We're a small collective that shares stories from freelance and contract workers who've been…read moretreated unfairly. This is one of those stories. A contractor was hired by this company to build a fully functional website on a rushed timeline. They were told they were the only person working on the project, and that the urgency was due to the company's former developer being in a legal dispute and planning to take down the live site by June 1st, 2025. The contractor dropped everything to help and finished the site two weeks before the deadline. Over the course of several weeks, the contractor even went to their office multiple times for meetings with the owner's son and other team members, working in good faith to move the project forward.After the work was done, it came to light that two or three other people were also working on the same site, despite the company claiming otherwise from the start. When the contractor followed up for payment, the owner's son who was the main point of contact allegedly said "My boy could do it for less than $1,000, so our initial agreement on price is gonna be a lot less now." He also added he was going on vacation in 15 days and "didn't have time to deal with it." All this while wearing an expensive Rolex. The contractor was told, "Send me the invoice I'll pay you for your time." The invoice was sent immediately, and the son followed up once more saying, "I'll get back to you." After that, he went completely silent no reply, no payment. The contractor was left dismissed and disrespected. The stress and anxiety from this on top of an existing heart condition led to serious mental and physical strain. Legal steps have since been taken. This post is meant to warn others if you're a freelancer, contractor, or subcontractor, be cautious. Get everything in writing, and don't ignore red flags. No one should be pressured, misled, ghosted, or lowballed after showing up, putting in the time, and delivering their end of the deal.

JGriffin is by far the best HVAC we have had!! They are thorough - pleasant and explain exactly…read morewhat needs to be fixed or what they are doing! No pressure!! Thank you for all the help!!! A job well done and Office customer service is great to work with!!

Absolutely the best. You can't always believe some reviews. This company has been serving me since…read more2015. Always professional. And reasonable. They are installed a AC today. They sent a video of their company which is local. Always respectful of the property. Got here early. Super satisfied

They are the best! I had let my service contract lapse, but when my AC went out, they had a guy at…read moremy house in less than an hour. Found and fixed the problem at a reasonable price. I'm re-upping my service contract with them asap.

Been using them for years after shopping around when I first bought my condo. Very experienced,…read morefriendly and on-time. Always look for the best solution with cost in mind - I feel they take pride in what they do and work to keep existing equipment tip top before recommending replacing -- going on at least 13 years now!

From the owner: North Reading Air Conditioning, HVAC Installation, Air Conditioning Contractor, Air Conditioning…read moreTune-Ups, Heating Contractor, Heating Service, Heating Repairs, Furnaces, Boilers, Heat Pumps, Indoor Air Quality

water heater started leaking Friday night. was able to get…read moresomeone out first thing Saturday morning. Ryan was great, tried to keep my carpets/bathroom clean as much as possible and was patient in discussing my options and answering my questions. Surprisingly was able to get an appointment for install on Monday. Jared was also great. Definitely appreciate the small details and concerns to keep the carpet clean like hand carrying both the old and new water heater up 2 flights of stairs. Between the quick response/scheduling time, clean workmanship, and fine attention to detail, happy to say the leaking water heater experience felt less chaotic with 128's help! Total turnaround time, Friday 11pm to Monday 4pm hot water up and running!!

I called 128 Plumbing about one cracked drain pipe. I was told my entire house needed to be…read morerepiped. The estimate (#435094323) was $30,275 to demo every wall and ceiling necessary, disconnect first- and second-floor bathrooms, toilets and sinks, and replace the main stack. That was presented to me as the only option -- no alternatives, no phasing, nothing. And it did not include the roughly $6,000 I'd need to close the walls back up and reinstall fixtures, or the ~$400 roofer I'd have to hire and coordinate myself. Their own estimate puts the hole repair on the customer in writing. All in: nearly $37,000. Meanwhile my first-floor tenant was told she couldn't use her bathroom or her kitchen. When I hesitated at the number, I was told that at least if I sold the house I'd "have retail value." That's the line that made me stop and get a second opinion. Thompson Plumbing came out, found the actual leak -- old hubbed cast iron serving the kitchen -- and repiped it. $2,995. My final invoice was $3,420, and that included an unrelated frost-free silcock I added on. My toilet was fine. My kitchen sink was fine. My tenant's kitchen and bathroom were fine. Not one wall was demoed. Same house. Same leak. Ten percent of the price. I'm not going to speculate about why the two assessments were so far apart. I'll just say this: if 128 Plumbing tells you your house needs a $30,000 repipe, get a second quote before you sign anything. I nearly didn't, and it would have cost me thirty-three thousand dollars I did not need to spend.

i usually like to call for 2-3 quotes but only did 1 with with Renato and he seem like a fair…read morestraight shooter with reasonable prices so i just went with him. got my water heater replaced, he prompted me that my pipes have not been in compliant since i bought my condo, also recommended to install automatic shut off valve. all the recommendations makes sense so i went with him. he was out the next day and finished job same day. no issues so far so would recommend him if you are looking for a good plumber who knows what he's doing. i got my property inspected as a new unit and the house inspector did not make any comment on the proper pipe that should be installed on a water heater.

These folks are awesome! They came out and replaced my hot water heater the next day. The folks…read morewho did the work were nice. They were reasonably priced and knowledgeable.

After dealing with several private-equity backed HVAC companies that felt more like high-pressure…read morecar dealerships, we were relieved when Gill from Warrior Heating and Cooling came by. From the start, he was honest, thorough, and transparent. He took the time to explain everything clearly and never once tried to upsell us on things we didn't need. We decided to replace both our AC system and gas furnace (after the furnace died on the morning of the first blizzard!) with new American Standard units, and Gill gave us a very fair and reasonable price. While Warrior may not have had "7 trucks ready to finish the job in one day" like some of the larger companies promised, Gill and his team focused on doing the work the right way -- with care, professionalism, and attention to detail. What really stood out was the customer service. Gill even helped us install and set up a new smart thermostat I had purchased myself. It's rare these days to find contractors who are both skilled and genuinely trustworthy. We'll absolutely be calling Gill again for any future HVAC needs, and we highly recommend Warrior Heating and Cooling!

Very professional and honest. Helped with cleaning and descaling , explained everything clearly…read morewithout pushing unnecessary replacement. Would definitely use again!

I wouldn't use this plumber again. He spent a large chunk of the time for looking for stuff in his…read moretruck - which he charged me for. I was very clear about what I needed - a standard sink mount. He worked at a pokey pace. I did not get a sink mount - but cheap metal brackets you can buy for 97 cents each ($60 parts). One of the brackets is installed incorrectly and wiggles - it's not tight. He also drilled into my kitchen cabinets - unnecessary if a proper sink mount had been used.

The best plumbers around! Fair, honest and fast too. Highly recommended! I really can't speak…read morehighly enough.

Disasters come in threes. Oh Lord NO! But yea it did. First my grandma passed away. Then my dad…read morecame home after two months to a flooded basement and a broken heater in January. And now, our water heater is broken as well. It was full on panic on Thursday and Brian saved the day by Friday. He came and installed a new heater and made sure to follow up with us that it was working well. He gave us his expert advice and you can tell that he cares about his customers. This is a trustworthy, reliable business that we were very happy to have found. Thank you Brian!

I had a frozen pipe to my outside faucet. I called Damaso and Brian came by on a Saturday!!, and…read moredefrosted the pipe. He just left and I am incredibly grateful that I don't have to worry about a burst pipe!! THANK YOU!

I was with the same propane company for 13 years. A few years ago they were bought out by an…read moreinternational company. After that I couldn't talk to anyone directly and this past winter they ran me out of propane 3 times and I was on automatic delivery as well as monitoring. I called Broco at 5:30 pm ( their office goes home at 5). At 5:30 I got a call back from Tom. The next morning I got set up and Ted came over and fixed everything. I also had contact with 3 others in the company that day. Broco is a local veteran owned company. They answer their phones and are ready to help. I am so pleased to be a customer of Broco, they are fantastic. After they placed the tanks and filled them my fill up was more than a dollar less per gallon than my old company. If I could rate them more than 5 I would. Bill Irwin

I would leave negative stars if I could. These people are con artists. My oil pump died last May,…read morethey claimed they replaced it with a brand new one, charged me 1500. In October when I tried using the heat, it would not come on. I tried finding a reset button but couldn't, that's when I noticed the "new" pump was covered in dust. I called them and they sent a tech, who showed me how to reset, it was the actual the flashing light you had to press and hold for 10 seconds to reset, my old pump had a clear button on the side. they charged me 350 more for the visit. The pump never worked properly. The entire winter it kept shutting off every few days, eventually getting worse until it was shutting off every day. I called them again, they claimed it was the controller that was malfunctioning but they never changed that, which was a lie, it was attached to the pump and totally different from my old one, which had the button on the side, I had to pay them 350 for a tech to show me how to reset this new controller. He claimed it was irrelevant since it should still be under warranty. 3 months later I got a bill for 850 for changing the controller. I called and explained and they said they would get back to me. They never did. Instead they paid my service bill with money I paid for oil delivery, then sent me a bill for the same amount for oil delivery. all oil deliveries were paid in full the day after delivery. It's a lie and scam to get me to pay for a junk pump. When I try and call they hang up on me.

Dan and his son Tyler helped me trouble shoot an issue with my mother's furnace this morning. Not…read moreonly were they knowledgeable but Dan drove out of his way to get a part for us. They were courteous, very friendly and very affordable. Dan took the time to discuss over the phone a plan of action and they handled it swiftly and worked very clean. The heat is on and mom isn't cold anymore! I will recommend Callahan Mechanical Services to everyone I know in need of service. I can't thank you guys enough!! -Rich S.

I appreciate the excellent service provided! It truly went beyond my expectations. I felt…read moreappreciated and well cared for throughout the entire experience. Thank you for such exceptional service! Dan is friendly and punctual--fair with the price for his service.