Air Design Heating & Air Conditioning

I understand Mr. [redacted] complaint is now directed primarily toward the electrical contractor. While we understand his concerns, it is Air Design's view that there is nothing further we can do to directly reply to Mr. [redacted]s complaint. We noticed that Mr. [redacted] does not believe he interacted with the city inspector as noted in his response, but affirm that the city inspector was the second individual who accompanied the electrician on the day in question, as evidenced by the inspection report provided previously, which also indicated the job was completed to code.

We provided a bid for a new furnace replacement.   The consumer accepted.  We did credit $1,000.00 for those service call. On 08.02.2017 the furnace was fully replaced.  Consumer paid in full.  This matter is resolved.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Hello, I never spoke with the L & I inspector.  I let the electrician into my house, showed him where the unit and electrical box were, then dug into the work I could accomplish from home.  After an hour or so, the electrician said they were done but I was on the phone at the time.  When I finished the conversation I went to the panel and there was no one at my residence anymore.  I received a text from the electrician saying everything was just fine and the inspection was good.  The electrician was not the same person that previously completed the installation on the AC unit. I was not informed that there was to be an L & I inspection I would have to give up another days work for.  Nor should anyone be told that their homes power would be shut off if not complying with another day of lost wages.  This should have been coordinated to occur during the 8AM to 6:30PM I spent at home for the installation. I had a family friend come by in the evening and take the time to listen to the unit, look at the electrical panel and inform me that everything was done at a bare minimum level.  The lights will flicker every time the pump kicks in and it is already beginning to make a loud thump sound when the air kicks in.
  I sent a text to the electrician that showed up for the inspection letting him know that Gregg and Eric both said the problems I am experiencing were an easy fix that a competent and conscientious electrician would have handled during installation.  The text called him the liar that he is and let him know how I feel about companies that do this sort of thing to people and the asset they spend 30 years buying. I worry now about fire hazards, my furnace being damaged by this, and catastrophic property damage due to the overstressed electrical system. I do not accept, "He's mean!", as a resolution to my problems.  This is my home and I expect people that work on it to respect that and leave it just as safe and cared for as it was to start.  That did not happen here. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Review: I am very disappointed and dissatisfied with the service received from Air Design, for charges levied that were not correctly quoted at the time of the appointment, incorrect and potentially intentionally misleading information provided in order to provide a much higher priced service, then lack of response by the owner when this was immediately brought to his attention.

On February 5th, I contacted Air Design to see if they had installed the existing hot water tank in the home I purchased 3 years ago, as they had installed the furnace/AC. I was advised that they had, and that they had all the paperwork. I was offered a same day or following day appointment, which I took the following day as I would not be able to out of work in time for the same day appointment. The appointment was for 4-5 PM. When I asked for rates, I was told that there was a $75 diagnostic fee, and again when I asked, they provided a labor rate of $89/hour.

I received a call from the technician before 4 PM that he was running late on another job and would be there between 5:30 and 6:00 PM. The issue I am experiencing is that the tank will not re-light on a consistent basis, without intervention to "reboot" the ignition sequence. When he arrived, he reviewed the tank and determined that the issue was the gas valve, but that he would not be able to get the part until Monday, expressing regret I would be without hot water for the weekend. Having already researched potential causes for the issue, I indicated that I was familiar with the part, knowing it was a more pricey part and that I'd seen it on Amazon for $400 dollars. He ([redacted]) stated that "You know it's not going to be the same price as on Amazon, right?", which I agreed with (at the time), knowing that Amazon often undercuts local suppliers.

At that point - [redacted] presented me with charges of $127.72, which when questioned he explained broke down as the Diagnostic fee being really a trip fee, not including the ½ hour labor. This was not my understanding from the previous day when I made the appointment, but paid the bill intending to question these charges on Monday, not wanting to potentially delay the repairs further.

Over the weekend, I did extensive research on the gas valve, including determining the correct part number, that the part is obsolete, the manufacturer’s replacement part, the part numbers for both parts, and both the wholesale (approximately $255.00) and retail prices ($407 from the manufacturer) for the replacement part.

On Monday, 2/9/2015, I was under the assumption that I was [redacted]'s first appointment of the day, so at approximately 8:30 AM I called the office to check his status and let them know I'd left work and would be at my house shortly. At that time I was advised that [redacted] would be calling me, as the part was not available. [redacted] then contacted me and stated that the part was obsolete, so what he could do was install another tank like the one I have for $1700, plus Labor, plus additional Labor to remove the water softener that is blocking the tank. (The same tank is $897 at Home Depot, therefore a 90% markup, not including Labor).

At that point I let [redacted] know I was aware that the part was obsolete but that there was a replacement per the manufacturer and provided the part number. [redacted] did not reply and when I probed for his answer, he stated that he did not know why the supplier did not provide the info on the replacement part and advised me to call the office if I wanted to do something else or for more information.

Dissatisfied with this response, I contacted Air Design and asked to speak with someone regarding my issues. I was transferred to [redacted], who I was advised was an owner, with whom I recapped the situation including the obsolete/replacement parts and pricing, the statement that no part was available, and the only option offered being the tank with a high replacement cost. I stated that as a single woman homeowner (of which [redacted] was aware from his service call Friday night) I need to watch my pennies so I do my research, but with this situation I felt like someone was trying to take advantage of me. [redacted] stated he would need to research all of this then call me back. I provided the part numbers, my water tank model and serial number, and my contact number. I did not have a chance to ask if the part was still under warranty – this has yet to be determined.

By Tuesday evening, 2/10, I had still not received a call back from [redacted], so I posted a notice on the business’ Facebook page and Yelp, hoping to prompt a response. As of the time of this complaint, Wednesday, 2/11/2015 at 5:00 PM, I have still not received a response from Air Design or [redacted]. It has been 2 ½ days since I was expecting to have my hot water restored, and I have waited to contact another plumber as I didn't want to be ‘out’ the $127 and change for a worthless service call. I have now contacted another vendor to confirm if the gas valve is actually the part that is needing repair, as I don’t have a level of confidence that it is even the issue.Desired Settlement: I would like an explanation as to why I have not received a contact back regarding my complaint and why I was quoted an excessive price for a new tank as the only option, when a replacement part is available.

I also want a refund of at least the Labor ($42.50 plus tax) from the service call on Friday, as that was not how the costs were originally quoted, however I would prefer a refund of the whole amount of $127.72. I have been impacted by not being able to have my hot water serviced in a timely manner while I waited for the response to my concerns, not seeking service elsewhere since I had already invested a considerable amount with them.

Business

Response:

We spoke with Ms [redacted] and have subsequently sent her a check in the amount of $46.20 to reimburse her for the labor on the service call performed at her home.It is our understanding that this has resolved the issue.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business' response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

Revdex.com,I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution is satisfactory. The business has refunded the labor and provided a reason for their lack of response. I appreciate the refund, however I do not necessarily believe they were being entirely truthful about the reason for the delayed response. A company that wants the business from a prospective customer will not delay 3 + days responding, and then only after receiving the BB complaint.