HVAC complaint

[Pope]

So now that it's starting to heat up, I turned on the AC last night and it wouldn't come on. The AC unit is only 2 1/2 years old and I had the HVAC company do an annual checkup on my AC unit just a few weeks ago, so I wasn't very happy. Of course, this all happens on a Friday night so all I get is the company's answering machine and I know there's no way I can get one of their techs to come fix it until Monday at the very earliest. Meanwhile, the temps are supposed to be mid-80s today and near 90 on Sunday and Monday.

After spending a few hours poking around trying to diagnose the problem, I discovered the issue. When the HVAC tech came to our house a few weeks ago to do the AC checkup, he inserted the breaker thing upside down into the AC power box on the side of my house, so the unit had no power. I re-inserted it right side up into the power box and the AC popped on just fine. Now I'm wondering if I should call the HVAC company back and leave another message indicating that I fixed their error, or if I should just let them do a service call to see if they can identify their own screw up and see if they try to charge me for it.

I'm tempted to do the latter because I'm a little pissed about another issue. When this HVAC company did their annual checkup on my AC, they told me the run capacitor on my unit is starting to get weak (again, the unit is only 2 1/2 years old). They recommended that I have them install a new Soft Start Kit ($323.51) and High Performance Run Capacitor ($319.82) for a total of $643.33 plus tax. Now I know little about HVAC, but I'm pretty sure I can pick up a brand new capacitor for around $30 and install it myself after watching a YouTube video.

It just torks me off how these companies rip folks off. I'm still trying to decide if I should let them come to my house to see if they charge me for fixing their own screw up.

 

[cyfanbr]

I think the lesson here is that tune ups are waste of money.

 

[cyfanbr]

I think the lesson here is that tune ups are waste of money.

And you that if you disagree with the above, then you need a new HVAC company.

 

[3TrueFans]

Sounds like you fixed the issue quite easily and saved yourself some money.

 

[Pope]

Sounds like you fixed the issue quite easily and saved yourself some money.

You're right, I did. I'm just pissed that they are trying to get me to spend $643 to fix a "potential" problem that can fixed by myself with a $30 part.

 

[3TrueFans]

You're right, I did. I'm just pissed that they are trying to get me to spend $643 to fix a "potential" problem that can fixed by myself with a $30 part.

Some people would rather pay the money and consider it peace of mind. If you think they’re lying and your ac doesn’t actually need anything then that’s obviously shady.

 

[RagingCloner]

HVAC is one of those trades that fewer people in the current working-age generation are pursuing, which means demand will keep rising—and so will the rates, IMO

My brother-in-law is an electrician—another trade facing the same issues.

The fact you know a little about HVAC might save you more than you'll realize long term

 

[Turn2]

Since I’m vulnerable to the same firm, this didn’t happen until you name names.

 

[kirk89gt]

Time to find an new HVAC company.

Like a lot of professions (mechanics, plumbers, electricians, attorneys, doctors, etc.) find the ones that are honest and hold on to them tightly.

Short story about a local Toyota dealership in FTD, that also happens to have a dealership in Ames…..

Car needed struts, call them for a quote. Now I understand that there is a fair amount of labor to remove the rear seat to get at the strut towers (pretty common Toyota thing). The quote……$3k for the job and then they would have to do an alignment ($99). The quote was almost equal parts parts and labor. Called my local mechanic and he acted like I was speaking a foreign language to him and gave up trying to get a quote from him.

Did a little internet digging and found the struts and end links for about $650 shipped. That and the better part of a weekend and I was ready for an alignment.

Give the dealership one more opportunity to earn the business. Take it in for an alignment, they call and say the car needs $1500 in suspension work (replace a fairly inexpensive part and they can’t do the alignment without swapping out the part).

Picked up the car, took it to another shop in town, they aligned the car, and we were set….no additional work needed.

Needless to say, haven’t been back to the dealership.

 

[3GenClone]

So now that it's starting to heat up, I turned on the AC last night and it wouldn't come on. The AC unit is only 2 1/2 years old and I had the HVAC company do an annual checkup on my AC unit just a few weeks ago, so I wasn't very happy. Of course, this all happens on a Friday night so all I get is the company's answering machine and I know there's no way I can get one of their techs to come fix it until Monday at the very earliest. Meanwhile, the temps are supposed to be mid-80s today and near 90 on Sunday and Monday.

After spending a few hours poking around trying to diagnose the problem, I discovered the issue. When the HVAC tech came to our house a few weeks ago to do the AC checkup, he inserted the breaker thing upside down into the AC power box on the side of my house, so the unit had no power. I re-inserted it right side up into the power box and the AC popped on just fine. Now I'm wondering if I should call the HVAC company back and leave another message indicating that I fixed their error, or if I should just let them do a service call to see if they can identify their own screw up and see if they try to charge me for it.

I'm tempted to do the latter because I'm a little pissed about another issue. When this HVAC company did their annual checkup on my AC, they told me the run capacitor on my unit is starting to get weak (again, the unit is only 2 1/2 years old). They recommended that I have them install a new Soft Start Kit ($323.51) and High Performance Run Capacitor ($319.82) for a total of $643.33 plus tax. Now I know little about HVAC, but I'm pretty sure I can pick up a brand new capacitor for around $30 and install it myself after watching a YouTube video.

It just torks me off how these companies rip folks off. I'm still trying to decide if I should let them come to my house to see if they charge me for fixing their own screw up.

I manage a service department (not HVAC) and I can tell you the best way I can improve my team is by getting feedback like this. I would suggest you call them on Monday and ask to talk to someone with Customer Service or better yet the Service Manager and make sure you lay out your experiences with them so far. The Service Manager should be able to do-right, because your experience is definitely not going to be unique: if one of my techs installed something wrong they probably did it more than once (and you should tell them that, too!). If you feel like they aren't treating you right then take your business elsewhere. Don't engage the first person answering because most of the time they are just a younger kid that will forward you on the appropriate dept, so don't call with the intention of yelling at the first person that answers.

 

[NoCreativity]

Let me guess, Golden Rule?

 

[KennyPratt42]

Sounds like you used one of the local HVAC companies that got acquired by private equity.

I would say Golden Rule, but their whole thing is coming nights and weekends so they can overcharge even more than they normally do.

 

[Des Moines Clone]

I manage a service department (not HVAC) and I can tell you the best way I can improve my team is by getting feedback like this. I would suggest you call them on Monday and ask to talk to someone with Customer Service or better yet the Service Manager and make sure you lay out your experiences with them so far. The Service Manager should be able to do-right, because your experience is definitely not going to be unique: if one of my techs installed something wrong they probably did it more than once (and you should tell them that, too!). If you feel like they aren't treating you right then take your business elsewhere. Don't engage the first person answering because most of the time they are just a younger kid that will forward you on the appropriate dept, so don't call with the intention of yelling at the first person that answers.

This is spot on. Management often doesn't know that their people screw up unless someone tells them. I wouldn't be a **** about it, but I would make sure management found out. MOST companies don't actually try to rip off their customers. You get a bad reputation and lose business doing that.

People **** up a lot more often than they are out to get you.

 

[AllInForISU]

Absolutely complain. That’s inexcusable. As someone in a trade, you always verify something works when you fix it. So either they didn’t verify it worked OR they were making it so you had to call them back.

It makes me think they did this intentionally so you had to call them back and they could give you a bogus excuse to make it work and charge more $$.

Here’s actually what you could do, put it back how you found it and have them come out and see what they say to you when you know what the actual problem is.

 

[MTCyclone43]

Absolutely complain. That’s inexcusable. As someone in a trade, you always verify something works when you fix it. So either they didn’t verify it worked OR they were making it so you had to call them back.

It makes me think they did this intentionally so you had to call them back and they could give you a bogus excuse to make it work and charge more $$.

Here’s actually what you could do, put it back how you found it and have them come out and see what they say to you when you know what the actual problem is.

The "capacitor getting weak" sounds like the old "contactor" is looking worn. The comment about the capacitor leads me to believe it was purposeful by the tech. My guess is the tech would say the capacitor died.

 

[MTCyclone43]

I worked with a guy in Des Moines who sold these people new "muffler bearings" for their Lennox Pulse furnace. When I reported it to the owners he thought it was creative salesmanship by the tech. I put my notice in immediately.

 

[TitanClone]

Following a video like this should be all you need to do for AC unit maintenance until it actually stops working. Ironically this guy shows putting the breaker in upside down to cut power, these dudes just didn't flip it back when they were done.

 

[AllInForISU]

Following a video like this should be all you need to do for AC unit maintenance until it actually stops working. Ironically this guy shows putting the breaker in upside down to cut power, these dudes just didn't flip it back when they were done.

So they didn’t test it when they were done. That seems like an important step.

 

[CyPhallus]

HVAC companies have turned into some of the biggest scam artists in the trades industries. EPA 608 is extremely easy to pass and you can do it online. If you get that certification you can legally buy your own refrigerant. Anybody who is handy can pay for the training working on their own units five fold in one service call.

 

[CyPhallus]

For anybody wondering, no matter what they tell you, this is what a tune up is. Spray cleaner and rinse your condensor, if you are lucky do the same on the evap coil, check the delta between intake and outlet air, and pretend like they know how to check capacitance and then tell you it's time for a new capacitor. That's literally it. You can do the same with a can of coil cleaner and a grill thermometer.

The only upside to a tune up is if there is the rare occasion that if your cooling delta isn't to spec they might be able to check refrig levels and top off while on site. This isn't very likely though. In this case the first thing they will recommend is either an evap coil replacement or a whole new system.