Priority Elevator: >$980 to ring your doorbell if they need to order your part.I was aware that this company required a 2-hr minimum for residential elevator service before my appointment. What I did not know was that the service rate was $245/hour, the clock started when the tech left their home (not when they arrive at yours) and the 2-hr minimum is not to resolve your issue. Its a minimum for each time they come to your home. Therefore, if someone comes to your home and a part is diagnosed as faulty in 1 hr but they need to order it and come back, you pay 2 hrs to diagnose, 2 hrs to come back ($980) PLUS whatever the part cost (times several hundred percent…but more on Priority’s part inflation below). Additionally, they make it very difficult to know which part is faulty by not itemizing the estimate with part information (or warranty information). In my opinion, this is intentional and probably done to limit price comparison.As a professional myself, I’m well aware of professional service rates. However, I find $245/hour to be exorbitant. Furthermore, the service cost per hour was not discussed prior to arrival by Priority Elevator. Compare this service rate to BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar service rates and it is over 150%. Compare this rate to well-known and skilled HVAC and water heater contractors that come to your home and the difference is worse. For example, Kelleher in Richmond charges a set amount for the first hour for an HVAC/plumbing/ or water heater issue. If they need to come back to your home for the same issue, you don’t pay the first hour call fee again. They bill you $156/hour (in 2020). Not to mention, they don’t bill you for the time it takes them to commute to your home. The clock starts when they arrive at your home and begin work…as it should be. I hope Priority customers don’t ever have their tech stuck in traffic for an hour at $245/hour, billed to the customer.Let’s compare for a moment Priority’s part practices with other home-service technicians. On a recent Kelleher call for a complicated plumbing issue, Kelleher made it clear what part was bad and how much the part was if they replaced it. They even offered to have me buy the part independently if I wanted and have it for them for the return service call. Compare that practice with Priority Elevator: Priority Elevator concealed which exact part was faulty. The estimate for part replacement and installation was only a dollar amount. It did not list the part at all. I even asked twice, via email, to detail the part number that was faulty and itemize the cost and labor for installation. They didn’t. The most information I was able to get from Priority was that the estimate was their 2-hour minimum plus part cost. That meant the part was about $400. Fortunately, I was able to surmise which part was faulty because the tech said it was a “bad relay” and the estimate was titled “voltage regulator”. Luckily, my control panel has exactly one voltage relay.I researched the part I needed and I bought the exact same part from an electrical supply company for $160 including tax and shipping. This would have been a 250% markup for Priority since they wanted to charge me $400. The part literally has 4 wires attached via screw terminals and pops in easily. It took me 10 minutes to install it.I will say that Priority was willing to dialog with me about my concerns. However, they did not think any of my concerns were valid. Ultimately, they did take ½ hour off the service call…probably to get me to go away. Therefore, I ended up paying 1.5 hours instead of their 2-hour minimum. I did not have them come back a second time to replace the part for another 2 hours + 250% markup on the part.Paying 1.5 hours was still ¼ hour more than Priority actually spent on my call (and ½ hour more than the time actually in my home) since the tech spent 15 minutes driving and less than 1 hour in my home. But at least it was less than then their 2 hour minimum and I was able to extricate myself from this company.

After spending 3 weeks waiting for my current elevator company to repair a broken elevator, Priority swooped in and was able to fix it almost immediately, and at a fraction of the cost quoted to me by my current service provider. I was very impressed how they put me and my issue at the forefront of their attention (on a FRIDAY AFTERNOON NO LESS) even though I am not one of their regular customers. Every person I worked with (WL, Andy and Keith) were all friendly, knowledgeable, and most importantly put my mind at ease that they could fix my problem. I will CERTAINLY be contacting Priority when my current contract expires. A million thank yous to Priority Elevator!!

Best elevator contractor in the Richmond area.

Honest and personable service

I never received a call back

Horrible. takes advantage. too expensive. doesnt actually fix anything. no communication.