Emerald Homes

Review: Since purchasing our new construction home from Emerald Homes in May of 2013, we have had 17 different service calls for our HVAC units, installed by Blazer Heating and Air Conditioning. Several of these were within the first year warranty window, so at the end of the first year I contacted Emerald Homes for an extension, which was given. During that next year the malfunctions continued and I had to fight for yet another extension. I told them that I thought the units were defective due to the fact that the issues were not all the same, but they will not aknowledge this. Rather Emerald Homes said that it is most likely just "getting the kinks out." There have been issues with both units, heat and air, and many different parts have had to be replaced. 3 years later, we are still experiencing major issues. Blazer keeps coming out to service the units, sometimes taking 2-3 visits to accurately diagnose the problem. Some of these problems have resulted in our electric bills being double the cost as compared to when the units are working properly. I am fearful that at the end of our warranty we will still experience these problems, but then we will be financially responsible for making repairs on units that were installed in a brand new home and have not functioned properly from the very start. We are in a new neighborhood and several of our neighbors have had reoccuring problems as well. I have all service records to document all issues and repairs made.Desired Settlement: I truly believe that something is defective - whether that be the units themselves or the installation, but seeing how there has been many different issues, not just one that seems to keep happening, I firmly believe that the solution would be to install new units.

Business

Response:

Regarding case number [redacted] We have been in touch with

our HVAC contractor who did the original installation and who has also done

service calls on this home and received a history of service. To the best of

our knowledge, based on that service information and our own history, our response

is as follows. Customer closed May 22, 2013 - please note that this home is

equipped with two York heat pumps and two York air handlers, one for each

floor. During the course of the first year, customer appears to have made three

calls for service regarding the system. Each time the contractor responded

promptly and made repair at no charge to customer. Two of these calls appear to

be the result of a factory parts failure (unfortunately, even on brand new

equipment, there are parts that fail). The TXV valve regulates system charge

and works off of temperature. In discussions with our heating and cooling

contractor, these valves do have a higher than average failure rate throughout

the entire heating and cooling industry and is not a problem specific to York

equipment. Due to the fact that customer experienced three separate issues

during the first year, Emerald Homes and [redacted] agreed to extend to

the customer parts and labor warranty for one additional year (copy included).

During the course of the second year, customer appears to have had two issues-

the TXV valve on second floor unit and the defrost stat which is another York

factory part. Both of these items were replaced for customer at no charge. HVAC

contractor also assisted customer in filling out a [redacted] rebate form.

Due to fact that customer had additional concerns during the second year, we

agreed to extend the parts and labor warranty for an additional two years plus

offered two year service which includes two visits each year for cleaning,

routine maintenance etc. (copy included). This was all done again at no charge.

During year three, it appears customer had a short in a thermostat wire and a

call for no A/C. On the no A/C call on July 16, 2016, tech found one faulty [redacted] core but went ahead and replaced them on both units. Unfortunately, the tech

did not do a thorough job of double checking behind himself after replacing

[redacted] cores. The follow up visits on July 22, 2016 and July 24, 2016, both

appear to be due to technician error from July 16th visit and not equipment

failures. Customer also expressed concerns regarding power bill

doubling from when units are working properly. It is not at all unusual for

power bills to increase significantly during peak heating and cooling seasons,

but especially when temperatures outside are below 40F and strip heat on heat

pumps are in use. Our customer service records show that customer expressed a

concern regarding a $300 power bill during a follow up call from our office to

customer on January 13, 2015. This certainly is the time of year that we might

expect to see a jump in that bill. This customer has obviously had several

issues with factory parts failing, but to my understanding has never been

charged anything for any repair or service at any time. It also appears that

the contractor responded promptly, both after hours and during normal hours, to

provide immediate service. In an effort to reassure this customer that we do

indeed stand behind our products, Emerald Homes and our HVAC contractor agreed

to extend the parts and labor warranty for a total of three additional years

beyond the standard one-year parts and labor warranty, in addition, customer

has also received complimentary bi-annual service for cleaning and routine

maintenance for two years. It is my understanding that customer's extended

parts and labor warranty & complimentary maintenance is still in place

until May 22, 2017. As we all know, these units are indeed mechanical and their

parts and components do fail. They do let us down and eventually they do wear

out. Much the same as with any car we may own, even brand new vehicles have

factory recalls for parts that fail. Unfortunately, it is just not feasible to

have service techs and their vans equipped with each and every part a unit may

require, so this often means making a return trip from the original evaluation.

This is indeed inconvenient for the customer but is commonplace within this

industry and many others. Service techs do undergo quite a bit of training and

continuing education but they are not perfect and they do make mistakes with

some repairs. Unfortunately, this customer has experienced instances of both

but this is not an instance of defective or second-rate equipment. All said, I

feel that both Emerald Homes and [redacted] have demonstrated that we make

every effort to stand behind our product and satisfy customer concerns. In this

instance, I am not sure what more we need to do.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

We have had numerous issues with both units that I do not believe are typical or to be expected on a new construction home with brand new units, and they should certainly should not be "wearing out" as stated by Emerald Homes at this stage in the life of any quality unit installed properly. Several of my neighbors also have had multiple issues resulting in numerous service calls and repairs very similar to ours, which leads me to believe there is indeed an issue with either product or installation. In response to Emerald Homes comparison of the units to a new car- there are lemon laws in effect when this happens with a new car to protect the consumer.