CroppMetcalfe

Carlos came over on Labor Day weekend and replaced our kitchen disposal with an even strong, better unit that is soooo quiet. Since my husband was home, he asked a question about the water level in one of our toilets and Carlos said it was fine (another plumber wanted to sell us an entirely new toilet recently!). Just by chance, though, Carlos noticed that one part in the toilet wasn't connected properly, so he fixed it. He offered to check the other toilets and found they all had the same problem!! It was a simple fix, but it wasn't done correctly by our last plumbing company! Carlos even allowed my husband to ask another question about our leaky outside faucets since the other company wanted to brreak through the outside wall of the house to fix one of them. Carlos was able to get in there and do what needed to be done without touching our wall!!!!!!!!!! He was THE most knowledgeable plumber we have used in the 27 years we lived in out house! (we are the original owners). Professional, patient with my husband's many questions, and a true expert. We are so glad that we have a plumbing contract with Metcalfe!

Overall decent but after a couple of work i am not really fully satisfied/want to extend service contract, and on time when it is the first appointment in the morning. but they came up with a non R22 coil and it does not exactly fit the blower unit and main header. They started yanking around the support structure of the new coil. i had to stop them and ask them to not take a shortcut and if they insist on using that coil they have to redo the header ductwork. Now at first, they again still tried to take a shortcut with flex type connector. again i stopped them saying it is unacceptable and had them get solid metal duct done right (dont want my system to loose pressure right from the header). They are professional through all of these though..but i had to monitor so much and insist on system quality..so it is an 'A-' at the end but it was not good through the intermediates. Another thing though, the free hvac system maintenance that comes with the bronze service contract is a joke. tried to schedule it they are booked for the whole month. And when the date came, these guy still did not show up on time (off by 1 1/2 hr after the window they promised) such that i had to cancel because i have other commitment. Enough with hvac work by them it is not recommended. Their plumbing guy is much better..not in the rating in this particular review..but still, expensive overall.

They are expensive but they are good.

Had an appointment to have the work done between 12 and 5, so I had to plan to come home from work. The night before I received a call advising that technician would be there between 12 and 2. The day of the appointment I received a call from a dispatcher at 11 advising that there was a technician available and asking if they could come early. I said yes. An hour and a half later, no technician had arrived so I phoned them. I was told first that "I was on the schedule for service between 12 and 5". When I explained about the other two calls, I was then told that the tech who was available at 11 was no longer available because I did not call them back. At this point, I started to lose my patience and my temper. I repeated again that I had a conversation with someone at 11, at which point the gentleman on the phone said 'hold on' and then "a technician is on his way to you now." I hung up. The technician arrived about thrity minutes later carrying no equipment and talking quietly about how "this was not what he expected." (I live in a condo in the city.) Bear in mind, Cropp Metcalfe has been servicing my home for several years but somehow the technician did not know he was coming into a condo so he did not have the right equipment with him to do the duct cleaning. He also seemed to think the job required "a parking space" and he actually wrote that on the paperwork he left behind. I took a day off from work to have this service performed and it was a day wasted. And this is happening to an account with whom they have a service agreement. What is the point of having a service agreement with a company if the company sends people unfamiliar with your property, if the company cannot manage its schedule and if the company commits to perform work and then doesn't? What kind of service is that? I have had similar scheduling problems in the past. Once I had a technician who was so awful I had to call and tell them never to send him out again. When I had to replace a garbage displosal, I purchased the disposal and called them to install. I was told the cost would be about $100 for the visit but that would be deducted from the total hourly cost. Well it turns out they don't charge hourly for garbage disposal - they have a fixed price, which I recall was about $300, more than the cost of the garbage disposal. I have had a few good technicians but the scheduling has gotten worse and it seems to matter little to them that people take off from work so that their people can go to work. It is also clear to me that the technicians (not just this last one) do not want to come into the city regardless of whether or not someone has a service agreement. I will not be using them again.

Easy to work with this company and technician T.F. I was especially grateful to be able to schedule a first appointment of the day to limit the window of time I had to be at house for the repair.

There were no problems, before, during or after the work.

Cropp Metcalfe (which provides many services in addition to pesticide services) recently acquired C and M exterminators (with whom we have had a long standing and positive relationship). Since this acquisition the customer service has been generally abysmal. It routinely takes a long time to get the right person on the phone to address simple issues. I scheduled an appointment for 6/5/2013 and emphasized that I only wanted them to come if they could do an interior treatment (which is included in the plan and had been the standard with C and M). They said no problem and I arranged to be home that day. They would not give a window of time they would come that day despite repeated requests. The technician came that day and wrote 'no one home to sign' with a charge of $80 but never rang the doorbell. I was in my office all day and would easily have heard the doorbell or a knock on the door. When I finally got a hold of someone at Cropp Metcalfe to explain what happened, they said they would come back and scheduled a different day. I explicitly clarified my understanding that I would not be charged when they came back and was explicitly told definitely not. When the technician came that day, before he started I clarified my understanding that there would be no charge and he said yes and it would be reflected on the receipt. Several days later we received a bill for another $80. It took a very long time and effort to get a person there who was able to credit the $80 (Gene Daniels, a manager, eventually did this). I then attempted to cancel my services with Cropp Metcalfe and this has been a highly frustrating experience (that is still unresolved). I never signed any contract with C and M indicating any renewing annual commitment though the 'customer service' representatives would not acknowledge this and kept repeating that I need to speak with a contract specialist. Further, with C and M, we had a preventive termite service that we can opt in to annually. I recently received a 'service agreement renewal' from Cropp Metcalfe with a bill for $148. I finally spoke with a contract manager named Jennifer Novitsky who said no problem to stop all services (including termite) without any financial obligation (and I confirmed I have a zero balance) and all she needed was an email from me (to jnovitsky@croppmetcalfe.com) stating my desire to end services and she would promptly send a confirmation of service termination. After multiple emails and calls to her direct line over weeks, I have had no response back. I would advise anyone to stay far away from this company.

They do good work but the price is high. I've been using them for 20 plus years.

I contacted Crop Metcalf on Thursday and requested an A/C System check. I was quoted a price of $87 for this service and told a Tech would be out between Noon and 5pm. I received a phone call at about 3:30pm telling me the Tech would be at my house directly. 4pm, the Tech, Chuck, showed up. Nice guy. He went downstairs and checked out the system. Took some measurements. Said the system is blowing at about the right temperature. Outside, Chuck hooked up the gauges. Said the pressure was low. Told me it would be about $250 more to add coolant. I agreed to the process. As he was putting in the coolant, he discovered the compressor was creating inconsistent pressures (compressor is bad). Chuck did not charge me for the coolant since it wouldn't have done any good. Chuck could have still charged me but he didn't. I appreciate the honesty and customer service. Chuck recommended that the system be replaced since it is 15 years old. Chuck was a great Technician. He was friendly, respectful, and very informative. Thank you Chuck!

It was fine. They were professional.

Our condo rules say we need to do annual HVAC maintenance, so that was the purpose of our service call with Cropp Metcalfe. The technician told us that in addition to the basic maintenance, he originally told us we also needed a new capacitor and then later a new motor because it was running weak. Because the AC had been working fine, we agreed to replace the lesser priced part, but wanted to get a 2nd opinion on the motor because it was a $700 job. So, they did the replacement and finished the maintenance work. When we got home at the end of the day, the AC no longer worked. In the 6 years in our place, we have never had a problem with the system. In fact, sometimes, it runs a little cold. After calling the company to see if they could come back to fix whatever the problem was since tomorrow is expected to be almost 90 degrees, they told us that because we didn't buy the $700 part, our AC wouldn't function, which they failed to mention before they did their "work". So basically, we called them to do some maintenance, there was NOTHING wrong with the AC before they got to the place, and when they left, it no longer worked. They sent a technician back to talk to us who then told us we called them in the first place because something was wrong with our unit, which was false. They would have happily fixed the problem that didn't exist before they arrived....for a mere $700. In the end, we will have to pay someone to fix what they broke, but under no circumstances will we be spending another dime with this company. I highly recommend using a different HVAC company.

Made an appointment for the estimate and the technician did not show. He called but I was outside preparing for his visit and did not have my phone on me. My opinion, he still should've showed up as scheduled. After he was 30 minutes late, I called him. He was kind enough to schedule another appointment at a time later in the day than usual to accommodate my work schedule, since I had to take off work for his initial visit. He showed up for the follow up, nice guy, looked at the issue. Said he'd send me an e-mail with the estimate. After a few days, no e-mail/estimate. I called, no answer from the tech. Left a message asking for update and left my contact info. After a few more days, still no e-mail or estimate. Called him again, no answer. Called the company and was told they have no record of me calling. Meanwhile, my basement has water coming in and no sump pump.

I called Cropp Metcalfe and was treated very professionally when making an appointment. The company called me about 30 minutes prior to the appointment to say the technician was on his way. The technician (Chuck) arrived right on time. He did a quick overview of the system, then got out his ladder to access the roof of my house where the condenser unit is located. He did all of his inspections quickly and efficiently, then met with me to share his results. He didn't find any issues that required service. He was very professional and did a good job of explaining what he was going to do and later what he did. He provided me with a report showing the tests performed and measurements read for my records.

We called CroppMetcalfe (410 849-4829) and, after being on hold for 7 minutes, was greeted by a rude, hurried, and condescending receptionist. We accepted the scheduled appointment for 3 days later; however, quickly called another company based on her initial unprofessionalism. When we called CroppMetcalfe back to cancel, the same receptionist answered and said, "did you find someone else?". When I replied, "yes", she said "OK" and hung up. 6/27/13 update. The companies on Angie's List do receive and pay attention to the reviews. We received a courtesy call from CroppMetcalfe's customer service team this morning. She had listened to the recording of our conversation with the receptionist, acknowleged the unprofessionalism, apologized, and offered her direct attention and support if we need any services in the future. For that reason, I have changed my grade from an F to a C based on this phone conversation.

The technician supposely fixed the unit, but it only lasted about a week. I called them back and a technician came out again. He said it was not the furnace and that if they had to come back again I would have to pay for that visit. I then called Ryan Homes and was told that Metcalf thought it was the plumbing and not the furnace. Also, this furnace was originally installed by Metcalf. I sweated out the rest of the summer, but never saw any indication I needed a plumber. This whole winter passed and I still saw no indication I needed a plumber. On the advice of a friend, I called Chapman Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning and explained to them that wnenever I turned the air on the furnace would leak. A technician came out promptly at the time I scheduled and in about an hour had fixed the unit. It was not a plumbing problem after all. It turns out the condenser was not sitting propperly and the water was running forward instead of back. I have not had a problem with any leaking since the technican left. He informed me that if I had a problem that afternoon or the next morning to call and he would be right back out. The technical was a very polite gentleman and explained to me exactly what he had done to the unit. Their rate was very fair, quite a bit less than Metcalf. I am not 100% sure about the date of Metcalf's work, but I know it was during the summer of last year, and I think it was sometime in July.

We received a robo-call to schedule our annual preventive maintenance of our AC unit, for which we pay a flat fee that covers both the AC and the heater. When we called back to schedule an appointment, we had to wait for a month until there was an open time. The day of the appointment was scheduled with a service window between 2-4pm. But we didn't receive a reminder call, which we normally did in the past. So my husband called to double check. The customer "service" rep repeated the time and said the technician would call when he was a half hour out. After not hearing from the technician by 4 pm, my husband called the main number back. The customer service rep said "You're on the list. They're running late. Yeah, there's a lot of people with broken air conditioners." When my husband said, we had to make an appointment a month out and took time off work to be here, when he didn't really have to, she hung up on him! I should say that the technician arrived at 4:45 and is still here performing the work. He seems competent and is pleasant. He always puts on the little booties when comes in and out of the house and did the work required. However, this is the third time they have been this late. We pay an annual service contract to have this taken care of and they are terrible at maintaining any kind of schedule. I had to cancel one appointment because they were going to be nearly an hour late past the window they had given me. We will not be renewing our annual contract with this company solely because of their customer service representative who hung up on my husband.

The work was all done within a few hours. Prior to their visit, I had 2 other people look at the work and tell me that it would be "very difficult" and they "could not get to it this week." I was pleased when the CM plumber arrived and immediately had an idea on how to fix the problem (leaking pipe was in a very tight location next to the hot water supply and the gas line). To complicate matters, the water shut off valve was not working so he had to correct that problem as well. Normally I would not take the time to write a lengthy review but I do want to say that I have been very pleased with CM for over 4 years now. I was originally "handed" to their HVAC group when my previous contractor sold his business to them. At first i was skeptical since CM is a big company that does a lot of marketing and I was worried that would mean high prices, high employee turnover and less attention to detail. I am taking the time to write to say that I could not have been more wrong about them. I have met nothing but the highest quality technicians whether for HVAC or plumbing, and I always get the same technician each time we have twice a year HVAC inspections. They always respond same day for repairs (if you call early enough) and they always do a good job. Their prices are a little higher than what I was paying before but they did offer me a service plan discount on the additional homes that we own. My only issue (more of a comment) is that their prices on new equipment run kind of high and I have had to use other companies for replacement HVAC equipment. But I highly recommend them for service and maintenance.

Called because I needed an estimate on a sewer line leak and specifically said that was what I needed. Asked if I would have the underground division come out or would a regular plumber come out and then I'd get referred to the underground division. Was told that whoever came out could give me an estimate. Not the case. Two plumbers came out, confimed what the other company told me then referred me to the underground division. It's been three weeks since I've heard from Cropp-Metcalfe even though I called asking about the estimate. Would not recommend and obviously not using to fix my sewer line leak.

Cropp Metcalfe technician arrived about 6:33pm, I was informed that the charge for the first 30 minutes is $105, thereafter $30 for every 15 minutes. For the first 30 minutes, instead of listening to helpful tips on my HVAC, or just plain silence doing his work, the technician had non-stop babbling on getting us to buy their maintenance plan, despite my repeat answer of us not interested. I do not appreciated that for a paid service of $105/30 minutes, I had to sit through 10 minutes of unwanted solicitation. After the work was done, the technician wrote up the invoice, INCLUDED PRICES FOR ALL THE PLANS, then again pushing us to buy the plan. I told him repeatedly I only wished to pay for the service he performed, nothing else, he then RELUCTANTLY circled these portion to show that was what I was paying for. I found the part about writing down things on invoice of things customers had not agreeing to, and push them to pay for, is dishonest. Invoice should only lists the WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE, NOT WORK NOT BEING DONE OR AGREE TO BE DONE. Within a few hours I started to have a loud fan noise coming from the attic, from which none of the four adults and two children my household could slept through. The fan problem only started after the technician fixed the HVAC in the attic. I then called Cropp Metcalfe again and notify the representative of my compliant about the technician and the problem with the attic fan. The rep set a service ticket for me but was very dismissive about my complaint, saying that IT IS THEIR POLICY to promote service plan, and I should address the invoice concern with the technician himself. I found this surprising, I called Cropp Metcalfe to service my home because of the name Cropp Metcalfe, not some no name licensed Joe from the street. Had not being the fan problem, I would not have seen the technician again to address the problem. It should be a big No No for a reputable company to list charges not agreeing to on an invoice.

Very professional, explained everything

It was ok. I used another company that this company bought so it wasn't as personable. But I was satisfied.

So called technician told me that the condensor fan was bad. I have a HVAC background but didn't want to go up in the attic due to my asthma condition. I didn't believe the condensor fan was bad so I paid his service fee of $100.00. They wanted $500 just for the fan motor!! I went into the attic and found a burned wire on the contactor which you could smell as soon as I pulled the cover off. A child would have smelled it!! I replaced the contactor and capacitor and it worked fine. The so called tech put the covers back on the wrong units, small cover on larger unit. I called the company who argued that I was wrong. I spoke to the owner and he told me I was wrong. I told him I was an electrical engineer with an HVAC background and had the old parts which he could come out to my house and see for himself. He did not want to come out and just continued to argue with me that his tech was right. I sent my receipts and information to the better business beureau in Richmond and in a week the attorney for Cropp Metcalf called me to appologize and refund my $100.00. He offered free service for a year and I told him I wouldn't have their techs in my house again and if I saw my neighbors using them I would tell them of my experience.

Everything is okay the outside unit is showing wear.

Scheduled the seasonal maintenance for Tuesday 12-2. Called at 1:55 asking when I could expect them and was told someone would let me know. Got a call back 5 min later saying they were running behind. I called them at 4, still were a no-show, still no phone call to say they were delayed (only one I got was in response to my call). People I spoke with sounded exasperated that I was calling. At that point, I re-scheduled for Thursday 10-12. Still a no-show when I called around 1:45. Person I spoke with said someone would call me back, but 30 min later, still no call, so I called them. More of the same...."running behind" but I received no courtesy call (again) to say they would be late even though I specifically asked both on Tuesday and earlier Thursday to get a call. Two young men who showed up actually came from an install job and, having experienced numerous seasonal check ups, I suspected they were very unfamiliar with the routine. Had to call them on several points, call them back from the truck to re-set the controls which were on some sort of test mode. Didn't have my size filter on the truck (although they offered to have someone else deliver it, I didn't have two more days to spare to stay home and wait for the delivery!). I agree with many other reviewers on YELP who have said that the customer service on these kinds of non-income-producing calls is very poor. A courtesy call the first day, the first time, would have gone a long way to fostering good will with me. Based on this week's experience, I have a very bad impression of the company in general.

I noticed that my throat was parched and dry more so than usual and checked the humidity in our bedroom. I found it to be 25% where it had normally been around 40% all winter. On our regular spring check up, I brought this to the attention of the technician, who began trouble shooting the humidifier (see above details). After the humidifier was put back in service with unplugged supply line and the restriction orifice, the humidity returned to 40% and the dry throat and mouth has not occurred since.