Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Beware of Broward Factory Service

Don't sign a long-term service contract with Broward Factory Service. They'll rip you off

on every little job by saying they charge extra for it since it doesn't come under the contract.

10 comments:

UCO President said...

Hi Sylly,

For what it is worth, I have found that to be the case, with virtually all of these Maintnance Contractors.

If you do the arithmetic, you will see that over the years you will expend enough money to replace your appliances a number of times.

I believe you will spend less by calling a repair service as something needs repair.

I dropped my contract long ago.

Dave Israel

Anonymous said...

I believe that you are right if you live here full time. I was away this summer, and my air conditioner went out. Ther person who watches my place, called my maintenance contractor, they came, and had to replace my compressor and fan. No cost to me, and I didn't find out about it till I came back. Circumstances dictate what is best for each person. One size does not fit all.

UCO President said...

Hi Caroll
Dec 17, 2008 7:01:00 AM,

I agree 100%, I should have considered the Snowbird case.

Dave Israel

Anonymous said...

Yes and no to read these contracts the way they are written? I think it's done on purpose (1) because it's hard to comprehend (2) because added fees will incur, however in printing this I have ECM they come in a reasonal amt of time and do the jog, I have peace of mind knowing that I will make the company responsible for work done in the unit, Mr. Gladstone states it best make sure those who work on your Units are cocered and Pro's!!!!!!!
And why do I respect's Dave's Commentaries etc. just read His ans to Caroll now that is the mindset we can and should relate to
and all try to achieve. This topic a great read because it could effect ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I agree with Dave and others. I would be wary of these maintenance companies. A few years ago, a neighbor called her maintenance company because the outside a/c compressor was making a pinging noise. The man told her she needed a new compressor. This was going to cost a lot, so she said she would get back to him about it. In the meantime she asked a friend and me what we would recommend. Well, we knew very little about a/c systems but said we would go out and look at the compressor. We heard the pinging, and then guess what—we discovered the skeleton of a small bird attached to the grillwork on top. The skeleton hung down and every time a blade struck it, it made a pinging noise. We removed the skeleton, simple as ABC, and voila!—compressor fixed!

A lot may depend, I think, on the repairman himself. Do they get commissions on expensive parts sold? Is he honest? How can you know?

—Lanny

GREAT1 said...

I just started using a new conpany PRIDE. About 2 weeks after signing with them my water heater broke. They came that day removed the old heater and replaced it within 2 days. The only charge was a 45.00 permit fee. I was quite happy with their service and would reommend them to others. In fact, I got a call from the owner asking if I was satisfied with everything and interested in any comments about their service.

Anonymous said...

Would it be possible to build a roster of Village handymen. List a handyman who has given good service at a reasonable cost and also handymen who have given poor service or too expensive. This seems to be the only alternative to contract companies.

Anonymous said...

It sounds as if home maintenance companies are improving but here is cautionary tale from when I fired mine around 2004, for me they were not worth the cost or the waiting time.
Compilation of experiences with ***:
Repairman enters home immediately tells me I do not need what I have requested. I demur.
Repairman says it is not covered by contract, I produce contract and show its there.
For dishwasher problem they used 5 visits and trial and error, I waited and waited. Excuses - wrong part, wrong appointment time, must order more parts etc.
For refrigerator they took unit to shop for repair, it came back untouched, all the thick dust on the works was still there.
For covered replacement of air conditioner compressor, I fought them for 6 months. They fiddled, lost orders, argued the contract did not include the compressor.
They took unit to shop several times, did nothing, one time I found it on the truck with a ‘destroy’ ticket on it. , I wrote to lawyer. The compressor was actually covered by manufacturers warranty, they fixed it, it is still running!

tom marcella said...

Living in a condo up north, the property manager had a list of repairemen, contractors, and maintenance people that she knew to be honest, reliable, etc. The unit owner did not have to try to find someone on his own. We always got good service and an almost instantaneous response to our problem. In short, there was none of the difficulties that we hear about in CV. The contractors, for big jobs and small jobs as well, knew that if anyone was unhappy with their work, they would never get any work in that entire association again. Individually, we have no leverage when dealing with those people, but all 7800 units have tremendous power! Ideally, if you have a problem, you call UCO and they send out one of the approved repairemen.You shouldn't have to go through this exercise of trying to find someone you can trust every time you have a problem.

Anonymous said...

Now Tom Marcella's print is logical
and makes commonsense this could be
a welcome solution to those who are seeking good and honest service. I would hope UCO Officer's run an official survey to achieve this GOAL and if not why? and if mandated by the the residents action could be implimented.