Fairway Installation

They arrived on time, explained exactly what was needed to bring the house up to code. Their fee included carbon monoxide detectors, expansion tanks, grounding to the electric panel, New drainage pans, etc. I had ordered the wrong water heater for the attic and they went to the store and exchanged it. The installation was completed quickly.

UPDATE: 11/21/14 Side Note - I had my oven and microwave installed today by an appliance installation company that contracts with other Lowe's locations (not the Brodie store) and other appliance retailers. No new platform was needed, they did not need to remove and replace my cook top, and were able to recess the Gas valve. Cost for everything (installation of microwave, oven and recessing the gas line) was $315. Just goes to show you Fairway is UNFAIRway! They will rob you blind and charge you for things that are unnecessary! UPDATE: 11/17/14 After speaking with Lowe's, it is my opinion that this contractor is both a liar and a crook. They lied about what actually occurred in my home to Lowe's. - They told them that I "chased them down the street" when they left and all I did was walk out of the front of my house asking them to wait until I could reach a supervisor, since they were blatantly ignoring me. - They said they felt threatened by me and they were two fit young men (looked to be in their 20s) and I am a 5'2" tall 50-yr-old woman. - They said I cursed at them. I said one cuss word - not to them, and I was actually walking away. It was about the situation of moving the gas line because I was frustrated.. - They said I yelled at them. While my voice is normally loudish (I have a hard of hearing mother), I did not yell. I just expressed my dissatisfaction with the overall situation and had to repeat to them 3 times to turn off my existing oven that they turned on without my permission, because it is a fire hazard. I also yelled "from the garage" when we were testing the breakers to see which one powered the oven - as it was not close to the kitchen. NEW ESTIMATE IS OUTRAGEOUS! They told Lowe's that they want $764 to install just my oven. They upped the basic installation from $139 - that I paid Lowe's to $200. They also want $105 to remove/replace platform. $75 to "cut" the wood. $245 to relocate the gas location to the next cabinet. $139 to remove the cooktop so they can reach easier and then replace it. So for the bargain price of $764 they will install my oven but not until after Thanksgiving. Add the $139 for the Microwave and that is a $904 job??? They also told Lowe's they would only come back if there was a store manager with them, since I am so threatening. Bottom line - they do not want to come back and why would I want such dishonest people in my home. They have NO VALUE for the customer. COMPANY MISREPRESENTS THEIR VALUES. So while their website ( http://www.fairwayinstallation.com/ ) touts: "We do it the FairWay. We do the customer right. We offer better services at a lower price than our competitors. We back every one of our products and services with a guarantee. No one matches our quality of services. Most of our competitors talk the talk but don?t walk the walk. We under promise and over achieve on every job we do. We have dedicated Employees not commissioned Sub-contractors ..... It?s the FairWay or no way" UNTRUSTWORTHY. I would have to say, they have no idea what the word "FAIR" means! They should rename themselves to "UntrustworthyWay" and get some orange jumpsuits to match! Side Note: I spoke to a neighbor who recently had a the exact same wall oven model replaced by another vendor. She told me they did not have an issue with modifications and upcharges. And since our houses were built at the same time, by the same builder, I believe that Fairway is more concerned with the almighty buck than the customer. Today, I compared the installation specs, side by side, for my current oven and the one I am buying. The measurements, specs, recommendations are IDENTICAL except for the weight support. The current one asks it to support 200 lbs and the old one asks that it support - 150 lbs. I doubt it is $764 worth of installation extra support. Details of the actual service call are below: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walked out on the job! Horrible Service! These guys are contracted by Lowe's to install appliances. I purchased a wall oven & a over the range microwave. I paid $129 per appliance for them to install it plus something they called a Detail, which is a visit prior to installation to measure & make sure it will work or recommend adjustments. What a nightmare this has turned into. 1) They called me last weekend & left a message they would install November 17. That day did not work for me and I needed the oven sooner. I called them back and was able to get an appt. for today between 2-5. I asked when they would be coming to do the Detail & they said they did not have it down, but would call Lowe's and call me back that day. No call back! 2) Fast forward to Friday. I called them in the AM to confirm my appointment (because they did not call me). I asked about the Detail again & they said that Lowe's said I had declined it. Funny, We discussed declining, but Lowe's said it was required. I had to accept it. So I paid for it. Fairway said they would do the detail on site and install the oven. 3) Sometime after 4 pm, I get a call that they are running late & would not be here until a little after 5 because they had 2 details to do. I asked how long installation would take and was told 2-3 hours. Sigh - on a Friday Night. But I needed to get the oven installed. I asked them where they were and they were on Slaughter. There is no way they could visit 2 customers and make it here a little after 5. I mentioned that and then I called their scheduler to tell them I was not happy with the delay. I had not planned to spend a Friday evening waiting for theses guys to get a job done. It had been a long day. They failed to communicate & set no expectations in advance. 2-5 was an arrival window, not the appointment. Add 2-3 hours install. I could have planned better had I been informed. 4) The scheduler must have called them and told them to skip the appointments because they arrived a little after 5 pm. This is where it all went bad. It was 2 very young junior guys. They were quiet & not very good at setting expectations or communicating. Apparently, the Detail visit does this. How long, how to prep, ... I never got any of that. On site they did not communicate what they were doing. Just told me to empty a cabinet, find a breaker, etc. 5) They told me to empty an entire cabinet of pans & glass dishes because that was where the power cord was located. They pulled out the oven & did a lot of measuring. 45 minutes later they announce that they cannot install the oven. The gas line that goes to my stove top is in the way. They told me I would need to have my gas line moved. Never do they mention that this is a service they provide, or give me a range of what it will cost. They even turned on my existing oven, without my permission or knowledge that it had been malfunctioning and overheating. I had to ask them multiple times to turn it off. I did not hire them to diagnose or fix that oven. I hired them to install a new oven. 6) I called Lowe's & speak with the manager and let them know my frustration. Had they scheduled the Detail visit earlier in the week, much of this could have been avoided. I am negotiating with the manager on what they can do to help this. Do we get another stove? How much does a gas line movement cost? Who moves the line? My kitchen in in total disarray. What can we do to get this fixed by Thanksgiving? 7) As I am talking to Lowe's on the phone, the installers try to convince me not to install the microwave today, because I might not be able to get a stainless oven. I assured them that I wanted it installed today. I was here, the kitchen was already a mess from all the stuff that needed moving and I wanted to get it done. 8) The guys go out to their truck to get what I expected to be the microwave. One comes back in and tells me they will have to drill through the tile to install the microwave bracket. I ask if it will be hidden under the new Microwave. It will. I am OK with that. At this point - I did not know they were not going to install it - they were just trying to get it to be my idea. 9) They start packing up their stuff and say that they will not be installing the microwave as they have other calls to make. And they just left! I followed them out and asked them to please stay and do it. To at least let me call the scheduler and see what could be done, but they just ignored me and drove off. Who does that? I admit, the situation was frustrating and I was clearly unhappy. I even apologized to them because I knew they did not set this appointment up. They heard me negotiating on the phone with Lowe's about what to do. I think they just cannot handle conflict or an unhappy customer. Instead of providing the service to make the customer happy they just left. Who does that? Don't plumbing companies (like mechanics) generally deal with people in unhappy situations? (broken pipes, big $$$). My kitchen & has no new appliances. I called Fairway. Conveniently the scheduler had left. The woman on the phone "promised" to get back to me! I called Lowe's but it is late, & there is not a lot they can do about it tonight. Fairway needs to be dropped by Lowe's. They are a service company that lacks service! They did NOT do the install I paid for. They did do a Detail (measuring for appliances to make sure they will fit) which took about 45 minutes. They were reckless with my existing oven and did not get my permission to turn it on. I will not find out anything until Monday. In the mean time - I am without an oven and microwave and my kitchen is in disarray.

I purchased three toilets from Lowes and FairWay Installation installed the toilets a week later. FairWay (Dennis Moore and partner) were prompt, courteous, and efficient. They explained who they were, years of experience and the installation process. They are an exemplary installation company. This was my first time using their services and I will certainly use them again.

Overall work went fine. Job is not complicated but cost of installation is too much. Installing water heater took 2 hours and two people and total cost of labor comes to $900. I do not know who control the price. All plumber charges extremely high price for simple job.

Fairway provides 3rd party installation services through Lowes. See separate, corresponding review for Lowes. After the installation, the hot water heater pressure dropped considerably, probably by more than half. I asked them to if they would backflush the hot water line. They would not do so. I ended up having to pay another plumber additional $200 for backflushing, which fixed the problem. While it is standard practice for licensed trades to complete their own inspections, Fairway would not do so and indicated it was my responsibility. I indicated that I was not told by either Lowes or Fairway that I would have to perform the inspection. Fairway insists I was told this during installation I would have to administer the inspection. I was never told this. I have done a considerable amount of residential construction in Austin. Inspections associated with trade permits have always been administered by the licensed professional listed on the permit. When I protested that my having to perform the inspection is an imposition, Fairway indicated they would let the permit expire (ie, the property would become non-compliant) then they hung up on me. I consider this unprofessional. Bottom line: Don't hire Lowes for installation services (see separate review) and do not hire Fairway for licensed trade work.