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Thursday, December 15, 2011

A Letter To The Editor 12-15-11

JOE-

I wish to make a comment to some businesses out there, we have many good businesses and kind people in this area, we have a lot to be gratefull for as a whole. But there are a few it seems only think about the $ and not so much on the service. In Church this am we were listening to an elderly lady state that their heat went out on Sunday. She stated that they have only had this oil furnace a year or two at the very most, they called for service. The company Is Austin Cox the gentleman that came out told them upfront that they would be expected to pay for the service promptly when completed that day. The problem the repairman found was some loose wires! Now the furnace is in their basement and they have no children or pets in their home, so why would wires come loose on a furnace so new, and why were they slapped with a bill due at the time Sunday of $244 and told if they did not pay right away there would be no service. Not being a professional in this field I would as did this couple question why would the wires have come undone. And they just had their tank filled up nov 30th why would it not be checked when filled, and these people are under contract for service from this company, at least as of today still. Is this a normal fee for such a small service, and the demand for payment immediately due the way things are done. Please enlighten us all. I know the company we have delt with since the 1970's doesn't due business this way, and if you sign a slip can't they bill you or add to your next monthly bill,no one understands senior citizens are not sitting around with a cash cow in their basement?

Some companies if they do not develope good business sense and a care for their clients maybe facing hard times themselves in the near future. If you have a good paying client that is no trouble and loyal be thankful and show it.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Loose wires, funny. Your furnace has all the warranties from the manufacturer if it is that new. Some come with LABOR warranties some dont, you could purchase one seperatly but they are a rip off. When the man fills the oil tank thats all he is doing, he work for the oil company not the hvacr company. In this economy even the bigger companies bill direct, they dont have a choice anymore. Next time go to your furnace and hold the reset button down solid for three minutes.

Anonymous said...

Once the son took over from the Dad this company took a nose dive. My spouse worked there years ago and all they are worried about is the money. Most of the techs have no clue and are paid as such.

Anonymous said...

They did the same thing to me at my condo. Furance is three years old and charged me $244 just to come out that evening. They reported they did not have the burnt out breaker and would return the next day. of course thaty included another service charge. i was told the warrent issue is between me and the manufactuer even though they installed the unit. Bottom line they suck.

Anonymous said...

Call AM PM in Crisfield. Best Company to deal with for service and repair. Cox did the same thing to my niece and she refused to pay, they billed her a few months and then she never heard from them again.

Anonymous said...

I am in the wrong business!! $244/hr what a racket, I do maintenance work and if it took them any longer they don't have a clue what they are doing. And I would have to say wires don't just come loose if they were installed properly the fist time. The connections should corrode long before they seperate.

Anonymous said...

Some people seem to think that service personnel making service calls on the weekend should only be billing for tiny amounts if the problem is discovered to be a quick fix.

Here's the reality - you are calling a person with a truck, tools, training, insurance, licenses, and a whole support system behind them to come out and service you on the weekend. You were paying $ 150 or more before they even got in the truck seat.

This has been a reality in service companies for *decades*. Playing the "I'm just a confused old person" card to take a swipe at a service person attending to you on the weekend because you didn't like the price is kind of petty.

I'm 75. How old and clueless do you have to be to think weekend oil burner service is going to be cheap?

Anonymous said...

Great service costs money. Companies are in business to make money.

Anonymous said...

Where are the police we pay for to protect folks from scammers like this. This is just criminal.

Anonymous said...

Great service costs money. Companies are in business to make money.

December 16, 2011 3:06 AM

ANY service costs money. Great service is what people should receive, EVERY TIME.