J & B Heating & Air Conditioning

I hate to write a negative review because I believe in hiring local workers. That said, I was pretty disappointed with the amount I ended up paying for what was ultimately a $ 30 thermostat. I woke up without heat in my home and immediately called J&B. They were able to squeeze us in during a busy day, which I do appreciate. There is an automatic $ 79 fee just to have them come to your house, which I also understand. Additionally, there’s a $ 79/​hr labor fee which automatically gets assessed the moment they do anything, even if it doesn’t take an hour. In our case, it did take close to an hour, so fair enough, right? It turned out, our old thermostat was corroded and needed to be replaced. I looked up the exact model the guy installed and it is literally $ 30 at Sears.
You may be wondering what my total bill would be, given that there’s an approximately $ 80 service fee, $ 80 hourly rate, and $ 30 thermostat. Well, anyone would guess that my bill would be around $ 190, right? Wrong! I paid nearly $ 300 in total!
I called J&B after realizing what a ripoff occurred and was told I would be called that same day. No call. I called back three days later, and the serviceman had been out sick and I would get a call the next day. No call. I call again and leave a message and finally get a call back A WEEK after I was told I’d initially get a phone call. I’m told I was not over-​charged, but we’ll get a check for $ 50 just to keep our customers happy.
Now, I know I have an older furnace that will need replacing. I’d love to do it locally, and I intend to, but definitely not through J&B. Sure, they were all nice people, and friendly over the phone, but $ 300 for a thermostat? Hahaha yeah right am I ever going to do business there again!!!