
  
  Had a new boiler installed which ran out of 200 Gallons of propane in three weeks due to an incorrect installation. Technicians returned to the house 4 times after the initial installation. The first two time were to clean up the mess left in the basement. The third was the technician needing to adjust the settings on the boiler. The fourth time the technician needed to install a 1-way valve. I had to cover the cost to get the propane filled after the issue was fixed. We were completely out and had no heat during the winter and no hot water for a day and needed to stay with relatives. Additionally we needed to pay an emergency fee to the propane company totaling $660. Six months later it was time to fill the propane and I called Simons thinking they would be more than willing to cover the cost but refused. I never used propane before and was unsure if three weeks was normal, but confirmed that it took us six months to go through that amount. We would not have needed to pay to fill the propane as it was a direct result of the negligence of the initial installer.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/02/2024

  Hello,
   After consulting with the owner of the company, the person who visited the jobsite prior to beginning and quoted the job, as well as, the installation field manager, a few things need to be clarified regarding this complaint. When the job was first quoted, the customer was informed that the small, existing propane tank that they had to supply their kitchen stove would not be large enough to support both the stove AND the new boiler system- that he would need need to call ******** and have a large on installed. The fact that we had to go back as a "call-back" after the installation was not a result of poor workmanship during the install. We discovered that what is called a flow check valve needed to be replaced. This got clogged and went bad due to something stuck in the water. The technician assigned to diagnosing and repairing the valve was the installation field manager himself. We did have to send a crew back to do some more jobsite clean up, which is certainly not a good thing that the guys left any type of a mess that upset a customer. However, we did (and always) address this right away. Lastly, the amount of fuel that this household used was in no relation to our installation or the valve replacement that we did after the install. The switch was related to water, not gas. If the customer ran out of fuel and was left with no heat, it was because the tank was too small to sustain the equipment and heat system in the house- they must not have installed the larger tank in time. We do not see why we should be responsible for reimbursing this customer for all the propane they used up heating their house, when there was nothing wrong with their boiler that would cause an extra usage of propane. We care to perform quality work and service for Mr. and Mrs. ******, yet we do not want to be taken advantage of. Thank you for your consideration of these matters and we hope to resolve things fairly and peacefully. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/02/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  We upgraded the tank to 200 Gallons as recommended by Simons, it ran out of 200 gallons in 3 weeks. After correcting the mistake the tanks have not needed to be filled since. They are currently at 20% full at around 5 months, compared to the 3 weeks before the repair. They are not being truthful and are not addressing the part where the technician needed to properly configure the boiler. I watched them read the manual and adjust it myself. After correctly setting the boiler (it was constantly running), they returned a 4th time. After they left the third time the boiler was not constantly running. From my understanding it was not a faulty part that needed to be replaced it was a new part entirely.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/22/2023

  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.

  We paid for service on two different units.
  First issue, Someone came in August of last year because we were having issues. We were told the thermostat was the problem and also a small leak. Replaced the Thermostat which wasn't the issue because that one works just fine currently. We were told the leak was small and would be ok for a while so we had time to make some decisions and there was potential for another leak but he wasn't sure. Machine still wasn't working properly.
  charged $300 for Dispatch!
  Then someone came because we had a smell I thought was coming from the AC. He offered to sell us an air purifier. I said we weren't interested but then he talked my boss into it anyway. (honestly that's on my boss , but I didn't love that it got pushed anyway after I said no.) That wasn't the smell problem so it was a waste of money . charged $175 for dispatch?
  We then had someone come in April to fix the leaks and was told refrigerant needed to be added. The machine still didn't work properly. 3 lbs was added.
  charged $145 for dispatch this time?
  Next. Our other unit was spitting Ice. I was also told this unit had a leak and refrigerant needed to be added. I was told they need to come back to fix the branch box. 2 lbs of refrigerant were added.
  I set up an appointment which was canceled the day before because it was going to be a "two" person job. We reschedlued but then I canceled because I had honestly had enough. I was sick of spending money and not having things work.
  
  We called another company That said there was actually a problem with the TXV. He fixed it and had to REMOVE the refrigerant.... The refrigerant we just paid for.
  It took 20 minutes to fix the other unit which was supposed to be a 'two man job'. The wires were simply crossed...
  I am also confused as to why the dispatch charge is different every time..
  We have spent over $600 in dispatch fees
  and about $4000 in total just to have to pay someone else on top of that to fix things

  Business Response

  Date: 09/27/2023

  ******** and *** ****** ** ********, We are sorry to have disappointed you over the course of the last year. We certainly have not remained in business for all these years by adopting the practice of misdiagnosing or overcharging our customers. Does your boss and the owner of the company we serviced feel as though we did not do a professional job servicing the broken equipment at the bar you work at? To address the dispatch fee discrepancy, in The ******** timeline in our customer database, I see that we were at your establishment 4 times since August of last year. The second visit we waved the dispatch fee, and the 4th visit we charged too little. The reason the dispatch fee varied was because the technician accidentally charged the wrong amount the last time- he charged residential rates rather than commercial, so you saved money because of this mistake on our part. Regarding the initial $300 dispatch fee, we are not sure why that was the rate given to you by our since-retired employee, and we also use a new system now. I do see notes in there by her that you agreed to this pricing prior to our crew coming out. I do understand that this inconsistency is confusing and frustrating, this is certainly not typical for us.  Additionally, the last time we had been scheduled to come to your business and try to service your equipment, our crew drove all the way there and no one showed up to let our technicians in to do the work. You then requesting us to come back during after-hours, yet did not want to pay our after-hours rates. It was requested that we come at 6:30 at night when the bar opens, which is after our regular hours of operation and it would be too busy in the building for our technician to be in and out trying to work on the system. We were trying to help you get your units running properly as best we could, yet you did not seem to want to work within our standard business operations. The ****** ***e air purifiers will certainly help with creating cleaner, more healthy and better smelling air, and we have many customers that have told us this, in addition to the 1000's of people around the country who use them. Perhaps what **** should have also proposed to your boss was an air duct cleaning. Having this done, along with the installation of an air purifier, is the best way to help with smells related to HVAC systems. It is his job to present these options to all of his customers, as they are big improvements to people's indoor air quality. Him speaking to your boss, the owner of the building, is not a misdoing on his part, in our eyes. He was trying to address your complaint about the air smelling bad. Thank you for your time and your business and I hope that these explanations can help resolve any confusion or disappointment.   Best Wishes, The Team at Simons Heating and Cooling