JBI Services LLC

BEWARE!! JBI Services is managed by a bunch of frauds and incompetent people. They will sell you unneeded and useless devices and service contracts if you're not extremely careful. DO NOT USE!! They will do everything in their power to drum up additional business for themselves so they can charge additional fees for service calls to correct the things they break or mismanage. THESE PEOPLE ARE SCAMMERS! THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF COMPETENT BUSINESSES DOING THIS WORK - NO NEED TO USE THEM. I used JBI Services for nearly 5 years only because the prior owners of my house hired them to install a generac generator. I have had zero positive experiences with them over that period. For most of that period, I didn't think much of it, that is, until they exposed themselves as frauds. First off, they would just show up whenever they wanted and enter my property without warning and without reporting what they did or did not do. Sometimes they would leave notes (not consistently), other times they would just assert that they had visited on a given date but never reported anything. Their notes were almost always written with a typewriter, so they were obviously done beforehand. The man I believe to be the owner is also incredibly ignorant and rude. Some of their service staff is OK but the management is really terrible. Regardless, what made me realize that they were frauds was when I found out that they installed not one but two expensive modules not only incorrectly but entirely erroneously! They (1) installed the modules incorrectly in that modules did not connect to the correct systems/devices they were intended to protect and then (2) the devices were erroneously installed because they were NOT actually needed. The devices they incorrectly set up connections to were (1) all manually controlled and (2) did not even rely on electricity as a main power source. My whole experience with them was terrible and they clearly took advantage of the old people who used to live in my house. Finally, they also tended to cause more problems then they would solve - which is never a good sign in a service provider. Following a few different contractual visits (over the course of 18 months or so) they would perform maintenance and then immediately after the red light would go on. This required them to come out on special, non-contracted house calls at an additional fee. They scammed thousands out of me (and even more from the prior owners of my house) -- I strongly caution you not to be another victim. When they were confronted with the facts about their low-quality work, they tried to blame the old people who lived here before. They also made other bold face lies directly to me - making assertions they couldn't possibly know anything about. They were also completely unprofessional when confronted with the reality of their low-quality work. DO NOT USE!! BEWARE!!!

They sent someone to check my generator when it had an issue and told me to schedule a separate appointment to actually fix it. I called for weeks and left several voicemails without any response back. I thought they went out of business. Eventually I spoke with the manager and he was very rude. Take your business elsewhere, there are many generator servicing companies in the area.

I would give them FIVE STARS from start to finish. They are a family business and work effectively off of each other. Dan (son 1) is the salesperson, he is knowledgeable and personable. I interviewed other companies and something about how I interacted with Dan made me go with JBI in spite of a few previous reviews that were not very complimentary. He said that it would take 5 or more weeks to do the installion and it came in a week earlier. He also told me what we had to do to get ready for the installation (e.g., move bushes, change location of cable boxes). The installation went off like a concert, with Ian (the father) serving as the Conductor. Sitting on a box in front of the electrical panel that was being installed (day one to replace our main and sub electrical panels and wire generator transfer switch, etc) he directed Greg (son #2) to pull a myriad of wires and get them in the right place. At the same time, he was directing Francisco and another employee to do the outside work to prepare the site and place the generator. Day 2 involved hooking everything together and firing up the generator. They set up a time for the inspection and when the time came, it breezed through. Could not have gone any smoother from start to finish. Generator is here, waiting for the first power outage. I recommend JBI highly and without any reservation.

very well. Please note that JBI does their hvac work out of Beltsville.

unknown

Ordered and paid in full for 20kw unit in December 2014.
 
JBI said they'd "coordinate" the meter upgrade
with gas/city, they did absolutely nothing as I fought with the gas company for
6 months to get the meter upgrade in. Obviously, it's not JBI's fault it took 6
months, no ill will there on that. But, the contract said they'd coordinate the
process, and they did nothing. If that was the only issue, or contract breech,
I wouldn't even mention it.
 
Once we finally got the gas meter upgrade, I was anxious to
get the generator installed. obviously after waiting so long. Five times over
four consecutive weeks I contacted JBI to let them know the meter was taken
care of, and I needed an install date for the generator. I got no reply. At
all.
 
Finally, after 6 weeks of not getting a single response, I
told them i needed a full refund.  That
got their attention, and they replied that they could install the unit for me
anytime. Got back to me the same day. President of the Company said he could
have the unit in my house in 3 days. Shockingly.
 
However, it turned out, despite having 6 months lead time
initially, plus 6 weeks notice after the gas meter install, they had not even
started getting the building/electrical/gas permits they needed.
 
Obviously this delayed the install another two weeks. 
 
At this point, while I was completely frustrated by the lack
of responsiveness, I was willing to trust them to finish the job, rather than
having to sue them for a refund. 
 
I was willing to bury the hatchet, and move forward.  It was at this point then that JBI blamed me
for the extra delay on the permits. 
 
I was handed off to another employee, rather than the person
i had been dealing with the entire time (Company President). While this was a
blessing, since this person was actually responsive, it because clear that this
was a strategy to play good cop/bad cop on what had happened.
 
The new person said it was my fault that the permits took
extra time an that they weren't ready to go once the gas meter was in. He said
that in the agreement that I was responsible for the permits.  This was all news to me, since this had never
been mentioned before.
 
Also, I've used MANY contractors over the years that
required permits, never once has a contractor had me get the permit.
 
I obviously went to the contract, which clearly said
"cost includes all permits".  I
also found an email from the day I signed the contract, from the President of
the Company saying that my price had gone up due to the fact that
"building, electrical and gas permits in DC had gone up" in price.
 
I had originally gotten a quote in 2013, but didn't pull the
trigger until 2014. The quote went up a few hundred bucks, and i asked what the
change was.  Permits costs had increased.
 
So, it was pretty obvious that the costs of the permits was
included in the price I had paid. Both the contract, and email from the
President had said that, but their position was still that I was responsible
for the permits. 
 
This normally wouldn't even be an issue, I would have sent
the invoice for permits back to them with a copy of the contract and told them
I wasn't paying.
 
However, I paid in advance for the entire cost of the unit,
as well as some additional work to locate the unit in the back of my
property. 
 
Silly me, i thought doing business with a supposedly reputable
company who had very good consumer feedback would make it ok to pay in advance
for the services.
 
We ended up not running the generator to the back of the
house, so the cost of doing that, just under 3k, was paid up front, but not
actually needed.  When I asked for the
refund of the unused portion of the pre-paid contract, they said they were
holding it for the permit costs. 
 
The same permit costs that i had already paid for, and that
i was blamed caused a delay in my installation, rather than their obvious
mistakes.
 
I still haven't gotten the refund of they money i paid for
services they admint they didn't do.
 
Ultimately, I've had to file a small claims court case
against them for the return of over payment, and file complaints with local and
state regulatory agencies.  I guess the
next step is reviews, so the public can be made aware of these guys.
 
To their credit, the crew that actually installed the
generator was great. They were very knowledgeable. The different teams doing
the gas, electricity, as well as the physical installation of the unit were
great. 
 
The real problem at JBI is the senior management.  The multiple front line employees I dealt
with, and who were in my home, were great. It's the management that's horrible.
 
The last flag I have for potential buyers out there is that
once the generator was installed, and I guess operational (it's been here a
week now, i have no idea if it's on, or working) I was basically left in the
dark.  I didn't get a manual, any kind of
paperwork, or a walk through of the unit or an explanation of how it works at
all.
 
I'm a good googler, and i know how to use YouTube, so I
think I have found the information I need to know about the unit myself on
various websites. But, it seems at least a little odd that after paying to have
a unit installed, in fact, OVERPAYING, that someone could have at least showed
me how to make sure it's operating. 
There is a green light on, so i take that as a good sign.
 
Whatever you do, DO NOT USE JBI.
 
They do not respond to their customers.
 
They misrepresent the clearly written parts of their
contracts.
 
And they will steal money from you if you pay them in
advance for their services.
 
 
 
Chris Gallaway
FieldWorks
PO BOX 9897
WASHINGTON DC 20016-8897
[email protected]
P: 202.667.4400 x101
F: 202.318.8225

JBI came over to my house for the estimate on a 20KW generator.  They were very professional and knowledgeable.  I had 3 estimates done and they were the best overall.  They were not the cheapest but when you factor in the free PM for a year it was the better deal.  They even knocked off $500 to make up some of the difference.  They thoroughly explained the entire process and assisted wherever possible.  A years worth of preventive maintenance was included in the overall price.  I would highly recommend their services.

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JBI Services was a great one-stop-shop for handling everything from A-to-Z for the installation of my generator including removal of landscaping, installation of a cement pad, and the natural gas line. You don't have to worry about a thing. Highly recommended for all your generator needs.

Everything went well. There were a few corrections need after talking with the gas inspector but nothing major. After getting a prompt estimate, it took a while to get the paperwork and then get them out to the site. It was about a two-month difference. It then it took a few phone calls to get JBI to schedule the inspections and bring some minor missing pieces. The work was done well. When installed it was completely functioning that day. Power has gone out in my area twice since installation and the generator powered the whole house as anticipated. Price was cheaper than a couple of other A rated installers and estimation process was more professional.

I called JBI and set up appointment because whole house generator was not working. I spoke to Ian and he ran down a list of possible causes that could be attributed to the fault code shown on the generator display panel. I asked that they contact me 30 minutes before arrival so I can open the generator for the technician to run some tests and to make determination of what was wrong. No one called!!. When I got home my wife said the tech showed up went to the generator, stoop there for about 1 minute and then rang the door bell and said we needed to replace the gas meter because it was too small and by the way here is a bill for 115 bucks. The generator was working for the first two years without any problems so I found his explanation to be dubious especially since he did not test the pressure of the gas lines. I called the company and expressed my outrage that the tech did not spend any time trying to isolate the problem but rather guessed and then wrote a bill for 115 dollars. Excuse after excuse as to why the tech did not preform any other tests. Then they mentioned that it will cost me about 4-5K to have new gas lines run to my home so the generator can get enough gas.  So I did what I paid the company to do. With my limited knowledge I ran down a list of possible causes based on research on the internet and the manual and to make a long story short - is was a spark plug that needed to be changed. Had I listen to this company it would have cost me 350.00 to put in a new meter and another 4-5K to have new gas lines installed.

unknown

The worst customer relations/service I have ever experienced. No scheduling provided, literally months of radio silence with numerous calls and emails to request when the anticipated start date would be. Then out of the blue one day (5 months after they were supposed to start) they came to install with literally 10 minutes notice. Generator was supposed to be installed by Thanksgiving 2014. Did not complete until January 2014. 
They also took a few shortcuts outside the initial scope of work that was quoted. New panels were to be flush mounted in the garage but instead surface mounted the panels and assured me they could relocate later with little trouble. Calls at this point go unanswered. Workmanship was quality, professionalism would get a F minus minus if I could give it.

I got rid of them because they were horrible. They didn't know what they were doing, they came out and said there was a broken piece. They had to order it, and that was back in the fall. I kept calling them, and they kept on saying it is not in, and I just brought another vendor out. It turns out, it wasn't broken, and they just did regular service on it. When power goes off, because we are on a beaten track, and so when there is no power, the sump pump goes out, and the house gets flooded. I wrote to them in January, and told them I want my money back, but I haven't heard from them. Their charges were very high, and I paid for a maintenance contract, and the two guys came out and said they don't work on GEE and they called the owner and said that we had a bad port. Once the generator was running, I called them back and told them that I wanted my money back. I told them that I would report them to Angie's List, and to the BBB and they said they would pay my money back but nothing to date.

JBI had to go into wall and ceiling through dry wall and plaster.  Did so with a minimum of holes that I had to have repaired. Glad to get this project done. They were professional.  I only wish Hal had been more accessible  to talk to on the phone but   but he was professional with written estimate and honored Angie list coupon. There are no leaks yet and I am very satisfied with JBIs work.  Had used this same co.   When called Jolles brothers 25 yrs years ago replaced my oil heating system with a gas system. Today that same system is working great with very little maintenance over all those years. 

After 3 years of use, my Honeywell 7500 watt portable generator wouldn't start anymore. I called at least 10 different companies that Honeywell claimed were authorized repair centers. Most of them said they would not work on portable generators. A few said that they would, but I'd have to bring it in. I'm 70 years old and the generator is 300 lbs. Taking it into a repair center was not an option I could deal with. Finally, my wife and I decided to look into getting a more expensive standby generator. I looked at the dealers on Angie's List and called JBI based on its many good reviews. I spoke with Dan Jolles about my problem. He said that before looking into a more expensive option, he could have someone come by and pick up my generator to see whether they could fix it. I agreed and they picked it up within a couple of days. After a couple more days, Ian (sp?), who seemed to be their main repair guru, called and said the problem was a very simple part, but unfortunately, no one he called had the part available. He said he would like to keep it while he looked at different generators to see if he could find a part that might work. About a week later, he called and said he was able to find the part, installed it,  and it seemed to be working fine. They delivered it the next day and it started right up!

Suffice it to say, whenever I need help with this generator, or help later with purchasing a new one, JBI will be my first and probably my only call. My experience with them was excellent. Based on their many good reviews, I'm not alone in my feelings about this company.

Excellent in all respects.

We worked for about a month with JBI to get the quote and arrange the time to have them onsite.  Overall I would give them a B+ in that regard, they worked hard to get a quote, although at times took up to 48 hours to return my calls when I followed up on an install date, permits, etc... That bign said they ultimately installed on time and without a hitch.

The work itself went well, a couple of snags were encountered but JBI worked through them.  If I could say anything it was that they could have done a better job communicating what was going to be done on each day as they showed up to do the work.  I just about died when I came outside and saw them sawing through the siding on the front of the house.  In the end it turned out to be necessary and it didnt look too bad, but honestly our house was expensive and I liked to be informed when people are going to be sawing holes into the front of the house.

In the end they managed everything well, the install was completed on time and all permits were acquired.  The generator works and they took time to explain how to use it, etc... The owner came and did the final QA and followed up on his promised to fix some of the caulking that was a little sloppy and repair the lawn.  Overall I would give them a A- or B+

Project took approximately two months from estimate to operational installation.  Quality of installation is excellent. Generator performs as expected and required. Final electrical inspection by Howard County (MD) authorities AND related coordination by JBI Services has been extremely frustrating. Original appointment (requiring that I be home at the time) was not kept, with zero communication from JBI I had to call JBI at the end of the day to find out what had happened and why no one showed up. This then carried over into government shutdown, which I only discovered after an additional ten days of no communication from JBI. Wireless connection (to enable real-time monitoring of status of generator) could not be initiated due to problem with transmitter on generator. Service visit to correct the problem (I was not present when it supposedly took place) did not resolve the problem. Currently waiting for final inspection and wireless correction on Friday, October 18th.

Cost estimate was most reasonable of several proposals.  Job was done professionally in one day.  No mess with excavation and electrical utility panel installation cleanup.  Some delay with gas company meter change which is not under control of contractor.  All work passed inspection.

The entire installation was perfect. Everyone showed up to do their job on time, worked efficiently, and was professional. I've never had a contractor who exceeded my expectations; not just by doing what they said they would do, but doing it without any hiccups or hassles. I am the most difficult of consumers...and without reservation, recommend JBI Services from both a pricing and customer service perspective.

Our inital consultation was with Dan Jolles.  Very knowledgeable and informative.  Once he assessed our needs, he recommended the right generator for our house and quoted a price.  We had already contacted Home Depot, Lowes, and a couple of smaller companies.  Not only was JBI Services the best price, they were the only company that offered this level of service.  They handled everything, coordinating with Washington Gas and Pepco. They did all electric and gaswork themselves.  It was seamless and painless.  The installation is complete and very well done.  Now all I need is a power failure......