Hina Environmental Solutions LLC

We hired Hina Environmental to install a radon system at our home. The proposal, prepared by Shane, the Operations Manager, gave us a sense of comfort that the job would be done professionally. It was the last time we had that feeling. When I arrived home from work, I looked at the roof penetration for the exhaust and was aghast. The shingles that had been removed had been cut up and were so sloppily nailed to the roof that they were not flat. It looked like a 3rd grader did the work. I called Shane, texted him a picture and pointed out that a big storm was due in a couple hours. Shane said that Hina could not return to fix the roof before the storm. I said I could arrange an emergency repair and deduct the cost from the bill. Shane agreed and the roof got a quick fix to keep the house dry and a later permanent fix with matching shingles. Then the garage door wouldn’t open – the workers had unplugged it and not plugged it back in. I figured it out and plugged it back in. A day later there was water on the basement floor – the drain had been sealed with the wrong cover and would not let water from our two dehumidifies into the drains. Shane promised that one cover would be replaced, and a hole would be drilled into the sump cover. It was never done. A few weeks later, with the drain cover not replaced and the replacement shingles still on order, I received a notice from a collection agency. Despite not being done and not having the final roof repair cost, Shane sent us to a collection agency! This is where I first learned of Shane’s passive-aggressive nature. Rather than fix the problems, he’ll bully me and make it go away by sending the bill to a collection agency. After a stern letter from my attorney wife to the collection agency and Hina, the collection efforts ceased. She wrote up a settlement agreement that included correction of the sump covers (never done) and assurance that the work would be covered by Hina’s standard warranty. We submitted more than $700 in roof repair bills and asked for an offset against the bill. Apparently, Shane’s bosses felt so bad about the terrible service that they waived the entire cost, another $500 or so. I respected the gesture. Things go wrong sometimes, and the difference between the heroes and the zeroes is that the heroes step up and make it right. After about a year, noises started coming out of the radon system exhaust pipe. It sounded like a garbage disposal – most likely the bearings in the motor failed. And it’s next to the bedroom, so it’s keeping my wife and me awake at night. After Shane’s bosses stepped up, I felt good about Hina, plus the equipment was under warranty (we would have to pay for labor – OK), so I called Hina. When I asked about the warranty, the lady on the phone said I would have to talk to Shane. OK. I left my number. No return call. I called early the next morning and spoke to a gentleman. He said Shane had been in but had already left. When I started to leave my number, he stared reading it back to me. So it was there. Again, I asked for but did not receive a return call. I called a third time and left a message and again my call was not returned. What had returned was Shane’s passive-aggressive side. Rather than live up to the warranty he himself put into the proposal and that was agreed to in the settlement, he ran away. So, Operations Manager Shane: 1) failed to train his employee how to reseal a roof after cutting a hole in it, 2) failed to supervise the job, leaving a leaky roof, disconnected garage door opener and nowhere for dehumidifier discharge, 3) failed to finish the job, and 4) sent an incomplete job to collections. Then, he fails to return phone calls in an apparent passive-aggressive attempt to avoid living up to the warranty. If he’s going to renege, why not say so? Why not be like me? I don’t like what Shane did and I’m not afraid to say so. I don’t think Hina Environmental is a bad company. It’s a family business, and I like family businesses because they reflect the pride of ownership and the passion the owners have for providing their customers a good job for a good price. But Shane, on the other hand, seems to be the opposite. I don’t understand it. So, I suggest that doing business with Hina Environmental is a good idea, but not so much if Shane is a part of it. So, I’m going to another company to get the defective motor replaced, and I’m going to bill Hina Environmental for the material cost, which is their responsibility and which Shane tried to avoid.

On August 10th 2017 Hina Environmental conducted an asbestos survey on a vacant structure I own. Their findings in the asbestos report they gave me were that theres no asbestos whatsoever in the structure. I paid the $980,00 for this survey. I attempted to use this survey to have the structure burned down as required to do so. The epa came out to check HInas work only to discover that NOT EVEN 10 FEET from the basement entry they found asbestos in full view insulation on a gas pipe.... absolutely unacceptable. My 980.00 dollar report from Hina is absolutely useless. Hina refuses to take responsibility or refund even 1 dollar of the price. I have talked to them extensively via email through Brian Walker of their sales staff. Zero accountability.  Absolutely DO NOT USE!

We had an excellent experience. Service, punctuality and quality stood out the most to me for this provider. I would use them again if I had a need absolutely.

The were thorough, prompt and courteous.

Very well!

unknown

Hina Environmental provided excellent service and professionalism while testing for mold and radon. They showed up on time, were polite, and answered all of my questions and concerns. I would definitely recommend them to a friend.

unknown

This was a great experience after being surprised when we opened up the floor while remodeling a bathroom to find an old heating duct covered with asbestos. They gave me a estimate within an hour and came out the next morning to do the work. They removed and disposed of the entire heating duct, even out of the wall all the way to the basement. Their work exceeded my expectations. They worked quickly and were very professional.

We were interested in purchasing an older home, so we decided to have a lead-based paint assessment performed. I chose Hina because they use a non-invasive device to detect lead in all layers of a surface, no matter how many coats of paint have been applied. The inspector tested each wall, window frame, and any other painted surface. He was friendly, professional, answered our questions, and tested any surfaces we requested. I'd definitely recommend them again.

They came and gave us an estimate which was fair compared to others. They had the training and know how for dealing with the lead paint. They encased the back porch in plastic and were able to work even when the weather wasn't the best. They also took up the carpet from the porch and the old ceiling fan disposed of them for us. When they were finished they carefully cleaned up any paint chips on the ground and took away the top layer of soil and disposed of it. We felt confident that it was now safe to use the using the porch again.

This was, I think, the highest estimate I got on this job, but the cheapeast was not credible, and the guy in the middle was hard to reach. After some other people had tried to scare the heck out of me over the mold in my basement, Brian Hina took a professional approach. In his view, the mold wasn't *that* bad, but it needed to be eliminated. He also emphasized that the mold would not stay gone unless I got my basement dried out (new under-floor drains and a sump pump). He added that I should get my ducts cleaned right after the mold abatement work was done. There was also some exterior gutter work that needed redoing in order to keep rain water away from the foundation. I was already planning to get those things done anyway, so the challenge was getting them done one right after the other in the right order.

One issue on which opinions differ is the importance of mold testing. Mold testing gives you spore counts and identifies what kind of mold you have. For the people doing the mold abatement, at least on this job, I was told testing would not make any difference because the abatement procedure was the same, whatever kind of mold it was. According to that view, mold testing would only make a difference if there was a mysterious problem, such as a sick family member, and the reason for the problem was not identified.

In my case, family members wanted me to get mold testing done, before and after, to document the success of the cleanup. Mold testing is something on which you can spent a bunch of money. I had heard Brian Hina mention an inspector who did mold tests for them. The man is not an employee of Hina Enfironmental, and the tests are evaluated at an independent lab. I engaged the same man, the price was much more reasonable, the test reports impress me as being completely scientific and impartial, and the difference between the pre-test and the post-test proves that the cleanup was successful. There are still detectable spore levels after the clean-up, but they are down to insignificant levels, whereas before the clean-up, the count was sky-high.

I managed to get Hina Environmental to do the mold clean-up, another firm to do the under-floor drains, a third firm to clean the ducts, and the inspector to come back for the post-test, all within a matter of about ten days. I also got larger gutters on the front and back of my house. For a brief shining moment, my basement floor looked clean enough to eat off of, which was not something you would have said anytime in the past 25 years. The readouts on the dehumidifiers in my basement have not yet gone down as much as I would like them to, but that is a question independent of the work Hina Environmental did.

Hina Environmental's contract provides for the client to receive a set of closeout documents after the job is completed. Final payment is also due on completion. When I received the bill, I went ahead and paid without thinking about the closeout documents. Those take a while. For a few days, I wondered if I had made a mistake not to withhold part of the final payment pending receipt of the documents. When I made a polite inquiry, I learned that the closeout documents were on the way, all but one document that takes even longer. Now I have received everything but that one last paper, and I feel confident that Hina will forward it to me when they get it. Takeaway point: if you contract for mold abatement, remember that job completion means receiving your closeout documents.

It was good. They knew what they were doing. As a paint job goes, it wasn't a great paint job. They didn't sand; they sprayed and encapsulated it so it was safe for me to go out and do the painting. They made it safe for the children to go out which was what I was looking for. They certified it and pulled up the rug that was attached to the concrete and they disposed of that. They disposed of everything and they followed all the regulations. They did the white test and gave me the results and documentation so we have everything if we ever sell the house. All the EPA regulations were followed. They knew what they were doing. They might have done a neater project but they did what had to be done. I had gotten other estimates and everyone was going to approach it differently. I decided in the end to take someone who specialized in this. Some of the companies didn't want to pull up the carpet and these guys were willing to do that. I felt that this was a better value but I don't know if they were less expensive. They didn’t remove it because that can cause more problems but they encapsulated it. We were pleased. It was a lot of money, but the painters also wanted a lot of money. They met our deadline even with the weather. I would definitely use them again if needed.

We are remodeling an office building we recently purchased and asbestos was found in the joint compound. We had three estimates done and chose Hina to do the asbestos abatement due to their promptness in supplying a proposal, follow up and professionalism and knowledge of Brian, the owner. They also did mold remediation in the same building after removing the asbestos. Their staff was very professional, friendly, knowledgeable, worked diligently to get the job done and the job done early. We were very impressed with the outcome of their work and would definitely hire Hina again.