A-1 Cooling and Refrigeration, Inc

May 4, 2014 Dear Sirs and Madams,On March 14, 2014, my office received a call from the client designated here as ID [redacted] in request of a service call due to no heat in her home.  Our service technician returned her call and scheduled an appointment for that...

afternoon.  He arrived at the home and first found her electric heat to be shorted out.  After this diagnosis, he went outside and found her outside unit low on freon.  He returned inside where he informed the customer that her heat strip was bad on her inside unit and her outside unit was extremely low on freon, and due to the age of the system, recommended replacing the system.  They discussed the options available and after explaining the difference in [redacted] ratings and warranties, the customer requested a quote for 14 [redacted] equipment which is the higher priced equipment.  He did not have to check prices with our office or any vendors because we have set prices per ton which my service technician knows from doing his job every day.  She said she did not have the money to replace the system so my service technician offered her another option.  He told her he could try a temporary fix on the outside unit by installing a can of EZ seal in her unit to see if it might stop the leaks.  Also, after installing the EZ seal, he would have to replace the freon that had already leaked out.  He told her before he began the repair that it was only temporary and he could not guarantee that it would work immediately or fix the problem.  Before he did this repair, he quoted her $130.00 for the EZ seal and $80.00/lb. for the refrigerant, along with the regular service call fee of $120.00.  She approved this repair, very much aware that it may or may not work, so that is what he did.  It did not work and the refrigerant started leaking through the galvanized framing on the coil.  It did not provide a fix as she complains; however, she was very much aware from the start that it might not work.  In order to understand our decision to quote the homeowner a price for a new system instead of repairing it, you must first understand the rules and regulations governing the purchase and repair of R-22 refrigerant based systems which have been deemed by the federal government as dangerous to the environment and a major contributor to global warming.  As of January 1, 2010, the phase out process began and all producers of R-22 equipment were required to cease production of any new equipment with this type of refrigerant.  The R-22 refrigerant is only available now for reparing and servicing existing equipment.  After January 1, 2020, R-22 will no longer be produced and repair and servicing of existing equipment will only be available by the recovery and reclamation process of the ozone-depleting CFCs.  In order to comply to these guidelines, we follow recommendations to eliminate installation of any R-22 based systems.  Another issue with replacing R-22 systems is the inability to match up [redacted] ratings.  As of January 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency required that all heating and air conditioning equipment have a minimum of a 13 [redacted] rating, therefore phasing out all 8 and 10 [redacted] rated equipment. 
Client # [redacted] had a 10 [redacted] rated HVAC system.  In her desire for replacement of the outside unit only, this required installing a 13 [redacted] rated outside unit on a 10 [redacted] rated inside unit.  We do not recommend installing a 13 [redacted] heat pump on a 10 [redacted] air handler as this will only produce further problems with the efficiency and operation of the system along with increased costs, and the inability to provide R-22 refrigerant in the future.       Regarding the issue of repair in lieu of replacement of the heat strip in order to provide temporary heat, our decision was based on the age and condition of the system and not the availability of the parts to repair it.  It is customary for our company to replace heat strips instead of repairing them due to the increased failure of other parts following a repair.   In conclusion, we stand behind our prices, along with our customer service, and refute the condemnation of  either one.  All our prices are consistent with major competitors in our area and we seriously doubt that R-22 refrigerant would be sold for $30.00 or $35.00 a pound.  The inflated cost in price per jug due to the elimination of the product would only create a loss in revenue if sold at this low of a price.  This indifference in price contributed in the request for submission of the lower priced estimate which we offered to match only after a return call by the homeowner and her determination to repair and not replace as recommended.  In response to the accused "badgering" from my secretary, it must be known that she has been employed with my company for 14 years and has never been accused of misbehavior.  She tried to explain to the customer that she was unavailable to write the check until Friday and was immediately demanded upon in heavy voice that her check be written and mailed that day.  This was impossible, as my secretary and I both were out of town. 
She fully apologized for raising her voice in defense of our position and we do apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay in the promised reimbursement as our service technician was unaware that neither of us were available to send the reimbursement offered toward upholding good customer relations.  However, in further review of the case, we decided to only reimburse for the EZ seal and refrigerant charges as the service call fee is non-refundable after the service technician enters the home and diagnoses a problem. Therefore, a check was sent to the homeowner for $450.00 for materials used.  If you have any further questions or concerns regarding this incident, please do not hesitate to call me at ###-###-#### (mobile).Sincerely,

Review: I contacted this business for evaluation of a heating problem in my home. The technician arrived in my home on 3/14/2014, and approximately 10 mins after arrival stated that he recommended that the unit be replaced for $8,200.00. This evaluation was done without ever checking on equipment prices. A flat out eval for a large amount of money. On the day of the service, a repair on the exisiting unit involved instilling 4 lbs of R 22 freon/ charging $80.00 per pound and EZ seal. The total cost of this repair was $570.00. This repair did absolutely nothing to address the heat in my home. The temperature indoors hovered at a chilly 58-60 degrees, with some areas of my home being very cold. It required the constant use of a woodstove fire (located in home's basement), and portable heating devices. During the evaluation of the heat system there was a possibly of an electrical shortage, so my homeowners insurance policy was contacted and appoinment made for evaluation by an HVAC investigator.

I then called a second heating and refrigeration service to also do an eval due to the extraordinary price quote. The in home insurance investigation was also completed. The recommendation by the homeowners investigator was that the unit could be repaired for approx $800.00 plus labor in the area. The second service repair tech arrived and immediately did a repair of the burned out elements on the panel in the unit. This repair allowed "emergency heat to be restored to my home, making it more tolerable to live in the home. The cost of this visit was another $287.00, but again I was thankful that at least I had some heat in my home. The tech/owner of the 2nd business came several days later, and did a complete instillation of a new heat pump, and the cost was $3,100/ and the new unit was up and providing heat and comfort to my home.

Several days passed and I contacted A-1 heating and inquired about the charges and the "repairs" of their visit. I had to place a call, and 24 hours passed until [redacted] the manager of the business contacted me. He completely defended the charge of the R-22 freon @ $80.00 per pound. I had done research and found the price quoted to me was $30/35.oo per pound , not the $80.00 I was charged. I also told him that his technician came into my home, and immedately quoted the extraoridinary price of a unit repair, without doing any price checks. And the 3rd problem that I had with business was that no one had ever checked the burned out units, which would have given me a heat source, until a unit could be in place and effective.He said he had to speak with the technician before he could make a decison about refunding any money to me.

A call was recieved later that day from the original tech, and he stated "Ma"ma we don"t want any problems between you and our business so we will be refunding your money to you. A check will be sent to you on Thursday (march 27th). When I asked about why the burned out units were never replaced, he stated "I didn"t have the equipment on the truck that day to do this." I reminded him of the costly visit/repair to the unit, and he stated that his business would NOW do a unit replacement at my lowest estimate price if I could supply an estimate to them. I informed him that "no thanks, it was going to be done by a competent business, but that I would be expecting a check.

When no check was recieved as promised, I made yet another call to the business on the following Monday. Later that morning a female from the business contacted me. Durine the call she informed me that I would not be recieving a check until the following Friday; she said that since she was in [redacted], Va., and the check book was in [redacted], Va, not check would be sent. She also stated "i know what happened in your house!" I told her that she knew nothing of what took place in my home, and she continued to badger me about "knowing what happened in my home." I had no choice but to discontinue the abusive phone call. It is now several days after this call, and no check has been recieved. I have placed several messages to the business and the calls go unaddressed.Desired Settlement: I expect a full refund back to me for a service call of $570.00 for the visit. I felt I was overcharged for the R-22 freon, and the ez seal used that day. I recieved no benefits from the visit, and the replacement of the burned out elements would have at least given some "emergency heat" making my home bearable to live in. The outside temps were very low, and a snowstorm had occured and my home was extremely cold. The HVAC tech did not discuss the inability to do the adequate required repairs, but charged me for supplies and labor costs, which were not effective.

I would like this company to be more responsible to their customers needs, and competent enough to fulfill their duties in responding to people's needs. I also felt that I paid highly for a service that was not delivered.

And the personel interactions of the staff have been less then satisfactory. I was treated rude by a ?secretary, and the repair technician obviously did not know what he was doing. I felt that the business was only trying to take full advantage of me, without proper price checking. It was as though the intent of the visit was to simply "sell me a new unit for a mere $8200.00.

Business

Response:

May 4, 2014 Dear Sirs and Madams,On March 14, 2014, my office received a call from the client designated here as ID [redacted] in request of a service call due to no heat in her home. Our service technician returned her call and scheduled an appointment for that afternoon. He arrived at the home and first found her electric heat to be shorted out. After this diagnosis, he went outside and found her outside unit low on freon. He returned inside where he informed the customer that her heat strip was bad on her inside unit and her outside unit was extremely low on freon, and due to the age of the system, recommended replacing the system. They discussed the options available and after explaining the difference in [redacted] ratings and warranties, the customer requested a quote for 14 [redacted] equipment which is the higher priced equipment. He did not have to check prices with our office or any vendors because we have set prices per ton which my service technician knows from doing his job every day. She said she did not have the money to replace the system so my service technician offered her another option. He told her he could try a temporary fix on the outside unit by installing a can of EZ seal in her unit to see if it might stop the leaks. Also, after installing the EZ seal, he would have to replace the freon that had already leaked out. He told her before he began the repair that it was only temporary and he could not guarantee that it would work immediately or fix the problem. Before he did this repair, he quoted her $130.00 for the EZ seal and $80.00/lb. for the refrigerant, along with the regular service call fee of $120.00. She approved this repair, very much aware that it may or may not work, so that is what he did. It did not work and the refrigerant started leaking through the galvanized framing on the coil. It did not provide a fix as she complains; however, she was very much aware from the start that it might not work. In order to understand our decision to quote the homeowner a price for a new system instead of repairing it, you must first understand the rules and regulations governing the purchase and repair of R-22 refrigerant based systems which have been deemed by the federal government as dangerous to the environment and a major contributor to global warming. As of January 1, 2010, the phase out process began and all producers of R-22 equipment were required to cease production of any new equipment with this type of refrigerant. The R-22 refrigerant is only available now for reparing and servicing existing equipment. After January 1, 2020, R-22 will no longer be produced and repair and servicing of existing equipment will only be available by the recovery and reclamation process of the ozone-depleting CFCs. In order to comply to these guidelines, we follow recommendations to eliminate installation of any R-22 based systems. Another issue with replacing R-22 systems is the inability to match up [redacted] ratings. As of January 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency required that all heating and air conditioning equipment have a minimum of a 13 [redacted] rating, therefore phasing out all 8 and 10 [redacted] rated equipment. Client # [redacted] had a 10 [redacted] rated HVAC system. In her desire for replacement of the outside unit only, this required installing a 13 [redacted] rated outside unit on a 10 [redacted] rated inside unit. We do not recommend installing a 13 [redacted] heat pump on a 10 [redacted] air handler as this will only produce further problems with the efficiency and operation of the system along with increased costs, and the inability to provide R-22 refrigerant in the future. Regarding the issue of repair in lieu of replacement of the heat strip in order to provide temporary heat, our decision was based on the age and condition of the system and not the availability of the parts to repair it. It is customary for our company to replace heat strips instead of repairing them due to the increased failure of other parts following a repair. In conclusion, we stand behind our prices, along with our customer service, and refute the condemnation of either one. All our prices are consistent with major competitors in our area and we seriously doubt that R-22 refrigerant would be sold for $30.00 or $35.00 a pound. The inflated cost in price per jug due to the elimination of the product would only create a loss in revenue if sold at this low of a price. This indifference in price contributed in the request for submission of the lower priced estimate which we offered to match only after a return call by the homeowner and her determination to repair and not replace as recommended. In response to the accused "badgering" from my secretary, it must be known that she has been employed with my company for 14 years and has never been accused of misbehavior. She tried to explain to the customer that she was unavailable to write the check until Friday and was immediately demanded upon in heavy voice that her check be written and mailed that day. This was impossible, as my secretary and I both were out of town. She fully apologized for raising her voice in defense of our position and we do apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay in the promised reimbursement as our service technician was unaware that neither of us were available to send the reimbursement offered toward upholding good customer relations. However, in further review of the case, we decided to only reimburse for the EZ seal and refrigerant charges as the service call fee is non-refundable after the service technician enters the home and diagnoses a problem. Therefore, a check was sent to the homeowner for $450.00 for materials used. If you have any further questions or concerns regarding this incident, please do not hesitate to call me at ###-###-#### (mobile).Sincerely,