Arlington Heights home repair company accused of deceptive business practices

An Arlington Heights home repair company is being sued by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul for deceptive business practices.

Raoul alleges in the suit announced Thursday that ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc. misled consumers — frequently senior citizens who rely on the company to do urgent work they can’t do themselves — to sign a contract for home repair work at inflated prices, while unknowingly waiving their rights to cancel.

According to the announcement, often unnecessary work is “frequently sloppy or incomplete and sometimes performed by unlicensed technicians.”

The suit claims ABC violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act. It seeks a permanent injunction to stop current and prevent future violations, rescind all contracts entered into due to unlawful practices as well as monetary relief for the violations, according to a news release announcing the actions.

In a statement Thursday, ABC said it has become aware through media reports of the complaint reportedly being 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,” the statement read.

For more than 70 years, ABC has served Chicago-area homeowners and earned their trust by operating with integrity. We value the relationships we have built with hundreds of thousands of clients and the more than 25,000 five-star reviews they have shared about their experiences with ABC, and we continue to serve them faithfully every day.

The suit alleges ABC technicians enter consumers’ homes to review the initial issue but inspect other areas without asking permission and find additional issues presented as emergencies or even life-threatening hazards that require immediate remedy.

Consumers are given a digital tablet to sign to initiate the work but are often not allowed to read what they are signing, the suit alleges, and in some instances consumers did not understand they were actually signing a contract with language waiving a three-day right to cancel.

ABC is known for the trademarked slogan “Consider it Done!”

“For more than 70 years, ABC has served Chicago-area homeowners and earned their trust by operating with integrity,” according to the statement.

“We value the relationships we have built with hundreds of thousands of clients and the more than 25,000 five-star reviews they have shared about their experiences with ABC, and we continue to serve them faithfully every day.”

mzawislak@dailyherald.com