Ballard Natural Gas Service Inc

I contacted the new furnace sales guy to say we wanted to go with the best of his options and take advantage of the 18 month zero interest financing. I signed, scanned and emailed the signed agreement. Within a couple of hours, I was talking to their office giving our credit app information (names, social security numbers was all it took), and they called back ten minutes later to say it was approved (GE credit). They already had us scheduled for a Thursday installation. On Thursday, the installer showed up precisely on time and got unobtrusively to work. When I checked in with him from time to time, he explained the different things he was doing and what everything did, which I appreciated. I had mentioned offhandedly that the basement occasionally would get wet floors after heavy rains, and a few hours later he mentioned that he'd added some rubber pads on the bottom of furnace to elevate it a bit (nice observation of detail; I should have thought to bring it up; lucky I said it; clever of him to catch it and act on it). When I came back late in the day, he was almost done (though a circuit board was bad and he had another guy coming out with a replacement) and I was looking for the new intake/exhaust and condensation piping he'd installed and I almost couldn't find them, they were so precisely and unobtrusively installed between the basement ceiling joists. He showed where everything was, including cutoff switches and filter changing, what to expect from the condensation water pump, then showed me how the thermostat is programmed (setting up our default schedule in about a minute). With that done, he cleaned up and was gone. Saturday morning, the sales guy showed up precisely on time at 9:00 am for the final checklist inspection and paperwork signing (including warning me about how the zero interest credit can jump to a large interest rate if you don't follow the rule precisely, so be careful). He also showed me some more options on programming the new thermostat. ------------- Though a furnace replacement is one of those things you don't really expect to notice, we have noticed a difference. Heat seems more uniform than before, rather than being too high or too low over time. It's odd to notice a difference in general comfort conditions, when you didn't notice them at all before. I will also say that all the people I dealt with--the salesman/final inspector, the installer, the woman at the office--were professional, friendly and personally authentic. I felt well taken care of at each step. They are now my long term go-to for inspections and I would recommend them without reservation. Others my also be good (maybe just as good), but these people now I know, and I feel they did right by me. From an 8:00 am call to them on Monday to a 9:00 am final inspection on Saturday, each step went smoothly and precisely as expected. Oh...and one thing I almost forgot, because I actually did forget it during the whole process. When the salesman/inspector came back on Saturday, he gave me back the voided check I had written for the service call on Monday (which I was totally willing/expecting to pay as a separate item), saying "we're not going to charge you for a service call and then sell you a new furnace." I wasn't expecting that, but it was a pleasant surprise and a clue to their character.

The sales representative came out on short notice as we found out upon our home inspection that the heat exchanger in our old furnace was leaking carbon monoxide. We were able to schedule it within two business days of the quote as well. The sales representative walked us through the quote, discussing permits, different rebates and different options. They seemed the most knowledgeable (we sought out other quotes from other companies listed on Angie's list). On installation day, the service technician was prompt and remained on schedule. He did a very excellent job in covering the carpets into the basement and cleaned up the area very thoroughly when finished. The technician did a good job at ensuring the modifications made to the siding of our house looked professional and clean. The sales representative came back a day later to ensure everything was to our satisfaction. (It was.)

Ballard Natural Gas was terrific from my first call to receiving the invoice! I was across the country visiting family and got a call from my friend who was house and dog sitting telling me that there was no heat. I had used BNG in the past, so I called them. It was on a Friday evening so I got the answering service. Within minutes, I got a return call. I was pretty panicked, but was reassured they could handle it and set up a time window for the next day. They even looked up my records so they knew what kind of furnace I had and assigned an appropriate technician. The technician arrived during the arranged time, found the problem, replaced the part, and emailed the receipt. The price was reasonable, especially for a Saturday, and the service was above and beyond. I couldn't be happier! It may be getting time to look at replacing my old furnace. Guess who I'll call first?

The process was fast and the timeline was very conveniant

My furnace ducts hadn't been cleaned in a number of years. Shawn and Oscar arrived on time, were careful and respectful about my house while setting up their power vacuum equipment, got the job done without delay or making a mess, and were pleasant the entire time. They also identified a problem with my somewhat aging furnace that needs to be addressed (which I'm doing). I would definitely use Ballard Natural Gas again.

The woman I spoke to on the phone was very friendly and set me up with an appointment quickly. The technician showed-up on time for the appointment and was respectful and friendly. The technician was in my home for more than an hour. He was extremely thorough. He looked at all of the vents, took measurements of the rooms, looked at the exterior, etc. Unfortunately, he got pretty dramatic in expressing his angst about how Ballard might possibly do the installation. (I have some ductwork that I'm told is unconventional.) The technician said he'd "been doing this for a long time and had never seen anything like this", he'd have to consult one of the senior installers to figure out how to get it done and he guessed they may need to put in a high-efficiency furnace instead of the 80% one I wanted. This was more drama than was warranted. I received 5 bids and none of the other companies were freaked out by the job like the Ballard technician. (I ultimately had a single-stage 80% efficiency furnace installed - as planned. It works just fine and the installation went smoothly.) I was under a time constraint to get a new furnace installed. The technician promised on his way out to get back to me quickly and to check the schedule to see how quickly they may be able to book the installation. Never heard back. After all that time and drama - no estimate or follow-up.

If they don't need my business, they don't need yours. I requested a routine inspection and tune-up of a heat pump and furnace that they (Ballard Natural Gas Service) had installed in 2009. (I was generally pleased with their initial installation and the sales experience.) I asked what their service included, but their description of was vague. The person on the phone said she did not have a checklist for heat pumps, only the one for gas furnaces. I expect a company to be able to tell you exactly what their service includes. They did know the price to the penny, though, which was close to $200. (Professionalism = C) I asked them if they would go under the crawl space to check that the freon pipes and insulation were in good shape since they had never been inspected after the initial installation. They said they do not do that as part of their inspection. They did not offer to do so at my request. (Responsiveness = C) Despite the lackluster experience on the phone,I made an appointment for about ten days in advance in the afternoon. They said they would be at my house between noon and 4:00 pm on the scheduled day. At about 3:30 pm on the scheduled day they had still not arrived. I was about to call them when they called me. They informed me that the technician was running late because the job he was on turned out to take longer than anticipated. This is understandable. But, when I asked when they thought he could be here they could not tell me. I asked how long the service would take once he was here. Answer: one hour. I had another appointment to go to, so I asked if they could contact him. They said they had no way to do so. (Huh?) I asked if they could tell him not to come since my time was running short. And here is what floored me ... They said that they don't dispatch their servicemen until their previous job was finished. I had made my appointment about ten days in advance, but they had not yet scheduled a serviceman to do the job on the very day the work was scheduled. That was enough to tell me that they have enough business without me. I have not heard from them since. (Punctuality = F)

They came out to the house to assess how to set up the ductless heat pump system. The person who came out (I don't remember his name) was great, he explained about the ductless system works and what our options were. He took measurements of the house and all the rooms to figure out how many indoor units we would need and what capacity heat pumps would be necessary. Upon leaving he said he would get back to us within a day to let us know what we would need to heat the entire house. The next day, we got an email from him showing the floor plan he had drawn up, a list of the equipment needed and the cost. We had also talked to two other companies, but none had been as responsive or as knowledgeable about the ductless heat pumps as Ballard Natural Gas (BNG). So, even though they were somewhat more expensive than the other companies, we went with BNG . Once we made that decision, they came back out to the house and we looked at the locations we wanted the indoor units to be placed and also the location for the heat pumps (we have a long house and we needed one at each end). They were really clear that we needed only 2 indoor units upstairs, but I was really nervous that it wouldn't be sufficient to heat all the bedrooms. So, I insisted on adding a third unit as it would be cheaper to do it all at once vs. being unhappy and adding a third unit later. As it turned out, we really didn't need that 3rd unit, so in the future I will trust their recommendations! In addition, they knew about all the rebates available for this - the City of Seattle and the IRS. They provided the paperwork for getting the city rebates, supplied all the receipts and helped with follow through to make sure I got the rebates. One note: their cost does not include the necessary electrical work. They provided several names of electricians and once we chose the contractors. BNG worked closely with them to make for a seamless installation. The installation was done in the time they estimated it would take. Everyone on their team clearly knew exactly what needed to be done. They kept us informed all along the way and gave us a tutorial about how to set and use the new system to get the most efficiency out of it. I have waited this long to write this review because I wanted to see what our change in electrical costs turned out to be. I am happy to say to our heating costs were reduced by about 60%.

I was losing hope on ever finding a reliable plumber to add a gas line for our new gas stove, we had no shows, poor customer service, etc. For some reason I didn't check Angie's List first. NEVER AGAIN! Based on recommendations for Ballard Natural Gas, I gave them a call. Somehow scheduling got mixed up and I wasn't on the calendar, but they rectified the error with professionalism and were very apologetic. Within 45 minutes someone was at my house. The estimate was very reasonable, and knowing I had the next day off, they were able to squeeze me in. The installer showed up 10 minutes early (love it!), was very tidy, polite, explained what he was doing and was patient with my dogs. He had to cut drywall, but worked hard to ensure it would be an easy patch. I so appreciated their customer service! I will definitely be using them again.

They were pleasant on the phone and quoted me a price for furnace cleaning. When I said I lived in Kirkland they immediately put me on hold for five minutes and then told me it would cost more since they had to come to the eastside.

Liz called promptly to set up an estimate. Vern came out and he was very thorough in going over all options for various projects we were considering. He followed up with written information on what we discussed and Liz followed up to set up the next appt. They were able to schedule the fireplace work very quickly and Rob did a great job installing the unit. The Heat n Glo unit itself is very nice looking and efficient and we will definitely use it much more than the wood-burning fireplace. Vern also spent a good deal of time working with the builder who is installing the wall that the ductless system will be integrated into. This company and its employees obviously take great pride in what they do and they do it well. They offer a lifetime guarantee on their work as well. We would highly recommend Ballard Natural Gas to others.

Once we had agreed upon a time for them to replace our existing converted oil to gas system - they came out, took out the old, old furnace, prepped the ducting for the new system, and by close of business that day - we had an updated, efficient heating system in place. The installer was super, and I mean super. He took care to ensure that each wire, pipe, conduit etc was properly secured, and secured in such a way that made it aestically pleasing. The intake/exaust system was perfect. The old furnace was picked up by a separate team, so we didnt have to deal with that in our driveway.. You dont see such attention to detail anymore, and it reminds you of someone taking pride in their work. Place was spotless after he had left. The duct cleaning went real well too. Embarassed that we hadnt done that in years.. but they were in and out with cleaning fairly quickly.

A great experience overall. They were professional and prompt from the very start. The office dispatch was efficient and friendly and willing to coordinate the install schedule directly with my tenant which made the process easier on me and more efficient. Matt C., the estimator/energy consultant was professional, friendly and extremely knowledgeable about HVAC matters. He gave me really smart options on what to install that hit the sweet spot between cost, quality, performance and longevity and took into consideration my variables (it's a rental house, the tenants pay the utilities, I want a quiet-ish and fairly efficient unit, etc). On the day of install I arrived to check on progress and the installer, Jay C., was working at the front of the house on the connection from the new meter to the furnace area. He told me he had devised a clever and more direct way to run the line than we had originally envisioned and he was spot on. After some overview of what the process would be, I left for the day. Their dispatch (they were very helpful and sweet) scheduled a follow-up meeting with me and my tenant to go over the install and how the new system operates. Matt met us at the house and went over all the functions of the unit and the new thermostat. He was really thorough and took lots of time to make sure everything was running smooth and that we were in good shape. As far as the actual install work, the fit and finish was high-grade and the whole area where the old oil furnace was was very clean. Apparently it's a really messy business taking out an old oil furnace so I appreciated that there was no residue or mess. Bottom line, I felt the whole operation was great and their pricing was the best of the 2 bids I got. I would definitely recommend them (obviously) and will use them for work at my personal residence next.

Having used Ballard Natural Gas before it was a no brainer calling them again. I dealt with 3 different people for this job and I couldn't be happier. Excellent across the board, in person, on the phone and quality were all exceptional. When it comes to gas leaks you want peace of mind... boy do I have it now!

The people who installed the mini-split heat pump were great, and Vern, who came for the estimate and to be the point person on the work, was very pleasant. My major beef is that the necessary electrical work, which came to $600, was not mentioned OR included in the original bid, and I only found out about it in the days just prior to installation. For that reason, I can't compare their prices to other bidders, who (I assume) gave me an estimate for the ENTIRE job. In addition, they did not submit a bill for the electrical work to the general contractor until after a deadline which made it impossible to include that $600 expense in the amount of a loan I had for the job. Liz, who handles the office, is very nice and friendly when things are smooth, but any time I called with a question about what was done, or to (politely) discuss a problem, she was defensive and argumentative. I certainly did not get the feeling that my satisfaction was important, nor that "the customer is always right." To bid a job without mentioning a necessary piece of work, about which the customer could have no knowledge, which adds $600 to the price, is deceptive, whether it is intentionally so or not. Liz's defense was that it was not included in the bid because it was not work they (Ballard Natural Gas) would be doing, and then later she claimed that it had been discussed with me even though it was not written in the bid. This is simply not true. I would use them again, as the work and workers were good, but would hesitate because $600 is a lot of money and I should have been told about it, and because the interaction with the office was unprofessional and unpleasant.

They came out the day before to give an estimate & even brought heaters at that time so we'd be warm until the repair! Four of them came to do the replacement itself the evening before Thanksgiving & group manager even dropped by to make sure everything was taken care & thank us for our business. They were just absolutely fabulous! Everyone we've worked with from there has been a total sweety pie.

They clean the gas burners along with the fireplaces. It is like a general cleanup, sort of speak. They are very knowledgeable.

I was very pleased with the overall appointment with Ballard Natural Gas. I was so impressed that I told him I would give him a favorable report to Angie's List. He took the time to show me how to take my filters out, clean then and put them back. The man that came out was very nice and I would gladly recommend him.

ttech was very nice. he showed me how i should add bleach to condensor pump to maintain life of the apparatus. he thought that since the job was so quick and my furnace so new that he would only charge me the diagnostic charge $94. but he called the boss/ head of company (Katherine?) who seems to have a grudge against me and she said NO. I must pay the diagnostic charge $94 - which covers the trip charge and 20 minutes of work.. Since the work took 10 min, it was mysterious that I had to pay another charge $52 for the pump repair...bringing the total to $160.82. I am glad that they could fix it but I feel that this company is vindictive. Also they say they warrentee their products but when it comes right down to it., you really don't get much.They even sell their special furnace filters for nearly 2X the price that the stores sell them for! I would not buy a furnace from them again!

Summary - The overall experience was great! Everyone that I worked with was incredibly nice and professional. The work was well done, they left the site clean. The price was good. Details - Vern arrived on time to give me the estimate and was cheerful and informative. I walked him through the house, showed him the old furnace and then left him alone to do his work. After taking measurements and notes he set up his laptop and printer and entered everything into the computer. I was told he used the Manual J method to determine my furnace needs, although I neglected to ask for a printout of the report. After he's done he prints out informative estimates for all of my options. These had to be the best estimate I've seen for any work that I've ever had done to a house. Full color print out, pictures of the work site, various options and their individual prices/pictures, even Vern's bio and a photo and he handed them to me before he left, I didn't have to wait for them to arrive via email or snail mail. I got estimates from two other places, neither as thorough, nice or well priced as BNG. So I obviously went with BNG. There were two hiccups in the whole process, both happened before the installation. 1st hiccup. They called me the morning of the installation and said an installer was sick, could they come the next day. That didn't work since I had guests coming from out of town and couldn't shift the install. We re-scheduled for 2 weeks later. Which ended up working out well because it allowed me to burn more of the oil I had sitting out in my oil tank. 2nd hiccup. While rescheduling the install, I asked about my duct cleaning. It turns out the duct cleaning hadn't been scheduled at all and should have happened before the new furnace went in anyways. So had the install not been moved, my duct cleaning wouldn't have happened until after the install. When I called to make the initial appointment, I would have expected them to also schedule the duct cleaning. They made up for it by getting the duct cleaning in ASAP, 2 days later. The duct cleaner (Shawn Z) showed up on time and was courteous. He showed me where he'd have to put some holes in the ducts, which he subsequently covered with nice plastic plugs. I was overall satisfied with the duct cleaning but I do have some minor complaints. Shawn did put tarps down in the basement where he was running the vacuum tubes. But not until after he'd already made a bunch of muddy footprints across the basement. He also didn't put booties over his shoes until he started blowing air into the ducts, after he'd already been walking around the house for awhile. After the cleaning I found debris on some furniture around a few of the vents, not all of the vents, but enough that I had to get out the vacuum and clean up. Despite these complaints, I think he did a pretty good job. I have yet to send my camera down the ducts to compare before and after photos, so I can't comment on the cleanliness of the ducts. When the installation of the furnace finally happened, it was great! Jay, the installer, arrived on time, both mornings. He explained what he'd be doing on day one and then day two and asked me few questions. Vern (the estimator) stopped by in the morning on day one to check a few things. Day one was earthquake value and running gas into the house. Day two was the actual furnace removal and install. Jay was mostly by himself, but during the day another guy came to help him get my old beast of a furnace out and carted off. Then the city inspector showed up and finally PSE came to turn on the gas. None of whom I had to deal with. Jay and BNG took care of all the coordination. Jay was here until 9pm, determined to get the install done that day. After he was done he explained the system to me, then I checked out his work. It was impeccable, the kind of work I would do for myself. All the wires were neatly routed and zip-tied, the water pump and drain nicely secured to the furnace and discretely run across the basement via the rafters to the utility sink, and he left the work space very clean. Finally, the 2nd day after the install, Vern came back to walk me through the system and answer any questions I had. In summary, despite a few hiccups and a so-so experience with the duct cleaning, I'm really satisfied with the work done by Ballard Natural Gas.

They were very helpful in reviewing our heating needs and explaining all the options. They gave several choices with a range of costs and were able to talk about the pros and cons for each of them. The salesman used to install and was very knowledgeable; the installer had great problem-solving skills and was very professional.

The service portion was fine. The communication process was less successful. When I called on a Sunday, the person who answered the phone said she would have a tech rep call back. In the interim, I was finally able to turn off the gas. I decided it was not an emergency so called back and set an appointment for Monday. Shawn was here about 15 minutes, start to finish. I was told over the phone about the show-up fee of $94.50. I was also told there MIGHT be a NOMINAL fee if more service was needed. When I expressed surprise at the total bill, Shawn said the minimum service fee was $52 and the rest was tax. When I think about it, this is a high price for the work done. I also feel that the play in the arm lever has never been right from the time the same company installed the gas logs. I probably should have realized I could fix this myself. My recommendation is that BNG combine the show-up fee with the first 30 minutes of service and then charge an hourly or a scheduled rate. I think you would have happier customers if you do some version of this. I think the phone person was not fully transparent on charges and I find myself feeling annoyed which could have been prevented.

Called on Saturday morning and their service rep was at my house in early afternoon, to clean and start up our gas insert. He was very efficient, but when it came time to light the insert he found that the striker assembly was shot. That would have been a lot more money, and would mean an extra trip. He showed my how to light it manually, which I elected to do from now on.

It went great. We got three bids from reputable heating companies. Ballard's was one of the best, and they carried the equipment we wanted (a Lennox modulating furnace). Vern Ledford, the person who came out to bid the job, was very personable and knowledgeable, and he was the only one of the reps we saw who actually measured our rooms to figure out exactly what size furnace we needed. The installation went very smoothly as well -- the installer was professional, quick, and left a clean site. Vern came back out and checked to be sure everything was working properly, and even helped us apply for our rebates. We love our furnace - the house heats much more evenly now, the air is cleaner, and it's a lot quieter indoors. The outside vent makes a bit of noise, but we don't hear it from inside the house. Thank you, Ballard Natural Gas Service!

It went well. The young man was very professional, clean and able to respond to all my questions and concerns. He did the work promptly and well.