Bad experience. Would not recommend. they told me their tech would come out between 3-5pm, showed up at 5:05 after I called at 4:50 asking to reschedule if they wouldn’t be there by 5 pm as I had a wedding reception to get to. No big deal only 5 min past the window but it was downhill from there. I then proceeded to watch the tech have no idea how to work with my direct vent fireplace, or even get access to the pilot switch, even after I told him how to access it he told me I was incorrect. After he pulled everything but the panel off the fireplace he then finally allowed me to show him how to remove the bars that allow access to the pilot ignitor and gas supply line. He proceeded to do nothing but stare at it and when I said it has a gas leaks (which I told the company before I asked them to come out and they assured me they could repair it) he didn’t even check with his gauge until I asked him to. Then he said “you have a gas leak”…
He proceeded to tell me he was unable to fix it because the fireplace was too old and it would be impossible to find parts to fix it and even if they could it would be over $1000 not including the $300 service fee they charged for him to come out, to do nothing, and have me explain to him how to detect the issue using a gas meter (the same I had in the house and used before calling them to come out). He told me my best bet was to put the $300 service call fee towards a new fireplace with them and that fee would be deducted from the total cost. with an estimate of that costing $6-8000 to replace. Also that a new system would require completely redoing my mantle and removing and replacing trim.
I paid him the service fee as he said he couldn’t help me and he told me to buy a new system from them. I said goodbye and hope he had a nice weekend and he mentioned I was his last call of the week. Which makes sense why he told me he couldn’t and wouldn’t try to fix it.
This whole experience has me feeling swindled out of $300 and oversold. My fireplace is a superior brand direct vent, a very common brand and less than 25 years old with parts readily available for less than $100.
We makes me feel even more crummy about my experience with this company is that I called another company, since ace was useless unless I wanted to buy a new system, who confirmed they keep these parts in stock, it’s not too old to fix, no reason to replace and the only way they won’t be able to fix is if the leak is in the walls and inaccessible. and if that’s the case they have contacts for gas plumbers to fix it and if I like the look of the fireplace no need to purchase a new one. So basically everything I was told by the ace tech was wrong.
I spend a lot of time renovating houses doing most of the work myself, so I have a basic understanding of how systems in a home work and how to fix them. So this second company confirmed what I had already thought, I got scammed. I would have just fixed it myself but I prefer to hire out for anything electrical or gas plumbing of which this is both.
I would not recommend working with Ace unless you are looking for a new system or are completely inept in understanding basics of how a natural gas fireplace works, are unable to diagnose your own issues or want to pay $300 for someone to do nothing but tell you you have a gas leak. I wish I never contacted them in the first place.