Commercial Service Call Disaster!!!
I called Nottawasaga Mechanical because our walk in freezer was not cold enough. They came to service it and made the matters worse. They kept coming back to try and correct the mistakes they kept making. I felt like our service tech Shawn had no idea what he was doing and started experimenting at my expense. He kept telling me he was't sure why the freezer couldn't reach the -20 degrees it had held for years. He started changing parts and replacing hoses to no avail.
I paid them the initial bill for the work that was done. They told me they would come and fix the other issues they had caused. At the end of it all they had the nerve to SEND ME BILLS FOR ALL THE ADDITIONAL WORK. I spoke with Paul the owner and he wasn't much help. He was trying to argue with me that he had to pay the tech, so in-turn I need to pay for that time. I explained over and over again that we never had any of these new issues and that these new issues where caused by them. I also told Paul that Shawn had no idea what he was doing. I told Paul that Shawn told me numerous times that he had NO IDEA WHAT WAS WRONG, and that Shawn told me he would have to try a few things to see if he could figure it out. I also told Paul (the owner) that I didn't think it was fair that we had to pay for all their mistakes and experimentation. Paul (the owner) hung up the phone.
They sent the outstanding invoices to a collection company who I explained the situation to. Nottawasaga Mechanical is now taking me to small claims court for the outstanding invoices.
I would not recommend them to anyone. These guys don't know what they are doing and they will come and spend hours trying to figure out what is wrong so they can bill you a massive amount of hours.
After this happened with Nottawasaga Mechanical I called another refrigeration company and they quoted me $400.00 for the exact same work Nottawasaga is trying to bill me $2100.00 for . I'm sorry to say but in my opinion these guys are thieves. They have already been paid $800.00 for $400.00 worth of work.
STAY AWAY FROM NOTTAWASAGA MECHANICAL INC.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $2,100.00
- Company Response
Our original service call was on July 15, 2011. Our technician found that your freezer was being drained with cpvc (plastic) when it should have a copper drain. The heat wrap cable burnt a hole through the cpvc and caused a backup of condensate into the drain pan. We replaced the drain with copper, and replaced the heat cord that was damaged.
Upon further investigation the unit was low on charge. We added a dye capsule to help find where the leak may be coming from. No leaks were found so we added refrigerant to the system to bring it up to the manufacturer’s specifications. A check valve was ordered for the suction line as original installer did not put one in at install. This valve is required to prevent migration from cooler to freezer.
We were there for 3 different problems with return visits to fix the diagnosed problems as we did not have the materials needed on the truck.
1- Drain line diagnoses and drain line repair.
2- Low refrigerant charge, add dye capsule, return to check for leak.
3- Burnt contactor, replace contactor and wire.
All 3 were separate issues that were affecting the freezer and were chargeable calls. We did not cause any of these problems.
After many calls to you and no reply we were forced to send your account to a collection agency. You were only concerned about returning our calls once the collection agency told you the case would be going to small claims court (almost 2 years later). You then decided to make us a cash offer that was a third of the owed amount.
You referred to a “Mark” as the owner in a previous letter to our company, and now it is Paul. Neither are the owners of Nottawasaga Mechanical. Paul is the service supervisor at Nottawasaga.
The technician you refer to is one of our most educated refrigeration techs on staff. He holds a 313A commercial refrigeration license with over 9 years experience. This is a 5 year apprenticeship with a written exam that he scored over 80%. During his apprenticeship he took part in the Ontario Skills Competition where he received a Bronze medal for his refrigeration skills and knowledge. He teaches the Advanced Residential and Commercial refrigeration courses at George Brown College. He also holds a G2 gas license and is a Registered Electrical apprentice. I think this list of accomplishments speaks for itself.
There has been no mention of the system breaking down in the last 2 years and extra costs incurred to fix it, so I would assume that when our technician finished the work the unit was in fact repaired and in good working order.
I am assuming you realized it would be in your best interest to pay the full amount prior to going to small claims court because payment in full has just been received (2 YEARS LATER). Thank You.