Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  08/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Fagone Plumbing came to service my AC unit about three weeks ago. I asked for an hourly rate, and I agreed to have a tech service the *** He said he would need to come back in a couple of weeks to put in freon and some form of leak dye. He also had a helper with him. I received a bill of nearly ****** for 3 hours' worth of work. When I called the company to complain they said I had to pay for two techs. This was never discussed with me. When I spoke to the owner, he tried to justify it and clearly did not care that I had to pay for two techs that was not agreed upon. This is a clear case of price gouging, and they knew what they were doing. This is not the only complaint forwarded to the BBB about this company. They should be investigated by the state. This is like sending your car to get service and you have to pay for two mechanics.

  Business response

  09/06/2022

  Customer called us and asked what our hourly rate was.  He was told that it is $150 per hour and he booked an appointment for Annual Air Conditioning Maintenance. 

  On July 25th 2022 customer's a/c unit was serviced and was working properly.  However our technician detected that it was low on refrigerant and we would need to come back and add refrigerant and leak detection dye to look for leaks.

  We came back on August 1st 2022 at this point we had a technician and apprentice at the job, pricing was not discussed for this portion of the job prior and if customer had issue with  being billed for apprentice he could have called and asked about it at the time of service.

  We completed the work that should have taken 1 technician about 4-5 hours it was completed in less time and he was charged for 3 hours for the technician at 150 per hour and $40 per hour for the apprentice.  Also he was charge for the cost of materials in the job.

  When the customer received the bill he called the office and complained that the apprentice was not doing any work and he should not be billed for his time.  He never called during the appointment to let anyone know that he felt that people were standing around and not working.
  

  The total bill was $790 after hearing his complaint we provided him with a courtesy credit for $60 and the matter was resolved to his satisfaction.  This brought the bill down to $730 which he paid on 8/31/22  However even though he got a bill reduction and the matter was resolved the customer then went on multiple business platforms and wrote negative reviews about our service.  But we believe that the narrative was false, as he was never given a quote for the second job. 

  If he wanted pricing prior to that he could have stopped the technician and asked or called and got a quote prior.  Also he made no complaints during the appointment to anyone.  He was happy to have the service. He also had just let go of his previous service company.  I am sorry that this is an issue and wish that we could make all our customers happy.  We strive to be a top service provider in the area and hate to see a customer unhappy with any part of our service.  

  Customer response

  09/07/2022

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ****

   

   

  Customer response

  09/07/2022

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********.

   

  I do not agree with the response because I still got billed for a helper which I should have not been billed originally and someone on staff should have quoted me prior to starting work. I would not have approved of the work. Fagone states, that I was happy with the work. Yes, I was happy to have a working AC not the service. He also states, that he gave me a discount. Yes he did but that was because he realized that the bill might have been a mistake. He also makes assumptions such as another vendor serviced my AC and only having one tech come to my house might have taken 4-5 hours. All these statements has nothing to do with the fact that I was charged for having two techs without being notified. Fagone also claims that I went on several social media platforms to complain about my service. Yes, I left one ****** review and being a business owner, Fagone should know that it's a consumer's right to leave their opinion about the company's service. I am not the only one to have had a bad experience with Fagone. Again, this has nothing to do with what we are talking about. These businesses need to be investigated so other consumers are aware.

  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ****

   

   

  Business response

  09/08/2022

  I am sorry that the customer feels as he does.  He was given pricing on the annual service/ hourly rate over the phone.  However his unit required a second appointment for the repair and it was not quoted as it is a time and materials job. 

  If he wanted a quote he could have requested it when the appointment was scheduled or even prior to work beginning that day.

  He made no complaints prior to work starting or during the process.  If he was so concerned about the 2nd technician he could have called the office at any time during the work day.  He did not.  

  We work all over the North Shore and provide estimates on job when requested, had the homeowner asked for a quote we would have been glad to provide it.  I have been working in this industry for ****************************** the community. 

  The way my company and many other companies provide billing and invoicing to customers has not changed and is the industry standard.  You call for service and you receive a bill.

  If you would like to get pricing before hand you can get an estimate for that job.  However that is not the case here.    I have made concessions on the bill due to the customer being upset but there is no need to slander someone because you didn't get your way. 

  I feel that this is a retaliation for the customer not getting more money knocked off the bill, as he stated he didn't want to pay for the 2nd technicians work. 

  As he claimed he did nothing, I find it odd that he could follow the techs around the whole visit but could not call the office to complain about it until he was billed.  

  We respectfully ask that you remove this complaint as it has no merit. The home owner clearly agreed to the concession we made since he made the payment.  

  Customer response

  09/08/2022

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  I find it funny that he has been in business for 19 years and still has nor solid business sense and puts the blame on the customer. I have also been in business for over 20 years and I clearly explain the fees before meeting. It's called building relationships and good customer service which ********************** clearly lacks. If you read through his e-mail there is a lot of blame on me...I should of called the office, I should of rejected the second quote (which I never got, I should of gotten an estimate...it's all my fault. I called to discuss the bill and he gives me an attitude. How would I know what the fees are. I am not scared of paying bills we all have to but having the customer assume what  the fee may be a mistake. Who would buy something without knowing the price. I don't agree with your pricing tactics and a complaint will be filed with the state regarding this issue. 

   
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ****

   

   

*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. ↩