Redstar Hvac & plumbing

Lenell D.

Not often do I take the time to write a review. I'm an easy-going, go with the flow type of person. So, when I do decide to sit behind a computer and invest time out of my day or night to write a review, either you've done something so spectacular that I need to let people know about it or you're so bad where I need to broadcast a PSA to inform people not to use your service. Well, the latter of the two applies in this situation. So a week after my wife Mother passed, our central air unit went out. We've always used All-Temp in the past for all of our HVAC services and we did reached out to them regarding pricing for a new central air unit. Unfortunately, we weren't able to come to a reasonable pricing for the type of unit we wanted and decided to look elsewhere. We talked to our plumber who mentioned to us that he knew someone who does HVAC work. The plumber didn't give any reviews of his actual work. However, he did endorse the fact that the guy knows what he's doing. So I got the information of the HVAC person from my plumber and quickly reached out to BJ of Redstar HVAC & plumbing to get a quote for a new central air unit. BJ provided a quote of $2,700 which included both a Rheem central air unit along with the condenser and the installation of the unit. BJ however, only deals in cash and requires a $2,000 down payment. The $2,000 down is used to purchase the unit and the rest is due upon completion of the work. I was very skeptical about giving a perfect stranger $2,000 cash without me knowing anything about him. In addition, when my wife and I dealt with All-Temp in the past, I never had to put a deposit down and I could pay with the standard payment methods: Visa, MasterCard, etc. But reluctantly, I agreed to do so. Later that Friday, I get a call back from BJ who advised me that the Rheem unit he quoted me was out of stock until September of 2020. We asked BJ what other units were available and we ultimately agreed to the Goodman unit which had great reviews. However, choosing this brand did increase the cost to $3,100; still cheaper than others. BJ and I agreed that he would arrive the next day (Saturday) @ 9:00am to start the installation. Saturday comes and 9:00am arrives and no BJ. 10am, no BJ. I called and initially got BJ's v/mail. I didn't leave a message but BJ did call me back and apologize for the delay. BJ mentioned they had to rush his Father to the hospital. I can completely understand how that situation could cause a delay in arrival. I was sympathetic to his situation considering we just lost a love one weeks earlier. So BJ arrives shortly after 11am with another worker. The first thing I didn't like is that both BJ and his worker came to my home without a mask. With COVID-19 running ramped why would you be out without one? Eleven hours later, BJ and his assistant finished the installation of the unit. The air works great. No complaints there. However, my biggest issue with BJ is how he left the opening where the pipe come through the wall. The area where the piping come into the house was sealed by concrete. When BJ swapped out the piping, he broke the concrete which surround the pipe leaving a big open space. BJ and I talked about the opening that night. Ultimately, BJ knocked $50 off the work and assured me that he would come back tomorrow (Sunday) to finish the job considering it was after 11pm and he had to see about his Dad. I agreed and paid him the remaining balance, minus $50. Sunday morning came and went and now it's the afternoon and no call no show. I reached out to BJ Sunday @ 3:03pm via text message. No response...... Monday @ 9:15am I reached out to BJ again but this time BJ replied back. In short, according to BJ, he was @ the hospital all day Sunday into the morning Monday and was tired.... But, BJ said in the closing of the text that he would call me when he wakes up so that he can come and take care of it. Understanding the circumstance, I was ok with that. However, I got no call later that Monday. No call Tuesday. So Wednesday, I reached out again to BJ via text expressing basically my growing frustration about the lack of communication by him and his lack of professionalism in not keeping his word. I got no response from BJ that Wednesday July 29th but BJ did respond a day later on the 30th of July saying that he will be @ my home August 1st by 10am. I didn't respond to that text when it was initially sent. However, August 1st @ 9:30am, I text BJ to find out the exact time he would be over and as of today, August 6, 2020 no call no show. So, in closing I've learned that cheaper isn't better. I also learned that as much as I would like to give a young black person an opportunity, in the future, I will stick with an established companies with a track record who doesn't require deposits and deal with methods of payment that I can dispute if work isn't done correctly!