Total System Services

It took over two months to complete a simple residential AC installation transaction with Total System Services (TSS). From the botched scheduling of the estimate, to the resolution of the property damage, we were treated with disrespect. To begin with, our schedules were frequently disrupted, as every appointment was riddled with scheduling snafus. On a number of occasions, I was forced to drop everything at a moment’s notice in order to accommodate TSS, the electrician they hired, or the city inspectors that they failed to tell us were scheduled. I was made to jump out of the shower because an electrician came nearly six hours early, and kept knocking and ringing the bell. Then he said he would not be coming back later, so I was forced to accommodate him, a technician, and a manager from TSS without being ready for the day. That job was only supposed to take “two hours at the most,” but I was obliged to cancel round after round of meetings as the morning went on. It turned into a four-hour marathon, which consumed the better part of my day, since I had to deal with the aftermath for hours. Another time, I was forced to turn the car around due to poor scheduling, after being informed of an appointment just fifteen minutes in advance. The list goes on. What should have taken a total of about two days off ended up consuming the better part of my vacation hours for an entire year. These days were largely spent waiting for people who never came, dealing with people who came late or early, or ones who had to revisit our home due to mechanical/electrical failures and damage issues. Communication with TSS was spotty, at best. We waited by the phone for calls that were promised, but never came. We sent many emails to every dispatcher, administrative assistant, and manager who ever interacted with us; most went with no response. We begged for information, even a simple update, and – far more often than not - got misinformation, or nothing. On top of all of this, we told our story to a number of managers, repeating details that seemed surprising to them every time, showing a lack of communication. People apologized a bit in the beginning, but never changed their behavior. By the middle of our experience with TSS, though, they did not even bother to apologize when they failed to call or follow through. Instead, they became increasingly vague and quiet - presumably to distance themselves from any accountability. What is more, our unit failed both the mechanical and the electrical inspections, causing us to take even more time out of our schedules, because the work they professionalize in was not done properly to begin with. This is one of the more difficult things to understand, since installing HVAC units to code is their business. It is even more odd, because a manager actually came out to supervise the final portion of our AC installation, and we still failed both inspections. After the work was finally done, we were left with damage in our home from the same visit that the company’s manager oversaw. Their contract states that, “Damaged property will be replaced or repaired.” It took us nearly a week before we were able to speak to someone about the damage they left, because they were absent or unresponsive. The single bit of damage that was repaired by TSS – a chunk of our cement siding that had been chipped off - was done without our knowledge, or consent to the repair method. We walked out to find the piece of siding held on by covering a large portion of our textured, matte siding in glossy glue. There was no attempt at concealing it discreetly by mending the piece from behind. We are now forced to repaint the exterior of our house to cover the unnecessarily large patch-up area. Their idea of a repair looks worse than the damage ever did. We were also left with chips and filth all over our interior walls, but decided to take care of that portion ourselves, since we did not trust the quality of their mending. We also discovered that someone moved a bowling ball onto our ceiling in the attic and left it there, causing it to bow. And during the electrical work, a hole was cut in our kitchen wall, about waist high, without letting me know, even though I was just steps away. Now we have an odd outlet in the middle of our kitchen wall that to we had to purchase new furnishings for. We had our crawl space inspected after they failed to put the door to that area back on after their work, also. The vapor barrier was ripped, and the conduit line that was laid dislodged the dryer vent, which was left open to the elements and any pests who might have walked by. The repair for that damage and clean up came to $400+. When we gave TSS notice of the crawl space damage, they never responded. Total System Services did finally agree to have a cabinetmaker cover the worst of the damage in our interior – a project we could not do ourselves - but they made it very challenging. The offer to repair the area was first stated as, “We could try to pull the dent out with pliers, but it will probably look worse than before.” After we declined to have the area look worse, we were treated like problem customers. They actually stated at one point that we might have to bill the electrician that we had no contract with, or potentially “live with” the damage. The bulk of the damage, we agreed to handle ourselves. We even overlooked some of it, but they were slow to take responsibility for the single piece we agreed needed more professional attention. On top of that, they were exceedingly unkind during the processes of settling the matter, leaving me shaking after a particularly discourteous phone call with one of their managers, where I was forced to deal with an absurd level of slipperiness, and was scolded like a child multiple times for interrupting his evasions. This company seems to operate under a different set of ethical and professional standards than any we have ever encountered. Their contract states they hold to a number practices that I did not witness, including techs wearing shoe covers, the workspaces being protected, and more. It is a business that hired a manager who does not understand that Monday and Tuesday are early in the week, and debated the fact. Another employee maintained they had not scheduled an inspection that I unknowingly missed, until it was pointed out that their personal name, number, and the time they scheduled it the previous day were at the top of the paperwork the inspector left on our doorstep. Yet another manager told us a check was being sent out “ASAP.” Over a week later, we were told the same check was “on the way,” only to find that the postmark was dated after that statement. The check was ultimately received thirteen days after we were told the bill would be paid “ASAP.” Another time, we were called after dinner by a manager and another employee to guarantee the schedule for the following day, only to have that appointment botched, too. Additionally, there were insulting instances were people tried to tell me I was wrong, or claimed I “misunderstood” to get themselves out of their shiftiness, or ineffectiveness. There were insinuations that I was somehow untruthful on multiple occasions, too, in spite of corroborating phone records, an email log, and typed notes about every interaction. On top of all of this, we were put in between two companies (TSS and the electrician; TSS and the cabinetmaker) on multiple occasions, which was uncomfortable and unnecessary. As people who value morality, forthrightness, and competence in our dealings, we found the recurrent hassles challenging. We spoke to every level of employee during our attempts at resolving these issues, but faced the brunt of their inability to follow through and their ineptitude through every step of the process. We sought counsel from the Department of Justice’s Consumer Complaint department, since our attempts at getting things resolved in a respectful, open, communicative manner with TSS were nearly futile, and the interactions turned into hurtful encounters, full of dishonesty on their part. TSS then asked us to “cease” filing our complaints. A manager from Total Systems Services told me over the phone that they record their calls. We suggest they replay them and count their many untruths – review the emails and call logs with the electrical contractor and cabinetmaker while they are at it - and refrain from shifting the blame onto someone who simply made the mistake of hiring them. Our sincere hope is that the DOJ, or another oversight commission, will request these recorded calls and other documents, so a light can be shown on this unfortunate situation. The only things we ever asked for were communication, honesty, and competence. No amount of discounts from failed guarantees ($500 for untimeliness; $500 for the hassle), or extra coverage for our unit could ever make up for the strain, property damage, and wasted time caused by this company. Looking back, it is clear we should have paid a top-dollar company to do the job properly, without aggravation. This was a truly horrible experience with a company who seems to have little care for their customers, or reputation.

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