Fahrenheit

The notice and invoice that the customer received was for a Preferred Service Plan renewal.  The Preferred Service Plan has been the heart of our business for over twenty years.  It entitles customers to two yearly tune-ups (one for their heater and air conditioning respectively), free...

emergency service visits if a problem occurs, discounts if any repairs are necessary, and plenty of other extra benefits.  We have hundreds of customers who have renewed their Preferred Service Plans year-after-year with us.  This customer had a service plan with us from 5/30/13 - 5/29/14.  We sent them a renewal at the same price for which they chose not to accept and we have absolutely no issue with that if they elect not to.  They are not held liable to any amount nor are they required to renew for the following year.  It states clearly on the notice that it is for the Preferred Service Plan and the date on which the plan would renew if the customer elected to continue their Preferred Service Plan for another year.  For the customer to state that we are trying to trick people into something they did not receive and do not intend to pay for, it does not really make sense.  The customer would obviously be paying for the renewal of the service plan for the upcoming year, so the services have not yet been rendered.  Also, his judgment of what he intends to pay for cannot be true if we have many happy customers who renew their service plans yearly and keep asking us to come back to their homes for their preventative maintenances.

This was admittedly a mistake on our end and it is being rectified immediately at no charge to the customer.  The customer is receiving the 2.5 ton system that was originally to be installed.  Reinstallation is occurring today.

[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:
Thank you for agreeing never to contact us again.
I would like confirmation that all of my household's contact information has been removed from Fahrenheit's customer lists, databases, and directories.
Regards,
[redacted]

We spoke with the customer on the phone today.  Explained that the technician did not feel comfortable performing a repair on the unit as he did not think it would provide a long-term solution and we could not provide a warranty for doing so.  He...

recommended replacement of the unit which would come with a ten-year warranty.  We only perform repairs or installations if we feel that we can stand by them.  We are refunding the $99 diagnostic charge to the customer on her original credit card today as we do not want to leave things on bad terms.

This system is exactly as quoted on the original work order and was sized for the customer's home.

[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:
Fahrenheit has failed to acknowledge my actual complaint: that their "invoice" is NOT an invoice and should NOT be represented in such a way as to trick customers into thinking it's for services rendered or agreed to. It is immaterial that other customers have paid them in the past; what is fraudulent is their business practices with these fake "invoice" which I have attached.
Their response does not satisfy me nor does it address my issues. It also (unsurprisingly) misrepresents the facts:
They say "The notice and invoice that the customer received was for a Preferred Service Plan renewal." No where on the document does it say "renewal" or even give a date range for the plan. It merely says "Preferred Service Plan for Gas Furnace and A/C." This is intentionally ambiguous and designed to trick past customers into paying for something they think they agreed to. If this is a renewal, would it not use the word "renew"? Can Fahrenheit point to where it says it is a renewal?
They say "It states clearly on the notice that it is for the Preferred Service Plan and the date on which the plan would renew if the customer elected to continue their Preferred Service Plan for another year." Again, nowhere do they use the term "renewal" or "renew" on this, nor does it "state clearly" when this plan is for. It just lists a date with no context. This is the opposite of "clear," which is the basis for my complaint.
They close with "Also, his judgment of what he intends to pay for cannot be true if we have many happy customers who renew their service plans yearly and keep asking us to come back to their homes for their preventative maintenances." This is tantamount to: "because other people haven't complained, this customer is wrong." Despite the fact that this is irrelevant anyway, Fahrenheit's history on review sites like Yelp and Angie's List are evidence that many others HAVE complained.Fahrenheit's response is that this document states that it is a renewal. It doesn't say that at all, and I challenge them to point to where that is "clear." I reiterate that their invoicing practices are fraudulent and designed as a "gotcha!" to trick their customers into paying for something they have no intent on paying for.
Regards,
[redacted]

My wife and I were very unsatisfied with the service we received recently from this company. We had called them to service a broken air conditioning unit. The only positive I can say is that they did come out within hours of calling as this was somewhat of an emergency but that is all I can say that is positive.
The tech that arrived did nothing other than listen to the unit, see the fan not spinning and then claim that the unit should be replaced. He claimed that the condenser was bad and that we should also change the coil as the refrigerant would be incompatible. He said he would come out the following day to do the repair and quoted us a price around $5,000. He then called his boss to see what he could do about the price and we then heard the same from his boss about why the whole unit should be replaced. We asked about the condenser alone and that price was over $2,000.
At this point we decided not to proceed and discussed a second opinion as we were both uncomfortable with the lack of any type of diagnostics or troubleshooting to the unit.
Through business contacts we were able to connect with someone who came to the house, actually troubleshot the unit and determined that the only thing wrong was the fan motor which was replaced within a matter of minutes and cost us $100.
I am very troubled by the business practices of this company and would not recommend them at all.

[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:This issue is not resolved, so I'm not quite sure why the company keeps responding when they are offering absolutely no resolution. Instead, this exchange is going in circles, just like the phone conversation where I was hung up on. What kind of company hangs up on a customer that spent $8,000 dollars with them? That factoid speaks for itself. 
To reiterate, I spent $8,000 on a top-of-the-line system - only to find out that corners were cut, old materials were left, and a sloppy wiring job was done. A sloppy wiring job CAN cause a thermostat to malfunction four years later, which is exactly what happened. A company with "30
years in the field" who is "confident in our abilities and experience" should know this. 
Let's not forget, Fahrenheit damaged our disconnect. Let's not forget they left old materials. Let's not forget that they did a poor job with the wiring of the thermostat. Instead, of this company owning up to a poor job, they continue to justify their actions. They continue to say that removing old parts wasn't in the contract. They continue to say that the thermostat was wired fine. They don't know this - they did NOT check. 
Fahrenheit also is very imaginative, saying there were multiple courtesy checks (not true) and saying the repairs the other company did were poor (not true) and now they are offering a warranty. A warranty on what? Repairs that they didn't do? 
Fahrenheit continues to put down the company that did the work. This company fixed Fahrenheit's errors. I keep being misquoted saying they worked for hours. Let me set the record straight: they worked for a while figuring out how Fahrenheit superficially installed a top-of-the-line unit. A system that was working in emergency heat mode at all times is now fixed with the new thermostat. There's the evidence - plain and simple. The thermostat was the problem. Not the disconnect - that once again, Fahrenheit destroyed.  
Let's be clear: I would NEVER recommend anyone to hire Fahrenheit. They will give you a run for your money, cut every corner possible, and justify doing the absolute bare minimum by saying "it wasn't in the contract." 
Once again, I am requesting $700 in the repairs that I had to make on my $8,000 unit. It shouldn't matter who did the repairs when Fahrenheit made the error. It's time to own up to it. 
Fahrenheit keeps responding with these nonsensical telltales; I will continue to reject the company's response until an actual, monetary resolution is proposed. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: We received a fraudulent document in the mail labeled "Invoice" and back-dated two months earlier, asking for $204.12 for a "Preferred Service Plan." We did not incur any charges or use any of Fahrenheit's services--this "invoice" is a deceptive sales practice designed to trick people into paying for something they did not receive and do not intend to pay for.

It's fraudulent and Fahrenheit should stop immediately.

When I spoke with a customer service representative he told me that this is the amount "I *would* pay if I chose to renew this plan for the next year" and that it is not actually an invoice for charges incurred. Nowhere on this "invoice" does it state that it is for an optional renewal or that it is optional at all; it just shows the "total amount due." This is deceptive, designed solely to trick unaware consumers, and it should stop immediately.Desired Settlement: Fahrenheit should immediately cease it's deceptive and fraudulent billing practices and accurately state what this "invoice" is: an advertisement to renew an annual plan. This is NOT an invoice and Fahrenheit should remove the deceptive layout and terms that indicate it is for services rendered. It should also cease contacting my household all together.

Business

Response:

The notice and invoice that the customer received was for a Preferred Service Plan renewal. The Preferred Service Plan has been the heart of our business for over twenty years. It entitles customers to two yearly tune-ups (one for their heater and air conditioning respectively), free emergency service visits if a problem occurs, discounts if any repairs are necessary, and plenty of other extra benefits. We have hundreds of customers who have renewed their Preferred Service Plans year-after-year with us. This customer had a service plan with us from 5/30/13 - 5/29/14. We sent them a renewal at the same price for which they chose not to accept and we have absolutely no issue with that if they elect not to. They are not held liable to any amount nor are they required to renew for the following year. It states clearly on the notice that it is for the Preferred Service Plan and the date on which the plan would renew if the customer elected to continue their Preferred Service Plan for another year. For the customer to state that we are trying to trick people into something they did not receive and do not intend to pay for, it does not really make sense. The customer would obviously be paying for the renewal of the service plan for the upcoming year, so the services have not yet been rendered. Also, his judgment of what he intends to pay for cannot be true if we have many happy customers who renew their service plans yearly and keep asking us to come back to their homes for their preventative maintenances.

Consumer

Response:

[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]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

I write this review because as senior citizen we pay a monthly payment of almost $200, I feel it important for other consumers to aware of this business. We contacted this company because our old heater stopped working two weeks before Christmas in 2014. They were the quickest responders. The person came and gave us the choice of either repair or replace the unit. one for over $2000 and the other for over $5000.He said he would recommend replace because it was likely the repair would lead to replacement. Reluctantly we agreed because it was 32 degrees in the home and wanted a quick resolution. The same night it was repaired it stopped working and no one would come out. When they came back to connect the air conditioning unit which we understood to be a part they said they needed to replace the whole air conditioning unit which would be over $6000 in order honor the warranting for the new heater. We couldn't get another company to come out because they were the primary company. They also insisted they we had an electrically issue and need a upgrade. Now after an almost $9000 debt, we have one room upstairs that is warm, flickering of lights and an home improvement debt.

Review: Technician [redacted] came to personal residence and quoted a price to fix a heater unit. The agreed price was paid and the installer would come between 2-2:30 the same day to fix the unit. The company called approximately 5pm informing me the installer was in transit. We mutually agreed to move the appointment the following day with an 11am-1pm window. The next day the senior installer came the following day at approximately 2:50pm to complete the quoted work. Fahrenheit has a formal "Flat Rate & Upfront Pricing Structure". Upon arrival the technician stated the quote was not an accurate quote and informed me to contact the previous technician. The previous technician wanted to provide a new quote and I referred him to his company policy. At that time the technician informed me that he is too busy to deal with this job, working with other clients and is pulling the technician from the job.Desired Settlement: I feel the company needs to stand by the "Upfront Pricing" guarantee and fix the unit immediately or allow me to hire a different company and reimburse me for costs above or beyond the quoted price

Business

Response:

A quote was given to the customer in the amount of $800 for specific repairs that would need to be performed. When our technician arrived the next day, the customer requested additional repairs that we would not be able to complete for the original quoted amount. The customer is asking us to honor the original quote which we unfortunately cannot. No payment was ever collected from the prospective customer, so there is no money to be refunded to the customer.

Consumer

Response:

[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]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Review: My air conditioner stopped working. I called Fahrenheit on the morning of Thursday, June 19. The technician came to my house. He walked up to my AC and said "this is an old unit." I said it is not that old, I bought it in Nov 2003 and it is a high end unit ([redacted]). He unplugged a circuit from a box on the wall, took the side panel off of the AC unit and said "it's the condenser." He said he could fix it for $1200- $1300, but he did not recommend that because he could not guarantee that. He recommended replacing the condenser for $3600. We then walked in the house, he looked at the other component and said the coils needed to be replaced so the condenser and coils together would be $4800. He never called for part prices, never tested anything this was all by sight. I felt that I could buy a whole new unit for that money as it was $6600 for me to get heat, air, additional duct work, and installation. He kept saying, "I can do this today." I told him I had to call my brother in law who is a carpenter. I got his voicemail. While I was waiting for a call back the technician went outside to put the panel back on. When he came back in, he said, "I just realized your AC is a [redacted], I thought it was an [redacted]. I can replace the condenser for $2988, and I can do it today." I said no, paid $99 for the service call. My brother in law and nephew (who is a project manager) sent someone out to my house that afternoon. That technician (licensed HVAC) said it is either the fan or a small part. He also picked up the circuit that the Fahrenheit left on top of the box and did not plug back in, wiped the rain water off and plugged it back in. He came back Saturday with the $9.00 part. He put that in the unit in less than 10 minutes and was on his way. First let me say that I am a female and maybe fahrenheit felt that they could take advantage of my lack of knowledge. Additionally, the rep did not know the system, but gave me a quote which to say was highly over inflated is an understatement. Changed the quote in 5 minutes to almost half the price. He also could have caused further damage by leaving the part in the rain. I was fortunate that the other person came out right away.Desired Settlement: I don't feel as though the $99.00 service call fee was warranted. The company obviously is out to rip people off. I also want people to see the company and reviews so that they do not use this company. This is a disgrace.

Business

Response:

We spoke with the customer on the phone today. Explained that the technician did not feel comfortable performing a repair on the unit as he did not think it would provide a long-term solution and we could not provide a warranty for doing so. He recommended replacement of the unit which would come with a ten-year warranty. We only perform repairs or installations if we feel that we can stand by them. We are refunding the $99 diagnostic charge to the customer on her original credit card today as we do not want to leave things on bad terms.

Review: On 3/23/13 a technician from Fahrenheit ([redacted]) came out to look at my Central A/C unit I had told them that the unit's evaporator coil had a leak (this conclusion was reach by MY PRIOR HVAC tech who had installed the unit back in 2010 and did some service for me May of 2012 where he pumped up the unit with freon and ran an eletronic diagnostic to determine that in fact the evaporator coil had a leak) which he charged me $25 and my unit worked the remainer of the 2012 summer season and he also stated that the part should be replaced and that he could come out during the winter and replace it.

When I called MY HVAC my tech to have the part replaced I found out that he had cancer removed from his body and is undergoing extreme therapy so he cannot replace the part for quiet some time. This is when I called Fahrenheit and spoke with [redacted] to find out what is wrong with the unit and to get them to replace the part. Well the tech showed up on 3/23/13 about 1 hour and 15 minutes late, and almost forced me to cancel. He looked at my condenser out in the yard and looked at my AC unit and determined that it was 4 years old and that is was dated 2009. Did not run any diagnostics of any kind to verify that if what MY HVAC tech said was in fact correct. He just took my word for it collected $140 from me which I overpaid because the tech did not have any change. The actual bill was $136.00. And rolled out. My boyfriend was livid that they charged me $140 and didnt DO ANYTHING to determine what was wrong with my unit and that they just took my word for it and then quoted me a price of $1,400 to replace the evaporator coil. Which I thought was ridiculous both price and the fact that the tech didnt run any test to confirm whether or not it was in fact the evaporator coil. AND THE FUNNIEST PART ABOUT THIS WHOLE INCIDENT IT THAT AT THE TOP OF MY INVOICE IT STATES "NEVER PAY A SERVICE CHARGE AGAIN!" hahahahahahahahahaahahah really? And the diagnostics section of my invoice states "need to replace 2 1/2 ton evaporator coil and this is only because I told them that! They did absolute [redacted] and took my money for groceries. Taking avantage of someone in need! SCAMDesired Settlement: I want at least half of the amount I paid to this tech who DID NOT DO ANAYTHING other than look at my unit and tell me how old it was. No diagnostic testing of any kind was done to verify or confirm what my HVAC tech stated previosly. He took my word for it and that is what he wrote on my invoice.

Business

Response:

On 3/23/13, we informed the customer that the trip fee of $136.00 would allow a certified technician to come to the property and perform a visual diagnosis of her system. She agreed to pay this amount before the technician was ever dispatched. The customer was informed that the trip fee is meant to cover the company's expense of sending out a certified technician in a service vehicle who provides a visual diagnosis and a recommendation based on his findings. It does not encompass extensive physical diagnostics. If the customer approves the recommended work, the trip fee is always credited towards the price of the work performed.

After speaking with the technician, it was determined that the customer paid exactly $136.00. We also have a signed invoice from the customer indicating that exactly $136.00 was paid. That signed invoice also indicates terms and conditions on the back for the trip fee discussed which are as follows:

TRIP CHARGE - Customer understands and agrees that Fahrenheit's time is valuable and that Fahrenheit expends a great deal of time and expense making service calls for its customers. Customers that have not entered into a Preferred Service Plan with Fahrenheit will be requested to pay a "trip charge" to cover Fahrenheit's labor and vehicle costs and the cost for visual diagnostic services to determine the problem. Any diagnostics beyond our 10 minute on site troubleshooting is beyond our quoted "trip fee" and additional costs will be charged for extensive diagnostics and repairs.

In regards to the comment about the technician's late arrival, there was never an exact time given for when the technician would arrive. We do our absolute best to work around our customer's schedules which can sometimes be difficult as certain jobs may run longer than anticipated.

We were concerned when a message came through the answering service from this customer stating that she was unhappy with the technician who had been out. We make follow-up calls to any weekend customers, so we contacted her to see why she was unhappy with the service. When we called the customer, her boyfriend answered the phone and explained that everything was fine and it had been taken care of.

We have 25 years of experience in HVAC and have always provided reliable and accurate diagnoses upon which we build a foundation for the relationships that we have built with our customers. The technician gave his honest and professional assessment and recommendation based on his many years of experience and the visual diagnosis performed. That same technician went out to two other customers on that same day and his recommendations were accepted by those customers. Their heaters are back up and running with no issues. There were no complaints about the diagnosis and their trip fees were credited towards the price of the work completed. If the customer would like to have the recommended work done, we would gladly credit the trip fee paid toward the price of the job.

Note: The aforementioned invoice is attached.

Consumer

Response:

[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]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: They lied about how much I gave the tech. Just like their header on their invoice lies about "never a service charge" and just like they lied about telling me the tech would arrive at 11:30 and arrived at 12:45 -- why bother with appointments then?!?!?!?! I only had $20 bill that day and the tech. did not have change. So of course he wrote that I paid $136 just like they wrote on my service invoice EXACTLY what I told them was wrong with my AC unit!. Also my boyfriend was livid about the fact that they did not do anything for that money! I was robbed at gunpoint that day and wish I was (it would have been more exciting). Also I had an email confirmation from the company when I scheduled service and the wording stated something like "Thank You for your Free Estimate" Nothing about any of this whole experience was "FREE" they should really think about re-wording their emails and invoice header verbiage. If nothing else come out of this experience I will never recommend them to anyone on earth and now I know what pitfalls to look out for when calling for service for my AC unit thanks to the these [redacted].

Regards,

Business

Response:

The advertisement that the customer refers to of "Never Pay a Service Charge Again!" refers to our Preferred Service Plan. If a customer has a Preferred Service Plan, they will NOT be charged for service visits. It is the basis upon which the company thrives and we appreciate the relationships that we have built over time. The customer in question, however, does not have a Preferred Service Plan with Fahrenheit, so a trip fee was assessed to check out the unit. The invoice was signed by the customer that $136 was paid. I cannot validate a claim that $140 was paid if the customer signed an invoice for $136. We sometimes will provide free estimates if the customer indicates that he or she is looking for a cost on a replacement unit. It is not applicable in the cases in which we send a technician out to inspect the unit. This customer asked us to send a technician out to inspect her unit. The cost was explained at that time for the service call. When the technician arrived at the property, he performed a visual diagnostic which is described on the attached invoice which was signed by the customer. The amount paid by the customer covers the cost of sending out a technician in a service truck in order to perform the visual diagnosis. Our technician gave a recommendation to replace the 2.5-ton evaporator coil because of its condition and a cost was provided to her at that time. The customer chose not to accept our bid to perform the work. Again, we always credit the trip fee towards work approved by the customer and would be willing to do so if the customer requests. We are not looking to scam the customer and make NO profit from a trip fee. It is our way of covering the cost of sending out the technician in a service truck and accounting for the resources involved in doing so.