C & D Cooling & Heating Co, Inc.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Here are 3 simple facts about the repairment.    1> The technician didn't ring our door bell.  He dialed my cellphone after he took apart the Fan Box's control panel.  When I went outside, he showed me a "Run Capacitor" in his hand and told me it's broken.    2> At least 3 of the companies that I talked to afterward told me that I was grossly overcharged for the repairment.  For example, I paid a much higher price than others would charge for the Freon and the parts.    3> The technician only used a temporary air filter.  He said he ran out of it and would come to replace it in a few days.  But I waited for about 2 weeks before I called the companies again.  A company owner came to deliver the new air filter and then I used that chance to ask him about the repairment costs.         There are a lot of made-up things and words in the company's response.  I think this company clearly took advantage of an unfortunate situation from us.  Our first 24 hours in our new home in [redacted] and it was a very hot day.  We knew little about A/C system and  a fair price to fix it or to replace it.  I think anyone with knowledge about A/C can easily determine what's fair and what's not in this case.       To answer his 'guess', we already got a new A/C more expensive than this company offered because we don't want to deal with dishonest people twice.
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Thank you for talking to me 2 days ago.  Yes, please take our case to arbitration.I just found out the previous owner of this house has paid C & D COOLING & HEATING $320/year in the past two years for the maintenance on the A/C and Heater.  C&D should have known the exact condition of the A/C.Thanks again for your help.--[redacted]
Regards,
[redacted]

Good Morning, In response to Mr **'s complaints I will address them as follows. Mr ** called us on August 17th early in the morning hours. It was a very busy day here at C & D and we were unaware that the prior owner had sold the house. The prior owner maintained a service agreement with us...

for several years and had regular maintenance performed. Mr ** was informed that the prior owner made no agreement with C & D to transfer the customer protection plan. These are generally not transferred from owner to owner due to privacy issues unless other arrangements have been made.Upon arrival Mr ** was greeted at the door, contrary to his statement, and he advised the technician of the units location. The technician that was sent to the home follows procedure 100% of the time with regards to greeting the customers. The technician located the unit that was not working and got to work promptly. The technician was told that the fan on the outdoor unit was going on and off but no compressor sounds had been heard. The technician upon opening the unit found a Run Capacitor had failed and swollen( a typical failure during heat waves). Upon discovering that the Homeowner came to the unut as well and the tech advised of his findings. He advised Mr ** of the initial part required and said let me get you a price and Mr ** said "PLEASE JUST FIX IT" The tech also noticed that due to the fact that the unit was trying to start on and off several times the contactor had worn and would inevitably fail in the near future. Again Mr ** asked that it be repaired as well. Now that the unit was running and staying on the technician was able to measure the refrigerant balance on the system(this cannot be performed unless the unit is running fan and compressor). The Tech immediately noticed that the refrigerant was low in the system as it was a very old system and would be prone to leaks. This system takes R22 Refrigerant. This refrigerant while still available in the market is no longer manufactured and carries a very high Market value. This refrigerant has increased in price over 35% from just June to August. The refrigerant is priced at Market value. We consistantly due research of what competitive vendors are selling refrigerant for in order to stay in balance and we maintain a very competitive price per pound of refrigerant used. The refrigerant is weighed into the system using a digital scale and the superheat or subcooling method. This prevents gouging of the use of refrigerant and proper operation. There are several competing companies that due charge less per pound of refrigerant but they also charge labor by the 15 minute interval and when it balances out they often charge more for that same pound of refrigerant. To properly add refrigerant to a system you must add it slowly and wait for results and then add more until the desired amount is put in. This can take upwards of an hr to do right. Mr **'s system was 5 lbs short of a full charge. Mr ** was notified of the cost  per pound and once again verbally agreed to 'PLEASE GET IT WORKING"
We could easily sell the refrigerant like this but we chose to use a National Flat Rate price guide for all our repairs. That way if the repair takes the tech 1 hr or 6 hrs the customer would pay the same. The national standard for all our pricing carries fixed labor charges for every single tech activity. If we were to sell the refrigerant at just our cost of the product we WOULD lose money. Our technicians and our entire company has all the required licensing to handle/sell this refrigerant. The schooling the techs go thru and the licensing cost we are entitled to charge for.
Mr ** is correct we initially did charge the $139 travel fee as I said the Service agreement was not transferred as per policy, but after I reviewed the ticket the next day, We did revamp Mr **'s invoice to not only eliminate the travel cost he agreed to but to give him a 15% discount on that repair ticket. Mr ** thanked us and asked for a service agreement quote so he could keep us as a service company. Mr ** was quoted for a service agreement and said he would get back to us. 
The weather had changed and cooled down and only then did Mr ** call (13 days later after receiving additional discounts) to complain even more about the invoice again. Mr** the comfort of a working system, albeit 20 yrs old, during the heat wave. Mr ** was advised by our technician that he should invest in a new replacement system and that if he should get us to perform the work we would reimburse him some or most of this service work toward the cost of this new system. Again this is a policy of C & D COOLING & HEATING with their customers. Mr ** never called back and asked for an estimate even after I offered again to quote the system myself in person and apply the credits from this invoice.
If Mr ** had the system replaced 2 weeks after speaking with me August 30th That would mean he just had it replaced this past week for which I would guess he sought out the cheapest replacement cost. Again Mr ** never called back after the 30th to discuss options.
I feel that C & D was prompt in providing emergency response at a fair price. 
Thank You

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Thank you for talking to me 2 days ago.  Yes, please take our case to arbitration.I just found out the previous owner of this house has paid C & D COOLING & HEATING $320/year in the past two years for the maintenance on the A/C and Heater.  C&D should have known the exact condition of the A/C.
Thanks again for your help.--[redacted]
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Here are 3 simple facts about the repairment.    1> The technician didn't ring our door bell.  He dialed my cellphone after he took apart the Fan Box's control panel.  When I went outside, he showed me a "Run Capacitor" in his hand and told me it's broken.    2> At least 3 of the companies that I talked to afterward told me that I was grossly overcharged for the repairment.  For example, I paid a much higher price than others would charge for the Freon and the parts.    3> The technician only used a temporary air filter.  He said he ran out of it and would come to replace it in a few days.  But I waited for about 2 weeks before I called the companies again.  A company owner came to deliver the new air filter and then I used that chance to ask him about the repairment costs.       
 
There are a lot of made-up things and words in the company's response.  I think this company clearly took advantage of an unfortunate situation from us.  Our first 24 hours in our new home in [redacted] and it was a very hot day.  We knew little about A/C system and  a fair price to fix it or to replace it.  I think anyone with knowledge about A/C can easily determine what's fair and what's not in this case.      
To answer his 'guess', we already got a new A/C more expensive than this company offered because we don't want to deal with dishonest people twice.
Regards,
[redacted]

Good Morning, In response to Mr **'s complaints I will address them as follows. Mr ** called us on August 17th early in the morning hours. It was a very busy day here at C & D and we were unaware that the prior owner had sold the house. The prior owner maintained a service agreement with us for...

several years and had regular maintenance performed. Mr ** was informed that the prior owner made no agreement with C & D to transfer the customer protection plan. These are generally not transferred from owner to owner due to privacy issues unless other arrangements have been made.Upon arrival Mr ** was greeted at the door, contrary to his statement, and he advised the technician of the units location. The technician that was sent to the home follows procedure 100% of the time with regards to greeting the customers. The technician located the unit that was not working and got to work promptly. The technician was told that the fan on the outdoor unit was going on and off but no compressor sounds had been heard. The technician upon opening the unit found a Run Capacitor had failed and swollen( a typical failure during heat waves). Upon discovering that the Homeowner came to the unut as well and the tech advised of his findings. He advised Mr ** of the initial part required and said let me get you a price and Mr ** said "PLEASE JUST FIX IT" The tech also noticed that due to the fact that the unit was trying to start on and off several times the contactor had worn and would inevitably fail in the near future. Again Mr ** asked that it be repaired as well. Now that the unit was running and staying on the technician was able to measure the refrigerant balance on the system(this cannot be performed unless the unit is running fan and compressor). The Tech immediately noticed that the refrigerant was low in the system as it was a very old system and would be prone to leaks. This system takes R22 Refrigerant. This refrigerant while still available in the market is no longer manufactured and carries a very high Market value. This refrigerant has increased in price over 35% from just June to August. The refrigerant is priced at Market value. We consistantly due research of what competitive vendors are selling refrigerant for in order to stay in balance and we maintain a very competitive price per pound of refrigerant used. The refrigerant is weighed into the system using a digital scale and the superheat or subcooling method. This prevents gouging of the use of refrigerant and proper operation. There are several competing companies that due charge less per pound of refrigerant but they also charge labor by the 15 minute interval and when it balances out they often charge more for that same pound of refrigerant. To properly add refrigerant to a system you must add it slowly and wait for results and then add more until the desired amount is put in. This can take upwards of an hr to do right. Mr **'s system was 5 lbs short of a full charge. Mr ** was notified of the cost  per pound and once again verbally agreed to 'PLEASE GET IT WORKING"We could easily sell the refrigerant like this but we chose to use a National Flat Rate price guide for all our repairs. That way if the repair takes the tech 1 hr or 6 hrs the customer would pay the same. The national standard for all our pricing carries fixed labor charges for every single tech activity. If we were to sell the refrigerant at just our cost of the product we WOULD lose money. Our technicians and our entire company has all the required licensing to handle/sell this refrigerant. The schooling the techs go thru and the licensing cost we are entitled to charge for.Mr ** is correct we initially did charge the $139 travel fee as I said the Service agreement was not transferred as per policy, but after I reviewed the ticket the next day, We did revamp Mr **'s invoice to not only eliminate the travel cost he agreed to but to give him a 15% discount on that repair ticket. Mr ** thanked us and asked for a service agreement quote so he could keep us as a service company. Mr ** was quoted for a service agreement and said he would get back to us. The weather had changed and cooled down and only then did Mr ** call (13 days later after receiving additional discounts) to complain even more about the invoice again. Mr** the comfort of a working system, albeit 20 yrs old, during the heat wave. Mr ** was advised by our technician that he should invest in a new replacement system and that if he should get us to perform the work we would reimburse him some or most of this service work toward the cost of this new system. Again this is a policy of C & D COOLING & HEATING with their customers. Mr ** never called back and asked for an estimate even after I offered again to quote the system myself in person and apply the credits from this invoice.If Mr ** had the system replaced 2 weeks after speaking with me August 30th That would mean he just had it replaced this past week for which I would guess he sought out the cheapest replacement cost. Again Mr ** never called back after the 30th to discuss options.I feel that C & D was prompt in providing emergency response at a fair price. Thank You