
MULL BROTHERS INC
About us
My name is Tom Mull of Mull Bros. Oil, a family-owned heating and cooling company in Wethersfield, Connecticut, where I was born and raised. There’s no doubt that you have seen many changes with the heating oil industry in the past decade or so. While many companies have given up or, out of desperation, have changed their business philosophies, we intend to be here for a long time. As a matter of fact, we’ve been around for over 60 years. My father, Bill Mull, started this company in 1945. At a time when stove-oil was in great demand and #2 fuel was being introduced as a home-heating fuel, Bill decided to get in to the delivery business. In the early 1950’s many oil burners were being installed on coal furnaces. Being mechanically inclined, Bill learned the art of installing and servicing the many styles of oil burners and heating systems.
Business highlights
Services we offer
HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING INSTALLATIONS, OIL SALES WITHIN 30 MILE RADIUS OF WETHERSFIELD.
Services we don't offer
NA
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Senior Discount
3%
Accepted Payment Methods
- Financing Available
- Check
- Visa
- Discover
- MasterCard
- 4
Assorted photos uploaded by MULL BROTHERS INC
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I actually got it done off kilter so I think it was done in May.
After obtaining one estimate for a new furnace in November of 2014 that included -- Top Priority -- the installation of two-zoned heat, up- and downstairs. Since the upstairs is spacious and only sometimes used, it is obviously very wasteful to heat up there when it is unoccupied.
After obtaining a $5K estimate from a Manchester biz to install a new furnace AND two-zoned heat, I next invited Tom Mull out to bid on the same job and again emphasized my wish for install of two-zoned heat. "No problem," he told me breezily as he sailed through my home. But foolishly, I revealed that the previous estimate was $5K and rather TOO quickly, he just added $1K to the price (Total: $6K) and dashed off. Solely because he had said "No Problem" so confidently re two-zoning, I decided to go with Mull Brothers.
Approximately one month later they came out to do the job which included some extra duct work in the basement per Tom's recommendation. Two guys were here one entire day and when they were finished, I asked Anthony -- the head tech and a nice fellow -- how the two-zoning work had gone? He seemed surprised by the question but replied: "Well, let's go upstairs and check it out." After turning up the heat, we went up and, of course, the heat was pouring out of both bedroom ceiling vents. I asked him if closing the vents would be enough to keep the heat from coursing upstairs and he replied, honestly, NO. Then he called Tom to confirm my statement that he had said "No Problem" installing two-zoned heating along with a new furnace. Tom said yes, was it a problem? Yeah, it sure was according to Anthony. But it was getting late, and I knew he wanted to get home. He left promising to return and install the promised two-zoned heating at a later date.
That "later date" turned out to be two months later in February of 2015. Why? Because every time I called to get Anthony back to finish the job, I kept getting excuses that they were super-busy and that Willimantic was such a "long drive" from Wethersfield. Ridiculous! I don't think a 40-minute ride is that far and besides, why did Tom bid on the job if it was "too far" away?!
Anyway, Anthony DID return and was down in the basement for about two hours to install the two-zoned system when I heard a loud noise and then a curse from Anthony. He came upstairs very frustrated to report that something had "broken" after all his work. He then informed me that it would be impossible for him to two-zone my heating system. That to do so would cost a ton of $. Why did Tom tell me "No Problem" I of course asked??? His reply was that Tom had no idea what he was talking about; that he was just the salesman. Terrific!
After a barrage of emails between Tom and me, I was then basically "blown off" by Mull Brothers. When I threatened to blow the whistle on the biz, Tom became very defensive in an email saying that "no one is allowed to threaten their business." Is that so, I wondered to myself! And finally, I actually took stock of the furnace I had paid so much $ for. It was just an average-rated Lennox, but I found out on-line that it retailed for about $2,700. Is that what they had pd. for it or, more likely, received a discounted price. Either way, $6K was sure a lot of $ for a mediocre furnace and one-day's work by two techs, I thought. But then I became very busy with other projects and let the matter go for the time being.
It was not until November of 2015 when I tackled the problem again with Mull Brothers and was totally dismissed. Then I filed a complaint with the CT BBB which did me no good just as I expected since I had heard that the BBB had become very protective of businesses that now "paid" them. Great!
Mull Brothers' reply to my complaint was that the actual contract had not mentioned "two-zoning" work, and so it did not. A very bad oversight on my part. Nevertheless, I countered, the fact that Anthony returned and spent two hours attempting to two-zone the heat was PROOF of Tom's "No Problem" promise to me to get it two-zoned which, as previously noted, was my top priority from the get-go.
Again, if you are a single female, avoid Mull Brothers. Tom either lied to me or was technically ignorant . Either way, it was sleezy of him, and he knows it. And do be a lot more careful than I was when it comes to big-ticket jobs like this.
Licensing
Trade License Number
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