Submitted by TakeCareBeWell t3_10mrkrs in baltimore
Our home heating suddenly went kaput last Friday evening. Upon checking, I found the problem—the pilot light won’t stay on, and therefore, the gas wouldn’t ignite to start heating. A Google search for heating repair in our area brought me to Michael and Son at the top of the listing with nearly 5 stars from 4,000-odd reviews. When I called them, they said the earliest they could arrange for a technician visit would be the following Tuesday and that it’d incur a fee of $89.
My household braved the cold spell of the weekend, Monday, and Tuesday morning in anticipation of Tuesday afternoon’s visit. Two guys duly arrived in two separate vans. They checked the pilot light in the same way that I did and told me that a component inside had broken off, probably due to rust or wear and tear—not surprising since the gas heating unit was manufactured in 1976. They said they’d order the part (at my cost) right after they left our house and replace it within a day or two.
Friday has come around again. We are still reeling from the cold with no heat. There has been no proactive communication from them, and when I called to check, their customer service person said “a request for the part has been placed for approval.” They wouldn’t explain what that meant, when the part would arrive, and when they’d come in to replace it.
I don’t even know how long I’m supposed to wait before giving up on them and trying to find another company to do this. Has this been anyone else’s experience with Michael and Son? (I can’t even read or write their name without having the jingle play in my brain!) 🤪
EDITED 1/28/2023 to update: I called them today and cancelled any remaining work connection with them. I use the word "connection" because they never told me anything concrete about the work that is yet to be done. I'm out of $89, but perhaps I shall see it as a penalty for my idiocy in not asking around more before going with a BigName from a Google search!! THANK YOU to all who responded to my frantic message.
NewrytStarcommander t1_j64oqpk wrote
They did this to me and left me without heat for almost two months. Same exact story; except they kept parts shot-gunning my furnace without fixing it. Finally the last part they installed, I called and called and they kept saying part was ordered, they'd let me know. Finally after about 4 weeks of this, I called and said enough, we are ending this service agreement unless you can tell me exactly when that part is arriving, and they transferred me to a service manager who was like, oh your part is here, would you like it installed?. They are the absolute worst. If I were you I'd call them right now, tell them you are ending the agreement (read the fine print, there's some language in it on what you might owe) and immediately go with another company. I will never never never work with Michael and Sons again- I have very low tolerance for garbage client communication and theirs reeks.