ComplaintsforEMS Home Services

• Initial Complaint

  03/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Going through my warranty company to replace the condenser in my ac unit. The job is being piece worked out! Double dipping on installation! In order to change the part they are charging for non covered cost, which is in fact part of the job. It is not a modification to install the condenser to the wires. That is part of installation. That would be like me trying to charge a customer for using a plunger to unclog a toilet in order to clean it. This company is shady as ****. It went from the part being on backorder to me being scheduled for service the following day. This company will not step foot in my property! I don't trust them at all. I am demanding a full refund including the service call fee. They are a bunch of scammers!

  

  Business response

  03/27/2024

  Each customer has a set of non covered costs that are through the home warranty company. Those non covered costs are based on the customers policy with them. The customer paid the non covered costs and this job has already been completed.

• Initial Complaint

  03/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have a home warranty with Choice Home Warranty. They hired EMS Home Services to come out to my home and service my AC. They initially asked to clean the wheel which I would be out ******. I declined and had another licensed technician clean it for ******. Then EMS asked for an invoice when the wheel was cleaned. I submitted both to EMS. They in turned asked for my technician credentials. At that point I draw the line. There were rude and unprofessional.

  

  Business response

  03/13/2024

  The $75 service fee is part of the customers contract with their home warranty company and is due when ************** arrives to the property to complete the diagnosis so it cannot be refunded. The customer declined the maintenance with us which was fine but I did request a receipt showing that the cleaning was done by a licensed hvac contractor. The receipt we received from the customer did not have a license number on it and we do have to verify that the person who did the cleaning is licensed in the ************** due to liability reasons if we work on the unit after an unlicensed person does. We did not receive an updated invoice from the customer and at this time the claim has been closed out.

• Initial Complaint

  03/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Started on 1/19/24 EMS was contracted out by. Choice warranty for a blower issue they sent out a tech who had to call technical support who had to guide him he change some things inside of unit however when he left the problem stayed not even 3 weeks later I get a knock on door from resident downstairs saying they had water coming through the ceiling on 2/12/24 so we call out a plumber first then Ac the tech came over on 3/1/24 and didn't even turn on ac to proper diagnosis just hand this long speech on the issue was from the ac But we needed a plumber on to cut the pipe to run a snake or camera today 3/4/24 I discovered water dripping bad from bottom rt side of unit inside home this complaint is solely on the way the call was treated and not properly addressed never trust what anyone says and always record what they do say and who is to say that the inexperienced tech from. 1/19/24 didn't break the unit to cause it to start leaking there's a legally blind man and his 83 year old mom who has water leaking out they ceiling from my ac that could've been fixed if the techs would've fixed the leak

  

  Business response

  03/27/2024

  Unfortunately, we are not licensed plumbers and are not supposed to work on plumbing stacks.  There was no access to the plumbing stack.  This requires a licensed plumber.  It is the responsibility of the home warranty company to send a plumber to the customer.   
   
  Additionally, the two calls are not related.  The first call was due to a heating issue.  This was resolved by the technician calling technical support to gather the proper blower speed of the unit and changing that to allow the customer to get better ********************. 
   
  In respect to the second call the customers plumbing line had backed up and the A/C line was connected to that pipe, hence the need for the plumber to clean the plumbing stack. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 1/8/24 technician for heating service was present, made diagnostic report, a repair part had to be ordered, stated usually takes 24hrs. Another technician was scheduled on 1/10/24 to receive service on 1/11/24, received notification via text message, was asked to confirm via the link provided. On 1/11/24 received phone call from technician to report in route (approx. 15mins), I made technician aware I recently tested positive for COVID (on Monday felt sick but at the moment thought it was just a cold, still used surgical mask to protect the worker), made him aware I would be wearing a face mask (N-95) and face shield, asked if their company provides them with PPE, he reported he had to contact his supervisor as was not aware of their policy. Within minutes received call from scheduling department, making me aware appointment has to be cancelled, and I have to provide a negative COVID test before they can reschedule. Made them aware as a health care provider, retesting for negative results is no longer recommended, was then told that was their policy, they can not reschedule unless I provide negative COVID test. I shared this information voluntarily as wanted to protect the worker, however I now feel my rights are being violated as they should not be permitted to require for clients to test, specially when this information is not written on their website nor provided beforehand. I understand they are trying to protect their workers and other clients, however if they have this policy in place, they should then screen at the time the appointment is being made, and ask for client to reschedule if they were to present any signs/symptoms of COVID. Requiring someone test for COVID prior to providing services, violates the client's rights, specially if this was something that was not discussed prior to accepting the appointment.

  

  Business response

  02/07/2024

  In order to keep our staff and customers safe we do have to take measures when we are made aware of a COVID positive customer. We require a negative test from a previously positive customer to ensure that the technician will not get sick from entering their home. Once a negative test is provided we do schedule for the next opening to ensure the customer gets the quickest service possible. It has been brought to the attention of upper management that our policy is not clear for all customers and they are working on a solution to make sure this type of misunderstanding does not happen again.

  Customer response

  02/14/2024

  Complaint: 21132129
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I believe EMS Home Services has to reconsider their COVID-19 policy to make sure it is in accordance with the most up to date CDC guidelines (retesting is NOT recommended). As CDC guidelines do not indicate retesting, for this reason I believe the rights of customers are being violated, I would like for the BBB to further analyze this. In addition, health insurance companies no longer reimburse for OTC COVID tests, so it should not be expected for customer to once again purchase a test. Also, as previously mentioned in the original complaint, EMS Home Services does not make their policy clear to the customer prior to start of service nor is it available for viewing in their website. The response EMS Home Services has provided states "they are working on a solution to make sure this type of misunderstanding does not happen again." As a customer, I would have greatly appreciated a simple, "we apologize for any inconvenience"; however, nothing along those lines was mentioned in the response EMS Home Services provided. Even though I reject the response, at this point I do not wish to receive further notices regarding this. I would like for BBB to further analyze this for future instances, but I think I have made my part of bringing my concern to the attention of BBB, and do not wish to take further action. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  01/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  EMS Home Services has been employed by the home warranty company to fix an issue with HVAC system. - The issue started as a cooling issue in October and heat was not a problem. - EMS home services diagnosed the problem to be a blower motor and disconnected the thermostat on December 04, 2023 and there has been no heat since then. - EMS put back the blower motor but could not connect the thermostat due to attention codes. - Then, they rescheduled the appointment multiple times and have comeback and indicated that the blower motor needs to be replaced as it is defective. - This whole process has transpired whole of December and my tenants have been without heat since then. I had to buy mulitple space heaters to help with the situation while I am waiting for a new blower motor and the issue to be resolved. I have been calling EMS home services every day since December 26, they are unable to provide me an ETA and neither do I get a response when I want to escalate the issue to their supervisor. I want EMS to quickly resolve the issue or provide an alternative means to ensure heating is available in the house at the earliest. - -

  

  Business response

  01/03/2024

  The address listed above is not in our system but the customers name shows an address for ******************* for which we are currently awaiting parts. We have already ordered the part that is needed. We do have to wait for the supplier to get the part to us but it has already shipped out and is expected to be delivered on 1/5. The repair appointment should be scheduled for either the following day or by Monday 1/8 at the latest. Once the part is delivered we will have someone reach out to the customer to confirm its delivery.

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company is a contractor for our home warranty company regarding an issue with our a/c and heating unit. EMS came out on June 1, 2023 and did diagnostics on our a/c unit and made a repair. The repair was not sufficient, and EMS came out again on June 14th, we needed an evaporator coil. Due to the extreme weather, we decided to pay EMS a deposit of $2,450 to order the part and we would request reimbursement from our home warranty company. EMS charged my card, but then could not schedule us until June 22nd. I informed them that we wanted a refund on June 19th. EMS had not submitted the diagnosis to our warranty company for us to receive reimbursement. We hired and paid for another servicer to install the evaporator coil the following day. I received a text response that my refund request was sent to their accounting department on June 22nd. Since then, I have made repeated calls asking for accounting, all I can do is leave a message and no one calls me back.

  

  Business response

  12/27/2023

  This has been refunded. I am attaching the receipt as well as texting it to the customers number on file. It will take about 3-5 days for the money to be put back into the account.

• Initial Complaint

  11/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company is a contractor for our home warranty company regarding an issue with our a/c and heating unit. EMS came out on October 24 and did diagnostics on our a/c unit and discovered we had a bad blower fan. The gentleman doing the work said they would have to order the fan, should take no longer than 1.5 weeks and would notify us when the fan was in and they would schedule an appointment for install. After 2 weeks I contacted EMS to get an update. They indicated that the fan was on back order and someone would contact us when the fan came in. One week later I called back to get an update and, again, EMS indicated the fan was still on back order. I requested that a supervisor/manager give me a call to talk about the delay. **************** assured me that someone would be in contact. I did not hear from anyone. Another week passed, I called again, still on back order and still no follow-up call. We finally received notice on November 17 for appointment to install. We confirmed the appointment for Saturday, November 18. *** contacted us to confirm they would be coming in one hour. Two hours later, after their scheduled arrival time, *** called to say that they would not be coming because the part was not in stock. I followed up with a phone call and customer service told me the same thing. Again, I requested a supervisor/manager contact me regarding the delay.

  

  Business response

  11/20/2023

  The motor was on back order with the manufacturer and once it became available the manufacturer shipped it out to us which we then scheduled the customer for 11/18. The manufacturer shipped the part to the incorrect warehouse for us but our purchasing department is already working on getting the part over to the correct warehouse and as soon as it arrives we will be reaching out to reschedule with the customer. They should also have received a call from the manager for the ****** warehouse earlier today to explain what happened.

• Initial Complaint

  10/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  EMS home services come to replace our outdoor AC unit on behalf of our home warranty company. Home warranty paid for the unit, and we paid $650 as our out of pocket cost for "line set flush" and "Txv replacement" for compatibility between the outdoor unit and indoor unit, these two descriptions were clearly as stated on the receipt. On 10/17, the installer installed the outdoor unit but didn't finish flushing the line because he ran out of liquid nitrogen. He said "it's common for old machines to have oil clogged and it's a 30min easy procedure to flush", he just"didn't have enough liquid nitrogen" so I just need to schedule another appointment for another technician to come and flush the line, and install the *** valve, which we paid for. However, ******************** and ****** were very rude on the phone that not only they will not come again to finish installing, they also submitted more "repairs" to home warranty, and another $1000+ additional out of pocket charge to milk more money out of us and home warranty company. The installer already said it's just a 30min easy procedure but **** and ****** (from purchasing department) ignored that, refused to send technician to finish the job, and refused to give us the full refund for "line flush" and "txv valve replacement" that they didn't do. ****** was especially rude on the phone and said "I can only give you $52 credit on the *** valve that we didn't install", he even hang up the phone. This is the worst experience we had and the ****** review for this company was only two stars, very bad. We need our refund back for the stuff they didn't do, but they refused.

  

  Business response

  12/08/2023

  The home warranty only approved replacement of the outdoor condensing unit.Upon replacing the outdoor unit, it is required for ** to flush the line set. We attempted to clear the line set twice and were unsuccessful. We then resubmit to the warranty to replace the coil due to oil clog. The new claim was approved with additional non covered charges by his home warranty. We will flush the line set again once we install the new air handler on 12/11/23 and install txv. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  *** was appointed to me through my Home warranty. It was decided they would not cover the work needed so I paid EMS ***** to complete the job. It entailed replacing 24 or 5 feet of duct work under my home.I was told that the job would talk 3 to 4 hours to complete. When it actually came down to it, it took 39 minutes. The technician cut ************************************************************************* speaking with some of EMS technicians I was told it was a 4 or 5 hundred dollar job. I asked for some money back and placed a dispute on my cc. I was told by ****** that would return 747.oo to me and send me an itemized invoice which I never received. I still do not know what all the charges are. This all took place between Aug. And early Sept.of 23. When I did not receive the refund and paper work promised I called back and was told that the only way I'd get was if I removed the complaint with my bank. I said they had till Friday which or I would just let the bank handle it. I never received anything. I had my dispute with the bank set for **** dollars returned to me and paying them ****** for they're services. I won the dispute. Now ****** is calling saying I owe them ****** , ironically it's the same amount he was supposed to refund me. I have all emails, texts to prove what I'm saying is true. He has also apparently put a lean on my home. I feel like I've falling into a bad dream. And I still have no paper work! Thank you for your ************************************

  

  Business response

  12/08/2023

  ******** received credit of **** for the job even though we agreed to a 747 credit.  We had simply asked the customer to remove the dispute because it V/MC regulations to not allow us to refund a card with an existing chargeback.  We have accepted this as a completed case with the **** credit and closed the file.

  Customer response

  12/12/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  10/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  EMS was contracted by my home warranty, Cinch to service my HVAC unit. The first technician said that my unit was clogged and needed to be flushed. I told him that I had already had the unit flushed. He flushed it anyway. The unit still would not cool and continued to leak water into the pan.Second technician can and said the the king value needed to be replaced, and motor. Another technician came out and checked the unit again and decided that it was not the king value. That a different value was needed. Another technician came out and replaced the value and said that I should not have anymore leaking. The unit continued to leak. Service was called out again and the tedchnician said that the coil need to be cleaned.and it would cost me another 350 or more for the work to be done. I told him that the issue was never corrected and I should not have to pay any more more. He agreed with me and said that he would talk with the company. Well ***** said that *** REFUSED to refund me or clean the coil. I had to pay another company ****** to clean the coil and correct the problem with my HVAC unit.

  

  Business response

  10/24/2023

  The customer's *** was replaced and per her home warranty company there was some non covered costs. After the *** was replaced the technician did find that there were maintenance issues with the coil, which is not covered by the home warranty company so he quoted her for that work to be done. Since the *** was completed I cannot give a full refund on that but I did issue a credit of $200 back to the customer.

  Customer response

  10/25/2023

  Complaint: 20760855
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I was not offered a credit from the company of $200.00. And I was quoted a price from the technician for over that amount. I was told my the warrant company that EMS refused to refund or clean the coil without and additional amount of money and a credit was never offered to me. The warranty company offered to send anther company to check it out, but I couldn't wait any longer because the water damage was creating another problem, damaging the wood under the coil area. So, I had to pay out of pocket and now I find out that I have formosan termites and I believe it because of all the water leak from the ac unit that created standing water moisture which is going to cost me another $1000.00 for repairs. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business response

  12/08/2023

  A $200.00 refund was given to the customer on 10/24/23 returned to card ending in **** please see the attached file. Coil cleanings are considered maintenance and are not covered by the home warranty. The customer was quoted $350.00 to clean her coil customer went and paid $450 for another company to clean her coil. This case is closed. 

*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. ↩