DUCTZ

We had our ducts cleaned by DUCTZ of Southeastern Monmouth County (NJ) a couple of weeks ago. I am happy with the cleaning itself, but not too happy with the customer service I received.

First, they showed up over 30 minutes late without even calling ahead of time to let me know. I called THEM to see where they were because I had to let them in before taking my son to preschool and I was told then that they would be late.

Second, when I met with the owner, Dave a few days prior, I was assured that he would be in the house with his two workers during the entire process. I only cared because there would be no one else in the house and I do have valuables here. (NOTE: Nothing disappeared, but I was nervous all day.) I didn't want my youngest (1 year) exposed to the dust and noise and my husband had to work. I was comfortable knowing that Dave was the owner and he had a vested interest in the job being done right and honestly. When Dave showed up with his two workers (whom I hadn't met), he told me that he had to run because he had some appointments that had come up (I'm assuming possible new clients...but what about your current client??). I should have spoken up at the time but I was already upset about them being late and making my son late for school and I had to run.

Third, after they were done my husband and I found two small holes that they had cut out that had not been filled in the duct work and some shoddy tape work that left possible leaks in the system. Thankfully Dave came out the next day and fixed the issues.

Fourth, I forgot to mention that I was told that there would be one hole cut in our drywall to get to a main duct. When I got home after the work had been done and to pay and sign the papers, I found that TWO large squares had been cut out of the drywall, not just one. If someone had called me I would have OK'd it, but I hate being told one thing and then getting another. They don't repair the drywall, either, so those holes are up to us to fix!

Fifth, a few days later I was hearing a rattling in the furnace room. I went in to investigate and realized that there were four screws missing from the door panel that they had removed to clean it. The door was rattling every time the furnace started blowing. I called Dave immediately that day (Tuesday) and he told me he couldn't come that day and perhaps not until the following week. What!? It was Thanksgiving week, but really? I would have been OK with that except for the fact that he didn't even call me until the following WEDNESDAY to let me know he could come and fix the issue on Friday at noon! My husband was so mad he just told me he'd fix it himself and he didn't want the guy in our house even one more time.

For the price, labor and time involved with the whole process (it takes them at least 4 or 5 hours to clean a single furnace 2-bedroom condo like ours), you'd think that Dave would want to avoid returning to a house if at all possible. If he had been here like he promised in the first place, I have a feeling that there wouldn't have been any problem with the holes, taping or screws.

When you own a business, you hope to have return clients or word of mouth new business. Small things like the list above make a HUGE difference for me when recommending a company (or not) to a friend, especially for a family of four spending over $400 on the service, when we don't have extra money to throw around.

On a positive note, his two workers were super nice and seemed to know what they were doing aside from forgetting to fill the holes and the screws. The one offered to fix the drywall for a great price, too.

Our vents, furnace and ducts seem to be super clean now, but we haven't noticed any health benefits yet. There does seem to be less dust on the furniture, though.

(I hate to leave negative reviews, but I felt this had to be done. If I had read this review before making my decision, I would have gone with the other DUCTZ company in Monmouth.)