This year, I purchased a small mobile home. Per neighbors and others, I was advised that I should contact the PG&E Weatherization Program in order to make sure that all was well and efficient with my hom. I contacted PG&E's Weatherization Program about 4 weeks ago.
I received a call back fairly quick re: setting up the initial inspection. I met with a contractor named "Rick". He went through my house and noted some small issues that he felt needed to be resolved; nothing like doors or windows (although I'd initially been told that this was all part of the program). He advised that someone would call to schedule the actual work to be done.
I received the call from the contractor's office on Tuesday, 6/23/09 - I have no idea whether this office that I spoke with is connected to "Rick" or not. I'd asked, but never received an answer. A date/time was set for the contractor to come out to do the work between 12:00-2:00pm on 6/25/09.
They arrived late . . . not by much . . . but late. They had a two hour window and still missed it. I had my mother on site as I had to work and she was ready to leave when they finally showed up.
The contractor(s) seemed to have no real idea what they were supposed to be doing. My mother kept calling me with questions, and I spoke with the contractor twice myself, directly. One of the questions had been in regards to the cover that was to have been installed for my evaporative cooler.
They checked out my water heater in the process as well . . . advising my mother that someone from PG&E would be out next week on Wednesday, 7/1/09 to look at it as there was something that he was not able to do with it. Then they all left.
The Problems:
1) I now have big, black screws sticking out of my ceiling, surrounding my evaporative cooler . . . these are apparently what are to hold up the cover for my cooler. My ceiling is made up of sheets of relative-cardboard. IF I were to put the cover up on my ceiling, it would simply RIP my ceiling up!
2) The cover to the evaporative cooler was cut up and pieced together with HOT GLUE! AND . . . there are air leaks all around it! HOT GLUE does not hold very well, when you are putting weight (or gravity!) against it, it will simply break the seal and fall apart!
3) My front door required weather striping and a new sweep. I had to tighten down the hinges because they were loose . . . apparently contractors don't do this anymore, after removing a door! Although they did manage to strip two of the screws on the bottom hinge AND not fix them either!
4) I NOW have NO HOT WATER! Apparently the contractor(s) turned OFF my hot water heater, without advising my mother or myself that there were doing this; they simply stated that someone from PG&E would be out next week to look at it!!! A WHOLE WEEK WITH NO HOT WATER!!!
5) They left NO paperwork!!! NONE. WHATSOEVER!!! There is NO WAY for me to contact them!!!Q
6) I have tried contacting the Weatherization program; they're closed until Monday.
7) I called the "Emergency Service" number at PG&E . . . so sorry; this isn't an emergency, but they'll have someone call me on Monday!!!
Do you have hot water to bathe in? How about to wash dirty dishes in? And HOW is this okay??? Do they think that because they offer a program like this, that only people who don't care overall what their living conditions are respond to these types of programs??? Granted, I may be considered "low income" here in California now, but that's an economy issue, coupled with the fact that I chose to step out of one arena and work in the non-profit field . . . in any event, I do NOT believe that I should be forced to live under sub-standard conditions!!! And of course, I wonder how many others are having to deal with the same shoddy/potentially damaging workmanship of their "certified" contractors, and being subjected to rather inhumane conditions in their home!
At the least, I would appreciate your views on this . . . and yes, it simply goes back to the old cliche that "NOTHING is ever FREE".
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