I've used Gibson's in the past for small and major projects (>$10k). They responded to my call on a Saturday and came out same day. The service person said that one of my zone valves had stuck open and wouldn't let the system shut off. It was old and looked terrible. He was able to disconnect it so the system wouldn't run continuously.
That part was alright -- it was the suggested service that really upsets me.
After going to his truck for a bit the technician came back into the house and detailed how this valve, and another on the system that looked bad, should be replaced. And how it would take so much work to REMOVE the valves and solder new ones in, drain the boiler and refill, clean the burners and replace two air eliminators. His quote was about $1200! OK, I'm a pretty decent DIYer and I looked on the internet for the valves and air eliminators - all grand total $150 in parts! The Manufacturer, Honeywell, DOESN'T recommend removing old valves, just using their update kit specifically made for when these go bad, thus eliminating the hassle and labor of plumbing! The air eliminators were $8 each (two of them) - screw off old ones, screw on new ones. I was able to replace the valves and air eliminators in about an hour, including draining the boiler and refilling. So they must of planned on charging excessive labor charges for the rest of the work.
So... in the end, it seems a case of OVERKILL and recommending UNNECESSARY work to clients in need! Nice try, but now you lost a customer forever!
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