Banks Quarles Plumbing Heating Cooling & Electrical

Joseph P.

RIPPED OFF !! BAIT AND SWITCH PRICING!! MUST READ!! We were grossly overcharged for services. BQ charged over $1000 for routine coil cleaning, which they said on the phone before coming out is $59.00 and replacing a basic part that normally costs around $25 and only requires removing the outside cover. Checking with other companies after the fact, the charges should have been around $300. When the tech arrived at location, he said the AC unit was working but not cooling well and the coil needed cleaning and it would cost """"around $500"""". I questioned the price and he said, """"it's the chemicals used"""". Then he said that one part looked like it was on the way out and the meter showed abnormal power reading. How much I asked. """"About $300"""". Given this was our remote cabin on the lake and our daughter having a birthday party that weekend, I said to replace it. The technician used a hand garden sprayer with some chemical in it. But hardly any spray at all. The level of chemical in the sprayer was not noticeably lower. He did wash everything off and the remains of a snake washed out of the end of the pvc drain. But that was not causing any issue with the AC. The technician was there about 1.5 hours. A significant portion of that time was spent talking with us and writing up the paperwork. He was very nice. He said he had to call the office to get pricing. The service call came to $1023.98. The """"about $500"""" turned out to be $613.56. The """"about $300"""" turned out to be $410.42. This is important to note for the rest of my experience. The following Monday, I investigated the charges, called several other companies what the cost would be to clean a heat pump coil. I got responses anywhere from $59 to $89. I called Banks Quarles and asked them what it would cost. I was told on the phone by a customer service rep """"$59.00"""". I confirmed with her, """"to clean a coil?"""" I was told, """"Yes. To do an inspection, clean the coil, and replace a filter would be $59"""". I then asked to speak to a manager. I spoke to one and expressed my concern. She said she would get back to me. She never did. I had to call back several more times asking to speak to her or her manager. The rep tried to get them for me, but they were in meetings each time I called. The customer service manager finally told me that they have FLAT RATES AND THE TECHNICIANS HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THAT."""" IF that's the case, the technician would not have told me """"about x $"""" estimates on the work and it wouldn't come out to such uneven numbers. After calling back again today, I was finally given a resolution of a 10% discount and an HVAC only service plan which covers 2 visits, worth $169. Oh nice, two more opportunities to price gouge me. No thank you. Using information BQ gave us over various phone calls the charge should have been about $300. That would be an $85 trip charge, 1.5 hours labor at $85/hr., $75 parts/chemicals, and tax. Well, it was a remote location. Ok, throw on a second trip charge of $85 we are now at $385. NOT $1000. The Better Business Bureau did absolutely nothing. DO NOT USE BANKS QUARELLS.

Beverly C.

With a forecast high of 97 degrees and an air conditioner that was running, but not blowing cold air, I gave Banks Quarles a call this morning on the basis of their billboards and the fact that I had seen their truck in our neighborhood (new in town, so little else to go on). Someone picked up right away, took my information, said it would be $49.95 for the service call, and told me that dispatch would be in touch about scheduling. Dispatch called about 2 hours later to confirm sometime in the afternoon, and mid-afternoon to tell me that the technician was on the way. Though the original person took my email address and told me that they would email me the name and bio of the technician, I don't seem to have received that...and I'm still in the dark as to why I would need or want it anyway. I was not at home, but the husband reported that Greg diagnosed a bad capacitor and quoted $368.10 (plus service call) to replace it. When the husband objected to such a high price, he quoted $312.83 for the """"value"""" part, but told him that they do not break out parts and labor in the quote. Which...what?! Even car mechanics tell you how much is parts and how much is labor! When the husband then told him to leave, as he would fix it himself, and tried to pay cash for the service call fee -- since he had Googled the part and seen it listed for approximately $20 -- Greg did not have change, so he had to write a check instead. Here's the best part: The husband purchased the necessary capacitor at a local supply store for $17.94 and it took him five minutes to swap it out. So, why it was going to cost over $400 (including service call fee) to put in that part, I do not know, but it seems like someone was intending to make a killing on this job. And the husband is *livid*. In short, if you want to be robbed blind, please, call Banks Quarles. Otherwise, stay far away!

Shelby Lynne Webb ..

There is no way I would recommend Banks Quarles and let me explain why. My elderly mother had a leaking outside faucet, so she contacted Banks Quarles. The first mistake was making this call. When the service rep, Joe, arrived he did fix the leak with a washer that cost less than $2. The total cost for the trip on the Banks Quarles invoice was $351.33 to replace a washer! There is no way the trip, washer and repair should have cost this much. After the leak was fixed Joe said he could check out the water heater. At this point there was not a problem with the water heater, except that it was old. Joe flushed the tank and recommended that she replace it with a 50-gallon Halo System for about $2,000.00. Mom said no, and Joe asked her for $200.00 for the service. He also asked that the check be made out to him and not Banks Quarles. He also left his contact information and advised her to call him directly next time she needed something. At this point mom said that she felt pressured to make the payment and she just wanted him gone. Once the Service Rep was gone, mom called Banks Quarles and notified them of what happened. Their reply was that """"they did not do business that way"""". They also stated that they would cover the cancel check fee. Contrary to what they say, they made no effort to rectify the situation. They had the money and they did not care about the customer. Mom canceled the check to Joe, so she is not out that money, just the cancellation fee that Banks Quarles never covered. The day after Joe flushed the water heater it started leaking. We did not call Banks Quarles, instead we got a 40-Gallon heater from a local store and had it installed for a lot less than $1000.00. I was really disappointed in Banks Quarles because of the way they charged for the simple tasks. I have reached out to them a couple of time and the emails and phone calls are not returned.

Daphne M.

My mother and I have been waiting over a month for this terrible company to fix our a/c unit that is still under warranty. They send their """"best men out"""", but these """"best men"""" can't figure out what's wrong. One recommended my mother have some roof repair work done. After spending $1,000 on roof work, it's still hot! We're waiting on a part they say will fix the problem. This is the third time they've had to order a part that didn't work. They will also schedule times to come out and leave you waiting all day without letting you know they won't be coming on the scheduled day. They have no problem taking your money. None.At.All. I wish is could give this horrible company zero stars. ONE AND A HALF MONTHS WITH NO AIR CONDITIONING AND FALSE PROMISES!! Worst customer I have ever experienced in my life. My best friend had similar issues with them. Should have listened to her.

Traci B.

Banks Quarles has the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER! Called Wednesday to set up a service call for a replacement of kitchen faucet that broke. I had to take my mother to doctor the next morning, so I would be off work anyway and they said they could be there some time after 12 on Thursday. I was scheduled to go back work that afternoon but took off work when they hadn't called or shown up yet and at about 4:30 I called to see when they would be there. They said they """"had tried"""" to call to reschedule (even though I don't see any missed calls from them) and they said they could be there after 3:00 on Friday. I asked them would they be sure to be there because I would have to leave work early and if they were going to just cancel/reschedule again I would rather call someone else because I wanted to get a technician here before the weekend, to avoid extra weekend service fees and she assured me someone would be here. I waited again until 4:30 and called and again they said I had """"missed their call"""" (again no missed calls or voicemail) but they could reschedule me for 8:00 a.m. Saturday and that they don't charge extra for weekend service. Now it is 12:00 and they just called to reschedule for Monday. I have waited a total of 11 hours and still no service! How are these people still in business? I told them I wanted to to speak to their management, and was told that someone from their management team would get back to me within 12 -24 business hours. I wouldn't give them my business now even if my house were under water. I am sure there are plenty of people out there that need my $ more than they apparently do, and IF I CHARGED THEM MY HOURLY WAGE for the TIME THEY HAVE COST ME, they would owe me over $400. UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!

Cassie K.

Made up some story about having to go to a Level II assessment even though we already told them what the issue was. Then charged an outrageous amount for a $20 repair. First and last time to use them.

J R.

I contacted the Banks Quarles number at 7:30 on Monday morning. The person I spoke with advised me that there would be a $49.99 """"dispatch charge"""" to have someone respond to my house at some point to evaluate an electrical issue that I was having (power is out in certain parts of the home but not others). Fast-forward to about noon. I get a call from the dispatcher saying that an electrician is finally available and could come by the house. A short time later, the electrician arrives, and I fill him in on the events of the last few days. Symptoms of the outage. The timeline of issues. Etc. The electrician tells me, at that time, that there would be a $370 service charge to get out his tools and to diagnose the issue. Not $370 for a repair. $370 to GET TOOLS OUT OF THE TRUCK and to DIAGNOSE. Then, any additional repair fees would be addressed after diagnosis. At this point, I was absolutely floored and asked him why on earth the initial people I spoke with would not have told me that there were additional fees just to diagnose the issue on top of the $50 I've already agreed to. The electrician was extremely nice and polite, but after a few seconds of thinking, I realized what an absolute scam this whole thing was going to be. The electrician also told me that the charge to change out ONE breaker would be $300. This would include a $5 part and 10 minutes (at absolute most) of time. I told the electrician that I understood he's just out here trying to make a living and that I wasn't upset with him-- but that he could leave. (I was extremely polite. I didn't blame him.) I paid the """"dispatch fee"""" (begrudgingly) because I'd agreed that morning on the phone to do so before I realized I was being scammed. I also called the Banks Quarles number and spoke with someone in their office about why they would charge such a huge fee after the $50 initial dispatch fee. I was frustrated that the dispatch fee sounds very much like a general service fee, and once the electrician arrived, I realized that I'd essentially just given $50 away for absolutely nothing. The young lady tried very hard to explain, but the explanation made no sense. She said that the initial fee is to come out (obviously, at this point) and that the technician will address further fees once they see what the issue is. I made the point that we couldn't even make it to that point because I'd been scammed 50 bucks to only have him respond and not diagnose a problem to begin with. We went through about 3 rounds of this before I finally asked for an email to send complaints to. So-- here's the synopsis: the electrician (Jeremy), the woman I complained to (Mary), the dispatcher (Lisa), and the person who took the initial call were extremely polite and as professional as they could feasibly be. But as for the Banks Quarles company, in general: I'm stunned at how absolutely unethical their pricing and process is. I also understand that certain diagnostic equipment is expensive, so I can understand a heftier service charge up front (let's say... $100-$150). But to articulate a $50 fee for someone to come out to diagnose an issue, have someone respond requesting that much more money, have them not even diagnose anything, and know that--even if they did-- the repair charge would be equally as unethical....is outrageous. I won't speak for their HVAC folks. But however things are set up on their electrical side of business: I absolutely, unequivocally discourage anyone from ever even contacting them for service. Companies like this are the reason I hate that people hesitate to wonder if someone is going to take advantage of them, and it made my blood boil to know that somewhere that day-- someone probably paid them a mortgage payment to handle something that could be a minor fix. Absolutely unbelievable. And to be clear-- I understand that services aren't free. People spend time learning trades and should be compensated for their expertise as well as parts and labor. But there is a line of ethics that comes with that. And BQ crossed that line within minutes.

N C.

Had an appointment due to a serious water leak. Had no water coming in to our home. Appointment was for Monday around lunch. At 4pm I called and the office manager said she would call me right back. Of course she did not. Called at 5pm and there are closed. Great. Called the next morning and the """"forgot"""" to put us on the schedule. Worst customer service I have ever seen. I would fix myself before I would call these people.

Jessica A.

If I could have assigned zero stars and still left a review, I would have. I would like others to know about this company's pricing structure. I believe it results in grossly overcharging customers for the work performed. The company works off of a fixed price structure where each particular type of repair is associated with a total cost charged to the customer. They refuse to provide a breakdown between parts and labor. They offer a discount on parts (""""preferred pricing"""") if a customer pays extra to enter into a maintenance agreement. The least expensive maintenance agreement is currently $169/year for two HVAC checkups per year. In spite of calling this a discount on parts, the company still won't tell you what they're actually charging for the part. In order to provide a point of reference with amounts, I paid the company $484.62 to replace the contactor in my HVAC unit. That price included a $49.95 service call fee (this amount was provided by the telephone operator who initially set up the service call with me). Taking out the service fee, the remainder is $434.67. I have since learned that the RETAIL cost of a contactor is somewhere between $8-15. I can only assume the rest of their price is meant to cover labor. The job at my house took the repair technician no more than an hour to complete (and that is being very generous) so that is quite a steep hourly rate. I'm pretty sure I could hire a top notch attorney to be on speed dial for $435/hour. I asked a different HVAC professional in town for an estimate of what they would charge to do this same repair job and was told around $100, possibly a little more since the work was completed after normal business hours on a Saturday afternoon (no more than $150). The service technician for Banks Quarles stressed the urgency of making the repair right away in order to get the unit working properly again. Considering the near 100-degree heat we're currently experiencing in Alabama, and the fact that it was the weekend, I felt I had no choice but to make the repair as recommended by this company. I believe the price charged for my repair job was extravagant and I will never use this company again. Furthermore, I will warn anyone else who asks for an HVAC recommendation to avoid Banks Quarles at all costs.

Rob H.

If I could give less than one star, I would. I called them Saturday Morning at 10 am to get a plumber dispatched. I was told I was next in line, and it should be about 2 hours. 2 1/2 hours later, no call, no show. I called back and I was again told I was next in line and the plumber had been held over but should be able to finish and be with me in about 2 hours. 3 1/2 hours later I actually received the ONLY call from them. They were sorry but the plumber was still at the previous call. Hopefully, he would soon finish and be on his way to me. 3 hours later I called, the dispatcher said she had not heard from the Plumber, but would check and call me right back. THEY NEVER CALLED BACK. Needless to say, I will not be recommending Banks Quarles or AUX to anyone. I understand busy, but as I am in the service business also, the inability to communicate to your customer who is waiting, and waiting and waiting, is unacceptable. I called a different company the next morning (because Banks Quarles wouldn't answer the phone) The other company was at my home in less than 2 hours and resolved my issue!