CDS Home Services

It has been great. Once I found them on Angie's List, I now have them come twice a year. I liked their responsiveness and thoroughness. They're very friendly. This company is excellent and they do a much more thorough job doing the same thing that they were supposed to be doing. I really felt that they're taking good care of my generator and keeping it in shape. They figured it out immediately and they fixed it. I didn't have a problem since then. The price is competitive and I get at least more than what I pay for.

I was extremely dissatisfied. I had two outdoor floodlights which were 2nd-story located, and I would have checked them myself but for lack of an extention ladder. I assumed either the bulbs or the fixtures themselves were bad and called CDS. When they got up there they determined there was no power to the lights. They spent an hour going through the house to determine why, with no success, and charged me $125 for the hour. Their proposal to my wife was to come back, and charge an additional $288 to run a new circuit to the lights rather than figure out why the power was out. When I got home from work, I went to the basement and checked a receptacle with a GFI trip test button. I tripped the GFI test, reset it and found out this was the power supply to the floodlights. Took me all of 5 minutes to find the problem. When I called CDS and asked them to rework their quote (because I had bought replacement fixtures thinking the old ones were bad and wanted them replaced, their "reworked" price was $238 ($50 less - big deal) even though they no longer had to run any new circuit. I told them to forget it. I am alsocancelling the prepaid service contract I gave CDS on my generator because I dont want them in the house again.

The workers were on time, courteous and knowledgeable.

They came when we had a problem and taught us what to do if it ever happened again, (easy fix). They inspect our generator yearly and answer any questions we have. We will use them again if we have a need for other electrical procedures. |Nice folks to deal with.

I rate the whole experience as A-, not a full A. The first installation design/site location, which I finally approved over personal reservations, was overridden by second installation design by more experienced individual. Installation was made competently without incident. The first emergency use occurred when furnace was on. When the generator turned on the furnace would not function. A call to CDS initiated an immediate service call, for which I give A+++. The furnace failure was merely some type of installation glitch. Another issue was response, efficiency and competency of office staff. There appear to be too many people involved who are not on the same page. For that I give B. Would I hire CDS again, yes I would, but not enthusiastically. The total price was $7,734.00 including gas and electrical connections, and pad.

They installed this generator as a contractor for Home Depot. CDS representative came out to see what I wanted to do and made his recommendation for the 17kw. I was considering a 20kw which would have cost about $3000.00 more for the unit and additional work that would be needed for the install. The 17kw is enough to run all the important circuits in the house. We had 22 circuits and the 17kw had enough for 16. I am very happpy with their recommendation. Scheduling went as planned for delivery, installation and inspections. Unit works fine. I was so satisfied that I signed up for their extended warranty and service package. The total cost of service listed includes the unit itself.

I hired CDS via Home Depot (HD). I purchased my generator separately because I had a HD discount. I'm a self proclaimed handyman and like to save money wherever possible so I agreed in the contract to patch drywall and dig the trenches for the electric and gas lines--ended up saving ~$250. CDS contacted Pepco to have new gas meter installed to provide appropriate pressure for generator. Pepco charged me $400 (6 months after the install). CDS subcontracted a gas plumber to run the new gas line. The gas subcontractor was knowledgeable, but not 100% professional. He was able to run the line through my basement in a clean, concealed way, but near the meter termination (inside the house) he neglected to run the gas line BEHIND some air ducts. It was not a huge deal since it was in the unfinished utility room, but a real professional would've ran it behind. He also asked me for caulk, which I had on hand, but a hired contractor should never ask the customer for supplies. The CDS electricians were very thorough and professional. The lead tech (with an Irish-like accent) mentioned that his name is tied to each of his jobs so he meticulous about ensure the job is done right 100%. He was VERY knowledgeable and courteous. There were some issues on the admin side. Because I purchased the generator (which did NOT include the battery) separately from HD, there was a mix up. Luckily I ensured the battery was written in the contract months ago. Anyway I went out and purchased a battery and the company quickly reimbursed me. After the install they performed an operational test and provided me the contact info for Pepco to perform final inspection. The following week there was an hour-long power outage in the area and it worked like a charm...and it is quieter than a lawn mower.

They also arranged for a county inspector to come out and check the connections. Everything went as scheduled.

We're very pleased with the final product. It looks nice, and performs well. They were very meticulous and careful. They had a couple of miscues between the different contractors. I was impressed with the quality of all the personnel, but they could use better coordination with the home office. They didn't disturb anything in installing the lines. Two of the tasks had to be redone due to miscommunication with the home office.

It worked out well and I was very happy with their service. This was purchased through Home Depot and CDS was the recommended company to install. The installation went well from the beginning to end. They had to put in a new fuse box in the basement. This generator runs on propane. I was very pleased with the overall experience.

Overall, they did a good job. We purchased the generator from Home Depot and they recommended CDS. They told us upfront that it would take some time to install the generator because there was a waiting list. The generator was installed in phases. The workers who installed the platform installed it in the wrong area. It was supposed to be installed in the back of the house based on residential code. They were able to put in back in the correct place. We had to run piping into a room and closet to hook it up to the gas line. This company is very good at finding alternative methods in making sure the generator is connected correctly and placed in the right location. The model we have automatically runs a system check once a week. The one thing I noticed that the electrical technician really did not explain setting the auto check timer and had it set for the middle of the afternoon. The gas technician explained this to us and we had it set for a different time. Everything else worked out very well.

They did a pretty good job. The generator works well. Everyone that they sent out was very knowledgeable about the product and well as the installation. This was a brand new generator that I purchased from them. They had everything you need when it comes to the models and makes. The technicians were very professional throughout the whole experience through the purchasing and installation. We have had about 4 outages and within 10 seconds, the generator kicks in. They were about 10%-15% cheaper than the other estimates for the generator that we got. The generator was installed right next to the gas line, which saved us money.

We had nothing but trouble with this company after we signed the contract to have them do the work. First, they told us it would 8-12 weeks before they could have the generator delivered. Washington Gas took only one week to come and install a new meter, meaning that the whole timeline was pushed up. They delivered the generator without a htich, but, from there it went downhill. They installed the gas line in the wrong place, meaning that we will have major problems when we decide to re-side the house. Then, the panel that they delivered was defective. So, we had to schedule another appointment to have another electrician come out to our home. They only have service hours during business hours, so, every time someone came to our home, we needed to take time off of work. Dealing with their subcontracted plumber was an exercise in futility. They came to our house whenever they liked, without any warning and did what they thought they needed to do, including installing the wrong gauge for final inspection. Finally, at least one person on their staff was so rude to us that we refused to deal with her AT ALL. In the end, the company wanted to tell us that none of the problems were their fault. All in all, it was an awful experience and I would not recommend this company.

Ovrall a good experience. It took awhile to get these guys lined up to do the install, but that wasn't their fault, given the increased demand for backup geneators in the wake of the summer 2012 derecho (storm) in the DC area. The pricing was very fair (I did do a fair amount of comparison shopping), the install went smoothly, and subsequent maintenence has been timely. Of course, we have had very little use for the unit since then (no major blackouts in over a year), but it performs as advertised and I am pleased with the result.

What began as a seemingly pleasant and simple purchase and install became a nightmare! The process began with an estimator coming by to evaluate our needs in August 2012. We signed a contract and made a deposit on 9/10/12. The job was not completed until June 2013. A 6-8 week process became 9 MONTHS! Was told the order for the generator was placed on 9/14/12 and that all permits had been applied for the week of 9/17/12. The project was supposed to be completed 6-12 Weeks from the date of the order. On 9/24/12 I was told that Washington Gas needed to contact me to give me a date for their portion of the work and they are running 6-8 weeks out. CDS will not deliver the generator until we notify them of Washington Gas' date. The estimator that came by looked through the house, determined the best way to run the power from the generator to the panel, had it all drawn up and gave the estimate based on that. The actual workers came in and said that way wouldn't work and that they would need to missile the electric which would cost more money and the install would be delayed. Over the next several months the only updates I received were ones that I initiated the contact for. It was always someone else holding up the process. The permits, the gas company, the electricians, the missiling, the inspections, etc. Then, when I thought it was finally finished and I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore, we had our first power outage! The generator worked fine til the power was back on. But on the very next self test there was a low oil pressure fault on the generator. When I opened up the lid I found that the technician never put the oil cap back on and their was oil all over the inside of the cover and all over the unit! I had to call them back out! What a nightmare! Since this is the only company that I've dealt with through this process I have nobody to compare them with, but I would think twice about even getting a generator installed if this is what I'd have to go through to get it done! Needless to say, they will NOT be getting a maintenance contract out of me.

We conveyed our requirements to the sales representative, who explained everything about the process thoroughly. However, when the electricians arrived to begin the work, we discovered that the wrong generator had been ordered for the application that we had specified. CDS immediately offered to upgrade the generator at cost and gave us an additional year of maintenance service. The electricians proceeded with the work inside the house and less than a week later, CDS delivered the upgraded generator and the installation was completed. We found all the employees to be very courteous and professional throughout the process. Given the initial confusion with the generator size, we were very happy with how CDS handled the situation.

They were accommodating and did a good job. They were very efficient and when the original solution didn’t work (we had to change from natural gas to propane), they revised the contract. They installed it quickly and we are very happy with it.

I contracted with CDS to install a natural gas powered generator in early September. The three-month installation process was a comedy of errors. Many of the interactions with the subcontractors got mixed up or would not have taken place in a timely manner if I had not straightened things out. This took a lot of my time, which should not have necessary.

Our experience was frustrating from the beginning. The customer service department was unresponsive to all our telephone calls and messages left - the customer service department was very rude and it was a miserable experience trying to deal with them. Totally unprofessional - exasperating! Glad it's over. Project timeline about 6 months. Much of this time could have been avoided. Will not hire them to service the generator.

Service personnel arrived on time and were very courteous. They answered all questions I asked and were very respectful young people.

CDS worked with us to select the right generator for our home and they managed the installation and inspections in a very professional manner. I highly recommend them.

Since I had an electrician working on my electrical panel at the time, CDS representative relied on the other electricians for answers. I can understand that he did not want to stop them from working but I had made an arrangement to stop the work so he could have access to whatever was necessary for him to provide an estimate. When I ask if the generator could be place next to the air condition unit he stated it will need to be at least five feet (5') away from the house which was in line with the other two (2) companies stated. What he did not do as the other companies did was to perform a walk around the outside of the house to see what will a good place to install the unit. I guess with the other electrical company performing a panel installation though him off his game.

They were up front and honest. I would take another quote from them if the project goes well.

This was a wonderful experience for me as a homeowner. It is nice to find a company who takes pride in their work and in their customer service. These days it's very hard to find a company who will do what they say they will do and with a smile on their face. CDS did just that and I highly recommed them to everyone.

I called Home Depot about the purchase and installation of a whole house standby generator they had advertised at the regular price of $2,100 (not counting installation). CDS is the sub-contractor that Home Depot uses for their generator installs. I made an appointment, they showed up promptly on time, were professional and gave me a written estimate. The cost of the generator went from $2,100 to $4,300 (not counting installation), for the same brand and model. Calls and emails to Home Depot and CDS proved fruitless for an explanation as to why the price more than doubled. Other companies were contacted as well, with the same mysterious pricing fluxuations in parts and labor. This bad experience soured us on a whole house generator purchase, we eventually settled on a portable generator from Yamaha.