Frymire demonstrates strong professionalism with courteous, knowledgeable technicians who communicate clearly and arrive on time in most cases. However, the company is severely undermined by pervasive pricing concerns—numerous reviews document excessive markups, hidden charges, and aggressive upselling tactics that suggest systematic overcharging. Project completion is inconsistent, with multiple ...
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Frymire demonstrates strong professionalism with courteous, knowledgeable technicians who communicate clearly and arrive on time in most cases. However, the company is severely undermined by pervasive pricing concerns—numerous reviews document excessive markups, hidden charges, and aggressive upselling tactics that suggest systematic overcharging. Project completion is inconsistent, with multiple reports of incomplete work, no-shows, and unresolved issues requiring callbacks. Technical expertise is generally solid, but is overshadowed by allegations of misdiagnosis and unnecessary repairs designed to drive sales rather than solve problems.
Flags & Warnings
• CRITICAL: Systematic pricing fraud pattern detected. 40+ reviews document excessive charges, hidden fees, and deceptive billing practices. Examples include: $539 for a $24 capacitor replacement, $1,256 for shower stems (competitor charged $525), $2,225 labor for free compressor, $1,622 installation for $700 device. This is not isolated—it is a company-wide pattern.
• CRITICAL: Aggressive and deceptive sales practices. Multiple reviews describe technicians misdiagnosing problems to justify unnecessary replacements (e.g., recommending $13,000 AC replacement when only $100 part needed, recommending $6,600 compressor when $200 switch was actual issue). Technicians listed as 'sales' on LinkedIn. Stock photos of dusty units allegedly used to justify unnecessary cleaning.
• CRITICAL: No-show and cancellation pattern. At least 5 reviews document scheduled appointments with no technician arrival, cancellations without rescheduling, or technicians arriving hours late. One customer had appointment cancelled because they missed confirmation call during already-confirmed window.
• CRITICAL: Post-sale service failures. Multiple reviews report inability to reach company after purchase, no callbacks from managers despite promises, and refusal to honor warranties or provide refunds. One customer waited over a year for invoice on warranty work.
• CRITICAL: Ownership/corporate changes. Company acquired by Granite Comfort (NY investment firm) around 2024. Multiple reviews note decline in service quality post-acquisition. Earlier bankruptcy and takeover by Earthwise noted in 2018 reviews. Name changes and rebranding suggest pattern of avoiding accountability.
• CRITICAL: Defective installations and incomplete work. Multiple reviews document new HVAC systems requiring 6+ service visits to fix, water damage from improper condensation line cleaning, incorrect wiring, wrong gauge wire, defective coils, and damage to customer property (ceiling, shower rod, air purifier) without compensation.
• CRITICAL: Warranty and guarantee violations. Company refuses to honor warranties on installations they performed, claims work is 'under warranty' but charges $2,000 labor, and fails to register systems with manufacturers thereby voiding warranties.
• CRITICAL: Outdoor tankless water heater fraud. Multiple customers report being sold outdoor tankless units for $11,000-$12,000 that freeze in winter with no warning provided upfront. Company blamed customers for freezing, refused responsibility.
• CRITICAL: Fake review detection. First 20 reviews (dated 2025-06-08 to 2025-05-07) show suspicious patterns: (1) Identical phrasing repeated verbatim across multiple reviews ('Jamal did a good job and spelled out your proposals well' appears twice identically), (2) Suspiciously generic praise with minimal specifics, (3) All 5-star ratings with no critical detail, (4) Clustering of identical dates with multiple reviews, (5) Several blank/empty review texts rated 5-star. These appear to be fabricated positive reviews designed to inflate ratings. Confidence in positive reviews from this period should be significantly reduced.
• RECENCY CONCERN: Most recent reviews (June 2025) are likely fake. Negative reviews are predominantly from 2018-2023, suggesting company may have improved or simply stopped receiving honest feedback. However, the volume and consistency of negative allegations across 5+ years suggests systemic issues rather than isolated incidents.
• PATTERN: Company uses '$89 service fee' as bait-and-switch tactic. Fee is waived if customer accepts service, but used to collect money from customers who decline overpriced estimates. Multiple reviews document this practice.
• PATTERN: Upselling maintenance programs. Company aggressively pushes $15-20/month 'club' or 'membership' plans, then charges full price for work anyway or claims work not covered. Customers report feeling trapped into memberships.
• PATTERN: Misrepresentation of code requirements. Multiple reviews document company claiming city code requires expensive upgrades (surge protectors, anode rods, flex hoses, etc.) that other plumbers confirm are unnecessary or already included.
• PATTERN: Damage and cleanup failures. Multiple reviews report company leaving debris, damaging walls/ceilings/fixtures, and refusing to compensate or complete repairs. One customer had to clean up after duct cleaning crew and suffered back pain.
Reliability Statement
This WW Score of 68.2 should be treated with EXTREME CAUTION. While the score reflects genuine data from 176 reviews, the first ~20 reviews (all 5-star, dated June 2025) appear fabricated and artificially inflate the professionalism and project completion scores. The pricing score of 42.0 is likely conservative—it is based on explicit overcharge allegations, but the true scope of systematic fraud may be worse. The company exhibits a clear pattern of predatory practices including deceptive sales, excessive markups, incomplete work, and warranty violations documented across 5+ years and 100+ negative reviews. The recent positive reviews should be heavily discounted. This company presents significant financial and service risk to customers.
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