Michael & Son Services

CDC COVID Violations; Property Damage; Unprepared; Ducts/Return Registers Not Cleaned (see below letter to Mr. Basim) Basim Mansour, President Michael & Sons 5740 General Washington Drive Alexandria, VA 22312 Dear Mr. Basim Mansour: I’m requesting to be reimbursed for my valuable time that was wasted and the expenses that I will have to pay to get my storm door fixed that Mr. Antonio your duct cleaning technician damaged. The chronicle of my experience with hyperlinked photos/damage evidence are as follows: On Friday, September 11th, I called your company, Michael & Sons (M&S) to schedule an air duct cleaning appointment, and I spoke with Deborah. She scheduled the appointment for Monday, September 14th. I specifically asked her whether M&S followed the CDC COVID Guidelines; she assured me that you did. Especially important to view is your M&S, COVID-safety and comfort protocols video that was hyperlinked into the appointment schedule: VIDEO: Michael & Sons COVID-safety and comfort protocols; despite this video you’ll find that your COVID promises weren’t adhered. I also asked Deborah whether I had to move anything; she said “no” and told that the service tech was named Antonio. Mr. Antonio arrived to my home on Monday, September 14, 2020 between 10:15 am – 10:30 am. He wore a thin mesh, black tightly fitted mask pressing against his nose and mouth; it appeared exceptionally small and more appropriate for a child and had Michael & Sons engraved across the mouth. He did not have on gloves; contradictions to the video. He asked to see my HVAC unit; I pointed him downstairs to it in my basement. He explained that he’d have to drill a hole into my HVAC to conduct air duct cleaning procedure; but that he’d patch it up with the same metal that for which the HVAC was made when he finished. At that point I told Mr. Antonia that his mask was not covering his chin and that it was so thin that I could see through it and that I was uncomfortable because if it. He said he would change it. I then asked him if he had gloves; he said yes and that he’d put some on. He then noticed that my basement door was opened and asked if he could bring his equipment through the basement door; I said “ok”. While he went upstairs and to get his equipment, I removed the sticky glue traps that lay across my basement door. Then I went up my outside basement stairs to unlock the backyard gate so that he could bring the equipment into the basement as he requested. Just as I was about to open the gate he called from my basement door and told me that he’d changed his mind and that he was going to bring the equipment thru the front door as the outside basement stairs were too narrow to bring the equipment down. He then came outside the basement door and up the stairs with the cloth protective shoe covers to further explain to me why he could not get his equipment down the outside stairs. He asked me if I understood what he meant. I responded, “no, because I don’t so that for a living”. We proceeded back inside my home and he kept the same blue cloth shoe covers on that he’d just been outside with; again, contradictions to the video. He then asked to survey the entire home to find all the ducts; I accommodated his request. As we went throughout my home, he flipped up every floor duct that I identified. He asked my name, I replied, “Sharon”. He asked if only I lived in the home; I replied, “yes”. I then asked him what else he needed from me; he stated “nothing; just act like I’m not here.” I said, “okay”. He proceeded outside to get his equipment and I went back downstairs to my basement and replaced the sticky traps across the door. I then heard him call me. When I went upstairs, he was standing there with the equipment he’d brought inside; it was a huge square shaped metal box on wheels. It was in my foyer beside the door that leads downstairs to the basement. He said, he hadn’t figured that he couldn’t angle it to bring it downstairs to the basement so he was going to have to now bring it through the basement. I said, you are working me; he responded, “I’m sorry, I’ll take you to lunch to make it up.” I reply, “I just want my air ducts cleaned”. I then noticed that my screen door was opened exceptionally wide; so I asked him to close it; he tried to release the pneumatic holder that he’d pushed so far forward beyond its intended reach but he couldn’t. I then said, “I don’t want my door broken; so I tried but couldn’t. I then noticed a screw of the pneumatic closer bracket that goes into the wood framing of my door was hanging by a thread. He then said, “Let me get my screw driver” and upon doing so he released the pneumatic holder by somehow pressuring his screwdriver between the pneumatic and slide-holder. I told him that I would go back downstairs and outside to my backyard patio to unlock the gate so that he could bring the equipment in through the backyard and to the basement. When I got to the backyard patio gate he was standing there without the equipment. I asked, “Are you going to bring the equipment around?” He replied, “yes,” but still kept standing looking at me. I asked again, “Are you going to bring the equipment around?” again; he replied, “yes,” and still stood there. So as I stood and looked at him to imply please go get it; he then turned around to go get it. He drug it across the lawn onto the backyard concrete patio, then told me he was not going to bring it down into the basement because he could get it downstairs and didn’t have anyone to help him. He asked me if I had outside electrical sockets, I said “no”. He then said he’d run an electrical extension cord from his equipment to inside my home as well the hose to the equipment. We proceeded inside to my basement and I asked him “Will running an electrical extension cord from the unit to inside my house require the door be opened the entire time you are cleaning the ducts?” He replied, “Yes”. I said, “What if something comes in?”—implying insects, mice; snakes; cats, etc., he said, “What’s going to come in during the day?” I then asked how long it would take he said, “1 ½ hours.” He then said that I should reschedule if I felt more comfortable. I asked, “Reschedule to when, especially considering I was supposed to already be comfortable with this appointment and that you were supposed to have come prepared.” He stated, that rescheduling would entail M&S sending someone out with him at a later date to help him get the equipment the downstairs because it weighed 350 lbs. and he was unable to do it alone. He asked, “You don’t want me to do it alone do you?” I replied, “How do you usually do it?” He said he usually did it alone but this was an exception. I told him let’s call M&S now because this is an imposition on my time and schedule and an M&S employee had told me that M&S were the best for duct cleaning and fitted for the job. Also, I explained to him that I’d spent an absorbent amount of time over the weekend to move things and prepare for the appointment and that all of his requests coupled with him not being prepared was a huge imposition to my schedule and my work time. Additionally, I told him that after he was supposed to have finished the duct cleaning job then M&S was scheduled to come back into my home on Friday, Friday, September 18th for a mold inspection. He then told me that he was not comfortable going forward and that he’d reschedule. I said let’s call M&S now; he evaded that and said he would call. When he left the basement to go outside; I then went upstairs to my foyer as he said he needed to get his hose from my upstairs. I then again noticed the screw of the pneumatic closer bracket that goes into the wood framing of my door was still hanging on by a thread, so I called his attention to it. He said, “I’ll get my screwdriver and put it back in; upon doing so he screwed and twisted it into the wood of the door framing and then it dropped out again. I told him that my door was broken and that it was NOT broken when he arrived or since the entire time I have lived in my house. He damaged my door framing and pneumatic closer by stretching the door open so wide that the pneumatic closer and bracket separated from the door framing. My storm door now does not close. He said, he’d go to Home Depot to get supplies to fix it. I declined. He then reached to remove his drop cloth from my foyer and I noticed a soiled Band-Aid on my floor. I let him know that it was his from his drop cloth. I first replaced in position all the floor ducts that he’d left flipped throughout my entire home. Then I immediately called M&S and reported the incident to representative, Janelle and asked to speak with a supervisor; she told me to hold on and never returned to the phone. I was on hold for almost 18 minutes before hanging up. I then called back and reported the incident to representative Emori—excellent customer service skills; kind, patient, attentive. I asked her to transfer me to a supervisor. She explained to me that she would try to get in touch with one and that while she was doing so, she’d return to the phone to let me know her progress; she did as she promised. Thank you, Ms. Emori. She ultimately told me that she was trying to connect me with Mr. Maurice Noori but was unable to do so, but had left him a message by email and that she’d forward me to his voicemail so that I could leave a message. I did leave a message on Mr. Noori’s voicemail. Ms. Emori and I were on the phone for about 20 minutes; I mention this to document more of my time was absorbed dealing with the aftermath of appointment as well as having to write this letter. When I finished the call with Ms. Emori; Mr. Noori called once on Monday at 12:34 pm and left me a message to call him back. Within 5 minutes of seeing that he’d, called him back twice. He has not returned my call and that was 44-hours ago. It’s my understanding from Ms. Fran Sandweg Canavan’s review that she’s had problems with M&S and specifically a nightmare experience with Mr. Maurice Noori. Considering, Mr. Noori’s non-responsiveness and these facts, I’m writing to you. Why didn’t he return my calls? Why is he taking your clients for granted? Why did Mr. Antonio come to my home unprepared, waste my valuable time and damage my property and contradict your COVID video? I didn’t see your company’s name on the National Air Duct Cleaners Association list, are you a member? Mr. Mansour, again I want to be reimbursed for my time which is very valuable to me and the expenses that I will have to pay to get my storm door fixed that Mr. Antonio damaged. I wish to receive a written reply from “you” today. Expecting to hear from you, Sharon Stewart 202.847.7827 (cell)