Complaint Review: United Restoration (A/C Heating And Duct Cleaning)

I wish I knew about this company prior to hiring them to install a new unit in my home! Please, read on.

Company
United Restoration
Fort Lauderdale or Deerfield or Winter Park, Florida

Sound confusing? Sure does! Invoice has one address, Credit Card slip has another address and the other address was told to me verbally where their particular company is located.

The only actual physical address is on the invoice (located at Deerfield, FL.) Bottom line, the phone number is all the same:(888) 703-2653!

On 5-23-03 I responded to a big colorful ad $19.00 for an 18 point Air Conditioning CHECK-UP. Beneath that, an ad SUPER CENTRAL A/C SALE, 3 ton, 12 Seer, High Efficiency, Split System Installed for only $1,695.00 using existing hook ups. They sent me a "SALES" man who conducted NO A/C Check up and charged me $19.00 to tell me that I need to replace the entire unit plus $5.00 for traveling cost. I then asked him to provide me a quote to replace my existing unit to which he gave me a price of $4,255.00.

I called the manager and asked why such a price gap between the quote and the ad to which his reply was everything and in addition to what the ad offered. He then told me he will send out a "Technician", an "Experienced Installer" to assess my situation and tell me what it is I needed exactly. I was then given a quote of $3,595.00 (not to include an electrician to upgrade my wiring which cost me an additional $250.00) and an additional $94.00 to replace the flimsy filter they provide; costing me a total of $3,939.00. As if that wasn't BAD enough, they damaged my home!

The work was incredibly sloppy and lazy. Plaster and glue was left on my walls to dry, holes through two walls to run a single wire to the thermostat exposing the wire in my closet from one wall across to the other, an additional hole through one wall because he "mis-judged" and told ME that I will just need to do a little "patch up work", he did not have the proper fittings for the water to drain from the unit so he compromised; rigging a line which caused me to have a major leak damaging a once very nice wood and sheetrock stand that the unit sits on, he damaged the sheet rock to the stand and my floor when he removed and dragged my old unit out (not to mention that he was removing it solo and I offered him a dolly but he refused to use it) and while dragging the unit out; he scratched up my washing machine, dryer and left dug in tracks in my floor and denting my threshold molding. To add insult to injury, the installer enters my house and comments about a "cheap" wine on my counter that was given to me as a friendly gift.

I mentioned that I am not satisfied about the wire hanging in my closet. He cuts a thick piece of black electrical tape and covers it, sticking against my white wall. He tells me, "it's in a closet, no one will see it and it's low voltage". When I mentioned the "extra hole in my wall" he tells me to just patch it. When I told him, "NO, you will patch it", he gets annoyed, patches it then tells me to paint over it. When I told him that HE should paint it, he told me that his customers love him so much, that they don't mind doing things like that for him!

June 6th, they resolved these issues by sending out the "Electrician" who wrote down all of the damage on a note pad to present to the manager. To temporarily resolve the leak issue, he disconnected the ridiculous rigged draining hookup then connected my garden hose to it and ran it through my garage and onto my lawn to provide drainage. He then left and I assumed that he would return to start fixing what was damaged and I realized that no one was coming back to my house when it reached 8:30pm. I shut the unit off and brought the part of the garden hose that was outside; into my garage so that I can close the garage door. I constantly have to keep calling them because they never onced picked up the phone to inform me of what was going on.

Let's see, is there ANYTHING else? Oh yes, I called the manager to find out who it is that he is going to send out to make these repairs that the Electrician documented and he told me he is sending the "Installer", (Yes, that's right, the same person who damaged it to begin with!). I actually had to request the manager to send me the "electrician" since he is the one who assessed the problems and that his first installer lost my confidence, trust and respect.

They don't care! I am disgusted! Here it is, June 8th, out $3,939.00 for a unit I cannot use and damage to my home that needs fixing. Yes, they were "paid in full". Why? Because I assumed I was dealing with "Professionals" and didn't realize most of these things until "after the fact" when I went into the laundry room to "clean up after them" and conduct a closer inspection.

I am afraid to complain at this point because they still have to come back to my home (set for this upcoming Wednesday or Thursday) to "fix" the damage. It worries me that I have to be humble because I am at their mercy and if I "anger" them, then either the work will NEVER get done and I will have to eat my losses or they will come back and cause even more damage. I feel caught between a rock and a hard place! Do you have ANY suggestions? (I took pictures of their "work").

Sharon
Casselberry, Florida
U.S.A.