Arnold Brothers Heating & Cooling

Our company dispatched a technician to Mr***'s rental house for a no heat complaintOur technician cleared ice out of the vent pipe, re-adjusted the thermostat heat anticipator setting and checked the furnace for proper operationThe service technicians documented time was 1/2hr including
time on the site and travel to and from the siteThe customer was billed on 01-17-for $ The account was turned over to collections after non-paymentOur collection company (*** *** Macomb, IL) shows payment in full on 05-09-We have contacted *** *** to verify that the customer is shown as paid in full

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 13, 2016/09/01) */
In response to the filed complaint by Mrs. [redacted]. It would appear that there was some miss misunderstanding of what our service technician was trying to communicate. Regarding our service procedure, our company uses a flat rate pricing system...

tied into a national average data base for hvac repairs. Our company charges a diagnostic fee to determine the required repair, and provide an estimate for repair at which time the customer has the option to proceed with the repair, or decline.
After discussing the diagnostic with our service technician, he first tried a new capacitor to see if that would make the blower motor run, which it did not. The next step was to bypass the circuit board and apply power directly to the motor to see if it would run. It did not which would point to a bad bower motor. Then he checked the power output from the board to the motor and found there was no output showing that the board was bad. He was not able to bring the repair costs up directly on his I pad so he had to contact our service manager for repair pricing. During that time he discussed the age of the furnace with the home owner (quite old, rusty and evidence that it had been under water). As a common practice our technicians do discuss repair/replacement options as with a furnace of that age heat exchanger failures are common (he did not tell the home owner the heat exchanger was bad, but a likely possibility that in the near future it would be an issue). To replace an out of warranty heat exchanger is an $ 800.00 - $ 1,000.00 repair depending on make and model which would make no sense to invest that much money in an old furnace, and replacement is a much smarter alternative.
The customer was given an estimate of repair and opted to not to have us repair the furnace, therefore was charged only our initial agreed upon diagnostic fee of $79.95. Considering the call was 25 miles from our shop this would seem to be more than a fair charge.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 15, 2016/09/02) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept this response because it simply is not true! The entire second paragraph of this response is a total falsehood! I sat in a chair and watched the tech as he worked and I asked questions. It's clear that this response is based on what I said the other tech from another company did that resolved the problem, as Arnold Bros tech did not do all of the diagnostic steps they claim to have done.
The comment about the furnace being quite old, rusty and being under water at some point is utterly ridiculous! Again...... not true! Due to the construction and housing of the unit, it is impossible for any water to get to the unit, which is not rusty!
As for the comment that the tech did not tell me that the heat exchanger was bad.......another falsehood! He very clearly and pointedly said that the heat exchanger was bad! When he went outside to call his boss, the boss then called my husband and told him the blower was out and that the heat exchanger was bad, so we needed to replace the furnace.
Everything that was stated in Arnold Bros response about the condition of my furnace is directly the opposite of what the tech said of my furnace who came and fixed it after they left that day. He did in fact perform all of the steps that they claim to have done to diagnose the problem. He also checked out the heat exchanger and told me there was nothing wrong with it. How could Arnold Bros tech make any assumptions of it's condition when they didn't even check it out?
And I'm amazed at how Arnold Brothers are changing their story as it unfolds. The bill for the incorrect diagnostic charge said the blower motor needs to be replaced. When I called [redacted] to discuss this issue with him, he had to go and would call me back. Next it was a typo on the bill. Now they're saying the tech checked it out, and it's bad. However the tech from the other company checked it out and it ran perfectly and has been running perfectly ever since.
How can you trust a company whose story changes and doesn't even state the obvious truth! Myself AND my husband were both told the blower motor was out and the heat exchanger was bad, yet they're denying these statements, making false statements and changing their stories. I simply do not feel we should have to pay them for their errors and omissions when they profess to be a reputable company that knows their product. I'm convinced that this tech is either not properly trained and is lacking in his product knowledge or is dishonest and was trying to take advantage of an older woman by scaring me into replacing my furnace.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 17, 2016/09/07) */
Arnold Brothers has been serving Macomb and surrounding areas for over 56 years. Our company has a strong reputation for honesty and integrity, always putting our customers’ needs first. Unfortunately, we appear to have failed in making Mrs. [redacted] happy with our services. We will waive the diagnostic bill for $ 79.95, and Mrs. [redacted] will be notified by mail.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 19, 2016/09/09) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I accept Arnold Bro's proposed resolution because they have agreed to waive their incorrect diagnostic fee. I will await notification by mail as they've said they would do.