H. John Davis in Mt Pocono, PA
Complaint 92096 Details

Do NOT EVER sign a contract with this company. They will steal your money any way they can.

I have been a long-standing customer of theirs for at least six years now. A few days ago I contacted them to see if they would be willing to give me an estimate for some service work on a relative's furnace. Initially they said they don't do any service work unless that relative has an account with them. But they made an exception and sent someone out....for which I was grateful because my intent was to ultimately open up a second account for my relative with HJohn.

After diagnosing the problem and pouring some cleaning powder on the oil tanks (a process that in total took no more than 15 minutes), the service tech went to his van to give me an estimate on what the repairs would cost. When he hands it to me, he also hands me a bill for $175.00! I was shocked that he gave this to me, because ALL I wanted was for someone to come out and give me an estimate for future service that I could then give to my relative. He said by default they charge $125.00 just to come out...and the additional costs were for the powdering he did. He said there was nothing he could do and advised I call the office.

So 10 minutes later, I did. And the lady I spoke with (Debbie) was absolutely NO help...to the point of talking to me like I was a child. She said it wasn't her intent to mislead me, but that "no one does something for nothing." Now I started getting upset at the shear fact she would even make a comment like that. i tried explaining to her that my initial call was just for an ESTIMATE, and that they WOULD have gotten ten times that amount for the service work and potential contract when my relative was ready to move forward with the repairs. I told them I would consider cancelling my account if they don't work with me, and she had nothing to say except "this is what it is"...and "there is nothing they can do".

I am so upset with them for leading me to believe they were going to do what I wanted (come out for an estimate) only to them get billed $175.00 for 15 minutes of time...a fee that was NEVER disclosed to me when I made the initial call. I am even more upset that they did nothing to try and work with me...a long-time customer who has easily paid them more than $10,000 over the years.

So i submitted a letter indicating that as of April 1st, I no longer want to be a customer of theirs. I had pre-paid my fuel and signed a contract that was valid through March 31st. However, they are STILL penalizing me .75 cents per gallon of the unused gallons I had pre-purchased. When I asked them to tell me exactly where in the contract it said I would get penalized after April 1st, she couldn't give me a straight answer. So not only have I lost $175.00 for a ridiculous estimate, I have now also lost another $500.00 for this penalty fee that should NOT be applied.

I am at the point where I am ready to take them to small claims court. My previous customer-service history with them has never been fantastic...and this is just icing on the cake. I am absolutely disgusted at how little they care about keeping a customer satisfied. And please note - unlike other people who complain about everything, I have NEVER posted a complaint like this for any company I've dealt with in my lifetime. H. John Davis in Mt. Pocono Pennsylvania is the first company that has pushed me way too far.