Universal Home Experts

Nicole S.

Warning: these techs are either incredibly stupid or incredibly dishonest. My 75 yr old mother called them to check her A/C, which kept tripping the breaker. Universal first sent an electrician who told her there was no problem with the electrical and who called in an HVAC tech. The second tech checked everything and told her she needed to replace the entire system. Then a third guy came out to give her the estimate: Universal wanted to charge over $10,000 to replace the whole a/c and furnace ( a 3 Ton American Standard split unit).

Needless to say, we called another company for a second opinion. After only FIVE MINUTES, their tech found the problem (a loose wire causing the machine to short out), fixed it, and checked to make sure the system was working properly. And he didn't even charge us for the visit. That's right- a five minute fix that cost ZERO DOLLARS.

We will never call Universal again. I can only assume that they saw an opportunity to take advantage of a vulnerable senior citizen and charge her thousands of dollars for something she didn't need. They should be ashamed.

Greg W.

Absolutely the worst in time management. Had 2 calls saying they would be here for A/C inspection between 12:00 and 1:00 pm. It is now 2:15. I cancelled the appt. this is the second time. My time is worth money as is everyone's. If a company cannot do what they say they can do, I don't need their business.

Amanda E.

We called Universal Home Experts to help us install our newly bought Thermostat. Since our old Thermostat only had 4 lines and the new wifi Thermostats required 5 lines. The guys arrived on time, and stated that they would need to run a new wire from the A/C unit to the Thermostat box. We said, okay how much do you think that would be? The guy stated he didn't know and had to go outside and write an estimate. While they were outside me and husband agreed that we didn't want to spend more than 100$, 150$ max to have the new Thermostat (that cost us 100$ at best buy) installed. It just wouldn't be worth it at that point. The guys finally came back in and proceeded to tell us that to have a new wire ran and the Thermostat installed that it would be $889.00!!! We live in a townhouse, the A/C unit is directly behind the Thermostat. Not a difficult job at all. Eight hundred and eight-nine dollars to install a 100$ Thermostat. I couldn't even believe these guys had the courage to walk in our house and give us that quote. We literally started laughing and told them to get out of our house. My husband was like "Get out, get out right now" lol. These people are a joke, please look around before using their service. An awful company trying to get rich on taking advantage of people in a hard spot. Its obviously okay for a company to make a profit, but this was out right greedy and disrespectful. Shame on them.

Harry B.

This company is a complete joke if you ask me...was quoted $400.00 to install a patio ceiling fan...now to be fair I did call on a Friday for a Saturday installation, still a little high but I was willing to pay it.The tech called me around 12 pm to let me know he would be on site between 2-3pm...and for just showing up the fee was $400.Well, I told him yes $400 is what I agreed to pay so why would I have a problem paying once you got here?He then informed me there would be additional fees for the install...after some prying, he informed me the additional fees would be around $400...really, hanging a fan, $800? Are you people out of your minds...what a joke...I'll never call these rip off artists again !!!

K. G.

These people tried to scam me a while back. Now it appears they're also not very smart - they sent me a "We Miss You!" marketing postcard, which prompted me to check if I ever reported the incident with them. I had called to ask about changing out light fixtures on a 20" ceiling inside the Loop, as we only have a 13" ladder and did not want to deal with the hassle of buying, transporting and storing a ladder just to do this one job. The person on the phone assured me they could do the job, then explained there would be an upfront, non-refundable charge of $65 on my credit card. Any overages that I authorized would automatically be billed to the card as well. I reiterated that as long as they had a ladder that could allow them access to the 20" ceiling I had no problem with that. She assured me the technician would bring an appropriately sized ladder. He did not - his ladder was 13", ha - and he told me the company did not have larger ladders. They tried to stick to their guns about the upfront charge but fortunately for me, AMEX called them on it and I got my money back. I only wasted a few minutes of my life with them but it was so blatant others should be aware.

Thaddeus R.

OVERPRICED! I called them to install an GFCI outlet with a weatherproof receptacle outside under my patio. I asked them to give a ball park estimate over the phone. They claimed that they would need to see exactly what is requested before giving a price. (RED FLAG) This was a horrible lesson learned. They quoted $900. Wasted $60 service call. DO NOT USE THEM.

Oliver A.

If i could leave zero stars i would. I called this company to assist me after hours for my electricity that was not turning on after some bad wiring on my part. I couldn't set the breaker and no power was able to turn on. They sent a tech over and he quickly diagnosed my issues. He told me that permits would have to be pulled and that my kitchen appliance that had been wired was fried also not to mention more extensive damage that would have to be adressed later behind the main breaker . He quoted me minimum of $2800 for repairs. He went to his truck to right up my options. I had a friend who i had called who was a master electrician. When i asked the original tech to talk to this person he immediately asked for his credential. After realizing the guy new what he was talking about he explained the situation briefly and passed back the phone. I told the original tech that i would pay for the trip charge and let him know if i would need the repairs. With no hesitation he said he just spoke with his boss and that he would not be able to work on my house bc of too much liability if something goes wrong. My mouth dropped bc i thought this was my only chance of getting power restored. He said to do the job right it would be minimum 2800 make 14k to re wire the entire house. After i heard 14k i said goodbye. Within the hr a new tech from friend's comp came out. The power was restored in about 10 min with total cost of $250. It was clear to me that the tech was trying to prey on my ignorance and make the most of the trip. I made several attempt to contacat the owner to hopefully see if this is how biz is run or it was just a bad seed. They stuck to there diagnosis. All i know is that i based my decision on reviews and Universal had solid reviews. However i will never use or recommend this company to anyone. Its sad that this work practice still exists. Be warned and i hope it doesn't happen to you. Btw none of my appliance were burned and the power has been running strong ever since. Thanks Universal for absolutely nothing.

Kelvin V.

$300 to unclog a kitchen sink is excessive. Nothing out of the ordinary, simple food clog. Pricing was based on the neighborhood, how expensive your house looks, and what you are willing to pay. Once they are there, it's hard to say no due to the trip charge if you don't do the work.

Cath A.

Very nice serviceman. He arrived on time and was professional. Work was done efficiently. Charge was outrageously high and I will not call them again for this reason.

Danny R.

These guys are all about overcharging for everything. They did some work for me. They will have you believing that you should rewire your whole house because it's a safety hazard. I spent a few thousand with these jokers, they wanted me to spend a few thousand more. I sent them on their way and hired a new company I was very happy with. The 2nd company I hired only charged me $500.00 instead of my life savings like these people wanted me to do!!! Oh lord and once you are on their list you will get solicitation calls and mailers, a real pain in the rear. Shop around don't fall for this scam, the main person that comes out is very nice and will really have you believing you need to do all kinds of work to your wiring. Beware