Banks Quarles Plumbing Heating Cooling & Electrical

Kevin G.

I had bought a new A/C. We have had numerous issues with this company.

Their MO is to have someone that says they will do a good job, overprice the work, and then send someone that has no idea what they are doing or what the person that quoted said. This has happened with HVAC and plumbing.

If you like overpriced work that isn't done properly, then go with this company. Otherwise, find someone else.

Max M.

Chris and Kevin came out to fix our water problem and got it going in no time. You couldn't ask for better work or workers! I'll be referring them to anyone needing quality work done.

Ana F.

I contacted the Banks Quarles number at 7:30 on Monday morning. The person I spoke with advised me that there would be a $49.99 ""dispatch charge"" to have someone respond to my house at some point to evaluate an electrical issue that I was having (power is out in certain parts of the home but not others). Fast-forward to about noon. I get a call from the dispatcher saying that an electrician is finally available and could come by the house. A short time later, the electrician arrives, and I fill him in on the events of the last few days. Symptoms of the outage. The timeline of issues. Etc.

The electrician tells me, at that time, that there would be a $370 service charge to get out his tools and to diagnose the issue. Not $370 for a repair. $370 to GET TOOLS OUT OF THE TRUCK and to DIAGNOSE. Then, any additional repair fees would be addressed after diagnosis. At this point, I was absolutely floored and asked him why on earth the initial people I spoke with would not have told me that there were additional fees just to diagnose the issue on top of the $50 I've already agreed to. The electrician was extremely nice and polite, but after a few seconds of thinking, I realized what an absolute scam this whole thing was going to be. The electrician also told me that the charge to change out ONE breaker would be $300. This would include a $5 part and 10 minutes (at absolute most) of time.

I told the electrician that I understood he's just out here trying to make a living and that I wasn't upset with him-- but that he could leave. (I was extremely polite. I didn't blame him.) I paid the ""dispatch fee"" (begrudgingly) because I'd agreed that morning on the phone to do so before I realized I was being scammed. I also called the Banks Quarles number and spoke with someone in their office about why they would charge such a huge fee after the $50 initial dispatch fee. I was frustrated that the dispatch fee sounds very much like a general service fee, and once the electrician arrived, I realized that I'd essentially just given $50 away for absolutely nothing. The young lady tried very hard to explain, but the explanation made no sense. She said that the initial fee is to come out (obviously, at this point) and that the technician will address further fees once they see what the issue is. I made the point that we couldn't even make it to that point because I'd been scammed 50 bucks to only have him respond and not diagnose a problem to begin with. We went through about 3 rounds of this before I finally asked for an email to send complaints to.

So-- here's the synopsis: the electrician (Jeremy), the woman I complained to (Mary), the dispatcher (Lisa), and the person who took the initial call were extremely polite and as professional as they could feasibly be. But as for the Banks Quarles company, in general: I'm stunned at how absolutely unethical their pricing and process is. I also understand that certain diagnostic equipment is expensive, so I can understand a heftier service charge up front (let's say... $100-$150). But to articulate a $50 fee for someone to come out to diagnose an issue, have someone respond requesting that much more money, have them not even diagnose anything, and know that--even if they did-- the repair charge would be equally as unethical....is outrageous.

I won't speak for their HVAC folks. But however things are set up on their electrical side of business: I absolutely, unequivocally discourage anyone from ever even contacting them for service. Companies like this are the reason I hate that people hesitate to wonder if someone is going to take advantage of them, and it made my blood boil to know that somewhere that day-- someone probably paid them a mortgage payment to handle something that could be a minor fix. Absolutely unbelievable. And to be clear-- I understand that services aren't free. People spend time learning trades and should be compensated for their expertise as well as parts and labor. But there is a line of ethics that comes with that. And BQ crossed that line within minutes.

Tim C.

Charged $4950 for replacing a tankless hot water heater. Took about 3 hours and about $1500 in parts max and didn't change out entire system. Said it was a fixed rate install. They are paying Yelp as a sponsor because they are below 2 star rating and trying to hide it. People need to know that they are ridiculously overpriced. If you want to pay $1,000+/hr in labor call these guys.

Dennis G.

RIPPED OFF !! BAIT AND SWITCH PRICING!! MUST READ!!
We were grossly overcharged for services. BQ charged over $1000 for routine coil cleaning, which they said on the phone before coming out is $59.00 and replacing a basic part that normally costs around $25 and only requires removing the outside cover. Checking with other companies after the fact, the charges should have been around $300. When the tech arrived at location, he said the AC unit was working but not cooling well and the coil needed cleaning and it would cost ""around $500"". I questioned the price and he said, ""it's the chemicals used"". Then he said that one part looked like it was on the way out and the meter showed abnormal power reading. How much I asked. ""About $300"". Given this was our remote cabin on the lake and our daughter having a birthday party that weekend, I said to replace it. The technician used a hand garden sprayer with some chemical in it. But hardly any spray at all. The level of chemical in the sprayer was not noticeably lower. He did wash everything off and the remains of a snake washed out of the end of the pvc drain. But that was not causing any issue with the AC. The technician was there about 1.5 hours. A significant portion of that time was spent talking with us and writing up the paperwork. He was very nice. He said he had to call the office to get pricing. The service call came to $1023.98. The ""about $500"" turned out to be $613.56. The ""about $300"" turned out to be $410.42. This is important to note for the rest of my experience. The following Monday, I investigated the charges, called several other companies what the cost would be to clean a heat pump coil. I got responses anywhere from $59 to $89. I called Banks Quarles and asked them what it would cost. I was told on the phone by a customer service rep ""$59.00"". I confirmed with her, ""to clean a coil?"" I was told, ""Yes. To do an inspection, clean the coil, and replace a filter would be $59"". I then asked to speak to a manager. I spoke to one and expressed my concern. She said she would get back to me. She never did. I had to call back several more times asking to speak to her or her manager. The rep tried to get them for me, but they were in meetings each time I called. The customer service manager finally told me that they have FLAT RATES AND THE TECHNICIANS HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THAT."" IF that's the case, the technician would not have told me ""about x $"" estimates on the work and it wouldn't come out to such uneven numbers. After calling back again today, I was finally given a resolution of a 10% discount and an HVAC only service plan which covers 2 visits, worth $169. Oh nice, two more opportunities to price gouge me. No thank you. Using information BQ gave us over various phone calls the charge should have been about $300. That would be an $85 trip charge, 1.5 hours labor at $85/hr., $75 parts/chemicals, and tax. Well, it was a remote location. Ok, throw on a second trip charge of $85 we are now at $385. NOT $1000. The Better Business Bureau did absolutely nothing. DO NOT USE BANKS QUARELLS.

Jimbo D.

Initially I called them out here to install 4 floodlights on the corners of my house. After them telling me that they're going to have to run the wiring including the lights, they wanted to charge me $4500. So I said no thanks to that. Then they suggested putting a surge protector on my house. I had them install that for $1200 after I saw the same surge protector on Amazon for $93. So I guess they charge me $1100 to install it. The Surge protector better work. I haven't really priced other electricians but it sounds to me that they are very pricey. I'll probably find somebody else to do my work from now on.

Gary W.

I guess the coronavirus causes companies to take some type of ""extra advantage"" of seniors. I called them to get a quote on a 50 gallon electric hot water heater. The service tech would have to come to my house and give me an estimate (which they refer to as an ""investment""). Josh came and after we discussed what I wanted, he proceeded to give me a written estimate. The prices ranged from $2,400 to $4,986 for a good, better, best scenario. Bottom line: why would I pay $4,986 (an ""investment"") for a comparable hot water heater, installed, for $1,195? I very nicely told Josh that this was out of my budget, and I thanked him for his time. An hour later, I received a call from Banks Quarles letting me know about their 0% financing. Seriously?

Kalissa B.

I called Banks Quarles to fix a leak at my side of water meter. It was early afternoon and every company I called were already busy and tied up for the day. It would be the next day before anyone could come out.

Banks Quarles comes out and quotes me a price of $960 for a 1"" brass valve and 1' of tubing. Cost of both components is less than $40. I even had the work site for this completely dug out and ready exposing the broken valve. I about had a heart attack when I heard the quote. They also tried to push a service plan on me. I immediately declined the work and he went on his way.

My neighbor informed me in using a reputable company that she uses. I called him and he was out in about an hour and done the work for $140.
That's a huge $820 difference. He was very professional and took pride in his work and I have water again.

Robin M.

Thank you Garrett for being professional and friendly in two visits to my home to perform electrical services. Garrett was very patient with my many questions and pleasant to work with. I will definitely use this company again.

Lane M.

Twice cancelled a scheduled appointment because other people needed service. I was a first time customer and will never use them