May 9, 2016 marks the one-year anniversary of the day a Sobieski technician came to service my mother's heater and caused a major oil spill in her home. A year later, the issue has still not been resolved.
My mother responded to an offer she got for a $99 maintenance check-up for her heater. The technician was working on a unit he was unfamiliar with, and instead of asking for assistance, he decided to proceed anyway. This error in judgement resulted in a really frustrating year for my mother. I realize that accidents happen, but Sobieski's lack of a response plan totally surprised me. Nobody (including the VP of the Service Group) had any idea what to do about the spill. The oil soaked into the concrete, wood, and drywall in her first floor laundry room, which made the odor in the house nearly unbearable. The odor was airborne and permeated everything in her house - clothing, furniture, rugs, curtains, etc. If you stopped by for a cup of coffee, you were leaving her house smelling like an auto mechanic! Sobieski’s solution was to bring in some fans to blow the odor out, but they never addressed the cleanup, so the root cause of the problem remained. After this feeble attempt, Sobieski just sort of shrugged their shoulders and said they didn’t know what else to do, and they left it up to my mother to figure it out. Thanks for your “expertise” Sobieski!
My poor mother is 70 years old and has been living with these potentially noxious fumes for a year. She has also been battling with Sobieski’s insurance company (Zurich North America) to pay for the cleanup and restoration, which has been a very difficult situation as well. The insurance company is trying to get my mother to accept a check in exchange for complete absolution before the work is completed. Very shady…
more