Taunton Trades Ltd

Gina, you were receptive to the fact that the way in which things had been done in the home, prior to you owning it, did not meet code requirements. Resolving issues such as the ones you had are made easier when the client is willing to be open to suggestions and to spend money to get it resolved correctly. It was our pleasure to get this project completed for you. We thank you for your business and your kind words>

Jerome, I want to thank you for the great review. We pride ourselves on providing efficient service to customers and to only doing what is necessary to get their equipment back up and running safely. We are not in the habit of doing or recommending unnecessary repairs. If memory serves, your unit just needed some routine maintenance to return it to reliable operation. Glad we were able to help and we look forward to being there for you in the future.

Tyrone and Sarah, thank you so much for the spectacular review. Every review we receive carries significant weight. It is a major method of measurement for how we are doing in the customer satisfaction department That being said, receiving such a glowing review from a fellow trades person is an absolute pleasure. It brings myself and my team great satisfaction to know that we not only met your expectations, but exceeded them. We look forward to continuing to look after your heating and cooling needs for years to come!

Terri, thank you so much for your wonderful review. We at Taunton Trades pride ourselves on trying to provide a great customer service experience. It makes us proud to know that we made such a great impression on you. Thank you for your business!

Thank you for your 10 star review. We appreciate customers who know what they want and that value the simple but effective aspects of quality customer service. We appreciate your business.

Susan, thank you for your review. While an 8 out of 10 is very good, we will make note of any steps that we could have taken to make this a better overall experience. Thank you for your feedback and your business.

It has taken me a while to respond to this review because I view my company like an extension of myself and my family. When someone attacks the integrity of my company and the people who work with me it becomes very personal. Therefore I needed to take some time to gather my thoughts on this.

I would like to set the record straight by explaining exactly how the events of this call unfolded. Yes two technicians were dispatched to this customers home in response to a service request for a no heat situation. Upon arrival 2 situations were observed. The vent motor, which is responsible for removing the products of combustion from the furnace flame, was found to be receiving power but not running. The second observation was that the furnace had not necessarily been regularly maintained and was therefore quite dirty.

The manufacturer was contacted to obtain pricing for the replacement vent motor and an estimate of the time to retrieve the part and return to install it was provided. This is merely an estimate since the time period during which this call took place was when we were experiencing some of the worst driving conditions we have seen in the region in at least 10 years. Many customers seem to struggle with the idea of travel charges however it's like this. The technician operating the vehicle to retrieve the part needs to be paid and the vehicle itself has costs associated with its operation (fuel, insurance, maintenance, and the eventual replacement cost - to the otherwise initiated, these items are known as overhead). Any business that does not charge accordingly for these expenses will not survive long enough to be around to provide future service to clients.

The customer was also informed that the unit was in serious need of a maintenance/cleaning which she also authorized. In the interest of getting the work done as efficiently as possible one technician stayed on site to perform the inspection and cleaning. It was during the disassembly of the furnace to properly perform the maintenance that the crack in the heat exchanger was discovered. This was brought to the customers attention immediately upon its discovery. The customers immediate reaction was to call a "friend" who she claimed was also a heating contractor "and could have performed the work". If this was the case why were we called to the home in the first place? This is not the first time we have been faced with this and it always raises concerns for me as a contractor myself. However we were committed to the call and to fully explaining the situation to her. The technician performing the maintenance sent pictures to both myself and the other technician who was attending the call with him for second and third opinions. When the customer became so insistent that we were mistaken I went as far as to contact the local inspector from the Technical Standards and Safety Authority to insure that we were not misdiagnosing the problem. He agreed with our assessment. The TSSA is the regulatory and licensing body for our industry, and are also responsible for administering charges and punishment to technicians and companies that do not follow the rules and regulations set out in the Gas Code. If another technician felt that it was safe to restart this appliance in the condition that it was in then that is a risk he takes upon himself. I have a responsibility to my family and the people who work for my company not to put anyone in harms way where the result could be substantial fines for both the company and the technicians, or worse, the injury of a customer or the general public.

At the end of the day, yes we left this customer without heat because her furnace was unsafe to operate. We offered her temporary heaters which she refused. We also made an effort to contact her quickly to see if she wanted to consider repairing the unit, which would mean a two week wait for parts, or replace it with a model that met with her needs and budget. She delayed discussion with my customer service manager by claiming that she was otherwise engaged with something else and indicated that she would like to contact us when she was ready to discuss the next portion of the proceedings. At no time throughout any of these dealings was there any mention of an elderly parent living with her in the home, and if that was the case why did she refuse the offer of our heaters that we lend out free of charge to people without heat.

I stand by the fact that we have a substantial number of 10 star reviews and that we took the correct course of action to protect this customer from a potentially hazardous situation. There are other technicians in the industry who interpret the code the way they see fit and are willing to do things that are not safe or legal. I am thankful for the team I have working with me who value the importance of conducting ourselves with safety in mind.

Think you very much for your glowing review of our service. We strive to provide a positive experience for our customers especially when they are faced with unexpected repairs. It's good to know that our team is making a great impression on our customers!