Expensive, Dishonest, Not Trustworthy
This review was previously written, but I took it down at the request of Thomas, the manager at Bowers, when he said, he would ‘make it right’ if I took the negative review down, so I did. Thomas then scheduled two employees to come out to install the cooktop. Today, his two employees came out and had no interest in ‘making it right.’ The quote today was even more than the one last week, and in addition, they would not honor the $75 I had already paid toward the service, saying it could be applied toward service only on the first day.
To explain the situation, which not only demonstrates dishonesty, inaccurate information, and a lack of competence by the technician, I will write the review again addressing each of the issues. It is lengthy, but I encourage you to read the review in its entirety prior to doing business with this company.
Two weeks ago, our gas cooktop developed a leak, requiring us to either repair or purchase a new cooktop. We hired a repair person to give us an estimate for repairing it, and an estimate to install a new one. To purchase a new one and have it installed, would be approximately $300-$400 for the installation. As the cooktop was 12 years old, we chose to replace it, so I called to have it installed. The company couldn’t do it until mid-October. We had another similar bid, but after reading company reviews, I chose to call to get a bid from Bowers. What a mistake!
The cooktop is identical to the one we replaced and just needs to have the fan hooked to the existing ductwork and the gas connecting to the existing gas fitting. All the parts are the same. It is something my husband could easily do if he wasn’t 72 years old with a back that has required surgery and would allow him to lay on his back under the counter.
When I called to schedule an appointment with Bowers, I asked the receptionist if there was any estimate of the cost of installing a cooktop. She told me she had NO idea what anything cost and that it would be approximately $75 for them to come out, which she said would be applied if we chose to have them do the service. Both statements were UNTRUE. We later learned there is a minimum $600 service fee for a cooktop installation, something the receptionist surely knew, and the $75 was only good on the day they came out to give the estimate.
In addition, the technician they sent told us we were missing a part that we would have to purchase prior to the installation. He said even if we didn’t choose him as the installer, he would look up the part and send us the part number that day. We never heard from him again, but now we know why! There was NO missing part, the technician was confusing an electrical harness that attached to the fan, with something he thought was needed to plug in into the wall. Gross incompetence!
I called Bowers to report these issues and spoke with Thomas. He said he would make it right and would send someone out to install the cooktop. Today, two men came, looked at the cooktop and said it would be $650 to install it. We may even have hired them, but when my husband asked about the $75 we had already paid, they said that was only if we had it installed on the original visit. That was their manager’s idea of ‘making it right.’
What a scam. We were either forced to pay a $75 fee for them to come out, or a grossly overpriced installation. Just say NO to this company and save yourself time, money and dishonesty.