D.A. Bennett Service Experts

HVAC installation is unsatisfactory. Company is now refusing to uninstall and refund which is part of stated 100% satisfaction guarantee.
The blower motor on my heat pump system quit working 1/17/14. Daniel (service technician) installed a generic motor temporarily, and [redacted] Snell (sales rep) came to the house to discuss installation of a new unit and provide quotes. On 1/21/14, I purchased a heat pump (XPXX-XXX-XXX) and air handler (CBX27UH-XXX-XXX), which were installed on 1/24/14 by [redacted] and [redacted]. The cost of the unit was $6160. At the end of installation, [redacted] informed me that I would have difficulty changing my filter based on the proximity to the water softener. [redacted] said he mentioned this to [redacted] based on the pre-installation pictures and measurements and that [redacted] had said to put it in anyway and it would be fine. [redacted] called after leaving my home to let me know that he had spoken to [redacted] about the filter situation. Prior to the installation, [redacted] told me that he would contact me after that install for pictures. He never called back. After about a week, I called [redacted]. He came to the house, took pictures, discussed possible filter options, and said he would call back. He never did. When I changed my first filter, I discovered that the side of the filter gets warped with attempted insertion, preventing it from lying flat within the filter compartment. On 3/11/14, I filled out a survey on the Service Experts website addressing my complaints. I promptly received a call from [redacted], the GM. On 3/17/14 someone came to take measurements for fabricating a filter rack. On 3/21/14 the filter rack was installed. The filter rack that was installed had sharp metal edges where the filter was inserted, and the cover secured with four pieces of Velcro and the word "top" scribbled in marker to indicate orientation when resecuring the cover.

On 3/28/14 I received an electric bill, which was substantially higher than my previous month's bills, at $350. My average electric by is a little over $100 with bills peaking at $200 during the sub-zero temperatures this winter. I contacted Service Experts for evaluation of the system to see if it could be using extra electricity. On 3/29/14 a technician ([redacted]) came to check out the system. Additional refrigerant was added at that time. All connections within the thermostat were found to be loose, and the fan was running continuously even when set on auto. The technician indicated for a manager to call me. A manager called on 3/31/14, the next business day, and told me the elevated electric bill was related to cold weather and not any malfunction of the thermostat or system. He said he would speak with the technician and get back to me. On 4/11/14 I called [redacted] because the other manager had never called back. [redacted] returned my call. In addition to the elevated electric bill, I also brought up my concerns about the apparent quality of the fabricated filter rack, related to longevity of the Velcro securement and hazard of the raw metal edges, and the ductwork which had been pulled back from the ceiling during the initial installation and never resealed. He asked for a copy of some of the electric bills and set up a time to talk the following Tuesday (4/15/14). During our conversation on 4/15/14, he agreed to compensate me for $150 of the elevated electric bill and set up an appointment scheduled for 4/23/14 for [redacted] and [redacted] to come and evaluate the filter rack and ductwork. I called [redacted] on 4/22/14 to confirm acceptance of the offer for $150 compensation. I received the check when [redacted] and [redacted] arrived the next day for the appointment.

Due to increasing concern regarding the service and quality provided by this company, I had another contractor, unaware of what company installed the unit, come to evaluate the installation prior to my appointment on 4/23/14. Additional concerns were raised as I discovered that the indoor unit was not squarely seated on the base during initial installation, leaving a gap extending the depth of the unit and creating a secondary return beneath the furnace itself.