Discussions

What can you do about a plumbing/Furnace guy that shows up. Puts an Ohm meter on the furnace element. Says it is ok. And then smiles at you and says he wants $100.00 plus tax for the "call out". He even brought his kid as a witness.  
It seemed like he has done this Many Times and gotten away with it. He thought it was very funny and had a worthless explanation for any thing I said. ( Oh look at my meter ... it works. Now that will be $100.00. SMILE )  
How would this play out in court?  
(There WAS a problem. I called another company who changed the sequenceurs and then it worked)

was this a legit company and after hours call?

I am sorry but maybe you should of asked what his fees were first off. A lot of plumbers charge a minimum 1 hour fee no matter how long they are there for. A lot of companies charge a minimum one hour fee. I am sure if you call a few companies around Brandon they will say the same thing.

He did NOT repair a furnace that was Not working properly. The furnace was faulty and he did Not fix it. He was incompetent and I should not have paid him.

I am sorry Dave, I did not read the last part. That is wrong and I am sorry that it happened.

call the guy tell him you want the $100 back cause there was an issue with the furnace. Once that is completed then you can try other options

Are you sure he even actually works on them to begin with?  
 
You need an electrician, not a plumber.  
 
Sounds like your out $100

I don't want to be a snoop , just trying to help . How did you pay him ? Cash , Cheque , Credit Card ? If it was cheque - phone your bank and have payment stopped. Same if was by credit card - phone your credit card provider . Explain to them . Have payment stopped. Cash - you really can't do anything about it. If he is as unscrupulous as you say , he probably dashed to the bank right after he left your home and filled his pockets !!!

But can you not report him to BetterBusiness or professional association.  
Q- did he provide you with an invoice?  
 
Sometimes it’s best to call reputable service cost little more but worth it.  
Had same issue last year with someone like that never again - now we only deal with company that’s been around for years and asked them for references.

You could report him there also I would think.  
Sometimes, all it takes is a warning that you're going to call BBB.

Thank you everyone for your helpful ideas and suggestions.

Sorry you got ripped off and that they brought their child with them. If I bring my "child" it is because they are apprentices in the trade and not cause I am too lazy to get a babysitter. There are all sorts of companies out there that only care about their bottom line and not about the customers. I have heard from customers about service calls like what you had or charging a fortune for simple services. I have gone to people's home and have had to tell them that the reason their a/c does not work is that whoever installed their furnace did not support the coil while changing it out so it kinked and broke the connections. These same people offered to replace the whole a/c as it was worn out for $4k. I have had electricians take the furnace manual then tell the homeowner that they are stuck paying him extra as now the HVAC guy won't be able to get the furnace going for their tests. That homeowner called the electrician and told him to shove it as we got it all going in 15 min after he could not figure it out in 3 hours.  
 
There are a lot of good guys out there and a lot of bad ones too. Some of the real good ones don't have a lot of ads, reviews, or social media as they are too busy with their happy customers and all the referrals they get from word of mouth.

Requested he do? “I think my element may be burnt out- can you check it?” Yeah that’s $100 for an hour or any part of. Or- “Can you diagnose why my furnace isn’t working?” Then he should be spending more time on it until he finds the issue for your $100. As for court- knock yourself out guy. That will be a pricey endeavour. No I am not a tradesperson but reality is if I can’t fix something myself I understand someone will expect to be paid to do it.

I explained to the repair guy that the electric Furnace no longer puts out the High heat that it used to. It could be the Element or Sequencers that activate the High heat element. Like I said earlier, he used his Ohm meter on the elements and said the furnace worked fine (and was smiling like a cat that just ate a bird). It Was the Sequencers and runs fine now.  
He was obviously an Idiot and I got ripped off. Oh well. It happens. Lessen learned.

Most people who call for service don't know what the problem is that is why they call so the service guy can come and find the problem and fix it. $100.00 plus parts is reasonable to do the job as long as you complete the job and fix it. Sounds like you got a guy who doesn't know jack about furnaces. Frequently, the meter will show some power but no enough, not turning off, or other problems.  
 
If you have someone come to your house they should have a card from the government that states whether or not they are an apprentice or journeyman and what trade they are in. Plumbers fix water/sewer problems and are not trained for furnaces or duct work. I have had to go and correct a lot of errors created by people not hiring the right people. A lot of companies send out apprentices to do service work and charge out as journeyman certified person.

Again troubles with services rendered and many answers some of which may not be correct while there are many plumbers , HVAC, refrigeration contractors who are very qualified to work on furnaces, both gas and electric. If truth be known there are 19 different certifications in the electrical trade to allow many to perform their jobs, with many above listed trades, carrying multiple tickets required to legally perform their jobs. This is true with many trades persons that can be of service.

Lol. What does this mean.  
 
If you have a problem with your furnace (heating or AC) call a refrigeration mechanic somewhere like Grand Valley.  
 
if you have a plumbing issue, water heater, plugged drains, poor water pressure, frozen pipes ect. Call a plumber, somewhere like first call.  
 
If you have an issue with your electrical like breakers tripping when you plug in your coffee maker or you need your electrical panel upgraded call in an electrician, somewhere like J&J Electric.  
 
All the trades have "an idea" about the other trades but each trade specialize in specific areas. The biggest problem is people not knowing who they should call for what. Especially when it comes to heating and air conditioning. Everyone thinks you should call a plumber when in reality it's actually an HVAC/Refrigeration mechanics.  
 
Edited by one more thing.., 2021-02-10 21:04:36

Having level 1 or 2 do service work alone and charging customers jman rates is not ok. Who pays if they screw up? it is very hard to get someone to admit to doing the wrong thing if they break something. Know who is fixing your stuff.  
 
Hire an electrian to do work on your panel, electrical lines. Hire a plumber to fix your septic tank system, install new water service, well work. Hire hvac guy for furnace, duct, hrv, a/c, thermostats. Hire a carpenter to build structures, windows, doors, roofing. Hire a gas guy to install gas appliances.

I am a plumber , gas fitter , limited electrical license , residential refrigeration ticket , HRAI certified ventilation certificate! So you think you are more qualified than “plumbers “ ? Who are you to cut plumbers down

And to get it repaired I call an electrician.

Most plumbers don't have all of those tickets. Most plumbers don't even have or want the gas ticket anymore. i have those jman tickets too but instead of plumbing i am also a sheet metal worker.  
 
Edited by Rural, 2021-03-25 16:00:13

Unfortunately you must of payed him on the spot ,next time ,tell him to send you a bill .Then you have a chance to phone and discuss the bill .I would not of paid it and most companies will not take you to court for a one hour service call ,they will just write it off !!And yes I have looked ar a lot of electric furnaces for people .I would be embarrassed to charge 100 dollars for that shitty service .

Many people are qualified, even more are not . Ask for Qualifications before you have the work preformed.  
 
The Office of the Fire Commissioner looks after Trade/ Ticket Enforcement. They have Officers who can provide enforcement against those who would work outside of their Qualifications.  
 
It is obvious this Tradesperson was not qualified, knowledgeable or had the experience to make the appropriate repair even though the electric furnace was working when he showed up .

what we really need is a public list of the qualified tradesman that we can look up and check to ensure they are legitimate.