We were directed to this company from the Kinetico web site. We had a failing water softener and called them for service. They came to check out the unit after I agreed to pay an additional $70 on top of their service call (total $159 plus taxes) as we were living just outside of their normal zone. The technician showed up and confirmed that we had a leak by the water running down the outside of the unit (which is why the service call was made in the first place)and said that he would have to order parts. He was here for 15 minutes. Our kinetico system was still under warranty for parts. The repair estimate came back at $700. The job would be to unbolt the old unit and insert new unit, about an hours work. As the parts were covered under warranty, this means the labour charge represented $550 per hour! When asked if the quote was correct and that the parts were covered under warranty, they confirmed that. I don’t know any business that charges $550 per hour for this type of work. I do not recommend this company.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $700.00
- Company Response
I’m sorry that your experience with our company wasn’t a positive one for you. We strive to provide an excellent customer experience at fair prices, but sometimes customers and businesses see things differently, and that’s to be expected from time to time.
I do respect your opinion, and if I were in your shoes, I might be disappointed as well. However, from my perspective, I feel I need to stand behind my team on the service and quotation they provided.
In doing my due diligence in reviewing your online complaint, I spoke with your technician, Marc, the office team, and listened to the recording of your phone call. I found my CSR to be friendly and empathetic to your situation. Even though you were located 40 minutes (one-way) from the furthest edge of our service area, she did not want to leave you without a solution. Because you did not want to deal with the original installer, and we were the only other dealer in the region, we agreed to make an exception at an additional charge.
Looking at it from your point of view, I can see how it may seem that this is a quick fix. But in reality, travel for the 2 required visits would be nearly 2 ½ hours more than a call within our service zone. Service work and the diagnostic would equate to 1½ - 2 hours. I can also confirm that Marc spent a considerable amount of time in the office dealing with the manufacturer to source parts and submitting the required documents to have the parts covered by warranty, with the shipping at our expense. As a business, we need to consider all of these things when putting together pricing.
That all being said we don’t want to leave anyone dissatisfied, and I am comfortable in honouring our 100% satisfaction guarantee policy, and refund the amount you paid. I regret that you did not reach out to us directly with your concerns, so that we could have resolved this more personally, and provided the refund sooner.
Again, I am disappointed you did not go forward with our service to repair. While not what we like seeing, we do appreciate your review, as all feedback is valuable in helping us improve our business.
We hope that you are able to have your water softener issue sorted, and wish you the best of luck.
Dave Smythe