I only wish I could place this on a major browser front page! What happened to my Dad was HORRIBLE to say the least! My Mom past this year and after 43 years of marriage my Dad is not doing well. He has been hospitalized several times since Moms passing and his mental state is not well. He used to work in the plumbing & HVAC industry for over 45 years.
He woke up and noticed he had no hot water, got his phone book and called the first company he saw A-1 American Plumbing. Biggest mistake EVER!!! AFTER "removing" the $150 water tank disposal fee, and giving him a "discount" they charged my dad $1400.00 for a 50 gallon water heater!!!!!! This would run between $450-550 if you called Home Depot or most other reputable companies. It took 3 days to restore hot water and the temps were freezing and there was snow-they spent 2 days in & out of my dads house until one or two in the morning. We had to call repeatedly because we did not have hot water. I tried getting them to cancel the work the first day and when I called the office I was told that was "not going to happen". That my dad signed the contract to begin work when the tech got there and that waived his 3 day right to cancel- HOW SHADY OF A COMPANY DO THEY HAVE TO BE TO GET SENIORS WHO ALREADY CANT SEE TO WAIVE THE ONLY PROTECTION THEY HAVE? It is a one line fine print statement-so very pathetic! They were snide when they gave me that bit of information-almost like they found it humorous.
They also sent sparks flying in the closet when the water heater was installed on several occasions, causing the room to light up and the tech to jump back against the wall and drop the phone he was on (my Dads HOME PHONE since his phone was not working). Then the room reeked of burning electrical smells. I asked the tech to please have his boss come out and he told the person on the phone that we are starting to "lose faith". The calls continued and my dad was upstairs trying to sleep (11pm-2am). He set a temporary ground and left for the night. His boss did not come out that night.
I also tried to call the "joke" of a 24 hour emergency number since the tech left before we had hot water and that guy told me he don't consider it an emergency! A senior in poor health, freezing temperatures and no hot water to warm the pipes that could burst-$1400 AND a tech leaving with him not having hot water-NOT AN EMERGENCY????? Serious? Then he also said since the tech left it now becomes "warranty" work and he don't do that. I wanted him to tell me who did and he said I would have to call the office in the morning. Meanwhile there was a woman in the background cursing and telling him to hang up the ******* phone, etc.
As I said before, my dad was in this field for 45 years and I know when my dad was on call and his pager went off, it did not matter what time it was-IT WAS HIS JOB! He went and took care of the problem, no matter the time or weather. I did not think we were asking too much. After all, the tech arrived in the 9 o'clock am hour and it was already going on 11pm and NO hot water. Again since my dad is not in the best of health these days my husband and I spent almost 3 whole days into wee hours dealing with this disaster of a company.
My Dad of course is heart broken-the cost was 1/3 of his life savings. He thought he was doing something good trying to handle a situation on his own. They rig you into having to get the work done since you have to sign to let them begin when they arrive. PLEASE warn your elderly family members and friends. They USE the "American" and "God Bless Our Country" slogans to get these older folks and they have their ads on during the hours seniors watch TV. They place their AD in BIG letters on the front of the phone books and since it is our seniors that still use phone directories vice the internet to search for phone numbers thats how they get them. Put this out on your general email list, your church members, community activities group emails, etc.
They have the LOWEST rating with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) A BIG "F"!!!! They currently have 52 pending complaints. See the BBB link:
You can also check out this link and see page after page of issues, problems, and complaints:
It is amazing they are still in business. When you try to get information about who is "in charge" you get a different name for every person you talk to. When you ask about the owner, you are told he is a "silent owner" thereby getting you absolutely NOWHERE!
WARN everyone you can and ask them to pass the word. This is the only way this type of "business" will be stopped. Thank you all for your time! | 
