Mount Laurel Heating & Cooling

Review: I am presently monitored by Dr. [redacted] at [redacted] for lung inflammation and Dr. [redacted] for allergies. In December 2013, I signed a contract with Mt Laurel Heating and Air for a new furnace and air conditioner. Took out a loan and paid them $7,300.00, due to my furnace went completely and they suggested to purchase an air conditioner due to age of the unit. Although I never had any problems with my air conditioner and it worked great - I still took their expert advise, because they said it would cost me more to replace later. Due to my health issues, I did not want to go without air and I never open windows. In June, I noticed the temp was off. I set it and kept it at 74 but the temp was rising to 79. I called Mt Laurel HVAC and they didn't want to come out for 10 days - I was very upset about this and stayed home from work next day and insisted they come out. Came out and just put towels and duck tape around furnace and said see if that works and left while my temp was at 78. This has been going on for almost 1 month and then 1 1/2 week later came out and put a metal flange on top of furnace. Still did not resolve issue - about another week later they were scheduled on 07/02/14 to come out and [redacted] called me and cancelled - she stated she didn't know what was wrong and felt they were not qualified to fix this and would need to call [redacted] company. However 07/03/14, sent another tech out to wrap thermal pan around one side of furnace. They have constantly putting me off - I have called the loan company [redacted] and that seems to be the only time they come out, but only to put up patches of different things. I have called many times and very very difficult to get them out here or answer emails or phone calls. My old air worked great and this has been an absolute mess and stressful situation. Then they said for me to reconstruct my furnace closet and MAYBE this will work. I said no, I had no problems beforeDesired Settlement: ASAP Either replace, fix or refund. It has been almost a month and still not fixed. My furnace closet is so hot anymore and was never like this. I am trying everything I can to work with them, but they are not honor their contract. If they put in a wrong or faulty furnace then they need to fix it and make it safe. I have to keep my bi-fold doors open now - I have gone out and bought a thermal curtain to put over my back door, I only use my dish washer, washing machine and dryer at cooler hours of the day. Due to how loud this furnace is I can't talk on the phone in the kitchen nor hear the TV. I have 2 dogs and work 2 jobs and very concerned about their well being, because I had no idea how hot the house was getting after 4:30pm because I went to a second job and arrived back home at 10:30pm when the air goes back to normal. Until I was home one night and saw it went up to 79. I have allergies and lung inflammation. I have been more than patient, but this needs to be fixed ASAP.

Business

Response:

[redacted], I am responding to a letter I received notifying Mt Laurel Heating and Cooling of a complaint filed by [redacted] on 7/6/2014 ID# [redacted]. Ms [redacted]'s history begins with an installation of a heating and cooling system installed on 12/23/2013. On 4/13/2014 we dispatched a service representative to her home to respond to a complaint that her AC was not working. When our technician arrived he discovered that her thermostat was not functioning properly so we replaced her stat. When the technician left everything was working properly. Ms [redacted] called back on 6/10/14 during a heat wave saying her unit wasn't shutting down. It is not uncommon for a condensing unit to run all day without shutting down during the day in a heat wave. Her concern did not indicate a failing system so we scheduled her for a follow up visit to check the system for proper operation on 6/18/2014. As stated her call was during a heat wave which is why our response time was a week out for operating systems. On 6/18/14 our technician was dispatched to her home and found the thermostat set at 74. The temperature in her home was 77. Again our technician checked the operation of her system. He found no problems with the operation of the system but did find that Mr [redacted] had unusually high return air due to the heat in the closet. This is not a typical condition. In normal operation a temperature across the coil is used to determine if the unit is cooling properly. It is done by taking the return air temperature before it is cooled and then taking the temperature of the supply air after it has crossed the coil. A properly operating system will yield a 20 degree temperature split. Ms [redacted] had a 20 degree split again indicating proper operation of her cooling system. Her system has an open return air so our technician made a temporary attempt to block the excessive hot air that was in her heating closet which he felt was responsible for the excessive return air temperature. He further suggested that we go back out to try to make a more suitable solution. Our office called to schedule the visit and Ms [redacted]. She stated that she works two jobs and could not be home during regular business hours. She stated she only had availability at 4:30. So as per her time request she was rescheduled on 6/24/2014. This was our first available date for that time slot. She chose to wait for that time so we returned to her home on 6/24/2014. The owner [redacted] went personally with the technician to observe the problem and come up with a suitable solution. After seeing the conditions she felt that our company is not qualified to properly enclose the closet space and still had reservations as to if the solution would in fact solve the problem. On that day we fabricated a temporary shield on the top of the furnace in an effort to reduce the excessive heat being pulled into the return creating the poor operation of her system. On 6/30/2014 Ms [redacted] called back stating that the attempt to shield the return air had little effect. Our office scheduled a return visit on 7/2/14. The owner not confidant it was a good idea to block the heater in the hot closet chose to cancel that visit and check with the manufacturer for clearances to ensure that no damage would occur to the furnace. After consulting with the technical support representative of the furnace a decision was made to again put up some temporary blockage around her furnace. At that time we contacted Ms [redacted] and again scheduled a visit on 7/3/2014 at 4:30 as per her demands. Again this had little effect so Ms [redacted] called our office back. It is very difficult for our service technicians to be scheduled at 4:30 as we do not know how long a diagnostic may take. Our service calls are generally scheduled with a 4 hour window to allow flexibility for our service team. It had been decided that a new technician be sent out to see if he had any new input to this troublesome problem. On 7/10/2014 our technician arrived at her home at 6:30 am before she had to leave for work. When he arrived everything was working fine. The temperature was holding at the desired temperature. He again found the unit to be performing properly. Ms [redacted] had concerns since the temperature of the day had not yet risen and since her problem occurs in the heat of the day. We then agreed to send out our field supervisor to try to identify the source of the heat. On 7/15/2014 we returned to her home at 4:30 as per her request. When we arrived her thermostat was set for 73 and temperature in home was 73 degrees. The pressures and refrigerant levels were in normal range. The temperatures coming out of her supply vents were also within normal range. Ms [redacted] was still concerned at the amount of run time required to maintain temperature. It should be noted that during excessive heat waves units often do not shut down during the day. It should also be noted that for three days prior to and including the day of evaluation the outdoor temperatures were above 90 degrees with an oppressive humidity level. Our technician again replaced her thermostat to ensure Ms [redacted] that her unit was in fact working properly. Digital stats are designed to maintain temperature within one degree. Ms [redacted] stated that this problem did not exist with her old system. Often when new indoor units are replaced the air flow and return work more efficiently due to lack of dirt and debris in the blower cavity. This would account for why the new unit was pulling more return air out of her closet. Lastly, her claim that we have been unresponsive is false. In fact the opposite is quite true. The new system we installed for Ms [redacted] is in fact operating properly her issue appears to be from the conditions of her home. We have gone above and beyond to not only resolve her issue but to do it around her needs. We have scheduled our technicians both before and after normal working hours. They are emergency billable hours even under warranty as stated in the contract that Ms. [redacted] signed. We have waved all fees for these premium hours in our best effort to provide the customer service we pride ourselves in delivering. Our final evaluation on this date indicates that the temporary blockage to the return air in her closet did in fact have an effect. This would indicate that the problem she is experiencing is due to the conditions of the home. It also confirms that her new equipment is properly sized and properly functioning. We would recommend that Ms. [redacted] have a professional carpenter to either install a more permanent cabinet around her unit or to install a drop panel above her furnace in the heater room to contain the excessive heat penetration from the metal roof above her furnace closet.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Response for ID #[redacted] - [redacted] vs. Mt Laurel HVAC

Dear [redacted]:

Thank you for your time and attention in this matter. I greatly appreciate your quick response in presenting the Complaint to Mt Laurel HVAC on July 7, 2014 regarding my brand new furnace and air. This has been a horrific ordeal and I have never seen company service like this one.

This has been going on since June 13, 2014 and all they kept doing was patching as follows: They first came out on July 18, 2014 for about 15 minutes, went outside to check air and came back in and used a temp gauge around the furnace - then just patched around furnace with towels and duct tape . He barely talked, just stated “see if that works”. and left while the temp in the house was 78; July 24, 2014 they came out to just patch again with a piece of metal flange over top of furnace; July 3, 2014 came out to just patch again with thermal pan around furnace. It was not until July 10, 2014 (after they received Revdex.com’s notice of Complaint that they finally sent a tech out to start physically working on the unit. Prior to this they kept stating that there was nothing they can do and the problem was my house. They stated that I would need to reconstruct my furnace closet.

When tech came out on July 10, 2014 they adjusted the fan. Adjusting the fan did make a difference in the temp but it still kept running till at night and the closet was still hot. On July 15, 2014, the same tech came out and another tech with him. They were evaluating the unit and observed that the unit runs and runs and even noted that it was already about 5:30pm and rainy and the unit is still running. They replaced the thermostat and an item called a bulb (if I understood this right) in the unit needed adjustment. Finally the air was working normal (so I thought)- temp was coming down and fan going on and off as normal. My only concern was that the fan was off for awhile and this would usually cool the unit down. On nights when the fan would keep going and going I would raise the temp up just to give it a break. Then wait a while, set the temp back down and it would act normal again.

Next day I came home from work at 4:30 pm and temp was fine but the fan never shut off and closet was very warm, not as hot as previously. However, it did not shut down for even for one minute until 8:00pm and temp outside was already cooled down and it was a beautiful night. However, shutting off at 8:00pm is an improvement to 10:00pm. But it is still not in full working capacity and that closet needs to stop getting warm. I have been home over the last several days and monitoring the unit. I set my temp to 72 and the house temp once again started climbing, but not as high as before.

This company would have never never come out to work on the unit if it wasn’t for Revdex.com. The issues at this point are as follows:

1) this unit is only 6 months old and already a third thermostat was put in. I have had units for years and years and never needed a thermostat. What is causing this?

2) I didn’t have this problem during the winter and cold air drops, but heat rises. So why was everything fine in the winter?

3) Mt Laurel wants me to reconstruct my furnace closet, attic and house:

A) What do they want me to reconstruct? This closet is already enclosed and designed for furnaces. My ceiling in the furnace closet is 13 ½ inches from the top of the furnace and exactly 5 inches from the inside wall. It the inside kitchen wall where the fan is and where the heat starts to get really hot. The right- side of the unit is actually cool and this faces the outside. Even the top right of the furnace is cool. . The harder the fan works - the hotter it gets on the side and then starts rising up. Running straight 10-12 hour without a minute break. Right into the evening hours. Maybe the unit is trying to cool itself off.

B) The furnace Mt Laurel ordered is different specs than my prior furnace

C) My contract states a [redacted] furnace; they gave me a [redacted]. There is nowhere it states that this is a [redacted] - not even in the pamphlet.

D) The fan in this unit is extremely loud and with it running all day it is extremely annoying. I lived all winter like this, because they told me they couldn’t lower the fan anymore. At least in the winter the fan went on and off as normal. I use to enjoy my kitchen, cooking, eating and watching TV. But the TV is drowned out by the furnace and yet I did not keep calling and complaining - I just lived with it. But with an unit running all day and the noise - this is wrong. Plus with all the mess around my unit and I have to leave the closet doors open.

4) Did they give me a refurbished air conditioner or one that is not compatible to this home?

5) Deeply concerned about this company handling my Warranty.

A) Plus how could I trust someone who stated on her response that on July 2nd I cancelled their appointment. I absolutely never did that. If needed I have print-outs from my places of employment of all the dates and times I took off. (But at this point I can’t continue to do this especially to just patch). [redacted] left a voice mail telling me that she was not coming out because they did not know what was wrong and did not feel qualified. I called her back within a short time and I was livid. When I called her back she just told me that they were not coming out because they felt that I needed to hire someone to reconstruct my furnace closet. If I hired carpenters to reconstruct and the air still didn‘t work. They would probably say it was constructed wrong. This is an unbelievable easy- out of fulfilling an obligation.

6) Buying a air conditioner should appreciate your home. My house is a mess. They told me to leave my closet louver doors open at all times. I have a mess of duck tape and partially ripped thermal pan around the furnace. If I was to try and sell my house today - this would decrease sale.

On July 13, 2014, without even working on the air conditioner Mt Laurel had already made a decision that the problem was my house. I paid them in full $7,300.00 for a new furnace and air-conditioner that they talked me into purchasing. We are entering into the middle of summer and it is still not fixed.

Over the course of years, I had air conditioners and furnaces installed in my other homes. One home was about 150 years old, with vents already in place and we converted into central air in 1983. Rented it out and sold it in 1999. Never one time did I need a technician or thermostat. In 2005, had a furnace and air installed in another home and now rent it out. Same set-up furnace closet door in kitchen. In 2013, I only had one problem with a starter. [redacted] the owner (who also does hands-on installation of [redacted] came out same day evaluated the job and same day sent his technician out with instructions. I so wish I could have had him do this job, but he doesn’t have finance plans. I so greatly appreciate his expertise.

**I don’t feel it is the responsibility of a carpenter to make sure my unit is working. It is the responsibility of Mount Laurel HVAC, because the next thing would be that the carpenters didn’t do the right job.

Once again I greatly thank you for your time and if any more information is needed, please don’t hesitate to call.

Regards,