Flores Air Conditioning, Inc.

It was an oversight and we have refunded the money

Review: I called Flores for annual maintenance . The ac was working and the tech turned the thermostat to heat and the heat did not turn on so he attempted to bypass the thermostat to start the furnace. He did not seem too confident in what he was doing and said that the transformer was blow and he would have to replace it for a charge of 207.00. We both thought he may have been from a new thermostat that we had installed and he told me he could not adjust my thermostat but he could sell me on of his for 175.00. He also said that I should keep the power off because if I tried to turn the heat on again the transformer would probably blow again. So he put everything back together and rushed out of here quickly. I then contacted another company who came out and said the problem was definitely not the thermostat it was something else. The first tech did say to me that the transformer was hot and the second tech said that is normal. So now I have a bill for 306.00 and a new transformer that does not work and wondering how it happened in the first place when it worked before he showed up. Also the second tech told me the transformer part costs about 40.00 and Flores charged me 207.00. I called Flores and told them I would be happy to pay for the service call and the part but that the installation charge was robbery and my problem was not fixed. They told me the charge was valid and they would not negotiate and they would send my charge to collection and that is what they did with an additional 30.00.Desired Settlement: I would like to pay them for the call 99.00 plus the 40.00 part

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern,

We will attempt to respond in a way that is clear and understandable. On September 26, 2013 Flores was contacted by the homeowner at [redacted], PA. Annual maintenance was scheduled on the heat pump at the residence the following day, September 27, 2013.

According to the technician, when he arrived and switched the thermostat to heat, the system did not operate. At that time he determined that the control transformer was burnt. The customer informed him that they had replaced the thermostat themselves. It is Flores Air Conditioning policy to not install or correct problems from customer installed thermostats. The reason is that we have no way to know if the customer has purchased or installed the correct thermostat. Installing the incorrect thermostat or incorrectly installing a thermostat can result in a short in the control circuit which will short out the transformer.

The technician recommended that the transformer be replaced and offered to replace the thermostat. I have attached a copy of the invoice # [redacted] on which [redacted] accepted the transformer replacement for $207 and declined to replace the thermostat. After replacing the transformer [redacted] was informed that to turn on the power would likely result in the failure of the new transformer.

The technician was unable to complete the annual maintenance and the customer was charged a service fee of $99 instead of the $140 for a heat pump check up. The customer said they would reinstall their old thermostat.

The $207 for the transformer replacement is not just the part. It is also for the labor and all the other costs involved with that part, its replacement and the operating of a business.

Respectfully submitted,

Service Manager

Flores Air Conditioning Inc

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 will never know if their tech caused the transformer to blow. I was put in a position of not really having a choice and felt very taken advantage of because I'm a woman. How do I know that the part they replaced was or was not working and that the replacement part was working. Why did he replace it if he knew it was not going to fix the problem? I think they were trying to get as much money as they could for this repair. So I paid for a part that did not repair the problem. I really want other customers to be aware of there questionable business practice. I also own a business and understand but you don't overcharge people and when they complain not even try to compromise. I want something posted on the Revdex.com sight warning others.

Had Flores technicion come and fix my Heating system. It's working now however the cost to get it done was severly over charged. Charged $ 302 for the primary contact and $ 175 for the basic Honeywell Thermostat. Same unit costs $ 62 on line. I am suspecting the cost of the primary contact is probably 1/3rd the charge. When I called them questioning why I was over charged, the response was labor which is way over priced. The entire job took less than an hour and especially the thermostat was replaced in less than 10 mins.