Complaint Review: Swat Environmental - Nationwide

This company, (based in Lansign Michigan), conducts radon mitigation system installations for homes on a national basis. They provide an 800 number that consumers use to call for quotes.  They adverstise heavily on the internet to promote this number.

Unlike their competitors, they never come to see the house, they simply ask the prospective homeowner a series of questions about their house and then request their email address to send them a quote.  Historically, their bids have been "low ball pricing" compared to most of their competitors.  There is nothing wrong with quoting "low prices", the problem is that the average consumer doesnt understand radon and radon system installation to know what they are actually getting.  This allows the company to often substitute cheaper parts to conplete the work (ex: using thin Schedule 20 pipe vs Schedule 40 pipe  that is "rated" for outisde use).

Also, the individuals they send out to do the installation dont usually "live" in the area where the job is located.  They HAVE established a small handful of "franchises" nantionally who do, but most jobs are performed by "sub-contractors" from "out of state." They will never tell you the NAME of the individual who will perform your work.  In almost ALL cases, none of the individuals who shows up to do the installation is "certified" to do so.  The quote they sent has a certification number for the guy in Michigan who worked up the quote, but rest assured he will NOT be the one who shows up at the site to do or manage the work. If certification means "anything" in the industry, they should ONLY be using "certified individuals" to do their work.

Futhermore, they normally require FULL payment when the installation is completed (usually the day they arrive).  What most of their clients never see is a copy of their "warranty".  When clients ask them for a copy of it BEFORE paying them, they have them SIGN the warranty as having been given a COPY of it.  But what they dont know is they have legally "signed all their RIGHTS away" by signing they AGREE with its contents!

A few HIGHLIGHTS of the warranty (written in small print legalese) are....

1)  They DO NOT guarantee that their systems will reduce the radon levels to "any specific number" (even including the EPA recommended action level of 4 picocuries!)

2) If its later discovered that MORE work will be required to lower the radon levels FURTHER once re-tested, it WILL be done at an addtional cost ABOVE what was quoted!

3) They dont provide CERTIFIED follow-up testing to "confirm" the radon results have been successfully lowered.  They simply leave a $10 charcoal test kit for the homeowner to use and later send off to a radon lab for processing/analysis!  I am not sure HOW this would be acceptable for the BUYER of a home on a real estate transaction to put confidence in something the SELLER did?

4) If the Client and the company at any point in the installation process cannot come to an amicable agrreement about how to proceed, the COMPANY will rebate to the client only 40% of the money they paid (and this is without even FIXING their radon levels?)

I am a real estate agent and want to warn OTHER agents to NOT let their clients be DUPED by these people!

Caveat Emptor!   "Let the buyer beware!"