BWS Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning

I called their emergency plumbing number, got someone named Lorrie twice and was hung up on both times. The third time I was on hold, and as soon as I got off hold they hung up on me.

WTF? Guys, I have toilet water leaking through my ceiling. At least do me the grace of saying sorry we're closed or something.

We encountered BWS Heating almost by accident: they were chosen by our property management company to do emergency service on the water heater at our rental property in the Twin Cities area. At the time (01/18/2020) , we were out of the state and went along with their recommendation.
Simply put, I would never choose to do business with BWS again.

First, the diagnostic service that they provided cost us $188 because it involved overtime because the work occurred on a Saturday.

Second, the work involved in relighting the pilot light for the water heater cost us another $200.

Interestingly, our contract with Renters Warehouse stipulates a $400 ceiling on emergency repairs. As noted below, the charge of $388 was probably not an accident (see Fourth below).  

Third, we received a quote for a new water heater with two options (either 40 or 50 gallon capacity) with pricing but no indication whatsoever about the manufacturer or any other product details for the units being proposed.

Fourth, after the immediate crisis was resolved, we learned that BWS pays a referral fee (or kickback) to Renters Warehouse whenever they are referred for a service call.

We did, in fact, contract with another company, one within 6 miles of our residence in contrast to the 25-30 mile distance for BWS. This firm not only provided us with specific details of the product options that they recommended, but went above & beyond installing the new water heater by making a couple of small improvements in our furnace room operation (at no additional cost, by the way).

Thom B.

I had a similar experience with BWS in 2018, like Collin N. did on 11/14/2020. BWS sent out a technician to fix my condensation pump. The technician forgot to remove the little piece of cardboard that activates the pump. The pump overflowed, soaked and ruined my carpet. I was told that if BWS was going to replace the carpet, I was going to have to pay for the condensation pump and labor. Which I was told came to a total of $1115. Even though I had coverage of 10 years all parts, compressor lifetime parts and  unit exchange 99 year unit replacement. My original installation date was 04/25/2014. Plus a Residential Service Agreement. BWS never took responsibility for my carpet and I had to pay for it's replacement.
Recently, my furnace started leaking water.
Steven came out on May 25, 2023 and barely took off one of the panels and looked into my furnace with a flashlight. He spoke to his manager in his van for several minutes and when he came out he gave me 3 options. I chose the option to put in 1.5 pounds of refrigerant and dye into the unit. It would cost me $489 and I would have to pay for it in advance. I did it because he said, BWS has changed. They now have about 40 employees and they are some of the best he has worked with. Later, when I received the invoice or the Description of Work it said, to keep the homeowner happy we added dye and refrigerant.  To pay an additional $489 would not make me happy. Steven said, BWS would call me to make arrangements to come out in 3 to 4 weeks to see where the dye was leaking, diagnose and fix the problem. During this time, I contacted 3 other HVAC companies.  They came out and took off at least 2 or 3 panels to find out why it was leaking. They told me the pitch of the core was not steep enough. (which was already replaced on 8/21/2018) The water would sit in the pan and when it would fill up the water would overflow and leak out the bottom of the furnace. 4 days short of 2 months has past since Steven was at my house. I still have not heard back from BWS. I texted BWS to have Steven call me. When I spoke to Steven I went through the entire list of reasons why I was so dissatisfied with BWS. I told him that by this time almost 2 months had past. I had another company completely install a brand new hvac system.
Steven asked me if I would like his manager to call me back. I said, I would love to have him call me back, but this is BWS and I know he won't. As of today he has not.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!  I gave this company three chances (apparently I'm an idiot) and should have stopped after the first job.

1. Installed AprilAir which seemed to go well but technician left a mess

2. Hired for an AC tune-up and was talked into a full cleaning. Didn't run right after that.

3. Hired to fix water softener. Didn't fix it and as a bonus, threw the water in the holding tank on our grass which killed it along with the soil so not an easy fix. Asked for compensation and luckily they agreed. Tech came back to try and repair it (which was suppose to be free) but it still doesn't work. And he charged me some because he said we had too much salt unit so it was extra work for him.

2 (continued). Came back to fix whatever happened while they were cleaning it. Was told it would take like $600 to repair. Said no, hired Golden Valley Heating & Air who came out that day and fixed it for significantly less.

Much frustration, time, and money wasted on this company.

The last time our Condo Association will use these people. In June we contracted for an annual maintenance check with BWS for our air conditioner. The service tech was very pushy and strongly suggested some additional services that were well beyond the initial advertised cost. Based on the age of our air conditioner he tried to convince us to buy another one as they happened to be doing another installation in the building the next day. Rather than replace the unit I agreed to a hard start modification and signed up for an annual service plan that he said would pay for itself. Later I heard that many owners were similarly pressured and that the owner was going to review all invoices and issue refunds. The owner of BWS corresponded with our Board President and encouraged owners to also reach out separately if desired. He also indicated that one of his techs had been overly aggressive in selling services.  I did call and was routed to his voicemail. Since that time there has been no action -- no return call or refund.  Based on these actions, or should I say lack of follow-up, it is safe to say that they will never get our business again.

I have a home warranty on my recently purchased home. The home warranty company contracts with BWS. The tech, Ryan G, came to my house on 6/24/21 to assess the plumbing issues I discovered after I purchased my home.

He told me on 6/24 he would be requesting approval from my home warranty company for the repairs/replacements, then they would need to order parts, and once the parts arrived, would be able to schedule the service.

It is 7/8/21. I have been trying to find out from my home warranty company about the delay.

I was informed today by my home warranty company regarding your plumbing request, the technician has not submitted a full diagnosis, but he did call in to advise us that this was a flipper house that was purchased as is and there was no inspection done on the home. I have requested the diagnosis from them. I will follow up with you once it is received.

This comes as a HUGE surprise to me as I purchased the home for myself, for my to live in. The housing market is tough right now and many buyers are bypassing inspections so their offers don't get passed-over by sellers.

It is definitely a fixer-upper since it was a cat and hoarder house that had been neglected for over 5 years by the previous owner. Someone prior to that owner had done quite a few DIY projects. The house has good bones and needs cosmetic work (flooring, walls, trim). I previously owned and lived in a 110 year old house for over a decade and did many of the renovations myself. I have YEARS of plans to make my new house and yard exactly what I want and need.

After the purchase of my house, I had ripped out all of the cat-hair-and-grime-covered flooring, window trim, baseboards, and window treatments.

And then I broke my arm. Now most of the projects I had planned are on hold as I cannot use my left arm for anything for at least a few more months.

In the meantime, for my home to be ready for me to move in, I need some plumbing issues fixed that I discovered after the purchase of my home. Hence the request for repair through my home warranty that was sent to BWS.

While the tech was at my house, I was displeased with his attitude and the way he spoke with me. He treated me as though I were unintelligent, didn't know what I was asking about with my house, didn't know what my home warranty contract covers, and was very dismissive.

BWS has not performed any service. They have not followed through with making the request for approval of repair/replacement  through my home warranty company. The BWS tech instead took it upon himself to go out of his way to call the home warranty company make false statements to them about me, my house, and my property.

I sure hope this is not the type of customer service BWS does for everyone. But then maybe he treated me this way because I am female and have a broken arm.

Update:  10 days later BWS called to see if I wanted to reschedule the appointment they cancelled on the 16th.  A 10 day delay in contacting me did not tell me I was a valued potential customer, but rather that they must have been behind making their numbers for the month and were scrambling to line up some business.  Well, they had my business booked at one time but through their own actions they lost my business before they ever saw a dollar from me.  I won't be back.

At 36 weeks pregnant , two non-functional faucets were not ideal for my house. BWS sent someone within the day, fixed both faucets and put my mind at rest. What an incredibly skilled and kind team, from the coordinator to the plumber. BWS is best and I would recommend them to anyone!

Installed a new water heater in my home that leaked overnight a few days later, flooding my basement. They fixed the leak but have been completely unresponsive in taking responsibility for the damage it caused. I'm now stuck with an $18k claim on MY homeowners insurance. I would advise you take your business elsewhere.

This is not a good company! We received a free quote from them for an AC unit replacement this past week. The specialist inspected our furnace and took home measurements to produce a quote. The next day, we noticed that our furnace was no longer working. The blower was on but no heat was being produced.
After trying to troubleshoot, we called BWS and asked them to come out and fix whatever they broke. They told us they would send someone out but if it was diagnosed as not their fault, the service charge would be $135 (to potentially not even fix the issue!). So we called the company that installed our furnace and they fixed the issue for the same cost.
It turns out that the BWS specialist flipped a switch inside the furnace that turned it off, while he was taking notes on the specs. There's no other way it could have gotten turned off as it is literally INSIDE the furnace (we obviously never root around in our furnace for fun!). Nice money-making setup, guys! They were extremely defensive and not at all apologetic when we called. Obviously the furnace had been working just fine up until the specialist removed the front panels to inspect it--it wasn't just a coincidence and they should have acknowledged that. Switches don't just flip themselves off.
The funny part is that when I was emailed the AC unit replacement quote from the specialist on Friday, he signed it, Thanks for the opportunity to earn your business. More like trick us into giving you money. Obviously we won't be going to BWS for any of our future heating or cooling needs. What an irresponsible and unprofessional company.

AC unit decided to stop working on the hottest day of the year.  I called in the late afternoon.  BWS was out the next day before noon and fixed the issue.  Sam, the repair technician, was quick, friendly and helpful.  He answered all my questions.    They also replaced my disposal a few months ago and I have equally good things to say about that experience.

Have had a variety of plumbing and gas needs over the years and these guys have always been prompt, transparent, and most importantly- delivered quality service. The professionalism and capability of the techs I have had out is second to none. I wouldn't go anywhere else.

I was referred to BWS for a second quote on my commercial A/C unit. They sent a tech out immediately who ultimately found the problem and saved me a ton of money the other company was trying to overcharge. BWS is an HONEST and reliable company that I am very grateful for overseeing my multiple location HVAC needs! They are the best!

Crooks. Technician quoted an additional 650 dollars for club service, which I declined, then told me that I needed two capacitors, both start and run/compressor. When I stated that the fan and compressor were working perfectly, He stammered that the capacitor was non-functional and he could not explain it...
Crooks. 500 bucks for a start capacitor. Sickening....

Have used these guys twice with excellent results. We have in floor heat in our lower unit and their boiler guy, Sam, was knowledgeable, courteous, and friendly as he fixed both that and tuned up our 17 year old furnace. Answered all my questions and was honest,

Stacey was very personable and helpful. The first technician to come out (name withheld) made us feel like we were inconveniencing him. Maybe a bad day, but if it was, still need to remember he was dealing with a customer.Stacey made us feel comfortable the job was going to be done right and he answers any questions we had. Great job to him and his helper!

DO NOT USE!!!! Horrible front office and Customer service. We were a part of a real estate deal were BWS performed service. The sellers gave us permission to speak with the tech to ask some general questions. The customer service rep was extremely rude and wouldn't help us resolve a very simple issue. Wanted to charge use again for a service that was already performed. Don not use this company.

Coldest day of the year and house temp was dropping into 40's when we woke up. My two young kids were shivering. I called BWS and Luke called me back within an hour. Walked me through some troubleshooting steps and figured out the problem over the phone and got my heat back on. No charge! Was very helpful and clear with questions and explanation over the phone. After we got heat back on he offered company's services to help prevent problem from recurring but was not pushy about trying to generate future business. Highly recommended.

BWS Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC has an extremely lack of professionalism and communication.  I hired them to replace a furnace, add heat into the downstairs family room and an A/C unit.  After they installed the furnace I was then informed I needed additional returns to properly finish the work.   The owner then told me I didn't provide them with any plans about what needed to be done. Then he blamed me for not communicating with them.  I assumed as experts in the field they would tell me if I needed additional items to complete the job when they provided the initial quote.  Since when is the homeowners responsibility to be the expert?  Also, Kevin the owner doesn't have a clue about city codes..  

They also had my electrician complete the work for the A/C unit (which was included in their quote) and until I brought it to their attention there was no mention of reducing my invoice for the electrical work.

They then proceeded to take the remaining balance owned out of my account without my authorization.    Homeowners beware... Unless you know exactly what type of work needs to be done in your home I would stay clear of using this company.  

As of today the work isn't completed and I am hiring another company to finish the job.