Expert Service Inc

"We are always regretful on the few occasions a consumer is not happy with the service we provide. Every day we receive compliments on our level of service and our craft. This consumer has stated facts that do not match our records. The consumer called in November asking for assistance with a leak in her property that her son is living in. The consumer is living out of town. When I called back, the consumer stated they found someone else. In January the consumer called again asking for our help. Before I called her back her son who is living in the condo called to ask for our assistance in diagnosing the leak and repairing the damage. I explained in detail that I can send a technician to diagnose the problem and provide information on the source of the leak. Since this is a service to provide useful information, there is a charge of $175 for this service call. The man said that was fine, and we set the appointment. I followed up our conversation with an email. The appointment was at 8. Our technician was on the job at 7:57. He inserted a camera in the walls of the dwelling and took photos and discussed the damage with the son, who stated he was representing the consumer. We submitted photos, the diagnosis, the repair plan and a quote for the work. And we submitted a bill for this service as agreed. The consumer claims that her adult son who called us and invited us onto the property has no authority to commit to a service call and that he directed us to call her. The man stated no such thing and it was certainly in his power to forward our email to his mother. She had not provided me an email in her messages. Our price of $175 for a service call to provide expertise and equipment to diagnose a serious problem causing thousands of dollars of damage is more than reasonable. We provided all the information needed, in writing, for the consumer to make a decision on proceeding with the repairs. We took the phone call from the son, made the appointment, followed up the conversation with an email and we arrived three minutes prior to the appointment time. We stated what we would do, we did exactly what we said we would do and we billed for the service provided, as agreed to by the consumer's son. We regret this consumer does not find this level of service to be satisfactory."

"When we don’t get an A, we feel like we’ve received an F. That’s how serious we are about customer service. So we review the job, see what transpired, take our lessons and make adjustments. [member name removed] is correct that we did not send the confirmation email prior to the job. We told her we would send it, and we failed. I’m sorry [member name removed] found our work and our service wanting. When a tech is given a list he addresses the items in the most efficient way possible. Josh is our star performer and we always get good reviews on his efficiency and his quality. When [member name removed] agreed to have us return the next day, and then cancelled that commitment, she has taken it upon herself to organize the work; I don’t believe her complaint about the order of the work is justified or fair. Nor is it reasonable for her to complain about work we did not complete when she cancelled the contract after hours when we had no opportunity to complete it. [member name removed]’s complaint that our rates are too high is puzzling. She purchased an 8 hour package on May 11 and our rates were clearly indicated. She agreed to the rates. We did the work on May 14 and they were the same rates she agreed to and willingly paid on May 11. We are a professional company with trained staff, an office, an advertising budget, insurance, a written warranty and a commitment to be here for the foreseeable future. All this costs more than a carpenter’s wages, which is what she is comparing us to. This is an illogical and unreasonable comparison. When we receive a work order, we match the best tech to the job. We chose Josh for his many talents. Here are quotes from three recent customers about Josh and about the charges for his work-- “This looks reasonable for all the work that was done. We're very pleased with the results, and Josh in particular is just amazing!” -- Cathy S “Josh showed good initiative and worked rapidly” – E. H. “Josh was super friendly and explained everything” -- Matt P These are three recent comments we received about the company-- “Thanks again. I'll be calling on you in the future for all my handyman needs on my own house, and Miranda will as well. You all are professional, reliable, and extremely competent” – C.S. “Thank you for keeping us informed this whole project and for doing a very professional job. We will look to get you more work in the future.” -- Dave P. "When our last Handyman retired, I was dreading finding a new one -- I think I found them!” -- Lindsey C"

"Every job we sell goes through a rigorous setup to make sure we get everything right including proper description of work, confirmation of address and time of work. We hit the mark almost 100% which we consider a pretty good average. Even so, we’re always happy to hear we've pleased another customer and we very much appreciate this member’s taking the time to register his opinion. It encourages us to carry on."

"At Expert Service we are serious about customer satisfaction and feedback. Any grade less than A prompts an internal audit and review. We learn our lessons and we make adjustments when we see room for improvement. We have a rigorous process for receiving a prospect, quantifying the desired project and scheduling the work. In this case I clearly informed the member who had purchased a two hour package that more time would be required to complete the work satisfactorily. The customer refused to purchase more time and when the technician arrived he found the member to be disagreeable bordering hostile, insisting we complete the work in two hours and standing over the technician for the entire work time. This technician routinely scores high marks including the following raves from the same week: “Great job as always!! Josh can do anything!” “He was friendly and worked non-stop to get all the jobs completed quickly.” “Josh was beyond courteous and professional. Very knowledgeable and his work is outstanding. Very happy!!!” Regarding the customer’s assessment of our price, responsiveness and professionalism, this customer received the same high caliber service all our customers get, for which we routinely receive high praise. We responded immediately to all emails (he never called us), he was kept informed by email of all plans and schedules. The technician arrived at 8:47 for the 9 AM appointment. We do not understand how the member considers the price unsatisfactory when he is the one who purchased the package for a known amount. There was no surprise and if he thought it was a poor value he should not have purchased the package. What this member fails to see is when he purchases a two hour package he gets more than a highly trained tech for two hours—he gets the whole company. This member states that he is willing to hire us again however this company will not be taking any further work from this member."

"It's always a pleasure to work for a customer who appreciates our level of service. We enjoyed taking care of this member on this job and in the several ensuing jobs. What we wish is that all customers understand the more appreciation we get, the harder we work to get more of it."

"Any time we don’t get an A we review the entire job and our process. A grade of C is very serious at Expert Service. I share the member’s disdain for people talking on the phone when they are supposed to be working, or even when they are working. I appreciate the member’s grading us highly for price, responsiveness and punctuality. In reviewing the work file I found the following in the job report. “Customer was difficult to communicate with, was unclear on work desired and kept adding things that weren’t on work order. I installed a light fixture as directed but she said it was wrong so I spent eight minutes correcting that. I completed all assignments on the work order and the added work in the time allotted for the job.” We checked phone records for this technician and found no calls in or outbound during the service call. While it’s possible the technician received calls on his personal phone, which is against company policy, we have no way to verify that. It should be noted this was the week our technician’s mother was admitted to the hospital, and since his mother is hearing impaired and this tech is the only person in his family who can talk to her, it’s possible he was having to take care of urgent family business. We should have made this clear to the customer however since all the work was done, including the added work and the corrections, it seems unreasonable to grade us so poorly. This tech strives to give good service in every job. These are quotes from this tech’s customers in the very same week: “Rocky was on time. Took care of everything I needed. Very professional and detail oriented.” “Perfect job. Thank you!” “Very knowledgeable and professional. Great work! We are pleased!” This member’s feedback helps us to see we can be more forthright when staff are experiencing family issues; we could mention this at the beginning of the job and let the customer know we are making allowances in the project time for emergency calls, should they take place. At the close of every job we follow up with a phone call and if we don’t reach the member, an email. When the technician arrives on the job he hands the customer a postage paid customer response card to give us feedback on their experience. The member failed to use any of these tools to report her concerns directly to our office."