James A Wheat & Sons Inc

I was hopeful about James Wheat and Sons as it remains a family-run company, and after a bad experience with another heating/cooling company, they did a nice job of clean up and getting our systems operating again. However this efficiency did not translate to other departments. They were assigned to convert a standard fireplace to a gas one. This was seen to be no problem. However once the gas was in place ($5,000 later), it didn't work properly, and I was told the amount of BTUs coming into our house wasn't sufficient to run the fireplace; they would need to dig up the line etc for many more $$$. As we are about to do a major renovation, I declined -- but my question: Why was this not determined before I had converted the fireplace? However I was prepared to accept that people make mistakes, until I scheduled their plumbing department to fix 1) a broken toilet tank flusher and 2) a sticky faucet. Their man arrived and after a few moments determined it would cost us "many hundreds of dollars" to fix the tank lever. Even though the part broken was the completely standard interior flush mechanism (see: lever, chain, little rubber cap) he insisted because it was a "Toto toilet" with a "brass handle" for some reason this put the repair into the realm of oligarchs. And btw, that sticky faucet? It would cost $180 in additon. I was able to call his boss immediately, at which point we were offered a much lower repair cost. Miraculously we had a spare Toto on the premises, whose parts could be cannibalized to fix the broken toilet (online, if you google, total parts cost about $30). The sticky faucet merely required oiling. The total job came in for $180. Better than the "hundreds" the plumber immediately tried to stick us up for. I wrote to the company to complain. I received a non-apology back, with the owner attempting to justify the hundreds of dollars estimate as a case of potentially needing to "rebuild the toilet." Really? We could have asked Italian artisans to "rebuild" the toilet for less than that. A new Toto toilet, same model, costs under $400. In the end it was a standard job with cheap parts for which they tried to stiff us. Disappointed. Won't use them again.

I had to call Angie's List customer service. Before they even respond, which they did respond, after that they left a number. Bad. When I called, the man was really rude to me.

Wheat did an excellent job installing a new heat pump system -- an expensive job (about $13,000). However, where they fell down, and badly so, was in their peformance of a regular maintenance contract. While we were pleased with their work on the installation, we has also signed up for an "Eagle" service contract, which specifies that for a monthly fee, they would provide semi-annual service visits at a discounted amount, and also respond in an emergency if needed. We quickly found, however, that once we had signed up for this recurring charge, we could no longer get them to keep appointments. One Fall, they could not guarantee us an appointment until December, roughly 45 days after the heating season began. That's a problem when you contract with someone to do a pre-season heating inspection and furnace cleaning. The next season, they would not hold to apointments. After scheduling dates, they would not show up and when we called the office, we were given conflicting explanations. This Fall, it happened yet again, with my wife spending all day at home waiting for a visit that never came. Fed up, we called to cancel the contract. Instead of simply cancelling the contract, however, they charged us $290 (later refunded a mere $20 of that amount) on the theory that the contract entitled us to a discount on work that they previously performed. So I pay about $300 per year, to getsomething like $300 in savings on maintanence? That's no deal if you ask me -- just an extended payment plan. Moreover, it prevents a customer from cancelling early with just cause when Wheat fails to live up to their end of the bargain. The phone companies call these types of arrangements "early termination fees" and no matter how you characterize them, they place all the risk on the customer and none on the business to perform as promised. When I called to complain about this issue and the shocking assessment of $290 in fees, I was given an extremely curt and summary refusal to concede error by the company. Too bad, because I think they have well qualified technicians -- WHEN they show up. Poor customer service all around.

We decided that in lieu of service, I needed a new fireplace because it is so old. So, the Provider requested that I ask Angie's List for a refund on the service fee.

After purchasing the big deal I scheduled the gas fireplace cleaning and tune up. The technicians came and measured the voltages on the unit, turned it on and checked the flame. They also checked the CO levels. Before they left they went over some quotes for things that didn't meet spec, like replacing the thermocouple and pile. After they left I double checked the Angie's list list deal and saw that it included a gas and log cleaning which wasn't provided and was instead quoted. I called their customer service and they came out the next week and did the cleaning.

The crew of two came in and did thorough evaluation. They showed me a few item that may need attention in the future. But then got the system cleaned and tuned up for the season

Purchased AngiesList deal for hot water heater flush and plumbing inspection. Plumber was nice and arrived on time. After doing the hot water heater flush, we went around the house to inspect the other faucets, toilets, showers, etc. One of my toilets had a small leak, which I told him about. He opened the top and said "oh I can see your problem right here." So I asked what it was. He said "well, it would take too much time to explain it." I told him I'm an engineer and could probably understand if he tried. He danced around my question by saying "well, I'm better at just doing it than explaining it." It was like that for the rest of the inspection. At one point, he even told me that he's spending a lot of time at my house because it was larger than the average house, to which I responded by telling him that the AngiesList special didn't state the number of plumbing fixtures that were covered and if there was a limit, then it should have been stated up front. When he was done, he asked if he had covered all of my questions satisfactorily. I said no, because I wanted to know what he meant by "oh I can see your problem right here" regarding my slightly leaky toilet. He said that everything in the toilet looked okay, it just wasn't fitted together as well as he could have done it based on his years of experience. I asked if he needed to do a dye test to determine where the leak was. He said no, he's good enough to spot these with his trained eye. Yet he wouldn't give me any more info on what the issue was, only a price to reconstruct the toilet. Their AngiesList promotion should have been titled "hot water heater flush only" because the plumbing inspection part was a joke. It was really a way of saying "we'll look at all other plumbing in your house and give you pricing, not any details on the issues". I will definitely NOT use this company again and don't recommend them unless you prefer repairs to be done without any explanation regarding your plumbing issues.

They did not service Frederick area so I received a refund.

The services purchased were for a inspection, tuneup and cleaning of a gas fireplace for $99. They did the inspection, but then quoted me more than $700 for a "refurbish" which includes cleaning and tune up. They should just call it an inspection and not include the cleaning and tune up in the angies list ad. Do not feel we received the services stated in the deal.

Went ok. He was professional, punctual, polite. Gave good tips on winterizing outdoor faucets and he also adjusted our toilets to the right amount of water.

They did a nice job and seemed very professional.

Bad attitude and poor communication.

The company didn't service my area of the city. It should have been more clearly stated in the deal. They were very prompt in getting back to me I was just a bit annoyed it wasn't listed on the deal fine print their service area.

Promptly replied to service request informing me that I was out of the service area and were helpful in resolving the problem. Disappointed that I won't be able to make use of this great deal.

They could not service my area, and there is no room to add that information in the fine print.

They did not have a great attitude. They weren't really willing to work with me.

Went great. Very professional workers who did a detail-oriented job. Good clean-up as well.

Since I used James A. Wheat & Sons based on strong reviews on Angie's List, I feel compelled to add my own, unhappy review. Everyone working there is perfectly polite, punctual, and they probably know how to do their job. For the first, downstairs unit, the estimator apparently underestimated the size I needed, so they allegedly gave me a bigger size without charging me more. (I say allegedly because I know nothing about such things, didn't even know the size in the first place, so I really can't confirm or deny, I just have to trust what they say.) About a week later, as was expected, my upstairs unit broke/leaked all its refrigerant, so I went ahead and bought a new one for upstairs, too. They decided to delay the County inspection for the first one, so they could schedule the two together. Fine, more convenient for everyone. Well, it's been almost 4 months, and, despite several calls by me, their work has never been inspected, which I can only assume is illegal on their part, who knows, maybe mine, too? Or maybe it's all on me, and they don't care? Secondly, and more pressing for me, my downstairs unit does not cool nearly as well as my old air conditioner did when it was working. I simply could not get the house cool enough, and spent summer days upstairs, which is not where the main living area is. Thirdly, they replaced my downstairs digital thermostat, which worked perfectly well, with a new, high tech one (which they upsold me on). Problem with that, which they initially denied, was that when they placed it in the same location as the old one, it hung lower, and drew its air in from the bottom, which happened to be very close to a light switch, which was generating enough heat to cause the thermostat to think it was way hotter than it really was, and kick on the unit ceaselessly, not that it actually made much of a difference, anyway, just drove me crazy with the fan... When we finally got that "mystery" solved, they made me pay $64 for a new thermostat, which was the exact same thermostat I initially had, which they took away from my house! For all the inconvenience they have caused me, all the days I had to stay home and wait for this representative and that repairman, etc.: REALLY? I am not at all happy, and would give them an even lower grade, except that I have spent so much money on these units, I am trying to pretend that I got something sorta ok out of it. Update 11/4/14: So glad I stayed home yet another day for Wheat & Sons: NOT. We failed inspection due to "no CO detector on 2nd floor, bedroom area." Inspector says that Wheat & Sons knows this has been code for over a year, and that HVAC companies usually install them for the customer who doesn't have them, because otherwise they fail inspection. Stopped the inspection right there, because he has to come back anyway. I just read Wheat's response, and that's nice, although the units come with a year's Eagle Service, so I don't think the planned "no charge" visit in the spring should be charged anyway... I look forward to being more comfortable in my house next summer, and hope the company can do something about it. After staying home for probably a total of a week for various visits, I was just really sick of dealing with the AC. Now I'll have to deal with CO alarm installation and another inspector visit. I wish contractors understood what an incredible annoyance and sometimes hardship it is to have to miss work and other obligations to be home for them, especially when extra visits shouldn't be necessary. Not many of us have butlers to answer the door.

Excellent! It was a deal. The price was fair and I knew the background of the company and that was why I went with them. They were very thorough and as we were going through the different steps, they were advising me on the pros and cons of my existing system and if I were to upgrade or do anything, they told me what I should consider. That was very helpful. They set up an appointment within a week and they worked with me. They were here on time.

The service was excellent with the technician John being very gentle and careful in the removal of all the parts of the gas fireplace to facilitate his cleaning. He also explained everything he was looking at, what he was going to do, and on his recommendations for the future use of the fireplace. My one complaint was the schedule and the notificiation that the tech was running late. The company policy is to notify customers of the time frame of their appointment the night before -- therefore I basically had to schedule the entire day off w/ my workplace since I had no idea if they were going to arrive int eh morning or afternoon. In addition, i was not notified that the tech was running late -- it happens -- until the end of the schedule window...just when I was able to call them asking, "Where is he". Per the tech, his first appointment ran long, so I could have been notified much earlier in the day that he was running late...

Called two days early to remind me and give me a two hour window. Called 30 minutes before technician arrived to say technician was en route. Hugo arrived right on time, checked exterior hose bibs, then put on shoe covers and started the interior inspection. He dye tested all toilets, inspected all supply lines and drains, inspected all exposed pipes and even inspected my sewer pipe. Hugo did not mind me following him around and he answered all of my questions very thoroughly. He recommended a pressure regulator, which I will eventually have installed as well. Then, he flushed my water heater and walked me through how to do it so that I could do it myself once every 12 months going forward. WELL worth the $75 spent to have a professional check out all of my plumbing systems so thoroughly.

I was a scheduled service, I had an annual contract with them. They have always given me the options I need. I have had them out twice. They let me make the decisions that is if I wanted to make a short term fix for a less cost or a long term fix for a higher cost. They also gave me warranty. They immediately dealt with a problem we had and I was pleased.

Mechanic was professional, on time, and courteous. No complaints.

Provider came out and did an estimate of our heat pump system for a system replacement. He was very professional. The company was also very responsive in setting up the appointment from our internet request. We were not able to get the promised Manual J calculation due to a computer crash and then we were not able to get the proposals for a week because of the same crash. There were a number of proposals of at least three good brands to look at. However, every proposal was at least $2,000 more than any other contractor we had consulted and there didn't seem to be anything in the proposal or their service they would provide that suggested these high prices were warranted. Their "Budget" SEER 13 system was quoted at $9,500!! I had noticed on Angie's list that they have many good reviews for service and repairs, but few on replacements other than those who didn't go with them. Looking at the prices I was offered, I think I know why.

The company provided a plumbing inspection and water heater flush as part of an Angie's list special for $75. They called the night before with a time window of 10:30-12:30. They gave me a call at 12:45 to say they'd be there in 30 minutes but didn't arrive until 1:45pm. Once they arrived, they provided the services listed in the in the special. They were efficient and professional. They provided me with a set of recommendations and prices for repairs. The repairs were generally small and there was no pressure to have them perform the repairs. I was generally happy with the service provided.