Linda Westerholm’s father was just trying to take care of a squeaky fan in the bedroom she sometimes used at his house.
She said he called ABC Plumbing, Sewer, Heating, Cooling and Electric because he had a coupon.
The job was done, she said, but the noise remained.
When she and her husband, Don, saw the bill, their disappointment turned to anger.
“When I saw the bill of $1,100, I almost fell off my chair,” he said. “I thought this is preying on the elderly. He is 93 years old. A very sharp 93, but I think they took advantage of him.”
On Thursday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit against the Arlington Heights-based home repair company for using allegedly deceptive business practices that violate the state’s Consumer Fraud Act and Deceptive Business Practices Act and often targeted seniors.
“As you can imagine, seniors will be more vulnerable to signing a tablet without understanding what they are committing to,” Raoul said of the company’s alleged use of tablets to present contracts without printing them up for customers.
Raoul said his office has received more than 70 complaints about ABC so far.
The suit also alleges that ABC occasionally uses unlicensed plumbers.
“Consequently, consumers are left paying someone else to fix what ABC has left behind,” according to the lawsuit.
Amy Mackin, a new mother from Elgin, has complained to the company and online about the way ABC does business.
She said she called the company when her furnace went out because they promised to respond quickly.
Before the technician arrived, she said, she was able to restart her own furnace.
When the technician looked at the furnace, she said he tried to charge her $500 dollars for restarting it and became belligerent when she told him she did it herself.
“He got very angry with me. I was pretty terrified. I was shaking because he was very…thinking back to it a get a little shaky…because he was scary.” Mackin said.
In a statement, ABC said it has served Chicago-area homeowners and earned their trust for more than 70 years.
“ABC Plumbing, Sewer, Heating, Cooling and Electric has become aware through media reports of a complaint reportedly filed by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. We have not yet received the complaint, nor have we had an opportunity to review its allegations, and we will respond at the appropriate time.”
Raoul said home repair complaints are among the most common received by his office.
“It’s not just about ABC, but it’s about anybody else out there who is seeking to take advantage of consumers and especially vulnerable seniors,” he said.
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