UNIVERSAL ENERGY CORPORATION

After being promised "an hour or hour and a half" sales visit, we spent FOUR HOURS with our sunroom salesman! My wife finally asked him to leave our home. He started our 12X12 year-round sunroom at $66,000, then kept coming down "if we bought today and today only." By the end he supposedly called the owner of the company who gave the OK to a price so low we "couldn't tell anyone." It was $40,000 ($10,000 higher than the company we finally chose). I called the sales manager and told him about our very unhappy experience. He assured us this is not the way Universal normally does business, apologized and encouraged us to email the president of the company to inform him what had happened. I never heard another word from HIM but DID receive a call from "Marketing" saying they could beat the price from sales and could they come out to see us. (Another company's sales representative had told me to expect such a call as a routine part of their sales tactics). Since I did not hear back from the owner I am now ready to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in addition to warning Angie's List members to stay away from this company. These sales techniques are deplorable and nothing like our experience with the other two sunroom companies that treated us well and gave us far lower estimates.

The installation, once it began, was done extremely well by an experienced and very careful contractor. The process of getting a permit for building was painful. Universal Energy was not familiar with our neighborhood zoning. We thought there would be no concerns because we were replacing a deck with a smaller structure, but Rockville requires more room from an enclosed room to the rear line of the property than from a deck. We waited 4 months for the variance hearing and final permit approval, then ran into rain delaying the project. The sun room is now in place, but in winter, and cold, so we haven't yet enjoyed the experience.

Before receiving stage 1 bank funding there was adequate communication. However, after they got our money that stopped. When there was a problem they would say and promise just about anything to pacify us, then do nothing. They did not return calls regarding incorrect CAD drawings, incorrect measurements for a doggie door or answer our questions about effects on our french drain. After 5 months of waiting for answers, action & corrected CAD drawings we tried to cancel the room. We were lied to and told we could not cancel because the room had been ordered. When I asked how that was possible when we were still waiting on the corrected CAD drawings to sign the story changed. Their "procedure" frequently changes when they are questioned about it. We only got answers to the previous questions in response to a letter sent by us to the Better Business Bureau. We are currently working with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission to get our money back, but they are very slow.

THEY PROVIDED ME WITH DETAILED DRAWINGS BEFORE DOING WORK, HANDLED THEMSELVES VERY PROFESSIONALLY GAVE A LIFETIME GUARANTEE THAT IS TRANSFERABLE IF HOUSE IS SOLD. THEY ALSO HANDLED FINANCING OF JOB.

NICE JOB ONCE THEY CAME TO DO THE WORK. THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE WITH THEM GETTING THE MEASUREMENTS RIGHT AND THEY TOOK MUCH LONGER TO START THE WORK THAN PROMISED.