Holbrook Heating, Inc.

Mr***'s complaint was regarding a duct cleaning that was performed during the installation of the HVAC equipment at his home. Mr*** was concerned because our General Manager had not returned his calls about the quality of the duct cleaning. When Scott did reach out, Mr
*** was upset that Scott had not returned his calls and he called the office asking for another manager. The office manager spoke with him and arranged a site visit with our installation manager, Kyle, on Friday, February 23, to determine credibility of the complaintKyle arrived at his home and inspected the ductworkHe found that it was, in fact, an inferior job. We have refunded $back to the customer and apologized for the problems with the duct cleaning. He has accepted both and seems to be satisfied with the arrangementsWe are having our duct cleaner repaired and arrangements made for further technician training

I believe that this customer is referring to an installation done for *** ***, *** *** ***, ***, NY *** even though it is not referenced in this complaintWe did an installation for the customer noted above on August 8, 2016. The customer had paid with a check that we
assumed to be a personal check. Unbeknownst to us, it was not a personal check but a check provided through an Equity account. It caused some confusion when we went to process and held the payment up by a week or two. During that time, I believe the customer called here about the gift cards. We did not respond to his questions regarding the cards It is our mistake for not doing soWe have now processed the paperwork for the $gift card and the customer should be seeing it within 4-weeks. We will follow up with the customer with our explanation and further discounts on future calls for his inconvenience

Prior to this complaint through the Revdex.com, we had discussed with Mr*** the need to get our service manager to his home to inspect the equipment, the installation and the current problems that he was havingMr*** called on 9/26/and we schedule the appointment for our General
Manager and Service Manager to come to his home on 10/2/2017. At the time of the visit, he expressed his concerns with our General Manager while our Service Manager worked on troubleshooting the problems with the heat pump. We did find that there were problems and, true to our word, we repaired them and made sure the unit was operational. Mr*** expressed his satisfaction at the conclusion of the call. He was instructed to call if he had any additional concerns or problems so that we could assist him. If Mr*** is in agreement, this matter should be considered closed at this time

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
This just came (in my son's name as we had originally requested), and it has to be the result of Holbrook Heating receiving your notice today of my complaint (#***) since it is clear that the gift card was just ordered (and will take "6-weeks" to process)I'm impressed with the effect the Revdex.com involvement has had! We'll see if the gift card actually arrives, but I assume it willThank you! ***

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and while the pump is still a bit loud on shut down/defrost, the main issue has been resolved
Regards,
*** ***

We installed an air handler (***) and outdoor condenser at this customer's home in 4/2015. This customer initially had some issues with noise levels and a situation with heat/cool on the new unit. We came back in a timely manner each time and addressed the issues at no charge to the
customer. We did and do apologize to this customer for the problems that he had with the unit. The customer states that the unit has been functioning and we have not received any service calls from him since 2016. Mr*** did speak with our VP, Jeff S., who I don't believe refused to call him, but is frequently out of the office on job sites and most likely was not available to call him. I am sorry if he came across as rude with this customer. We were frustrated at that point in time and that may have come across in Jeff's tone and discussion with this customer. To reiterate, we are a company that admits our mistakes and we stood behind each and every repair until we were satisfied the unit was the correct unit and it was working properly. I'm unsure why this customer never directly called us to discuss these problems. We still hold the customer's warranty information and are willing to assist him if he does have a problem. I would offer to provide a no charge preventive maintenance for this customer so that we can make sure that everything is running as it should and to keep the warranty intact. We look forward to speaking with Mr*** at his convenience

We have been working diligently with the customer to resolve her concerns. We found that there were a couple of reasons for the noise from the unit. One of which is a noise that we cannot resolve - it is part of the operation of the equipment (defrost mode). We are working with the
manufacturer and installing the part to address the other noise from the unit at this time. The customer seems to be comfortable with our attention to their concerns and we will work towards resolving this to the customer's satisfaction

I have again reviewed the signed contract for this customer and do
not find that we indicated on this document -- either by model number or
in writing -- that this should have been a two stage system. I
actually went back and reviewed our most current pricing for those two
models and found that the difference between the two was $2662.00. We
gave the customer a good deal to upgrade the heat pump to a two stage at
$2,If, after all this time, the customer feels that we
are at fault, I don't know what more we can do. We've fulfilled our
contractual obligation. We are a fair company and work with customers
to resolve any perceived issues. There is no resolution I can offer
this customer at this timeRevdex.com spoke to Randy at business and the following was additionally relayed: The issue addressed was also involving the *** unit and replacing it with a *** UnitThe stage condenser is an optional upgrade and we replaced at below what it cost us for the part, not including labor, to address the issue with the customer

Great Technicians and a great company to do business withPrices are a little high but you get what you pay forI totally recommend this company and would and will do business with them in the future

We hired Holbrook to install two units in the medical storage room for our ambulance service We had them install the units purchased through Home Depot They worked efficiently and were professional from beginning to end They even worked in a downpour on the outdoor unit and kept on schedule They did forget a cap to cover the hole drilled for the lines into the building, however were honest about it and come back the next business day to install it Highly satisfied with the professionalism and honesty of the company would highly recommend It was a pleasure to deal with the company

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
To the statement Holbrook madeYes when you came here there was only one fan going. And I had the thermostat set for and it was reading and when you walked in the door I showed you the thermostat several times and when I turned on the other four fans in the house the temperature dropped to degrees like I've been saying I should not have to use my fans with central air and I also have pictures of the thermostat every time this took place and also sent them to the office manager to review and even now when the temperature is only in the eighties it is damp and stuffy in here and the system doesn't work good Cooling the three rooms I've been complaining about more so master bedroom and bathroom off of that room with the house being as big as it is and having cathedral ceiling and it and the furnace being in the back corner of the house it has a hard time pulling the Heat and the dampness out of the house and as for the roof just as soon as I noticed water coming in the house I notified the office manager and told them in two to three weeks later the problem wasn't fixed and I did tell them if it was only tar not to worry about it but when the second time it rained the roofer went up on the roof and noticed the shingles and the roof vent that was lifted off the roof inches on the one side I called and talk to the office manager and she said she would look into it the technicians we're here three or four times since thenAnd never went up and looked at it and when I heard it was going to rain again I asked a roofer if he would repair it for me so my ceiling wouldn't take no more damage they were supposed to on their last visit put the collar around the pipe on a furnace where it goes through the ceiling and it's still not done I think they are the ones that keep changing words around to benefit them and stretching the truth more so the service manager who is job is to save the company money sincerely yours*** ***

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** ***

Upon review of this complaint, we determined that the technician -- who is no longer employed by our company -- did not operate in accordance with our company's standard operating proceduresWe have refunded this customer the cost of the invoice. He has indicated that this is a satisfactory
agreement

Our notes indicated that we explained to the customer that if any repair work was due to our installation in July there would be no charge. If the repair is caused by anything other than our workmanship, it would be chargeable to the customer (resetting the thermostat would fall under this
since issues with *** thermostats can be caused to voltage fluctuation as well as internet connection problems). We cannot determine this until we are onsite. In our experience, if there is going to be a gas leak on piping caused by work done on or around the furnace it is going to become apparent prior to months after installation. The bottom line is that if they could have waited for us to come out that day we had scheduled the call, we could have evaluated the situation and made the repair most likely at no charge to themAccording to our customer service rep, Mr*** indicated to her that he thought is was not new gas line. He called and cancelled the call saying it was a loose fitting and that *** *** had tightened and they were all set. We then set up preventive maintenance with the customer and to address some wiring issues to the air conditioner. We've performed this call and are scheduling to return to finish the air conditioner preventive maintenance with warmer weatherWe value this customer and are concerned that they are upset about this situation. I would encourage them to reach out if there is still an issue and speak with the General Manager, Scott Rat our company. We are more than willing to further the discussion

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Following the initial installation and completion of
that on 5/11/15, the system kept malfunctioningThere were no
situational circumstances nor customer preferencesThe system was
guaranteed for a year and the company honored that by continually coming
to the residenceAt the end of a year their technician discovered that
the stage *** air changer in the attic was not compatible with the
stage condenser outsideIn technical terms the machines were no
talking to each otherThe decision to buy a stage condenser was based
on my $14,investment not an optional upgrade because I felt like it
which is how the company has portrayed it in their last statementCustomer provided the additional follow up: I
find it interesting that the installers congratulated me on the stage
system and that I was going to like it, all the different technicians
who came to the house thought and tried to service a stage system as
did the secretaries who answered my callsIt wasn't until the mistake
was discovered that the company representatives started to back track
It has been a little over weeks since I spoke to Holbrook's COO named JohnHe wasn't familiar with my case and pulled over while driving so we could talkI wasn't impressedI gave him the short story and asked him to read the Revdex.com complaintHe asked me if there was anything else and I said that when the error was found by their tech, I called for weeks and they blew me offThen I got the manager, Jeff, and that's when the blame was turned my wayI didn't put the weeks delay by them in the complaint because I wanted to stick to the factsSo, here we areThey are stalling as usual
Regards,
*** ***

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The attached pictures (1, 2 and 4) will refute claims that there was "melting" on the furnace and burning marks on the outside back wall of the furnace.
What also refutes these claims is the fact the furnace is equipped with a "blower motor fan limit switch" which would shut the furnace down if a certain temperature is reached.  Switch is shown in the second picture.  It has the red and purple wire going to it.   The function of the switch is explained at the following link.   https://www.[redacted].com.
Had the furnace been overheating it would have "by design" shut off.  It is not shutting off and Holbrook did not document that it was an issue.
Holbrook did not document the temperatures of the furnace to denote if they were in the danger zone.    They did not test the CO2 levels.  Yet the technician and the salesman repeatedly were making claims the unit was overheating and omitting smoke and CO2.  The claims were made to me and to the second technician.
The second company was summoned when Holbrook repeatedly refused to come and but the furnace BACK in running order.  This issue has also been documented with the police.
The attached copy of an invoice (picture 3) is from a third oil burning furnace tech who, again, has documented that the furnace is ok to use.  This technician had to perform the maintenance Holbrook had offered to do. 
Using the age of the furnace (they cannot accurately determine its age or when it was installed) and that ** stopped making furnaces is irrelevant.  Whether or not the furnace was fair running condition and safe is.  This has been proven.
The claims that the Furnace is unsafe and I needed a new furnace ASAP lack credibility.   I have two separate technicians document the furnace is ok to use.
As far as being fair,  I asked them for an estimate.  They responded with a price on a blank piece of paper (nothing itemized and no company letter head) and telling me to apply for [redacted] credit card and use that to pay.   One could safely assume that the price wasn't valid.  I also was willing to pay for their service call until I discovered they left my furnace inoperable.  Sharing my experience with the local news services is fair as well.
I'm requesting the payment because Holbrook did not provide me anything of value.  Upon arrival, they immediately said the furnace could not be used.  Despite my request to stop servicing it they continued to dismantle it and left it inoperable.  They admitted to this fact.  After repeatedly refusing to come back and repair they did return.  Holbrook claims they came "free of charge", do they not stand behind their work?
Holbrook's evaluation of the furnace was incorrect.  Leaving it inoperable was wrong.  Not providing me an accurate quote for a new furnace is also wrong. Regards, [redacted]

I have read the customer’s response to our rebuttal letter and I sympathize with his position. However, I believe it comes from a place of misunderstanding and misinformation. Included please find four (4) documents that support our technician’s findings and our (proper) presentation of the condition of his furnace. As far as our suggestion that the furnace should be replaced, I fully stand behind this still today. Furnaces are not meant to last 38+ years. There are many technicians (people) in the HVAC industry with many levels of education / experience, and their options will vary. Here are the standards and recommendations from notable sources regarding furnace life: -[redacted] ([redacted]) states that forced air furnaces last 18 years. -[redacted] says that “if it’s more than 12 years old, then it may be time to say goodbye”. They also state that “Other HVAC experts say the say the average life of a furnace is 12 to 18 years” -[redacted].gov says you should consider replacing any furnace over 15 years of age. (I have included printed copies of the respective above data from the associated web sites.) This customer’s furnace is no longer running at the manufacture’s original specifications. Whether it is an immediate threat to life – is a matter of opinion. That opinion will differ among individuals. Our company has the highest regard for customer safety and will not accept responsibility or liability for sub-par equipment causing damage or even death. It’s simply not worth it. The customer is stating that two (2) other oil technicians have said his unit is safe to operate. The customer also acknowledges that he stopped us short in our work. After just 30 minutes of investigation and conversation on his aging unit, the customer stopped the technician and requested an estimate to replace. To the customer’s point that we refused to return to his home – this is simply false. The statements could lead one to believe that we left him without heat for hours or even days. The reality is, we were gone for less than one hour before returning to address the customer’s concerns. I personally spoke to the customer that day & dispatched the tech back to the home. We have GPS on all company vehicles that allows us to see where they are at all times. Upon review of the recorded GPS data from the dispatched vehicle on that day, here is the time line of our work from this particular service call: 1. Our truck arrived on site at 2:28PM (to perform a $204.00 cleaning as scheduled by the customer). 2. At 3:54PM (1 hour, 26 minutes later) our mechanic left the home with a signed & “paid in full” service ticket (for a basic service fee and just 30 minutes of labor) totaling $139. (A copy of this ticket has been included here with crucial identifications blacked out) 3. The technician went to another “no heat” call at a home in the same town. During this time the customer called in, spoke with a receptionist and complained that his furnace would not come back on. I intercepted this call and agreed to send the technician back. The customer was told that we still do not recommend using this unit, but we would ensure that it will work for him should he want to turn it back on. 4. The technician arrived back on site at this customer’s home at 4:51pm. (He had been off site for just 57 minutes). It was found that the 38+ year old oil burner had a loose electrode that inadvertently came out of adjustment during our initial visit. This was quickly found and fixed. The tech tested the unit to ensure it would operate, he then turned the switch back to the off position and again recommended discontinuing use. 5. We left the home again at 5:26PM (35 minutes after we had returned). The customer had a functional unit again and was charged nothing more for the return trip. The technician’s notes on the (included) service ticket from this call read: “upon arrival found furnace radiating more heat out, than up. Found chamber burned through and furnace burning on back wall. Furnace was shut off at switch and customer told not to use due to safety issues.” Note: there’s no mention of carbon monoxide, there’s no mention of the high limit having tripped as the customer insinuated. The customer accepted this information, signed the ticket, paid the bill and requested an estimate to replace the system. Modern-Day units have far more safeties than the units from this era. The unit has a damaged chamber and is running hot. This is of great concern as it is usually an indication of a cracked heat exchanger. We would normally look deeper for proof and/or reasons for this, but the customer stopped the technician and requested an estimate for replacement. He admits this in his letters. The customer’s $139.10 is fully refundable toward the purchase price of a new furnace, today, just as it was the day we were at his home.  Sincerely, Matthew Z. President – Capital Region

This letter is in response to a complaint submitted to the Revdex.com by a Ms. [redacted] against our company. cleaning of the furnace. Our records indicate she noted at the time of scheduling she felt the furnace "was so dirty it wasn't coming on" - therefore acknowledging before we...

even arrived that the furnace was not operating. The technician got to her home and confirmed that it was indeed not working- and  at this time had to find out why the unit wasn't working, and what needed to be done to fix it. The technician found that the board that controls the furnace was giving a pressure switch error code; and that the pressure switch upon testing was bad. So the technician replaced the switch. The switch was then working, but the board was still giving an error message. The technician then went to our supplier to get a new board. When the board was replaced the unit started right up; the technician then went about the normal procedures for the tune-up/cleaning. Part of this process is to check for CO in the house- and upon testing we found there to be CO present when the furnace was running. Upon further investigation we accurately concluded that the heat exchanger was bad and causing the unit to give off deadly CO into the house. At this point it is true that the technician " red-tagged" the unit and left it apart and inoperable as we would in any situation so the homeowner can't ignore our warnings and cause serious harm or death to those in the home. We returned to Ms. [redacted]'s home the following day October 23, 2014 to give her an estimate for replacement of the furnace. We have to rely on what we are told from our distributors/reps in regards to warranty information; and unfortunately we were misinformed as to the warranty of Ms. [redacted]'s heat exchanger. If we were indeed just trying to sell Ms. [redacted] a new furnace we wouldn't have taken the time to get the unit working and diagnose the cracked heat exchanger correctly. In closing, the parts that were needed and supplied by us to make Ms. [redacted]'s furnace operable are still on her unit. I am proud to say that we did our job correctly and discovered a potentially deadly situation in her home. This was a maintenance ca ll that one thing led to another, but we ultimately got it
right. It is comparable to a mechanic/vehicle situation. It would be like having a car with a bad engine in which you replace it only to find out the transmission is also bad. Unfortunately you wouldn't know the transmission is bad until the engine is running to test it. Our technician would not have been able to test for CO until the unit was properly running. I feel that my technician and company did everything correctly, and am therefore owed for the parts and work performed to discover this potent ially deadly situation. We also did not ignore the stop payment the customer put on her check. Our paperwork/payment is always submitted to the [redacted] for processing as we are their Authorized Service Provider. In regards to the customers' complaint
that we were significantly higher in price for replacement- we compete against many different companies and offer high end products to our customers. We are always right in line with our competitors on price if you compare equal quality, equipment and service. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, [redacted]Holbrook Heating, Inc. CEO

We were contracted -- and subsequently fulfilled the contract -- for the installation of an air conditioner.  Mr. [redacted] signed off at that time that the contract was completed to his satisfaction.   Since then we have gone back numerous times, at no charge to the customer, because he has...

stated that the unit is not functioning.  We did have one or two issues that we resolved with the ductwork, but during all visits we have never once found the unit to not be operating correctly.  We even went there with a manufacturer’s representative on an extremely hot day and during the time we were there, the house dropped 2 degrees.  Every time we’ve been there the home has dropped in temperature and performed better than NYS Energy Efficiency Standards.   For no charge, we ran ductwork to try to get better air flow to a specific area of the home that he was concerned about.  We told Mr. [redacted] we would not do this work unless he signed a letter stating that we would not be liable any longer.  He signed it willingly and acknowledged that it was operating as it should and released us of any liability other than factory warranty from the contract.    He has called numerous times saying that the system has worked great.  One of those times it was a 90+ degree day and it was 70 degrees in his home.  Most a/c systems do not work as well as this.  His roof was compromised at the chimney, but he had it repaired before we were aware of it.  We were not given an opportunity to inspect it and repair it for him so we are not sure that it was even caused by our installation.   We feel that he changes his story occasionally which makes it hard to follow what he perceives is going on.  Regardless, Holbrook Heating and [redacted] are in agreement that this unit is working as it should and there is nothing more to be done to this system at this time.

We accept Mr. [redacted]'s offer with the added request that he also pen a letter to the State Attorney General's office indicating our agreement to settle this matter.  While we feel that our work done at Mr. [redacted]'s home was justified, we also value all of our customers and are willing to go the extra mile to satisfy a customer's concerns.  Holbrook Heating will contact Mr. [redacted] and schedule a cleaning at his convenience for the amount of $100 + tax.