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:10/25/2022

  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 spoke on the phone and we went over the amount of vents. They never informed me they were going to count the registers. Which now they are saying are vents. They quoted me 14 -16 vents on the phone. They got to my house and I counted the vents with them on the phone again. I have 14 vents. They say I have 17 that would bump me up to the next level and charged me an extra 275 dollar more for 1 vent over by their count. So the counts are in discrepancy and all I can do is count them and I show 14.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/05/2022

  ************************** is requesting a refund because he had more ductwork to clean than he had originally reported to Marshall's by phone. During the original phone call where the air duct cleaning services were described and quoted, ************************** was told the price Marshall's quoted over the phone was for the number of vents he reported and when the Technicians arrive on the scheduled date of service, they would do an initial walk through of the home and count the actual number or ducts to clean and adjust the price (up or down) accordingly. 
  ************************** reported he had 14 vents in his home. He did not count the return air vents, he only counted the supply vents. Marshall's performed air duct cleaning for ****************************** home on both return and supply vents as per industry standards.
  When Marshall's staff responded to ****************************** request for an explanation of his invoice, ************************** either hung up the phone after speaking to our staff so they were unable to respond and provide information to him and later disputed the information provided to him via email and then contacted the BBB. 

  
  Marshall's cares about our customers, including **************************. We are very sad he is unhappy. However, his dispute that the return air ducts should not be included in his invoice because they are not "vents" is inaccurate. 
  This BBB response is intended to help ************************** understand the services Marshall's provided so he understands what he paid for.

  
  "Vents" are a term most people associate with the metal vent covers (grilles/plates) that cover the open ductwork in their home that moves heated/cooled air through their home from their **** system. I will use the term "vents" throughout this response to help keep the ductwork terminology in ******** terms for ease of understanding.

  
  There are three types of venting in a home: venting for supply air, return air and exhaust air.
  
  Supply vents are the smaller vents (often found on the floor, wall or ceiling) that are connected to the ductwork that blows air into the room. Some rooms have one supply and larger rooms can have several supplies. 
  Return air vents are the larger vents (also found in floors, walls or ceilings) for the larger diameter ductwork that pulls air from the home into the **** system to be heated or cooled (before it's sent back into the home through the supplies). 
  Return air vents are generally the dirtiest air ducts in a home because the air being pulled in contains particulates from the air in the home (e.g. hair, dust, dirt, fibers, pet dander, smoke, etc.). 
  Cleaning return air vents is an important part of maintaining and protecting your **** equipment because the air being pulled into the system through the return air ducts feeds directly into the **** system. The filter people generally have in their system is designed to help filter out particulates being pulled into the system through the return air duct so they don't damage the delicate electrical components which can lead to system failure. An added benefit is the filter will also help filter the air before it's sent back out into the home through the supply vents.
  
  Cleaning supply vents is also important to help ensure that conditioned air being blown out into the home isn't contaminated by dirt and debris that has built up in the supply ducts.

  
  On Friday, October 21 two duct cleaners arrived at ****************************** home and cleaned: 3 bedroom vents, 1 master bedroom vent, 1 office vent, 1 office closet vent, 3 downstairs living area vents, 1 laundry room vent, 1 dining room vent, 1 upstairs living area vent, 1 bathroom vent, 1 closet vent, 1 hallway return air vent, 1 office return air vent, and 1 upstairs return air vent for a total of 17 vents. The additional 3 vents in the home raised the cost of the service. The technicians informed ************************** of the change in number and cost based on their findings during the duct cleaning visit.
  ************************** was contacted on Monday, October 24 to collect the additional cost and ************************** paid by phone without issue.

  
  The next morning, ************************** emailed Marshall's to ask why his invoice was $275 more (than originally quoted).

  
  Marshall's responded to ****************************** question and his subsequent communications via phone and via email and tried to address his questions and concerns. 

  
  We want ************************** to be happy and satisfied with the services Marshall's provides. However, it's difficult for Marshall's to agree to refund money for services already provided based on a dispute due to ****************************** misunderstanding of the terminology. Just because ************************** disputes that returns are "vents" doesn't mean we didn't clean them or that they are not vents. Returns are very important vents, especially when performing duct cleaning - they take the longest time to clean in fact because of their larger diameter size and how dirty they are.

  
  It is our hope this response will help clarify the misunderstanding and help ************************** feel confident and satisfied with the duct cleaning services Marshall's provided.

  
  Sincerely,
  *************************, Chief Operating Officer
  Marshall's Inc. (Heating and Air Conditioning)

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/05/2022

   
  Complaint: 18313465
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They never informed me of the increase in price before the did the work. it wasnt upon completion of the job that I was informed I was one vent over the quoted pricing. I was never informed that there was tiered pricing or that if I went one vent over i would be charge ********************************* as we call it bait and switch. You cannot do this. I want a refund. Its your policy to walk through and it wasnt done. I dont think its fair I have to pay for your mistakes. You are a professional company and you have to act like one. When you make a mistake you own it, you did not inform me before the job of the increase in cost. I would have vacuumed the extra vent. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******************************