My Puls Experience: Rental Property Rescue
I recently purchased a Ring thermostat to replace the old, stock thermostat in a rental property of ours.
I was excited about experiencing the benefits of the new gadget, but not so excited about installing the thermostat itself. I’ve got a long list of honey do’s right now and this was just one more item to add to the list. No thanks!
That’s when I remembered my friend Ben had just joined a new company called Puls that does home tech installation, among other things. I emailed Ben and since he’s their marketing guy he offered to waive the Puls install fee and sponsor a review.
I now have a new thermostat installed at my rental property, I’m back to collecting rent on the unit, and I’m back here to share my experience with Puls’ service.
In this Puls review, you’ll find all that you need to know if you want to use this helpful service.
How Puls Works for Landlords
When you log onto the Puls website, you are offered a variety of services that Puls technicians offer.
According to the Puls website, they are in the business of “fixing anything with an ‘on’ switch.”
That means any time you feel overwhelmed by a leaking washer, a broken refrigerator, the mounting system for your new TV, a smart phone on the fritz, or installing the smart home device you’ve just purchased, Puls can help you–quickly and easily.
The service costs are clearly laid out on the site so you know exactly what to expect. Once you have decided on the service you want, confirm a place and time for a technician to come to you. Often, you can expect a visit within an hour.
The expert techs bring the parts and skills to complete each job on the spot, which means you’re not stuck going back and forth trying to find the right parts.
You also don’t have to worry about shipping smart devices somewhere to get them fixed.
After the technician completes the job, you pay via credit card, Paypal, or with cash. Since you knew the pricing upfront, there are no surprises, and you can move on to the next item on your Honey-Do list (which is hopefully watching the game with your Honey).
Puls employs 4,000 fully vetted technicians across the nation–from Los Angeles, CA, to Raleigh, NC, and hundreds of cities in between.
Unfortunately, they are not available in every market, and you’ll be prompted to provide your zip code when you book a service, which is the only way you determine if you can book with Puls.
Puls Services for Landlords and Homeowners
Puls got its start providing repairs for cell phones and tablets, but it has become so much more.
From mounting a television to repairing a wonky dishwasher, Puls technicians can help you make sure everything in your rental property is installed, integrated, and working correctly. You can call Puls for any of these needs:
- Smart home installation (like my new thermostat)
- TV mounting
- Home appliance repair (including dishwasher, clothes washer, dryer, refrigerator, and oven)
- Garage door repair
- Plumbing services (including kitchen, bathroom, laundry, pumps, rough plumbing, water or gas lines, drains, water heaters, and installation for when you have the part but not the know-how)
- Smartphone and tablet repair
- Security system setup
The recently launched home appliance repair is sure to be a game changer. No longer will you have to call the manufacturer of your misbehaving appliance and take a day off work to wait for the repair tech.
Instead, you can schedule a Puls technician to come take a look at your ailing appliance and get it fixed–potentially on the same day it breaks.
The service is available for a number of the biggest names in appliances, including GE, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Sharp, and others.
And you don’t have to worry that it will cost a mint to repair your appliance. Your technician will fully inspect your appliance and provide a quote for the recommended repair.
The inspection is free if you choose to move forward with the recommendation from Puls. If you decline the recommended repair, Puls will ask you to pay $79 to cover the cost of the inspection.
All of Puls’ services are backed with a minimum 90-day guarantee, so you can feel comfortable knowing that your fixed appliance will stay fixed and your newly installed smart doorbells or TV mounts will keep doing their jobs well.
Puls Technicians
You don’t need to worry about who will be arriving at your rental property. All Puls technicians have been carefully vetted and screened.
The company only employs the top 10% of technicians who apply, and they require a comprehensive background check for every technician. So you can feel secure in letting Puls take care of your rental property maintenance needs.
Not only are the technicians experts in their fields, but you can also count on them to come as soon as the same day.
Puls has technicians with the right parts for each job available from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time, seven days a week, including holidays.
The technology behind the Puls platform allows the program to quickly find a relevant Puls technician and match them to your job.
If you don’t need the Puls technician to arrive on the same day then you can choose a one-hour time slot that is convenient for you. You don’t have to hang around during a 4-hour window like with most companies.
While you are welcome to watch your Puls technician work, you can also leave them do their thing.
Pricing
Puls may not be your cheapest option for handling maintenance, repairs, and installations around your rental property.
Prices range from $20 for a simple television installation, up to $900 for a full garage door opener replacement. The listed prices on the website are definitely higher than what you’ll pay if you DIY.
But Puls is offering you convenience, a quick turnaround, and full transparency. Getting a repair or installation done the same day or at your convenience is certainly worth a little more.
And the time you save by not doing it yourself is definitely a major plus. Add in the fact that fee transparency allows you to know ahead of time what costs to expect, and it’s clear that the Puls service is unique among home repair offerings.
Caveats
Nearly every Yelp review and other local reviews of the Puls service extols the friendliness and expertise of the technicians who arrive to take care of your maintenance and repairs.
However, when it comes to phone repair, some reviewers have been unhappy with the parts the Puls technicians have used.
Ben told me that the company recently got approved to participate in Apple’s original parts purchasing and service provider program for iPhone repair, which gives them access to the highest quality parts.
Puls is moving toward using OEM parts that were specifically for the device whenever possible.
While scheduling a Puls technician went without a single hitch for me (see below), some customers have been unhappy with their scheduling experience. The most common complaint is that there are no technicians available at the time the customer chooses.
Some reviewers have also complained about no-shows from their technicians. I suspect that this issue will get better as Puls grows and has more technician coverage of more areas.
It is also clear from Puls’ responses to these kinds of complaints that show the company is dedicated to fixing the problem and streamlining the process.
My Experience Using Puls’ Smart Home Installation Service
I had a pleasant experience with Puls but I’ve got a few suggestions. Here’s how it went down:
Booking a Service with Puls
First, I went to the Puls website, www.puls.com, and clicked on “Book a Service”, then “Smart Home Installation”.
Next, I gave Puls my zip code and selected the number of devices I’d be installing.
Once I did this, I was shown the price of the service. It was $79 (price may vary, based on your service and zip code).
Next, I was given the chance to book a time, share my address, and create an account. I was impressed by two things here:
- The first available day was the next day (I was visiting their website at 10:50 PM)! Most install or repair service calls can’t be booked till several days, if not weeks out. So it was nice that Puls had someone available so soon. I’ve since tested the service for same day service and yes, you can get service on the same day!
- The time slots were just one hour, not three hours or six hours or all day, heaven forbid. Knowing that I only need to set aside one hour for the install is super helpful given my busy schedule.
I ended up choosing a date/time that was about a week out. I had some travel and only had a small window where I could be at the property to meet the technician.
Next, I received the first of two emails I would receive from Puls, stating that they had received my request and that they were looking for a specific service technician to come do the job at my preferred time.
The email restated my desired date/time and gave me the chance to click a button to change the time if needed. The email also included a heads up that I’d be receiving a text from Puls with technician details.
A minute later I got a text from Puls stating the same things: they received my request and will confirm the appointment asap. I went to bed feeling good about the situation.
Appointment Confirmation from Puls
The next day at 6 PM, someone from Puls called my phone. I didn’t pick up. They left a message stating that they were ready to confirm my appointment and just had a question on which specific type of Ring thermostat they would be installing.
I called them back and confirmed my appointment. But I forgot to discuss the specific Ring type. This ended up not being an issue, but I’d advise being very clear with their call center teams.
I then received my second email from Puls stating the appointment was confirmed and that my technician would be Robert [Last Name].
I appreciated Puls sharing the specific name of the technician. If I were to order this service for my wife or Mom, I would be much more comfortable with a specific name like this.
My only suggestion: I wish this confirmation email had a “add to your calendar” feature. I manually created the appointment on my Google calendar.
The Installation by Robert, Puls Technician
Around 20 minutes before my scheduled service time, I received a text from Puls stating that the technician, Robert was on his way. The text included an ETA and a link to view a map showing where he was. How cool is that?!
I got a second text when Robert arrived. I met him at the front door and we chatted about what he’d be doing. He had a few questions about what exactly I wanted with the install. After that, I left him to do his work.
Ten minutes later, Robert was done and I had a new thermostat. Robert took some time to answer some questions I had.
He also explained how to use the thermostat. He has one himself and was able to give me some detailed suggestions about using it and improving the WiFi connection in the rental property.
Side note: Normally, I’d first try to do a job like this myself. In this case, I’m glad I had Robert here to do it. The wires connecting the thermostat were super short and he had to extend the wiring to make it work.
I don’t have electrical wiring laying around and I would have had to head to the hardware store to get that and tap into some of my old electrician skills from back in my FFA days to complete the job. No thanks. I’m so thankful I tried Puls for this.
I received one last text with a link to pay from Puls once Robert closed out the install. I like that the link to pay comes directly from Puls and I don’t have to worry about paying Robert directly.
After that, Robert and I shook hands and he was on his way. I had a new Ring Thermostat installed and felt pleased with the Puls experience. We’ve been enjoying the Ring for a week now and no issues.
Would I Recommend Puls to Other Landlords?
Absolutely. Puls is great for anyone not comfortable doing their own rental property installs and repairs. Puls is also great for anyone looking to save time. This is where they shine.
Could you find more inexpensive help? Possibly. But Puls gives you a solid system and technology for getting the job done quickly, with confidence, and without much hassle.
Have you had any experience using Puls? If so, tell us about it in the comments!
