GEM Plumbing and Heating

Maryann D.

We got a Value Pack with ads for businesses in the mail.. had a leaky faucet for months on and off and decided it was time to correct...We purchased the replacement faucet ourselves.. the repair took one hour and 48 minutes.. the Bill $600!... Buyer beware and do your homework! Was just on Angie's list and could have had this done for less than $300!.Shop around before you get taken advantage of !.. Wouldn't recommend this company to anyone!

Fred P.

A concise definition of Racketeering is ""Racketeering is a set of illegal activities aimed at commercial profit that may be disguised as legitimate business deals"".
My 'GEM Plumbing and Heating' experience started a few days before Christmas when my heat went out. My forced hot air furnace is only ~5 years old and the fan failed to operate - it hummed and tried to spin but failed to turn. When I called 'GEM Plumbing and Heating' to schedule emergency service I agreed to their ambiguous $150 fee and scheduled the appointment for the following morning. The tech arrived mid-afternoon the next day and after spending mere minutes with my furnace the GEM tech came upstairs with his estimate fully prepared. He told me the fan needed to be replaced and it would cost $1,768. Online I had read the most common cause of fan issues is a failed capacitor so I asked if he checked it - the GEM tech responded that he checked the capacitor and told me the capacitor was fine but the fan was completely burnt out. When I reacted that GEM's $1,768 estimate was absurd, the GEM tech then told me if I did not have the repairs done that my bill would go up by an additional $250-$300 fee to write the estimate and the bill would no longer be the agreed $150 but now will be ~$450. But if I paid the $1,768, all of GEM's other fees would be removed. He additionally wanted half (~$900) as a deposit prior to scheduling the repair. I told him the estimate was very high for a fan replacement - an OEM fan sells for ~$180 online (PSC motor) and it appears to be no more than a couple hours labor to replace. I had pre-researched the worse case scenario and knew fan replacement for my furnace would generally be a ~$600 job but I had also read that capacitor failure was very likely the issue. As of this point in my 'GEM Plumbing and Heating' experience I no longer merely suspected I was being scammed. I told the tech to leave and I paid the previously agreed $150 fee.
It was now 2 days before Christmas, I had just suffered thru the coldest night of the year using a couple electric heaters, I was still unable to find a reputable repair company with availability so I researched the issue online. I soon figured out the fan problem was a very common issue where the fan's 'run capacitor' failed - other techs I spoke with told me it is the very first thing to check and it fit my problem description. The next morning I bought a capacitor at ACE hardware and installed it in ~10 minutes and the fan worked fine - problem solved. My total cost to fix my furnace was $12.74 compared with GEM's $1,768.
Best case scenario my GEM experience is a case of gross incompetence so I called GEM to discuss. I provided details of my concerns to the woman who answers GEM's calls and she was unable to find anyone willing to speak with me, so I left a detailed initial message on an extension she transferred me to. I have been waiting two days for GEM to return my calls to discuss if this was a case of incompetence or what gives the appearance of being far worse. GEM is not returning my calls which is very telling... Why would they not be concerned and willing to discuss with me?
If you are reading my review after having a similar GEM Plumbing and Heating experience I suggest you google the various MA, RI, and Federal agencies/authorities where you can also report your 'GEM Plumbing and Heating' experience and concerns.

Mike E.

ridiculously overpriced company, wow. They take advantage of people when they are in a dire situation. Greed is a terrible thing ..... good luck to them. Not a company i will do business with again. . There are many other options out there with the same service levels who charge fair prices.

Freddy D.

They are so extremely overpriced it's not even funny. I called and had them fix a switch a few months ago, and it already broke. So, they said that they would come back out and waive the service fee. Well, they came out and wanted to charge me $400 to fix a switch that they didn't install correctly and said that they would not be waiving the fee. Needless to say I told them to get out of my house and will not be working with them ever again.

Stacey E.

Had them out on Thanksgiving for an emergency call. Tech was fantastic, he spent a lot of time getting to the root of the problem. He didn't have the part in stock needed for the (costly) repair, understandable for a holiday. We called back the next day for an update and were told because of the holiday that we couldn't get anything fixed now until Monday. The day after Thanksgiving is not a holiday, businesses are open. We have 2 small children and no heat in our house. When we asked to speak to a supervisor or manager we were told no one was available because of the holiday. We already paid half the cost of the repair, to not have the repair done and now be told we will be without heat for 5 days. Unacceptable for a company that says on their website they provide 24/7 emergency services. Very disappointing.

Robert M.

Still not good. The company I switched to has been fine ever since, but I had difficulties in getting a burner cleaning. I called GEM. They didn't quote the minimum, which is $666 (without a vacuum). You find this out only after you have been charged the flat dispatch fee of $149 (So $815 for an annual cleaning!) Of course, they'll ""waive"" the service charge.

Many of the individuals who do the actual work are generally very nice and down to earth. They're trying to build customer rapport. But the owners tear it down. There is no ""loyalty"" - just money. They're just a brand of HomeX, which is supported by New Mountain Capital ($55B in assets). The idea this is a local, family-run business is not consistent with the ideas of the present owners and investors. Read the other reviews. Trevor's is spot on.

Note to other P&H companies in the area: There are lots of customers for you!
Give up-front pricing, call (or text) back, do a decent job, be pleasant - don't be Scrooge McDuck-level of greedy! And if possible, offer 24/7 service (since that's the only thing GEM has.) But if you grow your business, you'll be able to do that, too (just don't sell out to GEM.) You don't have to be the best - just better.

Takeaway: Avoid GEM/HomeX. Call anywhere else and get a price first. If they can't direct you someone who can give you a minimum cost, it's because the price is too high. Don't deal with them.

Barbara V.

A one star is even too generous. I had an appointment for my fall servicing and waited most of the arrival window and they called and said the Tech was too busy to come, so they re-scheduled the appointment. I waited again the entire arrival window of 4 hours from 8am-12N and had not heard from anyone so I called. They said the Tech was running late and that the truck broke down [this is the oldest trick in the book in my experience. Not buying it]. I was transferred to the dispatcher and explained that I could not wait any longer and had to get on with my day and asked if they could have the Tech arrive later that afternoon when I'm available and I could be the last appointment. I was told yes. I didn't hear from anyone again until 7:30pm when they left a message and said I had to reschedule. Uhhh, duh. Really? Two appointments as a no-show. I feel like I should bill them for my time. This is unacceptable unless you like wasting time and getting nothing for it.

Joanne R.

I have been a long term customer of Victory and continued with my service contract when Gem acquired them about 2 years ago. The service tech, Chris C., performed my annual fall maintenance a few weeks ago, and today returned to do a ""deep clean"" of my heating system. Chris is so incredibly thorough on taking the system apart, checking each piece he removed and then cleaning out the entire system. From a visual point of view, the system looks brand new! Chris double checked everything he does, checked each part he removed, and returned all to perfect working order. I am a very satisfied customer!

Sean K.

I hired GEM to install a new heat pump system in our home to replace our very old oil-fired boiler, as well as our central air conditioning unit. They replaced the air handler in the attic and installed the heat pump and a new thermostat. Some of the problems:

(1) Thermostat installed was the wrong type, incapable of controlling both heat and cooling.

(2) Installers routed ducting so that access to the air filter was blocked, and could therefore the filter could not be changed.

(3) Installers were not instructed to add an additional supply downstairs even though the project manager stated that that is needed. Nor did the installers install backup heaters in the blower unit per the contract.

(4) GEM returned to fix the problems, only to install another inadequate thermostat.

(5) Third thermostat was installed, now system only blows cold air.

This project began in mid-September 2024 and as of today, November 3rd, we still do not have a working system. GEM had installed our central air system back in 2004, when the company was family-owned, and it worked from the get-go, with no issues over its 20 years. Now the company is owned by a larger entity, and there is no accountability by them. They seem to have become an oufit that takes the money and runs. The technicians who come out are never the same, and to date each group of them finds and issue with the installation.

Steve M.

Just got off the phone with Shirley in membership service. She was extremely helpful putting us at ease. Our experience with GEM service has been OK so far. Hopefully the kind of service Shirley provided will extend to the actual service call.