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Ballard Natural Gas Service
Categories: Home Services Contractors Home Services Heating & Air Conditioning/HVAC Contractors, Heating & Air Conditioning/HVAC [Edit]
4758 Ballard Ave NW(between N 17th Ave & 48th St)
Seattle, WA 98107
Neighborhood: Ballard
(206) 784-8101
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 7 am - 6 pm
Sat 8 am - 3 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
About This Business:
Vivint, Inc. is one of the largest home security and home automation companies in North America and Canada. Vivint is dedicated to enhancing security,… read more »
8 reviews for Ballard Natural Gas Service
8 reviews in English
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Review from Erik M.
12/27/2010
As our furnace project snowballed from simply rerouting some of our ducts to replacing our aging furnace, Ballard Natural Gas was the only company we contacted who seemed to genuinely value our business.
We contacted four companies for quotes on the job, two of which never followed up with a quote even after sending someone out to look at the job. Of the two quotes we did get, BNG was a fair bit more expensive, but the quote was thoroughly detailed and came with a "no change order" guarantee - the job was guaranteed not to cost more than the written quote, regardless of what the installers might run into.
We went with BNG partly because the quote included custom fabricated ductwork, but mostly because our estimator Chris had taken the time to not just quote the job as I described it, but to talk through a number of options for rerouting the ductwork and gas main as well as some electrical and plumbing I'd take care of on the side.
As the project got under way, both the project manager and installer brought additional suggestions to improve not just the layout of the system, but the efficiency and performance. In the end, the amount of work wound up being quite a bit more than what was quoted, but true to their guarantee the question of additional money never came up.
The thing that seals a five-star review is that the basement was left cleaner than before the job started. Normally, there's dust, scraps, and random crud left laying around after a contractor wraps up, but all that was left over was a couple of sheet metal screws lodged behind the water heater. Otherwise, the basement was spotless.
Great communication, great customer service, and a great end product - couldn't be happier with our experience working with Ballard Natural Gas Service.Listed in: Ballard Shops and Services, Home Improvement
Comment from Neil K. of Ballard Natural Gas Service 3/18/2011
Erik, Thank you so much for your business. We appreciate… More » -
Review from Gallagher W.
Seattle, WA
4/26/2012
Called to have a technician come review a tankless water heater installation I had performed myself with a Rheem unit purchased from Home Depot. It wouldn't light up after everything had been hooked up and installation. The lady I called and scheduled with was very friendly and helpful. She quickly took my information, and set up an appointment that worked for my schedule.
However, the techinician arrived, and promptly informed my wife that they don't service Rheem units. This was a little frustrating, it would have been nice to have been asked when I schedule what brand of unit. I work on cars for a living, and we always ask what kind of car is coming in, because it can make a big difference. They didn't charge for the service call, but the poor tech had to drive up to Shoreline for nothing, and now I've got to find somewhere that will diagnose my unit.
Good and friendly service, maybe a little questioning on the front end to make sure that we'd be a good fit! -
Review from Amanda K.
Vienna, VA
6/21/2011
A simple furnace check up turned into the furnace no longer working. After looking at our 9 year old unit and reportedly doing $164 worth of "maintenance" on it and I was told that the furnace was in "great shape". However, over the next few days I noticed the house getting colder and colder despite keeping the thermostat set at 67 degrees. I turned up the thermostat to 70 and sure enough, the unit wasn't heating the house at all. I called the company and they sent out another tech. He looked at the furnace, nudged a controller and it seemed to work again. However, the next day, no heat. Another tech came out and determined that it was a burnt out circuit on the control panel. $560 later my furnace worked.
I guess the curious thing is that everything was fine until the checkup. I won't jump to conclusions, but it is odd, which is why I gave them only three stars. -
Review from 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! -
Review from 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.Comment from Neil K. of Ballard Natural Gas Service 10/28/2009
It's our policy to follow-up on every job. Mr. Roach moved… More » -
Review from 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. -
Review from 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! -
Review from marnie s.
Seattle, WA
4/27/2010
I just had a new furnace and heat pump installed. Ballard was great with communication and options. I was given literature on my products as well as reference numbers to call about my products and service. I actually called about ten of these references and received an incredible amount of input about my chosen products and the users personal experiences. From my first phone call to the follow up visit to program the thermostat, everyone called before they came, every visit was timely and every person I spoke to was professional. I particularly liked the installer and found him to be a wealth of knowledge on lots of different methods of heating/cooling. At this point we have not had the weather to need the cooling part of the heat pump so I am unable to report on it's effectiveness, but Ballard was amazing and I feel confident that if we do have a problem they will happily follow up with us.
Comment from Neil K. of Ballard Natural Gas Service 3/18/2011
Marnie, Thank you for your positive review. We are please… More »
