Gillece Services LP

Gillece obviously writes these positive reviews. A simple Google search for "Gillece Complaints" will show you a huge array of customer who have been ripped off. They have a bad BBB rating, a horrible rating on Angieslist, have been found guilty of cybersquating, and have had several channel 4 investigations. They also use the DVDs from a HVAC profit booster named Charlie Greer to train their sales staff. Thats right - A profit booster for their supposed "plumbers". You can tell that Gillece uses these tactics. They are rip off artist. They will screen phone calls for the most profitable jobs only - particularly if you say your furnace or AC is fairly old. The way to get a Gillece rep at your door in under 5 minutes is to tell them your furnace has been acting funny and is 20 years old. They will tell you they can flush your toilet for only $3,000 when the toilet itself is worth maybe $150. They will tell you that you need a new furnace when really you just have it unplugged. They will not unclog your drain and say "your pipes are collapsed" or you need to spend $10,000 for a new line when really the guy didn't even try to unclog anything. DON'T call Gillece. Send a letter to the attorney general if you did. more

They just tried to rip off my very pregnant niece for $7400 and tear up her yard. They told her an excavator was already on the way and refused to leave and tried to pressure her to agree. One clogged drain that a REAL plumber fixed for $150 after she was finally able to make them leave. I read the 5 star reviews and you just know that Gillece is writing them. They even sound like ad copy. AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE! Wish there was a way to give them NO stars at all more

The Gillece tech tried to charge me $2786 for a hot water heater. They use a very hard sale tactic and are very pushy. Lowes did the same job for me for $568. Now I know why he has an F rating with the BBB and why Channel 4 did a segment on him. He should be in jail. I will be contacting the DA about his business pratices. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!! more

I absolutely can't believe a single story on here... and why some of these people would post the same review, 5 times, on each Gillece listing is highly suspicious. Long story short we called for the $99 sewer drain cleaning. Their slogan shouldn't be 'same day or you don't pay'... it should be 'same day because you're gonna pay' In less than 30 minutes after the Gillece arrived, we were told we had a threatening situation with our sewer drain and it would cost $8,000 to replace it. They offered NO alternative, told us we had "at most" 2 more days of use from our sewers (we'd lived there for 9 years without a single problem to this point), and used scare tactics and fake coupons to get us to sign a contract. Then within another 45 minutes, there was a crew in our driveway with a backhoe ripping everything apart. Come to find out, the repairs were likely never necessary. His "huge" issue of hair-like roots is a common problem. Both of our neigbors, whom have lived in the hosues since they were built, said they often have blockages and just pay the $150 for a drain cleaning every 4 or 5 years. Our municipal authority even told us they get them in the main sewer pipes, and replacement is only necessary if they collapse!!! Collapse is common with terra cotta pipes from houses built in the 50s-70s. We have solid iron pipes and our house is less than 30 years old. So we were basically scammed out of $8,000 for a problem that could've been solved with a $25 can of root-x and regular cleanings/maintenance. Sure, maybe our pipes would've needed replaced... in 2075 when we'll be dead. This is the second time they scammed us, though we didn't realize the first scam until the second one. Called them in 2007 for a heating checkup required by our HOA. They found $500 worth of heating repairs, I told them not to do anything but my husband thought one sounded bad and told them to fix it (cost of $220). The other- which was the ignition for the heater- they said might make it through the year at the most. 4 years later I can happily report no issues with the ignition switch. I am trying to organize a class action lawsuit against them as I have names and numbers of over 3 dozen people who verbally indicated they are willingn to sign on. They are a scam and disgrace to this city. more

When sewage came up through our utility room and basement while we were working on renovations one evening, we knew we had a big clog! Gillece's $99 ad made them extremely appealing. In fact, we had called another plumber just before who quoted us over $400 just to snake the line!!! Chad was extremely professional and worked very quickly. We called at 8:00am on a Saturday and he was here by 9:30am! He was all done and everything was working great again by 10! Best of all, NO HIDDEN CHARGES!!! Our total was $99! Can you believe it???!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for a very good end to a very bad problem! more

Over this past weekend, our AC stopped working on Sunday night. We called Gillece because of the $99 advertisement. We were having a party for my mum and my niece that both have their birthday on the same day and we always have a big party for them and it is a huge picnic. We would have been miserable if it wasn,t for Gillece. They came out on the holiday and fixed the AC for about $195 and saved the party. Offered the guy a beer but he said he couldn't while he was on duty, but was a really nice guy. Great company nd great deal. more

It's never a good day when you've got water streaming through your kitchen ceiling. Gillece to the rescue. Steve from Gillece was very confident in his diagnosis and repair of the problem, and it turned out he was right. He worked diligently all day to cut the ceiling open, remove the broken pipes and replace them. He thoroughly masked the area off to avoid any more damage. When he was done he actually scrubbed my kitchen floor clean. Pleasant experience overall. Cost was more than I expected but they did have to return to get it inspected the next day, so I am sure that the job was done right. more

I was skeptical about calling Gillece with all of the negative reviews that were posted, but I gave them a shot and was pleasantly suprised. Everyone that I dealt with from Gillece was very polite and professional and I never felt pressured to do anything. The serviceman Jim was a true down to earth Pittsburgher that I trust. I will highly recommend this company to anyone and am very happy with the service that they provided and the prices charged. Great value in my opinion. more

Have seen all of the commercials saying "Call Gillece" so when I had a backup in my bathtub, who else would I call? They scheduled me for the $99 drain cleaning and I was a little bit skeptical that this was some kind of a come on to get in the door and then be charged more. I was very pleased when the plumber Jeff arrived and was so courteous and professional and all he charged me was the $99. Here’s the kicker: It was 10:00 at night and he wasn’t rushed or irritated, just a true professional. I would like to commend Jeff for a job well done, and I will recommend Gillece to my neighbors or anyone else that asks. more

Called several companies when our boiler went out. Gillece was the only one promised same day and they lived up to their promise. Since we moved into our house over 15 years ago, we have been constantly complaining about the radiators in the family room that never seem to heat up. Ron from Gillece was checking out the piping after getting the thermocuple replaced and discovered that there was a valve that was choking off the flow to the family room that he opened and instantly we had a wonderful warmth in the room that we never thought possible. OMG!!! Can't believe that we lived this way for 15 years!! more

I bought an older home that came complete with an giant, ancient furnace. I had many contractors come and estimate on the replacement furnace and AC install. Of all the companies I called, GILLECE was the ONLY one that gave me options for high efficiency. They were the ONLY ones that even cared to tell me about higher electric costs with certain units, they were the only ones that even bothered to explain different types of systems to me, and they were the ONLY ones who recognized instantly the old furnace in my house and knew how to remove it without taking walls down like all the contractors mentioned doing. Because of GILLECE, I ended up getting something completely different from what I thought I originally wanted, because I hadn't known there was a difference. When they came to do the install, they were quick, efficient, and on time. They even worked within my busy schedule. They completely cleaned up after themselves and were 100% professional. They showed me how all the equipment worked and helped me to claim my rebates and tax incentives. Even though their bid was slightly higher than others, I actually got a MUCH better system than I ever would have simply because GILLECE took the time to explain everything to me and give me options. Plus, they had a bid estimate ready same-day. No other contractor had a bid ready for me until at least a week later because they said it was such a big job. I would highly recommend them to anyone. Best contractor I've worked with and I've worked with a lot. more

My Carrier furnace broke down late in the day on a cold, snowy afternoon. I called Gillece and the guy showed up about 8 pm. He diagnosed the problem as a faulty ignitor and told me the replacement part would be $575 (over and above the $95 service call). I don't know much about furnaces, but enough to know that $575 for an ignitor is off the charts. Since it was late and the house had no heat I had no choice (that's what Gillece counts on) but to tell him to fix it. While he was doing so, I looked on the internet and found two Carrier ignitors - one $199 and one $69. I wasn't sure which was the correct one for my furnace (it ended up being the $69) but I printed the information and took it downstairs to show to the repairman, who was just finishing. He knew he'd been caught red-handed, so he called into Gillece Headquarters and the guy there told him to take $175 off. I told the repairman $400 was still WAY to much, and that I'd take it up with Gillece Management in the morning. The next morning I tried to reach the regional sales manager, but of course, his flunky, Celeste, intercepted the call for him. I explained everything to her and she was extremely defensive, rude, and abrasive with me. She wouldn't put the call through to the sales manager and I ended up just hanging up on her. Later that day I went out to a local place, Climate Systems, and got the $69 ignitor. I put it on in less than 10 minutes and the furnace works fine. As for the Great Gillece $575 ignitor, it's going back to Tom Gillece and he can stick it up his ass. He should be in prison for Grand Larceny. more

I had a new furnace installed several years ago by a friend of a friend who's an independent HVAC guy. He was awesome and AMAZING on price. This winter, the pump that pumps condensation out of my furnace burned out. It was my own fault, I accidentally pinched off the drainage hose and caused all the condensation to back up. When it happened, my trusty HVAC guy was in the hospital getting an appendectomy. So I called Gillece to come rescue me from the condensation that was filling up 3 buckets a day and spilling onto my basement floor. They came and showed me a parts price list. The pump I needed to replace was listed for over 250 bucks on their price list. With labor, the whole job was gonna cost just over 400. I decided to stick with the bucket and wait for my guy to get out of the hospital. He eventually came and replaced the whole pump for 60 dollars—labor included. Only took him 5 minutes. So, Gillece was gonna charge me over 400 dollars in parts and labor for a 60 dollar pump and a 5-minute install? No thanks. Steer clear of Gillece for repairs. Or at least shop around before letting them go to work on your furnace. They showed up fast and were friendly. I'll give 'em that much. more

Good points: 1) fairly friendly, 2) really prompt, 3) the lower down the food chain, the nicer the people get. Bad points: 1) will charge you 2+ times the real cost for any job, 2) will try to scare you into doing work that isn't really necessary. Obviously bad outweighs good here. the $99 sewer line inspection/clean turned into multiple thousands of dollars. If you agree to one thing they do it and find "severely damaged" fill in the blank and want you to spend tens of thousands to fix something that technically is still working just fine. I recommend "A Comfort Service" for plumbing/HVAC issues. Definitely get a second opinion on anything above a couple hundred dollars. more

This is a class act, very professional, prompt, clean cut and they do nice work but... they're really expensive! I had two hours of work done (replacing a crawlspace turnoff, a dripping shower, and a broken line to an outside line. It came to over $500 when it was probably only $150 in parts). They did do a great job of confirming appointments, sending via e-mail a confirmation of service call, and following up but shop around and you can probably find somebody to do the job for less. They did show up within a few hours of setting the appointment and they did give me the quote up front, so it's my own fault for agreeing to the work. more

We woke up to a major backup this morning. Basement was flooding with raw sewage. Gillece was here within an hour of our call and snaked the drain out with no problems. They even squirted the area off which took them longer than the snaking did. Thanks Gillece for doing such a wonderful job and being so neat and clean about it. more

The biggest rip off I have been involved with. Avoid please more

Recently, as he was beginning an outdoor project in our yard, my husband came across a problem with a sewage pipe at our house. The pipe, which spanned from the inside of our house out, was leaking sewage every time that we flushed the toilet. Being that the leak was significant and neither of us had any plumbing knowledge or expertise, we understood that the problem needed a professional. On Monday morning, I received a call around 8:30 stating that the plumber was in our area. He arrived and reviewed the problem. He explained that the sewage pipe coming out of the house was old, cracked and ill-fitting, the second pipe that comes from the ground and vents the gases was cracked and broken, and that sewage had been leaking into our foundation for some time. At this point, I was obviously concerned that the sewage was not only leaking in to the ground outside, but the foundation of our home! To add to my concerns, I was pregnant with our first child and realized that this could in no way be good for anyone’s health, let alone a tiny, developing baby. The plumber only encouraged my fears by stating that it wasn't safe to have the sewage leaking and "if you are ever going to have kids in the house, the problem needs to be fixed". Steve, who was referred to as one of the “best service guys” by the person on the phone provided a quote of $4715.99 – and this was AFTER a 15% discount and an online coupon!!! I was completely shocked with the quote. With absolutely no knowledge of plumbing and concern over the sewage leak and potential health problems, said “Well, it needs to be fixed”. With concern about spending all of our money, my husband told Steve that the charges seemed high. He responded that Gillece does the work that same day and that it has a lifetime guarantee. With that explanation, we assumed that the price was maybe a little higher than most, but never imagined the price difference that we later discovered. My husband asked if he could have a breakdown of what could possibly be $4715 and Steve told him that they charge “per project” and could offer NO information on how he arrived at the price. With all of the advertising and as much as I have heard and seen the Gillece name throughout the South Hills area, I assumed that they had to be a reputable company. Luckily for Steve, my husband had already done 99% of the digging around that area so he was able to get started quickly. After 5 hours, Steve completed his work. He took me in to the basement to get my approval on his clean up, which was fine. Then, he gave me the paperwork to sign. I first signed a page that had the total cost it. Steve explained that in Pennsylvania, we have 3 days to reject/cancel any work that is done and gave me the sheet to sign. Then, he had a form that labeled “Emergency Order” which he explained “this just says that you gave me permission to complete this work today”, so I signed it. The work was done and off went Steve. Within the next day, we learn that the project that we just paid almost $5K for should have cost $1700 AT THE VERY MOST. We also learned that the “Emergency Order” form, which Steve explained as me giving him permission to complete this work that very day actually cancels the 3 day right to cancel in Pennsylvania. In addition, we learned that Gillece will not return calls to customers who complain and avoid them at every cost...only to send a typed letter to the customer's home stating that nothing will be done to resolve the complaint. Lesson to be learned: (1) Gillece Services sets outrageous charges for their work and are a complete rip off, (2) Don’t assume that they must be reasonably priced with the competition because they are not...they will take as much money as they can from you and can't even offer an explanation as to how they come up with the charge, (3) Always get a second opinion and never trust Gillece to do work in your house. Pros: Same day service Cons: Pricing is outrageous, sneaky staff, don't return calls more

The prices are insane. I have done some basic electrical work but called Gillece to save time. I had a new sun room added to my deck. The contractor ran the wire and left a place for a switch box and a wire for a fan.. Cost to drop in a box (no cutting - already done) and switch $308 - to nail a box to the beam $383 for the fan to be mounted to - to install the fan $646 - to connect the wire to a outlet in the basement (the wire was pulled and there) $666... 2 hours of work, a few smoke breaks tossed in and $10 for supplies at Lowes (you will need a screw driver) at the most! And they would have gladly done this on the spot... Total was $1975.00. It's like there was a decimal error! So I lost $65 - I'm guessing that the fee to come out with an insane quote is the main way these guys make money! Stay away!!! Pros: They show up the same day Cons: You will lose a quick $65 more

We had a leak so we called Gillece for repairs. They charged us $65 to come which I understood. The plumber told us it may cost up to $700 to find and fix the leak which I thought was ridiculous and wanted a second opinion. He then said if he could find it quickly it would cost less. He found the leak in literally 30 seconds! He then told us to come and find the leak with no repair would cost us $438!!!! At that point, they make you sign the contract so you have no choice unless you want to lose $438 for a total 5 minute visit! He then charged us another $373 for the repair. For a 2 hour job he charged us a total of $830!!!! That is $415 per hour! In talking to another plumber this job should have cost under $180. Gillece is ALL about the money so be VERY CAREFUL before you call them. I would NEVER recommend them to anyone! They currently carry a D- rating from the Better Business Bureau due to these kind of issues. They also are in the midst of being sued by other plumbers which indicates the kinds of reputation they have. Pros: same day service....you will pay for! Cons: overpriced is putting it mildly - D- BBB rating! more