Comfort Solutions HVAC

Called Comfort Solutions HVAC in the morning and stated that our A/C was not getting coldThe technician (James F [redacted] Jr.) responded and got to my house around 1:pmImmediately he started troubleshooting and found the root causeHe thoroughly checked the entire system and made very good recommendationsI am pleased with the quick service and technical knowledge of their personnel

I talked with [redacted] the night before as she saidI said her service experience had not gone as planned for all partiesI told her that I (meaning the company I represent) would continue the diagnostic and repair the system and charge her a reasonable feeReasonable was not quantified because I had no idea what it was going to involveShe told me she already paid for the repairsI told her we would contact her in the morning with a plan of actionIt was my understanding that [redacted] was not willing to pay any more for continued diagnostic/repairs and felt she should not pay for the non-returnable boards that Comfort Star recommendedI didn't feel we would be able to satisfy [redacted] unless we continued to spend time and money on her out of warranty unit, so we decided to refund her initial service call fee and deposit and absorb the lossesThe facts are: Two choices were presented with very different costs and warrantiesThe lower cost and lower warranty system was chosenWhether we recommended the system or not, the system was three years old at the time of the problem and therefore two years out of warranty [redacted] and Comfort Star and Comfort solutions all agreed to change the first control board [redacted] and Comfort Star recommended the other control boardWe obliged and installedBoth control boards were purchased by Comfort Solutions and were non-returnable (in this type of situation the cost of those boards are usually part of the diagnosis - Comfort Star said to replace)None of the repair options [redacted] or Comfort Star recommended were working to fix the problemComfort Solutions refunded 100% of her initial repair cost and depositComfort Solutions absorbed the cost for two control boards and labor to install themI am truly sorry about ***'s trouble with the unit, even two years past the warrantyComfort Solutions is not the manufacturer of the equipment and this is a manufacturing/design issueWe installed the system per manufacturers instructionsThe manufacturer offers a year parts warranty and we offer a year labor warrantyWe stuck to our end of the agreementComfort Solutions is a very customer satisfaction oriented company, but we can not work for free Ken S [redacted] Comfort Solutions HVAC, llc

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: I have copied what Comfort Solutions said below and put my comments in slanted highlighted text.: It was my understanding that [redacted] was not willing to pay any more for continued diagnostic/repairs and felt she should not pay for the non-returnable boards that Comfort Star recommendedWrong I didn't feel we would be able to satisfy [redacted] unless we continued to spend time and money on her out of warranty unit, so we decided to refund her initial service call fee and deposit and absorb the losses The facts are: Two choices were presented with very different costs and warrantiesCorrect The lower cost and lower warranty system was chosenCorrect Whether we recommended the system or not, the system was three years old at the time of the problem and therefore two years out of warrantyCorrect [redacted] and Comfort Star and Comfort solutions all agreed to change the first control boardCorrect, HOWEVER I believe that they broke the board when they installed it The unit worked somewhat before they replaced the board After they worked on the unit, it did not work at all I asked for my original board back, as the new board made the problem worse, and I was told that they no longer had the board [redacted] and Comfort Star recommended the other control boardWe obliged and installedI did not recommend this Comfort Solutions did Both control boards were purchased by Comfort Solutions and were non-returnable (in this type of situation the cost of those boards are usually part of the diagnosis - Comfort Star said to replace) If the board was non returnable, why was the original board not available to be put back into my unit? None of the repair options [redacted] or Comfort Star recommended were working to fix the problem Comfort Solutions refunded 100% of her initial repair cost and deposit Comfort Solutions absorbed the cost for two control boards and labor to install them Comfort Star recommended a simple test to determine if the problem was the indoor or the outdoor unit Comfort Solutions originally said that they would do the test, but then sent a different repair man out that refused to do the test We are upset because Comfort Solutions sold us a unit that is now broken and it appears that no one will work on it Regards, [redacted] ***

Hi ***, I apologize about your experience with usCustomer satisfaction is very important to us and we work very hard for all of our customers to be very happySo it is very troubling to see your comment and want to help straighten this out.Your system has a communicating thermostat which can sometimes help in the diagnosis of a systemThe tech probably spoke what he was thinking and shouldn't have until he was finished with his diagnosis causing confusionSome system problems are easy to trouble shoot and some are notOur tech needed to call for support and then called me, I have over years experience, and had him perform many testsThis process may look odd to someone not in the field, but it was required to come to a full diagnosisApparently our tech shared some more of the possibilities before the diagnosis was complete, which must have been confusingOnce the diagnosis was made and determined to be the TXV(thermostatic expansion valve), I instructed our tech to only charge for the initial $diagnostic.The tech correctly stated the office would be in touch on the repair costThe signed agreement we have on file shows the system has a ten-year manufacturers warranty and year labor warrantyYour system was installed in early and is over seven years oldSince Carrier only covers the part and not the refrigerant, filter drier, supplies or labor, we presented you with the appropriate cost of $427.Since then, we have left two messages trying to talk with you about this and heard nothing back until your negative reviews.Comfort Solutions does not "bill out" repairs to customersWe did offer to take credit cards, or hold a check for a short period of timeWe can even third party finance the charge over longer periods of time, but we do not act as a credit companyOur techs all have varying levels of education and certificationsWe do find the best training to be in house/apprentice training as this is very specific to our industryWhen a tech gets involved in something over his ability, we always offer phone support to help assist in the diagnosisIf a clear diagnosis can not be made with assistance, a highly seasoned tech would be dispatched immediately or would be rescheduledThis was not the case in your situationThe diagnosis seemed very clear from what the tech reported to me verbally and on videoI still want to resolve this issue, please return our calls

*** *** was presented two options from Comfort Solutions on 5/12/One was a high quality *** unit with which we have a great amount of experience, the other was a low budget Comfort Star option we told her we had NO experience withThe Comfort Star was almost 25% less and had a year
parts, year labor and year compressor warrantyThe *** was year parts, years labor and years on Compressor *** *** chose the Comfort Star optionComfort Solutions completed the Comfort Star mini-split installation on 6/8/ On 5/19/ *** *** called with a problem on her Comfort Star mini-split systemShe told us, per her own diagnosis along with Comfort Star tech support, that the error code Epoints to a control boardComfort Solutions went out to diagnose the problem, and with the help of Comfort Star tech support confirmed the control board replacementSince the parts and labor were longer under warranty, *** *** paid a service call fee and deposit for the replacement board recommended by tech support.
As recommended by Comfort Star tech support, Comfort Solutions installed the control board on 6/12/The board, did not fix the problem and Comfort Solutions collected no additional money for the non-returnable out of warranty repairThe homeowner and Comfort Star tech support determined another board to be bad, so per their request Comfort Solutions ordered and installed the other control board on 6/30/This board did not fix the problem and Comfort Solutions collected no additional money for the second non-returnable out of warranty repairThen *** *** and tech support suggested we exchange wires outside on the main unit to determine if the outside board was bad At this point the technician left the property without further diagnosticComfort Solutions talked with *** *** about the continued diagnostics of the outdoor unitIn an effort to satisfy *** ***, Comfort Solutions offered to continue diagnosing the unit to help her on the out of warranty Comfort Star mini-split system for a reasonable fee(far less than *** *** told Comfort Solutions that she already paid too much and nothing was fixedComfort Solutions told her that the matter would be considered overnight and talk with her in the morningComfort Solutions considered the loss of the non-returnable and out of warranty control boards recommended by *** *** and Comfort Star tech support and the lost labor installing the out of warranty and non-returnable control boardsComfort Solutions also considered additional out of warranty diagnostic that *** *** declined to pay for After careful consideration it was determined that Comfort Solutions would not be able to satisfy *** *** Since Comfort Solutions has a one year 100% Satisfaction, Money Back Guarantee, Comfort Solutions immediately refunded the initial service call and the deposit on the out of warranty non-returnable control boardThe system at *** ***'s home is repairable, just two years out warrantyKen S*** - Co-Owner
Comfort Solutions HVAC, llc

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: Their response contains lies. They state "Comfort Solutions offered to continue diagnosing the unit to help her on the out of warranty Comfort Star mini-split system for a reasonable fee". I did talk to Ken S*** and he said that he would personally be out the next day to fix the unit. The next day, the office called me and said they they would no longer work on the unit. All I am asking for is for them to repair the unit that THEY recommended and installed
*** ***

Hi [redacted], I apologize about your experience with us. Customer satisfaction is very important to us and we work very hard for all of our customers to be very happy. So it is very troubling to see your comment and want to help straighten this out.Your system has a communicating thermostat which can...

sometimes help in the diagnosis of a system. The tech probably spoke what he was thinking and shouldn't have until he was finished with his diagnosis causing confusion. Some system problems are easy to trouble shoot and some are not. Our tech needed to call for support and then called me, I have over 20 years experience, and had him perform many tests. This process may look odd to someone not in the field, but it was required to come to a full diagnosis. Apparently our tech shared some more of the possibilities before the diagnosis was complete, which must have been confusing. Once the diagnosis was made and determined to be the TXV(thermostatic expansion valve), I instructed our tech to only charge for the initial $98 diagnostic.The tech correctly stated the office would be in touch on the repair cost. The signed agreement we have on file shows the system has a 10 ten-year manufacturers warranty and 5 year labor warranty. Your system was installed in early 2010 and is over seven years old. Since Carrier only covers the part and not the refrigerant, filter drier, supplies or labor, we presented you with the appropriate cost of $427.Since then, we have left two messages trying to talk with you about this and heard nothing back until your negative reviews.Comfort Solutions does not "bill out" repairs to customers. We did offer to take credit cards, or hold a check for a short period of time. We can even third party finance the charge over longer periods of time, but we do not act as a credit company. Our techs all have varying levels of education and certifications. We do find the best training to be in house/apprentice training as this is very specific to our industry. When a tech gets involved in something over his ability, we always offer phone support to help assist in the diagnosis. If a clear diagnosis can not be made with assistance, a highly seasoned tech would be dispatched immediately or would be rescheduled. This was not the case in your situation. The diagnosis seemed very clear from what the tech reported to me verbally and on video. I still want to resolve this issue, please return our calls.

Called Comfort Solutions HVAC in the morning and stated that our A/C was not getting cold. The technician (James F[redacted] Jr.) responded and got to my house around 1:30 pm. Immediately he started troubleshooting and found the root cause. He thoroughly checked the entire system and made very good recommendations. I am pleased with the quick service and technical knowledge of their personnel.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
I have copied what Comfort Solutions said below and put my comments in slanted highlighted text.:
 
It was my understanding that [redacted] was not willing to pay any more for continued diagnostic/repairs and felt she should not pay for the non-returnable boards that Comfort Star recommended. Wrong I didn't feel we would be able to satisfy [redacted] unless we continued to spend time and money on her out of warranty unit, so we decided to refund her initial service call fee and deposit and absorb the losses.
 
The facts are:
Two choices were presented with very different costs and warranties. Correct
The lower cost and lower warranty system was chosen. Correct
Whether we recommended the system or not, the system was three years old at the time of the problem and therefore two years out of warranty. Correct
[redacted] and Comfort Star and Comfort solutions all agreed to change the first control board. Correct, HOWEVER I believe that they broke the board when they installed it.  The unit worked somewhat before they replaced the board.  After they worked on the unit, it did not work at all.  I asked for my original board back, as the new board made the problem worse, and I was told that they no longer had the board.
[redacted] and Comfort Star recommended the other control board. We obliged and installed. I did not recommend this.  Comfort Solutions did.
Both control boards were purchased by Comfort Solutions and were non-returnable (in this type of situation the cost of those boards are usually part of the diagnosis - Comfort Star said to replace).  If the board was non returnable, why was the original board not available to be put back into my unit?
None of the repair options [redacted] or Comfort Star recommended were working to fix the problem.
Comfort Solutions refunded 100% of her initial repair cost and deposit.
Comfort Solutions absorbed the cost for two control boards and labor to install them.
 
Comfort Star recommended a simple test to determine if the problem was the indoor or the outdoor unit.  Comfort Solutions originally said that they would do the test, but then sent a different repair man out that refused to do the test.  We are upset because Comfort Solutions sold us a unit that is now broken and it appears that no one will work on it.
Regards,
[redacted]

I talked with [redacted] the night before as she said. I said her service experience had not gone as planned for all parties. I told her that I (meaning the company I represent) would continue the diagnostic and repair the system and charge her a reasonable fee. Reasonable was not quantified because I had no idea what it was going to involve. She told me she already paid for the repairs. I told her we would contact her in the morning with a plan of action.
It was my understanding that [redacted] was not willing to pay any more for continued diagnostic/repairs and felt she should not pay for the non-returnable boards that Comfort Star recommended. I didn't feel we would be able to satisfy [redacted] unless we continued to spend time and money on her out of warranty unit, so we decided to refund her initial service call fee and deposit and absorb the losses.
The facts are:
Two choices were presented with very different costs and warranties.
The lower cost and lower warranty system was chosen.
Whether we recommended the system or not, the system was three years old at the time of the problem and therefore two years out of warranty. 
[redacted] and Comfort Star and Comfort solutions all agreed to change the first control board.
[redacted] and Comfort Star recommended the other control board. We obliged and installed.
Both control boards were purchased by Comfort Solutions and were non-returnable (in this type of situation the cost of those boards are usually part of the diagnosis - Comfort Star said to replace).
None of the repair options [redacted] or Comfort Star recommended were working to fix the problem.
Comfort Solutions refunded 100% of her initial repair cost and deposit.
Comfort Solutions absorbed the cost for two control boards and labor to install them.
I am truly sorry about [redacted]'s trouble with the unit, even two years past the warranty. Comfort Solutions is not the manufacturer of the equipment and this is a manufacturing/design issue. We installed the system per manufacturers instructions. The manufacturer offers a 1 year parts warranty and we offer a 1 year labor warranty. We stuck to our end of the agreement. Comfort Solutions is a very customer satisfaction oriented company, but we can not work for free. 
Ken S[redacted]
Comfort Solutions HVAC, llc

Review: We have had a VERY bad experience with Comfort Solutions and we would like to help others avoid this situation. As a result of Comfort Solutions’ recommendation, on 6/7/11 we purchase a Comfort Star ductless air conditioning system from Comfort Solutions. The unit has a compressor/heat pump mounted on a flat roof, and three air handlers mounted in two bedrooms and a family room. During installation they dropped the family room unit. They could not get it to work so they replaced it at no charge. The unit worked fine for 2 years. The warranty on the outside unit is 3 years, and one year on the inside air handlers. Early this spring we started to have problems with the unit in the master bedroom. We called Comfort Solutions to ask them to fix it. They told us that they needed to come out and do a normal seasonal servicing for $119, and that would include diagnosing the problem with the unit. Below is a time line of what happened.

- 5/28 Comfort Solutions arrived and checked the two working units and said that they were fine, except that the filters needed to be cleaned, which they showed me how to do. On the unit that was not working, they got on the phone to Comfort Star technical support. They were told to replace the main board. We were told that the main board would cost $500 to replace, and that they wanted a $200 deposit on it. The board would take about a week to be delivered.

- 6/9 Almost 2 weeks later Comfort Solutions installed the new main board, but the unit still did not work. They left no paperwork for that visit.

- 6/16 I contacted Comfort Star and got the proper part numbers for the boards and gave them to Comfort Solutions, asking them if they were sure they replaced the board with the proper one. The very nice tech at Comfort Star also told me that the problem could be with the communications board in the outside unit and the simple way to determine that would be to swap the connections to one of the working units and if the problem appeared on the previously working unit, then the board in the outside unit was bad. I gave all this information to Comfort Solutions in an email, which they acknowledged. Comfort Solutions told me that after they had reviewed the information they would get back to me.

- 6/17 Comfort Solutions offered us the option of a refund and to have Comfort Star assign us to another authorized repair agent. When I asked for clarification of what they meant, they said we had to contact Comfort Star and ask for a list of repair agents. Comfort Star had no repair agents in the area.

- 6/18 I told Comfort Solutions that Comfort Star had no repair agents in the area and asked Comfort Solutions when they would be able to get the unit working. I was told that the control board was scheduled to arrive on 6/24, but that the first availability of their repair tech would be Friday, 6/27.

- 6/18 I emailed Comfort Solutions to ask if, when the repair man arrived, would he be able to do the wire switch that Comfort Star recommended. I was told that Mike was the only one to continue servicing our unit and that he would be able to do that when he arrive on the 27th.

- 6/26 I called to reconfirm the appointment for the following day and was told that the board did not arrive, and that they had just started to track it. I was told that the board would not be available until Monday June 30.

- 6/29 I asked them to bring back the board that they removed since it did not fix the problem. They said that they no longer had the board.

- 6/30 A new technician arrived and spent about 30 minutes replacing the second board in the indoor unit. That did not fix the problem. When I asked him to switch the wires on the outside unit which is on a flat roof, he told me that he was not allowed to go onto the roof due to insurance and left. At 10:58 Comfort Solutions sent me an email saying “Mr. xxx, co-owner, will be handling this matter from this point forward. Expect a call from him sometime this afternoon. But for certain before 5pm.” Mr. xxx called us around 7:30 PM. He apologized for the problems we had been having and admitted that it had not been handled in the best manner. He said that he would be in the office by 8 AM the following day and would call us around 9 AM to let us know what time on 7/1 he would personally be here to take care of our unit.

- 7/1 At 10 AM Their clerk called me and told me that Comfort Solutions would refund the fees we had paid them for the repair and service call, but they would no longer service our unit.

Because they have taken so long to not solve this problem, the unit is no longer under warranty. We purchased the unit as a result of Comfort Solutions’ recommendation and now they have left us with a system that is not repairable. This is not what we would expect from a business that is highly rated by your system. What recourse do we have?Desired Settlement: Repair the unit they installed that is not working.

Business

Response:

[redacted] was presented two options from Comfort Solutions on 5/12/11. One was a high quality [redacted] unit with which we have a great amount of experience, the other was a low budget Comfort Star option we told her we had NO experience with. The Comfort Star was almost 25% less and had a 1 year parts, 1 year labor and 5 year compressor warranty. The [redacted] was 5 year parts, 5 years labor and 7 years on Compressor. [redacted] chose the Comfort Star option.