Joe Fate's Repair and Remodeling

It is true that we were sent out to represent Mosella Mills & Chris Page's Home Warranty Company.  We found problems with their outdoor unit, and their indoor evaporator coil had a refrigerant (Freon/Puron) leak.  Concerning the outdoor cover:We did in fact leave the side cover off of...

the outdoor unit on the outside while we were there.  Fortunately the customer was able to inform us of our error, and we responded quickly and put the cover on the unit.  Concerning(Several days later):It was on the 26th day that we were called that there was a problem.Concerning the Statement(about forgetting to test lines):I am the technician that went out, and I never said anything about the installers "probably forgot to test the lines."  It was never our policy to test those lines.  On some jobs we replace the entire condensate lines, at a cost to the home warranty company or the homeowners.  However both the home warranty companies & their customers typically prefer for us to do things as cheaply as possible, which we did in this situation.Concerning the Statement(about being plumbers)  In explaining that we are not plumbers, that is because of a courtesy we extended in #1 making a new condensate free of charge, #2 re-plumbing her hot water heater discharge tube to make it safer than it was, and we believe we brought it up to code, but in her invoice mentioned that we are not plumbers so we would obviously recommend her have a plumber check out our work.Concerning the Statement(The condensation had backed up onto my floor):We agree that that is what happened.  The condensate did backup onto the floor.  When I was on site I told the customer they could call a plumber to verify where the clog was, or I could make cuts in the pipe to show her where the clog was.  Then I even went farther to say if they thought they might pursue trying to have us be liable they might be better off to have the plumber come.  She was fine with watching me cut the pipe.  On the third cut right at the water heater tie in when I cut there all the condensate water came out of the PVC coming from the evaporator.  Concerning the PVC condensate line.  Because of the improper way the water heater was tied in, we could have not replaced the plumbing going further than the tie in, as her previous plumber had done the work improperly.  When we went out, their outdoor unit was broken, and so was their evaporator coil inside.  We replaced those items, and they now function.  We didn't replace all of their ductwork in the house, we didn't replace their furnace, and we didn't originally make a new condensate line.  We tied into their existing plumbing, which is very common.  Manufacturers recommend cleaning those out annually.  The pictures I took onside show I believe that she has not been having the yearly service done to her drains.We replaced the condensate as a courtesy, and not because we felt at fault.  I mentioned multiple times while I was there that she may want to have a different plumber there, but I showed he conclusively where the clog was, and it was past the point where the water heater was hooked in improperly.  Concerning the front office having 3 requests for the insurance companies phone number, they are supposed to refer home warranty customers to the home warranty company concerning any insurance issues.  I have had a conversation with the front office and looked in your customer notes, and they said that we did not get 3 phone calls asking for the insurance information for your account.  There was one request on your account for our insurance information, and we referred you to the home warranty company, which is our policy, and they gave you the information as they were supposed to.Concerning what the adjuster may have said, I have no idea.  I have pictures before and after, and our work was done properly.Concerning having the insurance company deny the claim, we have been in business for 16 years, and have never had a claim before, and we showed you where the clog was, and it was at least 8' running feet from the work that we did.  We are very sad that you have had this damage to your floor, which is why while we were there, we did the things we did for you out of kindness.  However, it seems as you would prefer to pervert our kindness into us accepting fault.  Mosella, the clog was after the water heater connection, and both you and I know that.Rob