ComplaintsforBrady Home Services

• Initial Complaint

  09/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This letter is to register a complaint against Brady Plumbing and Heating, a.k.a. Brady Home Services, for deceptive billing practices and incomplete work. At every stage of this project, the company required payment in full for invokes, whether work was completed, or not, prior to scheduling any further work. As a result, we ended up being billed for over $1,000.00 of work and materials or discounts that were never delivered as promised. The details of our experiences are below. In early March, we reached out to several home contractors and plumbers regarding replacing a shower unit in a property we own in 'Lebanon NH. We live in Milford NH, about an hour and a half away, so it was important that we have a reliable contractor who could work at times were we available to travel to Lebanon to oversee work. After receiving several bidsfestimates, we selected Brady (not the cheapest), because their schedule allowed them to complete the work before summer, while others were booked out until fall. The shower unit was ordered and our first invoice was for $5,554.18. This included a senior discount, and we opted to purchase the "Top Dog Annual Membership" that would give us 15% discount on work contracted with Brady. We paid a 20% deposit ($1,102.50) on 4/5/23. The shower was special order, so an install date was not scheduled at that time. A few weeks later, we were informed that the shower had arrived and work was scheduled for May 10th, starting at 8:00 a.m.. The appointment was confirmed by phone and text the night before. I drove to the property, arriving at 8:00. At 9:25, I received a call stating that the shower was not the correct product and that the installation would be postponed. Amy, in their office, forwarded me an e-mail showing that the issue was the supplier's, not theirs, but the lack of notification in a timely manner was clearly theirs_ After consultation, we decided to remove the old shower, prior to delivery of the new unit. During this process, water damage to the floor and subfloor was noted. It was traced to a leaking water heater in a closet next door. The shower was removed, and estimates were prepared for replacing the water heater and flooring. The initial estimates for this work were $3,824.68 for the water heater replacement and $11,054.63 to demo and replace the walls, flooring, vanity and remove and replace the toilet. This was far beyond anything we could afford, so I reached out to the owner, T.J., requesting a conversation about other options. To his credit, he drove by a day later and met with me. I questioned the high cost of the water heater (we had recently has another replaced at our home in Milford for $2,500). He explained that part of the cost was to hook it up in a way to be able to use it, then remove it, as flooring was replaced, and reinstall it. That made sense, but I asked if there was a different water heater that wasn't "top of the line" or smaller to make this more manageable for us. He said they only used one supplier and wouldn't warranty any other product. I asked if they had a smaller model. He worked up something on his tablet and said that a 19 gallon, as opposed to a 40 gallon, unit would be around $3,500. I inquired if that qualified for the Top Dog" discount. He said, "yes". That $525 meant a savings of $850 over the original quote of $3,800, so we opted to install the 19 gallon unit, after being assured it could be set to supply the house with hot water in a similar manner to a 40 gallon unit. The work was performed, and we received an invoice for $3,511.53. When I reminded them that the discount had not been applied, I was told that the office would look into it. The invoice showed the original amount, and the discount, but the discount was not subtracted from the original quote (see attached). The office said the invoice had to be paid in full, if any further work was to be scheduled, so I paid it with the assurance that adjustments could be made to invoices for future work. 1 never would have opted for a half-size unit, had I know that the price difference was only $300 (8%). T.J. and I also spoke about the estimate for the flooring, wall and vanity replacement. We reached an agreement that we would purchase and install a new vanity, be responsible for the flooring, and not remove the toilet (sincetheflooring damage did not extend that far. Based on this, a new $4,300 estimate was created on his tablet, for Brady just replacing the flooring and subflooring with the worst damage, removing the vanity, and repairing walls that were cut out. I didn't receive a copy of this document until May 24th. Ironically, it showed the agreed upon price included the "Top Dog" discount again, although no original amount was shown from which the deduction was taken. Brady Plumbing and Heating had now become Brady Home Services with e-mail announcements that they now had carpenters and electricians and could handle all home services for customers. The work was scheduled for June 8th. Once again, the appointment was confirmed, both by phone call and by text, the day before_ 1 drove to Lebanon, arriving at 8:00 a At 8:26,1 received a call from their office that the appointment was being cancelled due to their carpenter having called out. I was told that the owner would reach out shortly about options. Hours later, I'd heard nothing and called their office. The owner informed me that the only carpenter they had on staff had quit unexpectedly and that they would need to search for, and hire, a new carpenter before they could finish our job. He estimated that could be from three to six weeks. The other option he offered was to cancel the work, get our deposit for the shower back and he'd sell the shower, at cost, to another contractor that we lined up. I knew well that no other contractor would be available before well into the fall. We had worked with a carpenter on a deck and replacing some windows, so I offered that we could reach out to him and, if he were available, we could coordinate his work with their shower install. TJ agreed, and an agreement was reached to pay our carpenter $1,200 of the contracted amount for labor to do the carpentry work (repairing walls, fixing an area of the ceiling above the shower, and replacing trim and the bathroom doorframe and door). That work was scheduled for June 26th. On June 26th, the shower was installed, but the final plumbing would have to wait until the carpenter finished his wall work, so it was arranged that the, plumber would return the following day. He informed me he'd be there between 8:00 and 12:00 (their usual window). The carpenter continued his work. He had now become responsible for trimming a section of the shower that stuck out an inch past the wall (see picture), insulating the shower wall containing the plumbing, and replacing trim that had been removed. He also had to remove the vanity which had simply been sawed off one-third of the way down the bathroom originally. He even was tasked with installing the shower door( I) which was part of the shower installation invoice, "Install Pivoting Shower Door" (see invoice). The plumber's response was, "I'm just a plumber, I don't do that." We had also asked that since they hadn't removed the entire vanity, to please install new cutoffs and connectors, so we could hook up the faucets in the new vanity easily. We had expected this to be done a concession for all the issues we'd had. Both T.J. and plumber had said, they would do so, if he had time on his visit. However, when the time came, we were presented with a work order for over $320 for this work. Having tittle choice, we agreed, feeling taken advantage of one again. Retuminglatertfrat day, I found that the shutoffs were installed (3/8"), but no connectors to the 1/2" faucets had been added. Yet another inconvenience (not available at Home Depot) and expense for us. None of these additional "carpentry" tasks were included in Brady's original labor agreement with our carpenter,, and I had to buy materials for him to use (trim and insulation). Neither the increased labor costs nor the materials for this were recovered from Brady, due to the fact that the plumber didn't arrive before noon on the 27th I had to leave for an appointment before his arrival. I called the office (Amy?), and was told that if I wasn't there to pay, in full when he was there, they'd cancel his coming! So, I reluctantly paid $3,000 of the remaining $3,500, saying I'd call in the balance once I'd had a chance to inspect the work. This was not acceptable to Brady, who required that I authorize final payment before the work was completed, otherwise their plumber would not come out. I reminded them of the $525 "Top Dog" discount not deducted from the hot water heater invoice, but the only response was that she would talk to T.J. again. I returned later that day to find that my carpenter was still working. He ended up billing us for additional labor, I paid for materials and there still isn't wall board or paneling installed in the hot water heater closet. I will have to pay to have that completed (labor and materials), so the insulation doesn't fall out of the walls. All in all, the experience with Brady Plumbing went from a positive first impression to a nightmare. They'd say one thing, have you sign on a tablet, not get you paper copies of your estimates or contracts until later, and then not perform work as stated, or in some cases as written. Their process for their "Top Dog" discount is highly misleading. They give a quote, then later say that the discount was included and put-itas a line item on your fa-voice vvithout deducting -it. Retail-price should be shown, with a separate line for discount deducted, and final balance should be the difference of the two. To summarize, I feel that Brady Plumbing and Heating overcharged us at least $1,000. $525 for a promised discount on the smaller hot water heater, and at least $225 for additional labor and materials relating to services in their contract that we ended,paying for. Not to mention the $320 for the water shutoffs for the vanity. I would caution anyone from using this company for work, as their estimating, quoting, and billing methods are less than transparent and they leverage future appointments and work against payment for contracted services, whether they are completed or not.

  Business response

  09/23/2023

  Customer has been contacted, and complaint has been resolved.

  Customer response

  09/29/2023

  The owner reached out to me shortly after receiving a copy of my complaint.  We had a respectful conversation about the matters addressed.  He was able to furnish me with more information about what conversation had transpired between him and the carpenter we hired, after his carpenter backed out.  That resolved the issues related to the carpentry, as the carpenter had been informed that he was responsible for materials, which he later billed us for.  That was outside of Brady Home Service's control.  We did also agree that the scope of work covered by their agreement did leave out two facets of the work (paneling in the water heater room and trimming the shower cabinet), which Brady Home Services accepted responsibility for.  As for the matter of the membership discount, the owner, TJ, admitted that it was confusing and that they had received other comments about how their third party invoicing system displays discounts.  We agreed on compensation that covered the discount pricing and carpentry issues that were under their control.  I accepted a reduction in the settlement, due to my being misinformed about Brady's arrangement with the outside carpenter.  All said, the resolution was acceptable, and I commend the owner for his personal involvement on multiple occasions in our project which ran into a few delays and snags.  The company is working to resolve the problem with transparency surrounding the displaying of work order contract amounts and showing applied discounts. I would now recommend Brady Plumbing and Heating for those services, while still cautioning consumers regarding contracts involving other services such as carpentry, electrical and the like.

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