Mobile Hometuff Store Inc.

Review: On September 20,2012 I had this company install a new Air Conditioning Unit. In June, 2013 I was going to use the unit for the first time. After trying to turn the unit on, the breaker would keep flipping off. On June 26, 2013 the company came out on a service call. It was written down that the unit was damaged by a mouse that got inside the unit and fried the compressor and at this time cannot get ahold of just compressor. Was told either the unit need to be repaired or replaced and their was not much of a price difference. Given an estimate of 1,128.85 to receive a new unit. Told the company at this time that I did not have the money to get another unit and that I would have to wait on getting the unit fixed or replaced. I sent in a claim to my homeowners insurance to see if the damage could be covered. Received a letter of denial on July 9, 2013 from the insurance company to due there is no coverage for rodent damage. In May, 2014 I decided to call another company for a second opinion. After talking to the second company on the phone, I decided for them to come and check out the unit. They told me on the telephone that it was almost impossible for a mouse to cause that much damage, that a mouse is not large enough to do that kind of damage and they have been in business for 30 plus years and never heard of that happening. On May 27, the second company came out on a service call for a second opinion. They wrote that the compressor has been shorted out to the ground and most likely caused by a power surge or lightning strike. The a/c expert also said that something was soldered and that was not the proper way to do it, but the cheap way. I was advised to try to file another claim. The insurance said they were going to send their own a/c expert out. On June 3, 2014 the third a/c expert came out that the insurance had called. A few days later , I tried to turn the heat on. The heat or the fan will not work. On June 11, 2014 , I received a letter from the insurance stating the claim was denied. The a/c company wrote down the problem was a mechanical breakdown and that I should talk to the company that had put the a/c unit in. On June 13, 2014 I called this company and was told that they could make a service call which would cost $140 to check out the problem. I asked if there was any warranty and they responded by saying no that the 1 year warranty expired. On July 1, 2014, I called the warranty department and was told that the a/c company should submit a claim with the distributor and then the distributor needs to send a claim to the warranty department. Was told that any a/c dealer can file a claim. I talked to two other a/c companies and they stated they won't help with the warranty if someone else had put the unit in. I called this company that originally put the claim in. The man from this company got sarcastic and said that he was not going to lie to the warranty dept. I stated that I did not want that and that there was a claim sent out after your statement about the mouse, and that two other a/c experts stated that the damage was not a mouse. He stated he could not help me and that I should get a /c expert closer to my area.Desired Settlement: There is a five year limited warranty if any part fails due to defect in material or workmanship a replacement part will be provided free except for freight costs, labor and refrigerant charges. The warranty is 5 year parts, 5 year compressor. It states on the warranty that they are not responsible for problems caused by improper installation, application, or operation of the equipment. It also states it is not covered if parts fail as a direct result of environmental issues. I have had three a/c experts out to check out the unit with three different causes. One a mouse, the other a lightning strike or power surge and the last a mechanical breakdown. At this time, I am very confused. I feel that the a/c unit was defective or not working to begin with. If there was a mechanical breakdown, I would think that I would of got some use out of the unit. This is a brand new a/ c unit that has never been used and a I feel that the company that put the a/c unit in , should stand by its products if they never worked. I understand that there may be some out of pocket costs, but I feel I should not have to purchase a new system when the first one is brand new. Therefore I am asking that the company put in a replacement a/c to replace the old one that was never used. If I don't have the a/c unit replaced or repaired I am going to have to call a a/c expert which will cause me a service charge due to the fact that I no longer have any heat, fan, etc. which I feel is something that would of not been necessary if everything was working right. I also had to pay a $100 service charge for the second opinion which was also a expense that could of been avoided.

Business

Response:

When we were called out to the customer's home on 06/26/13 to respond to an ac call, our technician found a mouse inside the electrical compartment of the outside unit. He took a picture of the mouse and called Nordyne Technical Assistance to see if there was a way to change out the compressor only since the mouse had shorted the electrical system. He was told by Nordyne Tech that a compressor was not available by itself for this unit due to the damage to the electrical compartment, and the customer would need to purchase a new condensing unit since damage due to rodents is not covered by any warranty. Customer was given a written estimate for the price of the condensing unit along with a $100 installation fee, which is normally $350. When customer called in June, 2014, she said she was trying to get her insurance to cover a claim that she filed for the damaged unit and wanted us to come out to look at the unit. If we were to come out, there would be $140 service and labor charge since we warranty our labor for one year only. Customer did not want to pay us for a service call. We were not aware of any heating issue, which has nothing to do with our installation of the ac system from 2012. We are willing to install a new condensing unit per the estimate we wrote up last year, but we will not replace it at no cost as there is no warranty.

Consumer

Response:

Since the a/c unit has been sitting since June 26, 2013, I have talked to several other people about the a/c problem. Two other professional a/c installers informed me in writing that the mouse could not fry the electrical system causing that much damage. When I called Mobile Home Stuff Store in June, the reason I had filed another claim was due to the fact I have two other possibilities for the a/c failure. When the homeowner's insurance denied my claim they recommended that I get ahold of the company who installed the system that they should be able to take care of the problem. One of the a/c experts stated that the condensation unit may have been defective to begin with. One of the other experts stated that a part on the unit was soldered on which was not the proper way of doing it, but the cheap way. I have a brand new a/c system that was paid for in full, in advance that cost a lot of money assuming that I would be able to get use out of it. I feel that the warranty coverage should be reconsidered due to the fact of different opinions of why the system failed and also two different written statements saying the mouse would not be able to ruin an entire a/c system. Yes the mouse was found, but Mobile Home Stuff Store cannot guarantee that the mouse was the entire cause and that there was not some underlying problem or problems. All I am asking is that when a consumer purchases and item from a business that the system should work and that the business should stand beside its products. Yes, they are willing to put in the condenser for more money, but I feel that I have paid enough money and did not receive any working product for it. This has been an unfortunate incident, but due to the fluctuating opinions to the cause I feel it should be replaced for free and to honor your warranty. I understand that there may be some charges that may be incurred which I am willing to pay for, but I will not give approximately $1, 300 more.

Business

Response:

Please be advised that we spoke directly with Nordyne, the manufacturer of the unit in question and the company which provides the five-year warranty, the day that we found the mouse in the unit. None of these other companies were there at that time or saw the level of damage caused by this rodent. Our technician was on the phone with Nordyne technical assistance trying every possible scenario to see if the unit could be fixed but to no avail. While we sympathize with this individual regarding her situation, we do not manufacture the products we sell and install, and cannot be held responsible for honoring any warranty offered by the actual manufacturer when implied warranty is not covered by said manufacturer, in this case, Nordyne. Also, we should not have to give away a condensing unit that we would have to pay for just because this individual spent a lot of money. Furthermore, our actual customer was not Lisa Footit, but the dealer who sold her the home, Quality Home Sales. Finally, the estimate we gave this individual on 06/13/13, was good for 60 days. The price of a two ton ac condensing unit has increased since that estimate was written. However, we are still willing to honor the pricing on that estimate, which is $1,128.85.

Review: They put a repair on my roof that was supposed to stop leaks from ice jams.It leaked last winter more than ever. I contacted them muneras times and they woun't do anything about it. The only thing they would do was give me a 10% discount on a complete roof. In going over the contract They charged me $1492.29 for the job and it didn't help a bit. They also overcharged me because they only did half of what the contract called for and only gave me A CREDIT OF $369.26 SO AT LEAST THEY CAN DO IS GIVE ME A CREDIT of$561.51 The job was done in Sept. of 2013.Desired Settlement: Would at least want a refund of $561.51

Business

Response:

Our estimator went to customer's home on 08/20/13 to give him an estimate for roof repairs. The customer's main concern was a small amount of damage along the edge of his ceiling caused by ice dams along the north side of his home. Our estimator found that the shingles on the home were worn and in need of replacement. Customer wanted us to quote taking off and replacing only a few rows of shingles along the edge where the ice damming was occurring. Our estimator wrote up the estimate for the work the customer requested, but he also suggested to the customer that we could install a steel roof over his existing roof as we could not guarantee that replacing the worn shingles would alleviate his leaking issues. The customer told our estimator he was not interested in a new roof as he felt the south side of the home didn't need to be replaced. On 09/10/13, we performed the work per the estimate the customer had signed and agreed upon. This past spring, the customer called with a complaint that ice dams had caused additional leaks on his home. Our estimator went to the customer's home shortly after receiving the complaint, and he discovered that the ceiling was no different in appearance than when he gave the estimate on 08/20/13. Our estimator recommended a steel roof again and left an estimate with the customer for that, but the customer did not choose to have the work done. We did not guarantee that replacing the shingles would alleviate his leaks so we will not issue the customer a credit for the work we did. We made every effort to solve the customer's issues in a timely manner.

Consumer

Response: