Michael & Son Services

Brandi F.

I'd accidentally put off my home care inspection (i.e. totally forgot about it) for months, but when I finally called to get it done, Michael & Sons was willing to work with me to get all the pieces done in one shot so I wouldn't have to miss more than a day of work. The guys who came out all called about half an hour before showing up, and arrived on time. They're always super careful about tracking in mud or dirt, which is very sweet, considering that my carpets are generally covered with muddy pawprints. They've all had a kind word for my overprotective fuzzy boy, and kindly ignored his rude barking at strangers being in his house.

Every time they've come out for inspections or repairs, they've always been good about explaining what they're doing, how much it's going to cost, and recommending fixes that may be needed in the future. Things may seem a bit pricey, but everything they've fixed or replaced for me has been quality and has given no issues since. They've guaranteed their work, and take the time needed to do the repairs properly. An emergency new water heater a few years ago, some bad wiring installed by a hobbyist electrician, a toilet that cracked for no apparent reason... no matter the issue, the Michael & Sons guys have always been great. I appreciate that they explain what they're going to do, that they show me what the issues are, and provide options on resolution. There have been times when they've said a problem can wait, offered options even in emergency situations, and commiserated and sympathized when an issue ended up being worse than previously thought.

With an old house like mine, purchased from a gent who liked to do his own 'fixes' on things, I've had to call more than I'd like- but I've never regretted it either. Michael & Sons' fix-it guys are friendly and personable, and don't mind curious onlookers, whether they be fuzzy or just full of questions. I really appreciate their professionalism and the fantastic work that they did.

Danna C.

I bought a very $$$ expensive heating and air conditioning unit. It malfunctioned in less than 2 years. I called last night to have a technician come out and lady told me it would be $160 for what should have been a FREE service call according to my contract. I called this morning and they gave me the run around all day, finally at around 9pm with temps at around 18 degrees outside, they say they have no tech available tonight and I will have to wait until tomorrow! I asked them what would prevent them from never coming and was assured that wouldn't happen, but it did happen , it happened today. A huge waste of a a day! AT around 5-6pm when I called the dispatch lady said the technician she was sending had told her a "":gentleman"" called and canceled the appointment! Also Ashley Barnes, a manager at the call center told us if we try to get another tech from a different company to come out and fix it tonight , so our pipes won't freeze, it will void our warranty!!! I was told by a FB group this is false and that any tech qualified to work on that brand by the manufacturer will work. I have found several companies willing to come out tonight and fix it but am afraid to hire them as it may cancle my warranty with Michael & Son. Shady! I posted on a local FB group about my issues and received an avalanche of nightmare stories about the low quality technicians employed by this company and all the scams they like to run, especially on elderly folks. They should spend less on advertising and more on better quality phone and tech help. One lady today accused me of yelling at her and when I spoke in a more modulated tone she accused me of being condescending! Really M&S , now you train your phone staff to be verbally abusive to customers? I would never use this company again and regret being overcharged for the heating /air unit they installed that is malfunctioning so soon after being installed.

Brent S.

My overall recommendation is to look for a better plumber in your area. They will be cheaper and provide a better quality of work.

I called Michael and Sons to look at my water heater when it stopped working. A technician came out for $70 to tell me that it was broken and I needed a replacement for the cost of $2,200. It wasn't until the next day I contacted another plumber and found out I only needed to replace the heating element which cost $12 at any hardware store and can be easily replaced.

I then contacted the company asking why this recommendation was not brought up to me by their technician. They told me that they could have had a second technician come out and replace the element for an additional $70 + parts and labor. This customer relations manager then began to taunt and insult me why I asked about the legitimacy of the technicians knowledge and why it required two separate visits to replace an element that only took me 30 minutes.

Overall, poor technical knowledge and poor customer relations. I highly recommend using any other plumber. Follow other review boards and they will say the same thing.

Maurice was not helpful in this situation which is...awesome!

Sarrraaa E.

BEWARE THE ALEXANDRIA OFFICE IS A SCAM! THEY GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO NOT ISSUE REFUNDS FOR POOR SERVICE.
I called Michael & Son Services for a broken HVAC. The technician came promptly but that was the only positive point.
My HVAC was not coming on consistently, it would work some times and other times it would not turn on. When the technician came the when the unit was working so he did not put any effort to properly diagnose the problem. The technician barely looked at the unit and just cleaned off the flame sensor. Even though he only cleaned the flame sensor he charged me for a full precision tune up as well as the diagnostic change even though he just looked at the flame sensor (that's right he did ONE thing and charged me for multiple services). Keep in mind he did not do a full precision tune up, he did not look at anything else besides the flame sensor.
The next day the HVAC unit was not working so I called the company to schedule a follow up and get a refund for the full precision tune up since the technician did not complete one . It was about 6pm and the so the woman at the call center took down my request and said that someone from the office would call me tomorrow to confirm.
The next day, the only call I get is someone confirming my appointment but no mention of my refund or credit. I then call the company and after being put on hold and being bounced around I was told that only ONE person that could issue refunds (HVAC manager) was not available. I had to cancel my follow up appointment because I was told that I would be charged again (with no guarantee that I would get a refund) if someone came out and I was not about to get scammed for the 2nd time. It was just shy of 24 hours and I still had not heard from anyone regarding my refund.
Basically I got the impression that the company goes out of their way to make it very difficult to issue refunds. I would not recommend working with them. Thanks for reading and good luck!

Marie N.

Marie N.

My association with Michael & Son began in Oct. 2011. We went all out with this company. Since 2011 we have purchased a $10,000 heat pump, new roof, replaced a 200 amp electrical panel, back up sump pump, new 50 gallon water heater, new shut off valves, installed two bathroom faucets, installed water filter system and other services too numerous to mention. I have also paid for a home care agreement every year. You can see M&S was a big part of my life so when the furnace room, rec room and laundry area flooded Christmas day I didn't worry since loyalty was a big part of my history with M&S, or so I thought.

The following day an HVAC rep appeared and saw that the water leak came from an uncapped flexible copper wire from an old humidifier they had removed. The rep capped the line. We were than charged up front and in advance for $1,700 before they would begin taking care of removing the wet carpet and installing fans. In the past they always did the work, then I paid for the services.

We were told they would call us for a resolution to the problem. I called for days trying to get a response to let us know if they would reimburse us for the damage. Finally after four days, we received word that they had done everything correctly and the matter was closed.

A few days later a renewal request for a home care agreement showed up in the mail. You can guess where that correspondence ended up. I will find another provider as soon as possible.

Place your trust in this review and be careful if you choose Michael & Son as your provider for home services.

Debi H.

We came home at 8:30 pm on one of the coldest nights of the year. Our gas boiler was not on. Frantic to find someone to come out on a Saturday night, I called Michael and Sons. A technician came out at 11pm and diagnosed the problem as the Honeywell smart valve. He told us he could not get the part until Monday and could not repair until Tuesday and that the charge would be $850.00. He charged us $169.00 for the diagnosis. The next morning Charlie from Maximum Mechanical called me, he had gotten my number from the Home Advisor. Not wanting to be out of heat in 12 degree weather, I agreed for him to come take a look for $89.00. Within 15 minutes he diagnosed the problem as the ignitor and spent the next two hours trying to get the part on a Sunday. He repaired my burner and charged me a total of $431.00. I had not received any invoice from Michael and Sons for my $169.00 at that point. I called the technician from Michael and Sons and told him that his diagnosis was incorrect and that I already got it fixed, he asked me what it was and I told him. Shortly after that I received the invoice from him and in the future recommendation section he wrote the ignitor. On Monday I called Michael and Sons and requested a refund, I spoke with Jejomar Untalan, who told me to fax him the invoice from Maximum Mechanical and he would see what he could do. On Tuesday he called me and told me he was not going to refund my money because the technician had put the ignitor in the future recommendation section. SHAME ON YOU!!!

After I posted my review, I received an email from Customer Relations Manager Maurice Noori, from Michael and Sons, who assured me he would refund my money. So glad to see a big company like Michael and Sons do the right thing, not the norm in todays climate. Thanks so Much Maurice.

Charles M.

Michael & Son are simply the worst experience I have had in this area as far as customer service and prices. I do have a home care agreement with them that is supposed to give me preferential services and pricing but it is clear that is is simply a rip off. I wish I could go lower than 1 star.
10 days ago I called for a trouble shooting of a small power outlet behind the refrigerator since it stopped working. The technician came and it took him 3 minutes to fix the problem. It was jut a loose
power cable needed to be screwed properly. For that insignificant work, I was charged $ 180. As a long time client and a home care account member, I found that totally outrageous.
There is no way for such a minor fix, I should have to pay that much.
I was very disappointed in that experience and I related this to a manager this morning over the phone.
Unfortunately, that was not a good experience either. The manager in question was rather patronizing and not very customer oriented.

The same week though, on Wed Jan 3, I had to call them back for my HVAC. It stopped working in the middle of the cold front. Again despite being a Home care customer, they told me they were already booked and could only come the following Monday, 5 days later even though I explained it was an emergency and that I could not stay around w/out a functioning heat system. That was to no avail.
I asked them what is the point of having the Home Care package since it is suppose to guarantee a immediate attention from Michael and again no satisfactory explanation was given. I finally called a smaller local company, they came the same day and fixed the problem. Since then, I called and emailed Michaelandson to express my dissatisfaction, but never heard back from them. They should have the decency to return my Home care payment, since it is obviously has no use. They basically harassed me last year to renew this contract promising me an immediate response to any emergency but when it happened, they basically were a no show.
I will never use them again and advice any potential clients to stay away. This is a absolute scam. Reading the comments on Yelp, I am realizing that I am not the only in that predicament. Awful company and services.
PS. Now the manager is replying and saying that the review is not accurate when I simply stated facts. They ""sold"" me a loyalty home care package but when their help was needed, they could not come not before 5 days!! ""Great service""!

Gerard D.

I recently had a hot water heater installed in my new office in NE DC. I had recently used Michael & Son for some electrical work I was selling in Bethesda. They did a number of electrical repairs as well as a new service cable. While these repairs went well and I was happy it was routine and didn't have a need to congratulate them on doing what they were supposed to do.

The hot water heater got a little more involved..they trouble shooter by process of elimination, replacing small item unit they finally determined I need a new heater.

While not thrilled to hear that, they work out an acceptable cost for the new heater taking into account the trouble shooting repairs made in the old heater.

They were ez to schedule and came on time...after the the heater was installed it still didn't work and we finally determined that it was a problem inside the electric panel and solved.

I of course thought and probably correctly that I never needed the new one. Of course hindsight is 20/20 but I was not happy.

I call the office and explained and they said someone would call back (it was a Saturday), I was a bit skeptical. To my surprised I got a call from a costumer relation manager who listen and listen, he got all the fact and here's why I decided to review them. He politely asked what would I felt was a fair resolution. First of all I wasn't expecting that...I thought about amount of time they spent on labor and suggested that. He said sounds reasonable and had a credit processed back to my card in s few days.

That was it, I was really impressed with there willing to listen and work out something I thought was fair.

Hanna C.

Charles Robinson is AWESOME - he really went over and above to help repair our broken pipes. I would highly recommend Michael & Son Services after our great experience.

Werner H.

On Friday, after waiting two days for their visit their technician came to fix the heat unit. After a quick examination he concluded that the problem was the filter and recommended buying disposable filters. After following their advice, nothing happened and my family had to freeze during the weekend. I message and called them on Saturday but they did not answer. I finally got to talk to Maurice today (Monday) who was supposed to give me a solution but he didn't even listen to the problem. He just transfer me to an empty extension to leave a message, AGAIN!