Ballard Natural Gas Service

 

0

7

darnit y.

Seattle, WA

11/30/2007

I highly recommend these guys.  After getting a dire prognosis from another company to the tune of 4K these guys showed up and fixed my problems for a fraction of the price - a very small fraction.

From the moment you call their secretary to the moment they arrive its professionalism personified.  The service tech was friendly, respectful and skillful and much appreciated after dealing with some shady other furnace companies.  

I  strongly recommend their services.... i know nothing about furnaces, but the tech was super friendly and helpful and explained and fixed every thing exactly as promised for a reasonable price.

A busted furnace in Seattle is no fun but these guys got everything back to normal and did it in a way I admire, respectfully and well worth the price I paid.  Good guys.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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7

44

James R.

Seattle, WA

8/12/2008

Don't Expect a Follow-Up

This was my 2nd experience with them, and the combined amount of money I spent is more than $5k. That said, you'd think they would be bending over backward to follow-up on their promises. Not so much.

The furnace in my current home went in without a fuss. The problem came with their follow-up visit to show how to configure the thermostat and maintain the system. They never called to set it, and ignored 2 emails I sent to them to get it addressed. When I called, the third follow-up on my side, to get a response, the general manager of the place, Neil, left a snarky voicemail on my phone.

Here's my deal. They installed the furnace in May. After a hot June, a hot July, and half-way through a hot August, they still haven't followed up to walk me through setting up the way-too-complex thermostat. I know how to make it hotter or colder in my house, but the thing could probably find Bangladesh on a world map if I needed it to, so I would really benefit from the walk-through. Now, with the company's highest-ranking manager chewing me out, I just don't want them in my house. Worse, the 2nd half of the follow-up visit is to fill out all the rebate forms, so I need to do that on my own because Neil can't control his temper.

If the dude didn't leave the angry message, everything would have been fine. I really could have used his help when he promised it, but now I'd just assume use another company with a mind for customer service to do all the maintenance for the life of the unit.

Bottom Line: They need to focus on service. A furnace requires routine maintenance to maximize its lifespan, which requires a working relationship between client and service. The owner's son, who runs the show, isn't interested in the customer service end of the business. They're piling up negative comments on other sites, you'd be better off patronizing a local hvac installer who makes good on their promises.

Regarding Manager's Comment: I shouldn't have to say it, but it's weird that their response to my complaint about their lack of response comes 14 months after the initial complaint. I appreciate the clarification and give them the benefit of the doubt about their IT issues, but I've written them off since the manager privately messaged me threatening legal action (slander/libel) after I posted my initial review. Keep in mind that this was the 2nd furnace they installed for me.

To their credit, they sent a tech out for a free inspection this summer, and he was great. They also extended me some flexibility on their financing for the 2nd install. I'm still going to change companies, though. After bumbling the follow-up visit described above, with interaction from their office that ranged from ambivalent to rude, I'll be using another business for my next annual service call.

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Comment from Neil K. of Ballard Natural Gas Service 10/28/2009    Hide »

It's our policy to follow-up on every job. Mr. Roach moved…    More »

It's our policy to follow-up on every job. Mr. Roach moved so we agreed to delay the follow-up until he was settled. Mr. Roach didn't call but rather sent emails to our company info address which were lost due to IT problems. Mr. Roach called and left an abrupt voice mail message expressing his dissatisfaction.  Several attempts were made to call him which he rebuffed. I accept the fact that we should have followed up with Mr. Roach before it escalated to the point of anger and frustration. It was a miscommunication that I regret, hower we have since revaluated our processes and proceedures.

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4

17

Faye J.

Seattle, WA

1/30/2007

Late last week, my husband got up early only to realize we had no hot water. I contacted Ballard Natural Gas Services, and their service has been terrific -- but not the price which is why I am rating them three stars.

(And wow, has it been fun without hot water for four days!! Let me tell you about those sponge baths...)

They were out by 10 a.m. to diagnose the problem. They determined the water heater needed a part that had to come from the factory on the East Coast. They quoted me $699 plus tax on top of the $89 service charge, but problem is I could not get a straight answer as to how much was parts and how much was labor. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but that's the way I've always gotten quotes on repair services.

Turns out the part was $259, then there was shipping, and $200 per hour labor charge, and the total was a whopping $903!!!! Took 45 minutes to install. So the rest is what they call "mark-up".  They have to cover their high costs of doing business in Washington State, according to Kathleen in the office. Go figure. Wish I could add "mark-up" to my pay check to cover the high cost of living in Seattle!

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1

16

Dan P.

Seattle, WA

4/10/2007

Writing a review for gas furnace install isn't nearly as exicting as writing one about some great pizza or desert place but when you're furnace has been failing since last November you get a bit more excited about things like this.

These guys just completed a new gas furnace install for me as well as running the new gas piping (converted from nasty oil to natural gas, still wish there was a more efficient, non fossile fuel, renewable, commercially available solution available...but that is another topic) and they did a good job.  Not the cheapest but they were the most responsive of the referrals I got (this one from a friend of a friend, the others from Puget Sound Energy).  

They were really quick with getting the new install scheduled after I actually got the new gas service (which was a huge hassle with PSE, City of Seattle and Pilchuck contractors) installed and were able to schedule me in with only 24 hours notice and get all the new duct work fabricated and did a great job cleaning up afterwards.

Time will tell on how the furance and the entire install stands up to use but the install experience was great.

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