Business Profile

Elevator Service

Otis Elevator Company

Headquarters

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Elevator Service.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Otis Elevator Company's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

50 total complaints in the last 3 years.
19 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

Initial Complaint
Date:05/14/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Company has been un-responsive to requests for documentation. Company came out and put a lock on elevator without any regard for disabled residents who live in community. No representative has returned a single phone call.
Business Response
Date: 05/14/2024
Hello,
We thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will be
in contact with our local team, including upper management regarding your
concerns. Someone will be in touch with you soon and we will also provide updates here.
Thank you,
Otis Customer Care
Business Response
Date: 05/15/2024
Hello,
Yesterday, the account manager conveyed that he had engaged with the customer to discuss the situation. He assured that he will maintain ongoing communication to keep the customer informed of any developments.

Thank you,
Otis Customer Care
Initial Complaint
Date:04/01/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Otis elevator Terrible service, communication and maintenance. They charged me yearly premiums but did not come for 2.5 years to service my elevator. The standard is to provide maintenance every quarter. Then the elevator malfunctioned and they could not come for over a month. At that time it was fixed incorrectly and they had to come back again. In total my elevator was not functioning for about 2 months. They will not return my premium for the 2.5 years they neglected my elevator. I have an email with the service dates they came and they openly admitted they neglected to service my elevator.
Business Response
Date: 04/04/2024
Good afternoon,
There
was a delay in getting material for a jack packing repair. To make up for
the delay, we performed the repair on Overtime without added costs and
also discounted the repair 50%. The
packing had an issue, which we came back and repaired. Contract
was expired, we offered 1 year of maintenance for free. He asked for
2.5 years, but we feel given the other discounts we gave a 1 year of
maintenance for free was more than adequate. The customer
was frustrated that we did not come more frequently to perform
maintenance, but there are no set visits in the contract and we have
performed maintenance contractually and to meet code.
Thank you,
Otis
Customer Answer
Date: 04/12/2024
Response: the 50 percent discount for the repair is a lie since I was told by the technician that they always replace both seals at the same time for one price. Throwing in the seal for the second hydrologic is what is typically done. When I called the state inspector he said every quarter is what is typically done and that is what my new elevator company does. Otis skipped inspection for 2.5 years and that is not acceptable regardless of the long contract that takes advantage of the consumer. If there is no action than a company like Otis will continue to take advantage of consumers.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/19/2024
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
OTIS has consistently joined our account with another REMOVEDand continues to send us bills and harrasses us for payment, despite my multiple times showing them that the address on the bills is not our, and they need to be in touch with the other REMOVED. They also attempted to charge us over $12k for a QUOTE they have us for work that we did not authorize and was then never performed. I told them if they reached out again about bills that our not ours, I would file a complaint with the BBB and get your assistance in resolving this, so they stop contacting us.
Business Response
Date: 03/19/2024
Good Afternoon,
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this has caused. We will investigate and work with our local and billing team to address, and provide updates here to facilitate a resolution.

Best Regards,
Otis Customer Care
Business Response
Date: 03/26/2024
Good Afternoon,
We reached out to our local team to assist. Please see our local account managers response below:
The account was closed, with both contracts cancelled but
the account still owe OTIS for past invoices. One being a regular time callback
that they placed.

I have found an additional email address for their
REMOVEDlocation: REMOVEDwhich I have added into our system. I can update the Who’s Who as well to ensure
that the invoices are being sent there. But the invoices they are contesting,
should be paid for services rendered.
Best Regards,
Otis Customer Care
Customer Answer
Date: 03/27/2024

Complaint: REMOVED

I am rejecting this response because:
That email is NOT another office/another branch. That is an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT REMOVED. We have NO OPEN INVOICES WITH OTIS.

Sincerely,

REMOVED
Business Response
Date: 03/29/2024
Good Morning,
We reached back out to our local team regarding this issue per our local representative Hannah:
I have had a chance to speak
with Amanda, and I believe I now understand how to fix this. I have updated the
contact information within our system – and I will be reaching out to the REMOVED
listed on the invoices for payment. I will also be reaching out to update the Who’s who to update the account in hopes to
remove all contact information from the REMOVEDof REMOVEDfrom the account.

After speaking with Amanda,
it is clear that the REMOVEDof Thetford is not associated in anyway with the
REMOVEDsited on the invoices. The accounts were combined due to a technical
error during merging.

Thank you all for your
patience in this matter – I hope to see it resolved soon.
We apologize again for the inconvenience.
Best Regards,
Otis Customer Care

Customer Answer
Date: 04/01/2024

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID REMOVED, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

REMOVED
Initial Complaint
Date:02/16/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am handicapped and need the elevator in my home. For years Otis has given maintenance but now they don’t answer the calls and do not make appointments. I just need regular maintenance, but I get no response. Who do I contact?
Business Response
Date: 02/27/2024
Good afternoon,
On Monday, February 19th, the account manager, Horace EREMOVED, informed us that he spoke with the customer on Monday of the previous week, and again on that Friday. He informed the customer that they are scheduling their preventive maintenance and will let her know when they will be on site.
Kindly let us know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Otis Customer Care
Initial Complaint
Date:01/12/2024
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
We have been asking for a refund for overpayment of contract and service terms. Due to Otis' negligence and failure to file inspection reports in a timely manner, we have incurred violations and civil penalties totaling $15,000. The oldest violation dates back to 2008, failure to file Cat 1. 2015 failure to file Cat 5. 2020,2021 and 2022 failure to file amended CAT 1 report. We have been given the run around time and time again. We are a small church that cannot afford 15,000 in penalties for something that is NOT our fault. We paid them to do their job on inspecting and they failed to follow through with their reports. Why should we be penalized for that?
Business Response
Date: 01/29/2024
The local Otis team has been in communication with REMOVEDat REMOVEDon 1/10/24 via email correspondence and provided her with thorough details regarding the fines they received and showing that they are not the result of Otis. Customer REMOVEDreplied to the local team on 1/10/24 stating that she would reach back out the local team after she confirms more information with her team on her end.
Customer Answer
Date: 01/29/2024

Complaint: REMOVED

I am rejecting this response because: We still have not yet received our refund for overpayment. Violations have yet to be resolved with no update.

Sincerely,

REMOVED
Business Response
Date: 02/13/2024
The local office has been working with the customer. Otis has successfully resolved the issue with the customer by addressing the violation concerns and and taking care of the refund.

We appreciate our customer's cooperation in resolving this matter and thank them for doing business with Otis.
Initial Complaint
Date:12/15/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
In April, 2022, our chapel elevator began to malfunction trapping people inside. Between April 11 – 27, the Otis technician came four times to repair the elevator but did not resolve the problem. On May 5, 2022, Otis technicians came for the annual state inspection which had to be postponed since the elevator still malfunctioned. On May 14, 2022, our church paid $2613.96 for the annual contract fee which would begin in June. On May 20, 2022, the technician came again, but the elevator still wasn’t functional.
All summer and into the fall, we cancelled and adjusted programming since the elevator wasn’t working. In June, 2022, the supervisor called to say that they couldn’t fix the elevator and we would have to buy a new one.. We never heard from them again – no more visits- no more attempts at servicing, or repairing, or giving a bid on a new elevator.
On Oct. 2, 2022, we sent a letter to Otis summarizing the failure of Otis to uphold their service agreement and request a refund. We ended our relationship with Otis. We didn’t hear back from them.
After receiving monthly bills, we sent an e-mail on Sept. 12, 2023, summarizing their failure to repair the elevator. We received no response. On Oct. 9, 2023, we received an email that our contract had automatically renewed and that we would have to keep paying them. The bill for October, 2023, included fuel charges and fees for not paying. We received NO service since May, 2022, and under these circumstances, feel that they failed to hold up their end of the contract. We are a not-for-profit church and cannot afford to pay a company that doesn’t do the work they were supposed to do. We would like for them to stop sending bills and recognize that our relationship has ended.
Business Response
Date: 12/19/2023
Good afternoon,
We have been in communication with the local office, and this was the response from Leslie KREMOVED, the general manager for that location:
"I have reviewed with the team and here’s what we discovered.
The unit was installed in 1969 and is an original REMOVED. At the time
the team did everything they could to address the situation. We replaced
several boards on the elevator, but the unit is obsolete. The OEM does
not support the software, there are no upgrades. As for not providing a
proposal for a mod, I am not sure exactly where the ball got dropped, but I am
very sorry about that.

We never received any letters regarding the cancellation of
their contract. In fact, until this year, we received no written
communication from this customer. I have reviewed with all the members of
my team and none have received any documentation.

That said, I am sorry that our relationship has gone this
way. I have directed my team to cancel the contract prior to the roll
over 2023. We will also remove all remaining invoices from their account.

Thanks,"
I hope this helps clarify the situation. Kindly let us know if there's anything else we can do on our end.
Regards,
Rubi GREMOVED
Customer Advocate

Customer Answer
Date: 12/20/2023

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID REMOVED, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
We truly appreciate your consideration of our concerns about our chapel elevator. We are thankful for the resolution you proposed and feel that the matter is settled satisfactorily.

Sincerely,

REMOVED
REMOVED
Initial Complaint
Date:12/12/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I live in a building, REMOVED. The Otis elevators have been malfunctioning for two years (the entire time I’ve lived here). They are always, I mean always, down for one reason or another. We have been told by our management that Otis continually comes to “fix” the elevators, but there has never been a real solution. They go out for days, weeks and months at a time. If they do work, they quickly go down again. Otis is allegedly always here but nothing gets fixed.

People have gotten stuck in the elevators constantly. It is causing overcrowding in the one working elevator in the building. They allegedly always come to fit but they are never fixed in the long or even medium term. They’ll “work” on it all day and they’ll work for a couple hours before going down again.

It is causing a very dangerous situation in the building. Overcrowding and people getting stuck, not to mention tenants paying rent for something that does not work.
Business Response
Date: 12/13/2023
We thank you for taking the time to reach out regarding your concerns. We have contacted our local team and the account manager of the REMOVEDaccount has informed us that they have responded to a service request on 12/11/23 and 12/12/23 and have been in constant communication with property management regarding their service requests and equipment issues. Otis will continue to communicate and work with property management. Your best recourse is to continue working with your property management as they will have the most updated status on repairs. We thank you for your patience during this time.
Thank you,
Otis
Customer Answer
Date: 12/14/2023

Complaint: REMOVED

I am rejecting this response because:
This has been an ongoing issue for approaching two years (or maybe even longer). The incidents on December 11 and 12 are only the latest. I have lived in this building since March 2022, and at least one elevator has been out of service most of the time I’ve been here. Our building keeps calling Otis, they come, and then the issue resurfaces. They had to come again on December 13, meaning they came three straight days, never fixing the problem long term. In the countless number of times Otis has come to fix the problem (I would not be surprised if it’s over 100 times since I’ve been here), there has never been a permanent solution. Sometimes they claim it’s a parts issue. It is outrageous there has never been a long term solution. The elevators are subject to break anytime. People have and will continue to get stuck in a suddenly inoperable elevator. The whole building is always forced to share one working elevator (if one is even working) which creates so many issues, including overcrowding. There has not been any efforts whatsoever to permanaty fix this problem that has existed for nearly two years.

Sincerely,

REMOVED
Initial Complaint
Date:10/30/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Otis elevator is absolutely non responsive. I have received a violation from the REMOVEDfor a negligent inspection and have tried repeatedly to contact Otis with NO response. It is absolutely ridiculous. I have contacted my service rep and his superior by email and phone and NO response at all. This us a 3000 dollar violation that Otis is responsible for.
Business Response
Date: 10/30/2023
Good afternoon,
It seems the customer did not provide a complete address or customer number so that we can identify the account and inform the local team and follow up on this. Can you please provide this information?
Thank you in advance.
Have a wonderful day!
Regards,
Rubi GREMOVED
Otis Elevator (Customer Advocate)
Customer Answer
Date: 10/31/2023
Our building ID is REMOVED
This violation was sent this week and covers the period during which Otis serviced this elevator and was responsible for all inspections as per our contract.
We were released from our contract with Otis two weeks ago as we were very unhappy with their service.
Business Response
Date: 11/06/2023
Thank you for the information you shared. We understand that these
notices can be alarming. These notices relate to the Department of Building’s
(REMOVED) new and recent enforcement initiative regarding fines for unfiled or
untimely filed Affirmation of Corrections for Periodic and CAT 1 inspections.
This new REMOVEDinitiative is different from prior REMOVEDprecedent. As an elevator
industry, the industry is engaging with the REMOVEDto get more guidance from the
REMOVEDregarding these notices, which we anticipate receiving from the REMOVEDover
the next coming weeks. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and we
will communicate more information regarding the REMOVED’s position as soon as it is
provided to us.
Respectfully,
Otis Customer Care
Customer Answer
Date: 11/06/2023
The interesting thing about this response is that at first they told me they weren’t responsible and now they need more time. Meanwhile I have a violation that is expected to be paid by the elevator company that was under my employ at the time that filed the affirmation past the due date which is why I’m receiving the violation in the first place.
i don’t accept this answer as the only answer is that they will pay the violation as it’s 100% their responsibly to do so.
It’s not my problem that these are “next wave violations” from the REMOVED. Nor is it my concern that they need time to process these violations sent out.
Otis is 100% responsible for this violation and must pay it ASAP.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/19/2023
Type:Order Issues
Status:
UnansweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
We have an on-going 20 year old contract with Otis Elevator for monthly routine inspection and maintenance. Over the past 4 years we have had only 4 such inspections, despite repeated phone calls and emails requesting that they honor the contract for which we pay.
Initial Complaint
Date:09/14/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
In May of 2021 I contacted Otis to repair my residential elevator. They sent a quote in June of 2021, and sent a serviceman and apprentice in late November 2021. I spoke with the Account Manager in early December 2021 about the work not providing what was quoted and he agreed to lower the invoice to $900. I contacted them again in March of 2022 asking that the invoice reflect the agreed upon $900 and and I was sent a revised invoice that I promptly paid. In April 2022 I received a quote for a work order to install new relays that I asked for some changes with more details and then I signed off on. They responded that they would get the order processed and then let me know when they would be able to come. That was towards the end of April of last year and I have not heard from them since. Since April of 2022, despite having paid the corrected invoice in full, I have continued to receive invoices. The invoices first had the work paid for and then have added additional work never done and interest on the unpaid amount. I have discovered that the original invoice had Customer Number #REMOVEDand the paid invoice has the customer number #REMOVED. The subsequent invoices have the Customer Number #REMOVED. I contacted the Otis Customer Service line and they told me that I would need to speak with my Account Manager. I spoke and then emailed my new Account Manager in May of 2023 and she assured me that the invoices would be cleared and that they would contact their technicians and get back to me about the still needed repair. I never heard back and the invoices have continued. I reached back to the Customer Service line and they informed me that the Account Manager has left the company and said I would need to resolve matters with the newest Account Manager. I emailed the new Account Manager and have gotten no response. Based on other complaints, it appears that billing for services not delivered is standard for Otis. I hope that is not the case.
Business Response
Date: 10/02/2023
Good afternoon,
We have been in communication
with the local team. The regional sales manager informed us that they spoke
with the customer. Otis will credit the maintenance invoices because the unit was
shut down; thus, the company hasn't been able to perform any maintenance since.
The customer informed him they still wanted Otis to work on their elevator. He
is having a meeting to go to the site and perform a survey on what's required
to return the unit to service. We will continue to work to resolve this for our
customers.

Kindly let us know if you have further questions.
Regards,
Rubi GREMOVED
Customer Advocate

BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.

BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.

When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.

BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period, except for customer reviews. Customer reviews posted prior to July 5, 2024, will no longer be published when they reach three years from their submission date. Customer reviews posted on/after July 5, 2024, will be published indefinitely unless otherwise voluntarily retracted by the user who submitted the content, or BBB no longer believes the review is authentic. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this company, please let them know that you checked their record with BBB.

As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation. BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation. This fee supports BBB's efforts to fulfill its mission of advancing marketplace trust.

Cookies on BBB.org

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

If you've experienced an issue

Filter and sort by

Sort by

Complaint status

Complaint type

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Business Response

Customer Answer

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Business Response

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Customer Answer

Business Response

Customer Answer

Complaint statuses

Complaint statuses

Business Response

Otis Elevator Company is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.