ASEC: American Scientific & Environmental Consulting

I do not recommend doing business with this company. I contacted this company because Terry Nelson is a licensed radon contractor, and I wanted a licensed radon contractor to replace a radon fan that had gotten old and noisy with a very quiet one. He told me that before he could do that he would have to check the radon system to make sure it was okay and then if it was he would install the fan. That sounded professional to me and so I asked him to make an appointment to come do that. I did not hear back from him and a few days later received an invoice by email and did not understand why. The company alleged they had installed a new fan and I went outside and saw there was a new one there. It was not running even though the power switch was on, and there was no way they could have checked the radon system without me to provide them with access. I complained to Mr. Nelson because this was all done without my knowledge or consent, and discovered he had sent his son-​in-​law, who was not a licensed radon contractor, out to do it. He alleged it was my fault that his son-​in-​law came out without an appointment because he did not have my phone number. I told him I make appointments by email all the time and if he wanted my phone number he could have asked me for it. I told him what he had done was inappropriate and unacceptable and asked him to come out and do what he had said he would do, check the radon system, make sure it was okay, see if the fan was installed properly and why it wasn’t working and that I wanted to see if it really was as quiet as he had promised me it would be before I would approve it. He became verbally abusive. He said he wanted his fan back, and that he was going to come and take it and re-​install my old one, which his son-​in-​law had taken away without my knowledge or consent. I said that was not an acceptable solution to me, and then he said he was going to come and do it anyway. So I called the sheriff because of the way he was behaving and warned him to stay away from me and my property until the matter could be resolved, because I do not feel safe with people who tell me they are going to come onto my private property and do whatever they please whether I like it or not. I then filed a complaint with the BBB in hopes of getting some help to resolve this but he failed to respond to it even though his business is BBB accredited. Instead he continued to make threats and demands and seems to me to be unable or unwilling to comprehend the problem here. He does not seem to understand that you cannot do unauthorized work or come onto someone’s property without their knowledge or consent and then try to intimidate them into paying you for work you did not do and for things you did that you were never authorized by the homeowner to do. I strongly recommend avoiding this business.

Terry installed a radon mitigation system for us and also (at a different time) installed a sub-​slab french drain and sump pit to eliminate basement flooding problems (this was a very big project). He’s very knowledgeable and frankly passionate about doing things correctly and to code. He complained about how other homes next door were done improperly because the radon was vented too low to the ground.
I think Terry underestimated the french drain because at one point he made a comment that it would probably lose money on the project (there was a major labor shortage because it was right after the 2013 flood). But he didn’t ask for more money and he still completed the project on time. I think this shows that he has a lot of integrity.
My only complaint is that he didn’t provide me much feedback during the project (it was at a rental) so I would call his office for info and interrupt his wife who was babysitting a screaming grandchild. He made a comment that indicated he didn’t like all the calls to his wife.
I would definitely call Terry again if we needed similar work and I recommend him to others.