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• By D. S.

  June 18, 2019

  Generator Repair/Maintenance

  $250

  David Gaines is a scam artist that overcharges and under diagnoses generator related issues in order to maximize profits (which are very little considering his reputation amongst actual generator specialists). Avoid at all costs and consult another company in the BR metro area.

  To address my actual experience with David Gaines, let me begin with the initial interaction with him. He was called to our house to diagnose the causes of our Generac standby generator's inability to properly turn on for its routine exercise runs. He stated that the battery was dead and would need to be replaced (the cause) and also recommended that the unit be serviced - as the previous owners had not properly serviced the unit during their ownership of our new home.

  For $250, Gaines changed the oil and cleaned up the housing of the unit. Our unit also had rust damage, which he [incorrectly] stated was "due to dog urine". In actuality, it was because a battery had exploded and the acid from the battery ate thru the housing.

  Fast forward to the next month, the generator stopped running again and rendered an "Overcrank" error. I called David to rectify this issue - seeing as how I paid him $250 to [incorrectly] diagnose said issue in April. He stated that he was "booked for the next few days" and would contact me when he was free. The very next afternoon, without discussing it with me first, Gaines came onto my property and installed a "temporary battery charger" (a battery tender designed to be used with vehicles) without my consent. I confronted Gaines after he installed said batter tender and asked him to remove it - as I had not given consent for him to install it in the first place. Gaines attempted to try and charge me $50 for a $20 battery tender - which I refused to pay for. He then stated that he would take my battery to offset his "service call" - my response, to which, was to leave my property.

  I also briefly discussed future removal of the unit with Gaines seeing as how it was, seemingly, becoming a money pit. I reneged on this assumption after consulting another local company on the status of my generator. Said company stated that the part to repair the unit would be $90. David Gaines [incorrectly] stated that the part was $300-400. Did he incorrectly state the inflated price due to ignorance or nefariousness? I can only assume, but - given my prior dealings with him - I'd be willing the bet it is the latter.

  It is also worth noting that Gaines called after our last interaction and offered me $500 for the unit that was "on its last leg". The nerve to do this speaks volumes to his character. I left the phone with Gaines and blocked his number to ensure no future interaction with him.

  Gaines, as I have stated, is a scam artist at worst and incompetent at best. Do not, under any circumstances, use him for any service unless you want to overpay for underperformance and incur future losses at his behest.

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