Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Sealed is charging outrageous amounts of money for an install they did for me. They had me sign a contract and were not transparent up front as to how much I would be paying each month nor how they were exactly measuring the output of the system they installed. They lied by saying you would pay them only what you save but they did not say how it was measured or charged. They are estimating how much to charge customers each month based on what they decide people would use. They don't account for other improvements to energy efficiency or usage in an individual customer's home. They are not transparent about how they even calculate their payments and claim that is too complicated to explain. This is a scam and they are targeting people trying to save money and can't afford the traditional cost. They are telling people they will save but they gouging customers and forcing them to pay insane rates and go into extreme debt. They will seemingly arbitrarily charge you an amount of money on an "invoice" with no explanation as to how they arrived at that charge. When asked they will not answer questions about how much is owed still and just say you signed it in the contract. I recommend an investigation into this company. In addition, they did nothing about the insulation company they sent ruining my stuff when they did the insulation. They damaged boots, shoes, winter gear, paintings, furniture, backpacks, exercise equipment, and left huge cutouts in the ceiling of my garage.

  

  Business response

  04/17/2024

  We are happy to address the complaints cited by ********************* as they have also been addressed directly in previous documented conversations with the customer as well.
  
  

  Sealed Contract Details: 
  All customers go through at least two standard phone calls with two different members of the Sealed sales team who describe first, how the Sealed financial program works at a high level and later in greater detail as it relates to the specific customers home and financial expectations to have. 

  Sealed measures energy saving by analyzing energy usage history of the current homeowner in relation to the weather, which is represented in Appendix A: ********************** of the customers agreement. This appendix describes a homeowners usage in terms of Everyday Usage (therms used per day)  and Weather-Variable Usage (therms used per Heating Degree Day).
  

  During a given billing cycle, Sealed calculates how much energy a home would have used without the completed improvements, according to the Heating Degree Days during that period and the customers Pre-Improvement Usage coefficients. This is then compared against the energy usage reported by the customers utility for that same billing cycle. The difference between the two values is the customers energy savings, which is charged at a predetermined value per energy unit saved. This value is outlined on Page 2 of the customers agreement, under How My Sealed Energy Bill is Calculated.

  This was covered with the customer in a preliminary phone conversation on December 13, 2022 and again March 1, 2023 and April 25, 2023 prior to the work being completed on May 31, 2023. During the conversation on April 25, a Sealed representative described variable payments based on performance and introduced the options for predictable monthly payment options.
  
  

   

  Payment Calculation Breakdown and Transparency:
  On January 8, 2024, the customer reached out to ********************** in response to a higher than expected invoice. On January 9, a Sealed representative described the method used to calculate the charges received and supplied a Bill ********* for the billing period, which shows the exact weather data and calculations used. It was noted that estimated utility readings *** be impacting the customer's ********************** invoices. Alternative and more predictable payment options were offered to the customer at this time.

  On January 10, the customer responded with a misunderstanding of the calculations provided and stating they believed that a different agreement had been made vs what is in the signed agreement. A Sealed representative responded on January 10, giving further explanation of Sealeds performance financing and once again offering to utilize a fixed amount billing method which would significantly decrease the invoice the customer initially reached out about. No response was received from the customer.

  On April 5, 2024 the customer sent ********************** another email requesting a final invoice, stating they have repeatedly asked for a bill stating what remains to be paid listed on it and that they have only received made up bill[s] showing savings. A Sealed representative responded on April 8, revisiting the previously described impact of estimated meter readings and providing the total contract payout amount listed in the Early Payment Schedule within the customers agreement. The customer responded on April 8 that they did not believe their utility company had done an estimated reading for an extended period of time and were not confident in the billing figures being provided by Sealed.

  On April 9, the Sealed representative detailed the dates where estimated utility readings impacted the Sealed invoices sent and further described abnormally low usage reported by the utility for the period of February to March 2024. It was asked of the customer if any changes had been made in the home that *** result in this energy usage and once more offered alternative monthly billing options to offset high performance invoices. Sealed is awaiting a response to this information.
  

   

   

  Damages as a Result of Installation:
  ************************* upgrade was completed on June 1, 2023. Sealeds first record of learning the damages incurred to the customers property occurred during the above mentioned call on January 10, 2024. The customer stated the company that completed the installation cost hundreds in damages that [she] had to eat. In the Sealed representatives email response on January 10, it was requested that the customer provide more details about the damages, stating that Sealed would investigate and address the matter promptly. No response was provided by the customer. 

  In an email sent by the customer on April 8, they stated they have reported you to the better business bureau for bad practices including offering nothing to compensate me for the damage done to my property. The Sealed team again asked the customer for more details about the damages listed in the BBB complaint on April 9, 2024 and are awaiting a response.
  

  
  

   

  Customer Improvements / Additional Home Upgrades:
  Regarding the concern about not accounting for other changes within the customer's home, ********************** acknowledges the importance of considering all factors that *** impact energy usage. It's understood that there *** be changes or improvements made by the homeowner that could affect energy consumption independently of Sealed's upgrades. 
  Sealed encourages customers to provide notification about any modifications or enhancements made to the home during the agreement period. When notified, Sealed can make adjustments to ensure fair billing practices. This is outlined in each customers agreement, which states that if the customer performs a major remodeling or home improvement that Sealed determines *** affect energy usage, then there is an obligation to inform Sealed within 5 days of the occurrence. In the event of a home upgrade, the agreement outlines the billing options for the customer, including the option to cancel the agreement by paying the applicable early payment amount, or converting to a fixed monthly payment plan as offered by Sealed. 

  Sealed is committed to providing transparent and personalized service to each customer, including considering individual circumstances and ensuring that all relevant factors are taken into account when calculating energy savings and billing. If the customer has made additional improvements to their home that *** affect energy usage, Sealed encourages them to communicate these changes so that appropriate adjustments can be made to their billing and energy savings calculations.
  

   

   

  Next Steps and Closing 
  In closing, Sealed has attempted to communicate and resolve any questions or concerns made by the customer in a timely manner. We are empathetic towards the customers frustration and remain committed to addressing these concerns to ensure a full understanding. Lastly, we look forward to receiving a response from the customer so that an amicable solution can be put into place.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Sealed is charging outrageous amounts of money for an install they did for me. They had me sign a contract and were not transparent up front as to how much I would be paying each month nor how they were exactly measuring the output of the system they installed. They are not measuring the output of the system and are instead estimating how much to charge customers each month. They will not account for other improvements to energy efficiency or usage in a customer's home. They are not transparent into how they even calculate their payments and claim that is too complicated to explain. I am a victim in this case. They will seemingly arbitrarily charge you an amount of money on an invoice with no explanation as to how they arrived at that charge. When asked they will not answer straight forward questions and just say you signed it in the contract. They are charging me additional fees after paying off the system claiming again that it's "in the contract" without sighting the exact clause of the contract. I recommend an investigation into this company.

  

  Business response

  02/13/2023

  Hello BBB Team, 
  
  We are happy to address ********************** two specific complaints sited here as they have also been addressed directly in previous documented conversations with the customer as well. We will outline the following below: 
  
  1. Monthly charges as estimated amounts: 
  
  ****************** has solar panels for his home. When solar panels are operational, the electric utility company does not accurately report his solar productions and therefore shows a false amount of energy reduction on his bill. For example, from the months of May to August, ********************** utility reported 0 kwh used in his home. If Sealed was purely going off of what his utility was reporting we would have registered an extremely high amount of energy savings. On August 30, 2022, ****************** had a conversation with a Sealed **************** representative were the implications of solar was explained and it was recommended that he turn in his solar productions to Sealed on a semi annual basis. An energy analysis based solely off his utility data to depict what it would look like if Sealed did not estimate his energy savings and a full explanation of his highest estimated bill was provided via email to ****************** (also attached). In regards, to this bill, the Sealed team worked with ****************** to apply a budget payment for the bill of $360.00. This amount was later revoked by ****************** and is still unpaid. 
  
  ****************** expressed frustration around the billing with the Sealed team directly and as a sign of good faith, we also refunded ****************** the equivalent of his December 19th bill. 
  
  2. ********************** final bill with Sealed: 
  As documented in the original contract (attached), ****************** is responsible for payments to Sealed for energy reductions until the agreement is cancelled. The agreement is not fully cancelled until a notice of cancellation is signed. In that notice of cancellation (attached) it sites that all outstanding payments up to the cancellation date are due. This expectation was also communicated to ****************** via email when the cancellation documents were sent over. For ********************** account he received a final bill that was the equivalent to his budget balance from his January 9th bill in addition to his estimated savings that are pro-rated to the cancellation date. This amount has still not been paid. 
  
  Overall the Sealed Customer Success team has done its due diligence in providing transparency around the contract and billing as well as gone above and beyond to work with ****************** in his frustrations around the situation. 
  
  If there is further documentation we can provide please let us know. Our team is happy to do so. 
  
  Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  06/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The company representative promised no billing until i received oil **** and my savings were determined. They then proceeded to charge me monthly. Also, My heating needs have increased since joining their program and while paying more for my heating ****, their calculations on my usage still has me "saving" on my oil consumption. their bills never stating more then the amount of oil I have "saved" for the month. They also promised to automate my savings calculations with my oil company and received access to my account as requested but have never initiated a refund without me initiating it.

  

  Business response

  06/03/2022

  We are very sorry to hear about your unsatisfactory experience with your oil billing, ******. We show on your account that you are already in direct contact with our Director of Customer ******** ******* to work through a resolution. We are looking forward to giving you a better experience that aligns with the quality of customer service we value as a business.

  Customer response

  06/17/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

   They have not provided a solution only opened communications regarding the issue which was only taken seriously after the formal complaint with BBB was launched.

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

  

  Business response

  06/21/2022

  Hi ******,

   

  Thank you for taking the time to reach back out. The following steps have been taken to address your concerns by Sealed.  This is including the authorization and submission the following refunds:

   

  - $172.57 for reconciliation of your Oil Budget

  - $154.21 after an additional review and calculation of your previous Budget amounts.

   

  These amounts should reflect in your bank account no later than early next week.  Happy to follow up to confirm at your convenience.  I have also noted that your final monthly **** under your "Early Termination Agreement" has been waived as well.

   

  I sincerely apologize if there has been any miscommunication or lack of clarity regarding resolution.  Please let me know if I may provide any further assistance, I am more than happy to help.  

   

  Appreciate your patience and understanding during this process.  

   

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

  Vice President of Service & Support 

*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. ↩