Smith Heating and Cooling, Inc.

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:Smith heating has always agreed that the air flow needs improvement in that one area of the houseI have always agreed that filters, depending on filters ability to filter fine particulate matter, will restrict air flow thru the filterI maintain if the filter was the culprit, no matter how dirty or clean, decreased air flow would be experienced throughout the house and not just one area. In regards to the service call on 6/8/it was never the filter, and was determined that a screen I had installed over the exhaust pipe to keep wasps out decreased venting combustion products caused the trip in the breaker I removed the screen myself and have not had a repeat in system problem.I reject that no blockage or improper duct installation was found by video inspection due to the fact that the inspector used a video probe that was no longer than feetHardly enough length to inspect the entire run of the ductingWhen Smith heating called on 8/11/I did state the furnace was cooling betterI also stated that I would give it some more time to determine if the fix was going to properly cool. The most recent technician visit did not reveal a plugged filterI do use better filters than recommended due to allergie issues and the need to filter out fine particulatesI replace the filters when recommended by the filter manufacturer and still argue that the use of this type of filter would not only affect one side of the house Smith heating stated that my basement is underground and they cannot guarantee even temperaturesMy basement is a full daylight basement and the side of the house that has the issues in completely above grade.I have never asked Smith heating to make the changes that they have made and have never wanted anything more than what I had paid for I have stated from the start that the ducting is probably the issue due to the symptoms and Smith heating chose to do the work the did to "appease" me instead of focusing on the ducting and correcting the mistakes they made during the installationSmith heating has treated me as a inconvenience to their business and MrS*** himself has behaved in a very unprofessional manner dismissing this problem as my fault.I expect any business to correct improper installation and as time has gone by Smith heating can now use an out of date warranty
Sincerely,
*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 12678656, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
J[redacted]

Mr. [redacted] is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.  His facts about this issue seem to keep evolving to suit his idea of what the original complaint was to whatever it is now.  This will be our last response about this matter.Sincerely,Robert S[redacted]

Sir this is C[redacted], Service Manager at Ford of Ventura. This letter is in regards to ID# 12678656. The Customer is J[redacted]. He owns the 2010 Ford Fusion in question. The Two Repair Orders in question are RO#6046940 and RO#6047465. Please note on RO#6046940 we replaced a faulty Ignition...

switch. The mileage at that time was 171,987. On RO#6047465 we replaced the #5 Fuel injector and connector. The mileage at that time was 173,466. The Customer had driven 1,476 miles between the two repairs. Please note there is no connection between a faulty Ignition switch and a faulty Fuel Injector.We have assisted Mr. G[redacted] many times over the last two years when he was unemployed. We have given Him a free Loaner vehicle on several occasions. We have given Him free Diagnoses when He had no Money. We bought Him Fuel when he was completely broke. We have always treated Him with respect and kindness. Sir, on the two repairs in question, we only repaired what Mr. G[redacted] asked for. Note all of our repairs have a two year Warranty. Sir if I can answer any questions please call me at ###-###-####. Thank you for Your time, C[redacted].

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:It is obvious Smith Heating has no intentions of correcting an installation mistake, or at least prove no installation mistake was made. Smith heating continues to place blame for the airflow problem, served by one specific duct run, on the user.  If this was truly the fault of the filter choice, airflow issues would be a complaint for the entire house.  All complaints I have made, with exception of the issue of furnace not working at all made on 6/8/14, have been to show Smith Heating proof of "subpar" airflow. The duct that serves the master bedroom is the same duct that serves the basement bedroom, directly below the master bedroom. Smith heating still blames all problems on clogged filters, which has never been an issue. The only filter that has ever been an issue was the original filter that was replaced shortly after I took ownership of the home. The filter choice of me and my family has no effect on the airflow in one particular duct and Smith heating has failed to make a legitimate argument on that fact.  Smith Heating claims I have told them the master bedroom is heating and cooling correctly.  I have not.  I have been honest in stating that some of the work has improved.  Meaning the increased fan speed has helped, but only very little. The addition of vent fans in the master did nothing except increased fan noise in our bedroom.  The addition of a duct run to serve the master bedroom did help, but only slightly. None of the work preformed has solved the initial problem of poor airflow.  Smith Heating initially agreed to "subpar" airflow, however stated on the first visit that he wanted to prevent an expensive insurance claim that would be required if he had to pull down drywall and reinstall the duct run.  I was understanding at that time and felt if Smith Heating could fix the problem without tearing down drywall it would be easier on all of us.Smith Heating is claiming difficulty in heating and cooling basements. In one response they say "can't guarantee even temperatures in basements. Especially a basement that is underground.", and the next "(daylight basements are harder to heat then a full underground basement)". Obviously these contradictions are an attempt to show me, and others, that I cannot possibly have a legitimate complaint. Not to mention the fact that the area in question, served by the poor airflow duct, is 8 to 10 degrees colder than the rest of the basement. Apparently Smith heating wants me to believe that one particular room below grade is much harder to heat and cool than the others served by different duct runs.  Smith Heating is correct in their statement that Mr. [redacted] refuses to run his furnace fan all the time. My reason for this has many points. First, I have run the fan all the time with no improvement. Second, I do not wish to pay higher electrical bills because of an airflow problem that my HVAC installer cannot or will not remedy. Lastly, I believe a proper working furnace would not require this type of use.  After all it has an automatic function which to my experience is the standard operating practice.  All HVAC system that I have been exposed to heat the rooms, turn off, then turn on again when the temperature drops, and vice verses for cooling.When Smith Heating stats "He hasn't paid for anything". I find that extremely insulting and proof of the disrespect this company has for their customers.  I paid Smith Heating indirectly when I purchased this new home.  Ted Miller construction provided me the break down of cost and the line item for HVAC was $12000.00. So yes, I have paid for a working furnace and air conditioning unit.  Not to mention his cost of $4087.00 was what he wanted to do so he could avoid a much higher cost on an insurance claim. For demolition, duct repair, dry wall, tape, mud, prime, paint, and cleanup, not to mention labor of subcontractors.Smith Heating claims that my goal is to "put out as much bad information on Smith Heating as possible". Let me assure you that any bad information I have said about Smith Heating has been earned. His tone and blame in his statements are a testament to how he views his customers. I have always maintained an understanding and patience to Smith Heating's needs and attempts to remedy this issue. His failures are not my fault and I will not accept that the problem I am experiencing is something other than installation error until proven otherwise.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Review: Repair man showed up late- refused to provide a written estimate stating repair/ cleaning should be completed with in diagnostic time and take no more than 2 hours to complete. Found out then he was unprepared to do job as he had no Nitrogen to " blow out" the heat exchanger. I offered a compressor that put out 1800 cfm to which he stated would not freeze the dust and debris and clean as well. Another repairman dropped off a bottle of nitrogen but did not check it 1st as it was also empty. I offered my compressor again to no avail. I removed the covers and had to prove to him that the coil was just cleaned and he spent nearly 2 hours standing in my garage waiting for the company owner to find him more nitrogen. I asked him to simply put things back together and leave as obviously this was taking way too long. He stated he was not going to charge for all the down time and should have a bottle shortly. A call came in and he got very angry because he would have to go get the nitrogen rather than it being delivered to him. He left at approx.11:35 am stating he was meeting someone at Ash and Wellesley- which is less than 15 minutes away. He returned at 1:38 pm and spent the entire bottle of nitrogen blowing out the heat exchanger in less than 2 minutes. He then put the fan and motor(one unit) that had been sitting in my driveway since 8:35am back in. He wrote up the bill stating he worked on the unit from 8:00 to 2:00 did not charge for going to get the nitrogen. He presented he with a bill for more than $387.00-which is more than twice the going rate- as I had called 2 other companies while waiting for him to come back. He told me no more than 2 hours when he refused to write an estimate saying about $120.00 to $140.00. I told him I was not at all happy and would call his boss for a better explanation of charges to which he stated he was not leaving with out payment and preferred cash. I wrote a check knowing I had not signed any work order and could cancel it immediately-which I did.Desired Settlement: After numerous call to them to discuss the over charged amount-I feel that the charges should be absorbed by the company. The repair man worked less than 1 hour total time- was not even on site for nearly 2 hours- & had to barrow tools to do diagnostic work, which is what he was sent there for. This is the most obvious attempt to rip me off I have ever had to deal with.

Business

Response:

November 20,2012

Dear Mr. [redacted],

Since we have been unable to contact each other over the phone, I thought I would explain the charges for this invoice. The totals on invoice #5875 reflect the correct hours and pricing; as per your conversation with our Service Technician Kyle. He did not charge you for the 1 1/2 hours of time to get the extra (nitro) parts. The charges were for diagnostic that covers the first hour. (This covers travel time as well). You were charged 3 !4 hours of labor. The total time was from 8am to 2 pm. for a total for 6 hours. Take 1 hour off for diagnostic and 1 1/2 hours off for parts run and this leaves the 3 Vi hours of chargeable labor plus the diagnostic. I am sorry you feel over charged in this mater, but this is how long it took for us to do a proper and thorough cleaning.

Please advise us that your check is clearable, or please reissue a check in the amount of $387.22. If you wish to discuss this further, please contact me between the hours of 8-10 am.

Thank you, j

Service Manager

Smith Heating & Cooling, Inc.

\

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9478644, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]

Please notice that in the response from Smith it state that the heat exchanger was 100% plugged which is completely untrue. Kyle stated it was not as bad as he expected. He and I both inspected it-before and after he blew nitrogen through it. Very little debris came out and he was surprised saying again it was not bad. I did not sign the work order because I was not satisfied and very unhappy. He refused to leave without payment. That is the only reason a check was written- which was immediately cancelled.

Regards,

Business

Response:

April 12,2013