Jonesville Heating & Cooling

Review: Upon signing a contract to install ductwork only for two heat pump systems, the company failed to (1) provide installation in a timely manner (not complete in 4+ months) (2) cut multiple erroneous holes including two in the valley of an already shingled roof (3) acted unprofessionally including threatening voicemail message. I decided that threats were unacceptable and asked the owner of the business to schedule time to enter my house prior to retrieving tools and at that time a fair settlement related to prepayment for "materials", which was greater than 75% of the price, could be reached. Even after retrieving tools without sufficient prior notice, some were left and I informed the business that tools were still there and a fair settlement was still in order. A helper came by unannounced to retrieve these tools and they were returned by me per his request as the owner had apparently told him that he would have to buy them back for the business.Desired Settlement: Based on work completed and partial list of materials purchased, a $1000 refund of the $2700 is sought as a fair settlement. This does not include the expenses that I personally covered from the various rework due to shoddy carpentry.

Business

Response:

As a follow-up to our recent telephone conversation in regard to the above-referenced complaint I am providing the following response:I was in the process of installing duct work in the subject property pursuant to contract. The property is new construction and, although I was informed the house plans were made by four engineers, there was no duct chase allowed for in the house. We were unable to install the duct work as is normally required when a duct chase is allowed for in the house and, because of this, extra work had to be done to attempt to properly install same. Also, in the process of attempting to install the duct work, I accidentally cut two slithers in the roof which were approximately 3" long and I am wide. I paid the homeowner $200.00 cash to pay for the three shingles/repairs, at which time he informed me if I could not do any better than that to just leave. I apologized numerous times in addition to paying him more than ample funds for the repairs, but he would not accept the apologies, although he did accept the $200.00 cash. I would also note that the contract specifically states if additional work is required, the customer is responsible for paying for that work/materials. All materials, not already installed were left on the job. Our contract was for $3,500.00, of which $700.00 is still owed by the homeowner.I do not feel I owe the homeowner anything since he "threw me off the job" and owes me $700.00.If you have further questions concerning this matter, please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.Sincerely,Dale Spivey, OwnerJonesville Heating & Cooling, LLC

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response and offer 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.

The offer made was for me (homeowner) to pay an additional $700 despite Jonesville Heating & Cooling, LLC not providing neither the entire amount of material nor most of the labor. This is supported by the fact that I have incurred an additional cost of $1875 to complete the work (labor and materials), which was the low bid. I therefore contend that the total compensation due by Jonesville Heating & Cooling, LLC is actually in excess of $1000 by the following:$2800+$1875 = $4675 ($1175 over the original estimate/contract of $3500)Despite the complaint related to a duct chase, this fact was known to the Business Owner while he was estimating it. I personally pointed it out to him (and others) as a mistake made by the truss manufacturer (not an engineer) that was not discovered until after installation. This problem was discussed to the satisfaction of both parties (truss manufacturer and homeowner) to accommodate a higher floor loading and provide for less total deflection, so no action was taken to remove and replace these trusses. The resulting issue was that the chase was jogged over approximately three feet in one location and was still accessible though not as easily and should have been in the estimate. The company did not even attempt to use this chase even though it was available for use. Installation would have been more difficult than if there was "free" access to any point, but this fact was again known at the time of the estimate. Additionally, other estimates were similar reflecting that they readily acknowledged that the job could be completed with said issue and even at a slightly lower cost than Jonesville Heating & Cooling, LLC.The separate contract that resulted in the holes being cut in the roof was not paid in cash and is only relevant in that this seems to be the primary event initiating the Business Owner's anger. The roof item was brought up by me on only three occasions despite claims to the contrary:When the holes were discovered, I contacted the Business Owner by phone and left a message on his cell phone.Shortly after (approximately 30 minutes) the first call, I tried the Business Owner's cell phone again and spoke to him to let him know of the issue. He denied this as a possibility, but he and I were not on the same page regarding the location of the penetrations. We agreed to look at these penetrations when he returned to work.The next time he worked on the jobsite, he and I discussed the issue and he apologized and agreed to pay for repairs verbally. I withheld part of the payment ($200) for the repairs based on the Business Owner's proposal after I inquired as to how the holes would be fixed and after he requested payment for finishing the job. It should be noted that additional work had to be done on the "completed job" by the other HVAC company, which was in addition to the roof repairs. The Business Owner was asked to leave the jobsite following a threatening message left on my home answering machine sometime after the events noted in item #3 and not because of the issue where holes were cut in the roof on the separate contract. The Business Owner's message frightened my wife, which prompted me to call the Business Owner from my place of work. I sought to understand the situation, but he refused to discuss the issue and hung up and would not answer again. When I listened to the message left at my home, I feared that he might seek to harm me or my family and asked him to leave and contact me prior to coming back to retrieve his equipment/tools in order to ensure their safety.

Regards,