I think the phrase I am looking for is ""con artists"". \r
My mother had her water heater give out in her condo this past weekend, and she called Applewood (big pretty ad, BBB, Martino network, etc...). They (a plumber and an electrician) came out the next day and told her the following:\r
1) She had to change the water heater from a gas unit to an electrical unit because ""they do not make that type of water heater anymore""\r
2) Because of the electric heater being required, the current electric panel would need to be completely replaced (no room for the additional circuits).\r
3) Total estimated cost: $12,000. ($6000 for the water heater and $6000 for the electrical panel upgrade).\r
Luckily, she called me and spoke to the contractor who was at my home doing our remodel. He told me to get those guys out of her home and he would refer us to a master plumber (35+ years in the business, all in Colorado). The new plumber came out to my mom's house immediately and this is what he told us:\r
1) the water heater was an in-stock item at Home Depot\r
2) there was no need to upgrade the electrical panel\r
3) and even though the water heater was in a crawl space and very labor intensive getting the new heater into place, the total cost came out to under $3000, even with this being done on a Sunday.\r
This company is apparantly known in the world of contractors as a bunch of crooks, and I can attest to that. They completely tried to take advantage of my mother and I want the whole world to know the truth about Applewood. AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!!\r
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