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Exorbitant Fees
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This is to caution anyone who is considering a contract with East Coast Mechanical (a/k/a ECM). As a tenant in a rental condo, I am obligated to call ECM whenever I experience an appliance problem since my landlord has maintained a service contract with
the company. To their credit (in my experience), ECM responds well to calls, and their technicians always arrive within the appointment period. Furthermore, a visit from an ECM tech usually occurs within 24 hours of the initial call). However, most often the
technician is unable to do a repair without imposing additional charges -- often quite high. Therefore, my landlord and I generally seek another contractor to perform the repairs -- always for a far more reasonable charge. One instance involved a kitchen faucet
replacement. The ECM tech informed me a standard replacement faucet would cost $400 -- or $189 for the installation only (with owner providing the faucet unit). Another contractor charged $150 for the faucet AND installation: a savings of $250. Another experience
concerned a failed air conditioning system. The ECM tech notified me that the repair would cost $575. Another contractor did the job for $360: a savings of $215. These are only two of several similar experiences with ECM that have discouraged my landlord from
renewing the contract with the company -- and me from ever doing business with ECM on my own. My landlord's contract with ECM costs $360 annually. It is suppose to include a two-year parts and labor warranty, priority service, unlimited service calls, one
annual tune-up (I don't recall ever receiving a tune-up on the a/c or anything else) and a $300 equipment discount. (Obviously the equipment discount did not apply to the a/c handler replaced 3 years ago -- a price so outlandish, another contractor was hired).
It would seem to me a service contract of $360 a year should provide far more affordable services to their clients.
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