Rumpca Services

Alth F.

BUYER BEWARE! I WAS CHARGED $530 TODAY FOR A JOB THAT RUMPCA WOULD HAVE CHARGED $250 FOR ONE YEAR AGO: PLEASE READ ON:

RUMPCA NO LONGER BILLS CUSTOMERS BASED ON PARTS AND LABOR. I Just spoke with Mr. Rumpca on the phone and he explained to me ""We stopped doing that a year ago."" The least they could have done for a long term customer was tell me up front that parts and labor charges are out the window. Mr. Rumpca further explained ""We now charge a flat rate.""

IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING WHY RUMPCA NOW CHARGES A FLAT RATE here's how it works straight from the mouth of a reputable small business organization: ""When a small business is paid a flat rate for completing a service, it can make more money by performing more services in a shorter amount of time"" Unfortunately that means you, the customer pays more. In my case a lot more. More than double the price of what I would have paid under Rumpca's prior labor and parts pricing system.

My furnace was not working properly yesterday. So I called Rumpca and they stopped by. They ended up replacing the gas control valve. Under Rumpca's prior practice of charging for parts and labor the total cost would have been $250. Here's how that breaks out:

- LABOR $150: According to Homeguide The average cost for a service call is a minimum charge of between $75 - $200 and that is applied to the first hour of labor. I'm using $150 which is near the top of Homeguide's range.
The technician was at my house for 1/2 hour - SEE TWO PHOTOS AT BOTTOM. Here's what he did:
1.) He looked in the error code window on the front of the furnace and it indicated that the gas control valve was bad
2.) He removed 2 screws and took off the furnace door
3.) He detached 2 electric quick disconnects from the existing gas valve
4.) He backed off the 2 threaded fasteners and removed the existing gas valve
5.) He rubbed thread sealant onto both threads and attached the new gas valve
6.) He plugged 2 electric quick disconnects into the new gas valve
7. He ran a quick pressure test
8.) He refastened the furnace door with 2 screws.
THAT'S $430 DOLLARS FOR 1/2 HOUR OF LABOR - THAT IS WHAT I PAID UNDER RUMPCAS FLAT RATE PRICING - UNDER THE PRIOR LABOR + PARTS PRICING MY LABOR COST WOULD HAVE BEEN $150.

- PARTS $100: The gas control valve Rumpca installed is sold on Amazon for $75. Since Rumpca is a business, they pay about $50 for the valve. Assuming they double that to make a profit on the part, $100 for parts.

- TOTAL COST THAT RUMPCA WOULD HAVE CHARGED ME A YEAR AGO WHEN THEY WERE STILL CHARGING A FAIR PRICE BASED ON PARTS AND LABOR WOULD BE $250 ($150 labor + $100 parts). UNDER THEIR NEW FLAT RATE PRICING I WAS CHARGED $530. That's right! $530 dollars for 1/2 hour of labor and a part that cost them around $50.

YOU NO LONGER RECEIVE AN ITEMIZED BILL THAT BREAKS OUT PARTS AND LABOR - Just a single line with the final amount. It's like taking your car to the auto mechanic and paying an expensive bill and you have no idea how much you paid for parts and labor - Since you're not a car mechanic or in this case a heating and a/c technician you have no idea how the costs break out for the parts and the labor - Not exactly good for an informed consumer but great for the small business, in this case Rumpca.

RUMPCA IS NOT THE REPUTABLE COMPANY THAT I'VE BEEN DOING BUSINESS WITH ALL THESE YEARS. In my opinion their new business model is to gouge as much as they can from the customer with flat rate pricing and manage their Google reviews so they look good (That night after they preformed the service they solicited a Google review from me via text message just like shady online companies do).

I will be filing a formal complaint with the Minnesota Attorney General and the BBB - Rumpca should have notified me up front that I was no longer being charged for parts and labor as has been the case for many years. Morally suspect to say the least when a company changes their terms of service without notifying an existing customer. I will also post my review on all other online review sites so others know the score.

John H.

Had a clogged kitchen sink. They were at my house 30 min after I called. Service was very good. Snaked the drain and verified it was cleared and that there were no problems with other plumbing down the line. Price was a little high but probably within the average. So overall good value and will likely call them again if I need a plummer.

Carl W.

They replaced our furnace. Amazingly responsive, informative and friendly. All staff were conscientious and polite. Did quality work. Also kept and left everything clean. I appreciated that they handled needed city ok's, guarantee registration and rebate requests. I highly recommend them.

Jolie M.

Our A/C was on its last legs right during the first heat wave of the summer. We use Rumpca for one reason--we trust them. We ordered a new Lennox AC but it was not in stock so they had to order it in. Due to the heat wave, their installers were not going to be able to install a new one for about a week. With the temps supposed to be soaring over the weekend BEFORE our new a/c got installed, we made a couple of inquiry calls to Rumpca and they sent a tech out to help limp our old a/c along until the new one could get installed. THIS, in spite of their backlogged schedule with other a/c calls, they still sent someone out to try and get our old a/c to hang on until the following week! That is customer service. We trust Rumpca, their people and their quality of installs. Thanks Rumpca Team!!!

Jen S.

Friendly, prompt, and great communication. I've used Rumpca a couple times now, and they will continue to be my first call when I need service done on my furnace, air conditioner, or Wirsbo heating system. Very satisfied.