A-Unimasters

Tomas G.

Extremely dishonest company! It is Unimaster's business practice - RIP OFF CUSTOMER from Home Insurance Company
the tech was on my home for 3- 5 min and he came with the amount out $475.00 modification charges , I wish I can make the kind of money on the same amount of time ,

Debra S.

This company was one of the service providers under HWA, my Home Warranty company. They came to my home on 12/30/20 due to a leaking water heater, which they quickly assessed needed to be replaced. Upon asking when they would replace it I was told ""We will call you to set up the appointment"" - this was the service reps answer KNOWING MY WATER HEATER WAS LEAKING""

Today, 1/3/21 my water heater burst and completely flooded my garage, causing excessive drywall damage. My attempts to call them due to this emergency were without success; in fact, their voice mailbox was full. Due to their negligence, the water heater completely bursted flooding our garage and creating significant damage to our drywall, which now needs to be repaired and filed against my Home Owner's Insurance costing my more out-of-pocket!

In speaking with HWA, they informed me that UniMasters plumbing had not yet even filed the claim to replace the water heater. Without a claim, they could not do anything else other than reassign a new plumber. THANK GOD they referred me to GONZALEZ MASTER PLUMBERS (760) 402-6941

Jeff C.

SO the install was fine, of course there was modifications costing me $470 that my home warranty didn't cover, which I know was a rip off but my insurance company said I could find someone else and they would only write me a check for $550, so I was stuck with Unimaster.

They came and installed the new water heater but the installer told me my vent was clogged and he would not put the water heater on until it was unclogged which he refused to do. After he left, I called my home warranty and was over being on hold so I got my fat ass on a ladder and went to the roof. I looked inside and stuck a 20 foot poll all the way down and looked and there was no blockage what so ever, I could see straight down to my wife's hand.

So I'm not sure why the guy lied and wouldn't just put my water heater on, I think its a scam so if I call to say the water heater isn't working they can say they weren't the ones that put the water heater on so I must have been the one that broke it, just be carful with these guys.

The water heater is working fine, just don't like being lied to so they don't have to worry about future litigation if something goes wrong.

Mike S.

Called regarding my water heater that broke down. They sent a guy out with his son and his son did not even have a mask on. He said that it was approved and that it would take 24-48 hours for them to come replace it. He also said because the water damage was bad that I needed to repair the wood stand that it was sitting on. So I went and bought new plywood and wood and hired someone to replace the stand it was sitting on which was a $200 expense. I waited 3 days and I still did not get a response. Keep in mind that we don't have hot water and my wife is pregnant with our first child. It's been a complete disaster. I contacted the company First American referred ""Unimatsters Plumbing"" they said that they submitted the info for approval 2 days a go and told me to call the warranty co. Finally after over an hour and a half wait on the phone I got a hold of someone at First American only to tell me that the report stated that the water heater was previously damaged. I was in fumes and you can imagine my frustration at this point. The guy who came out with this son was a complete joke and should not be working for your company. He made me spend $200 to repair the wood for no reason. On top of that you wasted 3 days of my time and countless hours on hold trying to get a hold of someone. I could have just went down to the local store and bought a $400 water heater and changed it myself. I want my $75 back what kind of BS service is this? This entire process has been a complete joke and need to be handled properly As if all this was not enough the plumbers son cracked my new kitchen cabinet on the way out! Who is going to be responsible for the damage on my new cabinet?

Chris A.

I would give them 0 stars is if I could. Water heater was not working and waited two days for the appointment. Worker got to my residence on time but spent a whole 5 mins looking at it and claiming he ""fix it"". Told me we would have hot water in 45 mins. Three hours later still no hot water. Called the office they told me there was nothing they could do today. I asked if they could come tomorrow and they told me at this time ""No"". They had appointments available but they needed a technician report to schedule the next appointment. So still suck in the same boat. Thanks unimaster for all your hard work... customer service was very poor.

John S.

I have Sears Home warranty insurance which I will be cancelling since I have come to decision it is not worthwhile. I recently called Sears about a hot water tank issue, my first service call. My first disappointment was they charged me $100 ""co-payment"" which I did not expect. They assigned my service call to Unimasters. Unimaster sub contracted job to Kosta Plumbing. Plumber George Kosta was great! He came out and assessed the problem. The Unimaster form he had to use had twelve ""Modification Surcharges"" totaling $1,245 if all were selected by initial evaluator that would not be covered by insurance. George selected $390 worth of ""Modifications"". Unimaster then insisted I authorize $480 on my credit card before any work could be done. They submitted a $480 Pending charge to credit card. Sears says I received a $700+ water heater, but I had to pay $100 initially + $390 for ""Modifications"" + $840 for insurance. Unimaster was not easy to work with, so I would never consider using them again. Their sub contractor Kosta Plumbing was great! I know this is not a review of Sear's Home Appliance insurance but I will definitely not renew my plan with them. If you want a good plumber, call George @ 619-253-2488. He is the one good thing that came out of my hot water heater problem. I will use him again.

Amanda B.

We did not have a good experience after Unimasters came out via the home warranty. I would not recommend. Terrible customer service on the phone too.

Brian D.

Referred by insurance company, like other reviews this is a total sham and con artist company. They were called out for a leaking water heater and told us they found mold and damage to the stand walls (drywall) so they could not replace the water heater until the mold was removed. There was no mold, the water heater had only been leaking two days. Must be a new type of Pandemic mold that starts at the first sign of moisture.And amazingly enough he just happened to have a business card for Mission Restoration. Apparently their partner in crime! I'll just be asking First American for a buy out on the water heater and replace the water heater myself. First American Home Warranty should start to screen the contractors they use and weed out the thieves.

Oran B.

The company can do a better job of expediting the process.
There is a delay with management in getting what the customer needs in a timely manner, especially in this Pandemic environment!

We called the company on Thursday to fix or replace the Hot Water Heater, a rep came out on Friday and he said he could not get approval to repair or replace the Heater until Monday.

However, the Heater was replaced on Tuesday, so this is a 5-day turn around to Replace a Hot Water Heater, normally, this would be ok or understandable, however, when you are dealing with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and need to wash your body and especially your hands many times a day, a 5-day stretch should be improved upon in the future!

Totoro Y.

Extremely dishonest company! It is Unimaster's business practice - RIP OFF CUSTOMER from Home Insurance Company.

First of all, please look up this company under BBB. They are not accredited with an ""F"" rating. https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/escondido/profile/water-heater-repair/unimaster-inc-1126-16004561

After filling out the claim from my home insurance company for my leaking water heater, Unimaster was referred to as the contractor to fix my problem. After the initial inspection, it was determined that I need a new water heater, which is still under warranty. However, Unimaster claimed that in order to replace the new water heater, 3 ""MODIFICATION PARTS"" were needed for the replacement. The total charge comes up to $300. Even if the parts are truly needed, there is absolutely no way that they cost so much! It was confirmed by a credited plumber! With that being said, Unimaster wants to charge me for $300.

The sad thing is that Unimaster demanded credit card authorization prior to the service. If customers refuse to do so, they will not provide the service even though it is covered by the insurance company. So, I contacted my insurance company for clarification. I was told that on the occasion that a non-identical water heater was replaced, it might call for modification parts. In that case, the customer does need to pay for the modification parts, but $300 for 3 parts does not sound reasonable! The total cost of my water heater is $699. So, I sat and watched the whole process. The technician took down the water heater, took it to the plumbing shop for a new heater, and put it back up without any new attachment. I asked the technician which are the 3 parts he replaced. He pointed at the top and the bottom part of the heater and claimed that he had replaced them and charged me for $300.

While the technician was still working on my paperwork, I called the water heater company to change my warranty information. With my information updated, the plumbing company was able to locate and notify me that a wrong water heater was given for my service. Therefore, the company sent a plumber to swap the correct heater the next day. I asked the plumbing company about the $300 charge for the modification parts that are needed. The representative said that there should not be any part that was needed to replace my water heater. He said that the plumber who they sent to perform the replacement could confirm that. Without surprise, it was confirmed that no new part had been replaced for my water heater.

As a result, I contacted my Home Insurance Company. The representative put me on hold and contacted Unimaster to resolve the issue. With my Home Insurance Company's help, Unimaster acknowledged that they made a ""MISTAKE"", and I would not be charged for the unnecessary $300. Just use your common sense, how could they ""MISTAKENLY"" charge me when I clarified with the technician right after the service! It is an absolute lie! The truth is that they got caught!

My recommendations:
- contact your home insurance company to ask for a different company
- monitor the whole process if they told you that you have to pay for any part
- Unimaster would not give you the receipt. However, you HAVE TO take a picture of the receipt as you need it for the warranty. If they refuse, call your insurance company when the technician is still with you.
- if you are getting an exact ""unit"", it is fishy that Unimaster charges you replacement parts. Call your insurance company if that happens!
- go to HomeDepot to check the price of possible parts. see pictures below.
- Call the company that they get the ""unit"" (water heater, etc) and ask about the need for replacement parts
- I can see Unimaster finding new ways to rip its customer off. Once again, my case is not unique. Check them out from Better Business Bureau and Yelp!
- Be your own advocate! Be persistent!

Please note that the entire experience was recorded under my claim with my insurance company. Therefore, I have proof regarding the truthfulness of this incident.