Philbrick Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical

4999 Portsmouth Blvd, Portsmouth, VA 23701, USA

Address:	4999 Portsmouth Blvd, Portsmouth, VA 23701, USA
Phone:	+1 757-488-8367
Site:	philbrickheatingandcooling.com
Rating:	4.4
Working:	7:30AM–4:30PM 7:30AM–4:30PM 7:30AM–4:30PM 7:30AM–4:30PM 7:30AM–4:30PM Closed Closed

Location

Photos 21

Reviews 4

James Strudwick

On July 9th, 2008 a mechanic from Philbrick, Inc came to my home to give me an estimate for replacing my water heater. The existing unit was branded “American” and had a ten year warranty but, although it was still functioning problem free, it was 13 years old and located in a walk-in attic so I felt that it was time to replace it because of the potential for water damage should it fail. The written estimate stated that they would replace the water heater and the pan beneath it for $850 and that the job would require one “mechanic” and one “helper”, with no charge for the estimate. I signed the work order on July 16th and on July 22nd they installed a Rheem 50 gallon, gas WH with a six year warranty. I have receipts which represent all of these facts except the identity of the unit which was replaced. Fast forward five-and-a-half years to the first week of February 2014. The house is now rented and the tenants call our property manager to say that the water heater has a dripping leak. When the property manager called to inform me, I told him that the unit was installed by Philbrick in 2008, just in case that might have some influence on the warranty. The property manager then called Philbrick and told them that he did not need an estimate, to just do the job. Philbrick sent a mechanic to the house to evaluate the situation on February 6th, on the 7th, three men returned to do the work. I was subsequently billed $1520. I called Philbrick on February 18th to question the bill and to ask for an itemization. They said they could not warranty the old unit because the warranty was completely used up when the original unit was replaced in 2008. They claimed that the unit they removed in 2008 was also a Rheem and that it had failed, even though their receipt does not indicate that. They also said that the $850 was for labor and the metal pan and that three men are required when a unit is located in an attic, even though the estimate specifies two men. The best indication that the previous water heater had not failed, and therefore could not have been submitted under warranty regardless of manufacturer, is that two weeks elapsed between my original call to Philbrick and their subsequent installation of a new water heater. I certainly would not have spent two weeks without hot water. They did agree to return $125 which they charged for the assessment visit which they referred to as a “courtesy adjustment”. The itemized bill merely broke out an item for $400 which was described as “labor in attic for more than two men”. Philbrick says that they NEVER itemize labor and materials for any job nor will they discuss what their labor rate is. From this, a potential Philbrick customer can take away some truths about their business practices. First, if given the opportunity to triple what they charge for labor over their competitors, they will do that. Second, they are willing to misrepresent warranty circumstances to improve their bottom line. And last, that one should never do business with any company that will not itemize labor and materials.

Audrey Laughlin

Philbrick Heating and Cooling replaced my downstairs ac/heat unit as my older one had a compressor that went bad and would have been too costly to repair. Replacing the entire system was a bit more than repairing the 9 year low quality unit, however the price includes a top of the line unit, an excellent parts, repair and labor warranty and will be approximately 30% more cost efficient. Tim Hatfield provided excellent information on the pros and cons of repairing versus replacing. He was able to meet at my house in the evening time as that was the only way to accommodate my busy schedule. Tim was not at all a high pressure salesperson. Instead, he shared his expertise, was honest and took the time to explain about the differences in models, types of gas connections, and by the end of our meeting was able to provide me with a final install cost and financing incentives. Tim was able to schedule the install before he left my home. The installers arrived promptly at their scheduled time, introduced themselves and quickly went to work. They removed the existing unit inside the garage and outside the house a replaced them with new units and installed and programmed a new digital thermostat. They worked from inside and under the house to replace the existing duct work to ensure maximum efficiency of my new unit. When the installers completed the job, there was no sign of them being there. They removed all the old unit pieces, venting material and no debris was left inside my home or out. Job well done Philbrick Heating and Cooling!! You have exceeded the expectations of this customer and I will continue to recommend you to everyone I know. Thank you for making my home air and heating comfortable again.

Dave Osborn

Very Poor Customer Service! - All it would take is a phone call. We had Philbrick install a heat and A/C system in the early 90s so when it needed replaced we called them again. The new and improved Rheem system has had to be worked on at least 5 times in 5 years, with the latest being a replacement of the cooling coil (under warranty). My real issue is they have been a No Show to appointments Twice! Back in December we set an appointment - I took a day off work (no pay) and they didnt show. When called they had scheduled the appointment a week later. Yesterday they were to be there at 0830 for 3 hours - 9:00 we call them and they tell us a job had run over from the day before, but the could be there between 12 and 2:00. OK I will take a whole day off again (no pay) so I can get my A/C fixed. At 1:30 I call them and they tell me the technician will be there by 2:00, at 3:00 he pulls in my driveway. Not 1 call was initiated by Philbrick to let me know they would be late - I could have gone to work and left early had I known they were not coming until 3 PM. To top it all off - my under warranty repair cost me $437 after their "we are very sorry" 10% discount.

Scott Duffy

We had Philbrick Plumbing come to our house several times over the past 2 months due to a cracked flange and water damage that we got as a result. The men were always right on time, very friendly, very professional and did great work. They were great with setting a quick appoinment when we needed them and called us when they were on the way. The tile guy that came to install the new flooring was very impressed with how the pvc pipe was raised up and capped off so that they could properly lay the tiling down evenly. The gentlemen that came to install the toilet and the faucets did a great job and told me what he was doing each time before he did something. We missed the fact that the circle piece that goes on the wall by the toilet was rusting , he pointed it out and replaced it. I appreciate the fact that it was a rainy day and he put booties on his shoes . We had 2 other companies here for the remodel and they didnt do this and got mud on our brand new floors. I would highly recommend this company to friends and family, and already have.. I liked the fact they have been in business since the 1950s.. that says a lot ..