Sterling Heating & A/C Inc

The *** contacted our company for air conditioning service on Saturday 06/21/14 and agreed to pay the minimum weekend rate of $+ tax. Additional repairs would be quoted on an as needed basisThe technician found that the unit was very low on Freon and checked the
outside condenser forany signs of leaks, but none were foundLooking for a refrigerant leak that could be anywhere in the condenser, the line set, and/or the evaporator coil is time consuming and expensive to the consumer without the use of dye. That is why it is standard protocol in the industry to add refrigerant and dye to the system, and allow the dye to circulate. The amount of time that is needed to reveal the leak varies greatly depending on the size of the leak and the amount of time the system is running.Before proceeding with any additional service, the technician explained that the source and severity of the leak at that time was unknown. On average, a small leak could take six to eight weeks for the dye to reveal it, which is what was quoted to the homeowner. The homeowner authorized the refrigerant but declined the dyeHowever, the homeowner was warned before proceeding that if the leak was major, it was possible for the refrigerant to escape in as little as a few hoursThey were advised that if the AC stopped working to call us back. Instead, when the air conditioning was not cooling just a few hours later, they called another contractorWe believe that contractor had the advantage of knowing that we did not find a leak outside so knew to begin looking inside the coil, as well as the advantage of higher pressures in the system from the added refrigerant, which would have aided them in hearing the refrigerant escapeThey were indeed fortunate to find the leak quickly; that is not usually the norm.When the customer called to complain, we explained that we followed standard procedure and industry protocol. Our technician did provide serviceHe did add refrigerant to the systemHe did recommend dye, which the homeowner declinedHe did explain that if there was a major leak, the refrigerant could escape in as little as a few hoursAnd he did advise them to call us back if that happenedThe homeowner elected to call someone else. Had they called us, we feel we also would have found the leak quickly, made the repair, and adjusted the refrigerant at no additional charge, but we were not given that opportunityWe regret that the *** are dissatisfied with our service; however, it is our position that the charges are fair and reasonable, based on service provided and disclosures made; that they voluntarily called someone else instead of calling us back to make it rightWe stand by our offer of refund of the after-hour upcharge as a courtesy, but do not feel that any additional refund is due

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
 
I am not satisfied with this response, and am surprised Sterling would even give such a response.  In order to have the Sterling person come out on June 9 to replace the defective coil they had sold me, they insisted I be prepared to pay $1600 (which I did under protest and noting that I did not accept what they were saying).  When I asked Rose M on June 9 to specify what the charges were for, this is what she sent me:
 
From: "[redacted] <[redacted]>
Subject: Breakdown of leak detection and coil installation
Date: June 9, 2016 at 10:30:18 AM EDT
To: <[redacted]>
 
 
 
[redacted],
 
5/02/16 – Filled system with Nitrogen. No leak detected. Installed 5 Lbs of R410A refrigerant and dye.
5/09/16 – Checked for leak could not detect any leaks in the system, added 11 Lbs. of R410A refrigerant
5/27/16 – Checked for leak, found dye in the evaporator drain pan.
 
Ordered replacement evaporator coil manufacturer replace under their warranty. 
 
Normal charge for dye is $64.00 plus tax - $68.48
Normal charge for refrigerant is $59.00 for 1st Lb. and $50.00 for each additional pound. 16lbs of refrigerant used totaling $809.00 plus tax – $865.63
 
Install evaporator coil and charge system requires 15 lbs. of 410A refrigerant $59.00 for 1st Lb. and $50.00 for each additional pound $759.00 plus tax – $812.13
Labor cost, refrigerant tubing connections and PVC drain connections and evacuate system. $34.00
 
 
    $68.48
  $865.63
  $812.13
   $34..00
$1780.24
    - 10%
$1602.22
 
[redacted]
Sterling Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.
[redacted] Voice
[redacted] Fax
 
I have no way to know how much refrigerant they used on the first visits, but I no longer trust them. This time, on June 9, I had the installer specify how much refrigerant he used.  What did he write on the form?  2 pounds!  Yet Sterling is charging me $812.13 for 15 pounds.  So even before they knew how much refrigerant was needed they insisted I agree to pay for 13 pounds more than I needed.  
Besides, now that I had my faith in this company shaken I decided to check online how much this refrigerant actually costs.  If they cannot find it anywhere for a decent price, I can get it for them at $5.20 a pound, from [redacted] (25 lb cylinder for $130).  I can understand that Sterling’s costs might be different, but by 10 times as much?  Why should Sterling be making such a large markup and making money based on having sold me a defective coil?  If the coil had been good, none of this would have happened.  
If Sterling is an honest business they will immediately refund the obvious overcharge for the refrigerant they did not use on June 9 ($650).  They should also cut out their markup on the refrigerant that was actually used and just pass along their actual costs (even a reduction of $20 per pound, on the 18 pounds, would be $360).  I would still be out a lot of money, but would feel that this had been resolved. 
 
Regards,
[redacted]

We appreciate that Mrs. [redacted] has been a long term customer of ours, and we sympathize with her frustration with the current situation.
face="Calibri" size="3"> 
We replaced Mrs. [redacted]’s air conditioning system in June of 2014, and our proposal clearly stated that the equipment had a ten-year parts warranty from the manufacturer, and a one year labor warranty from Sterling. Then while doing her routine seasonal inspection this spring we found her system was empty of refrigerant.
 
We scheduled a follow up appointment and began the process of looking for the leak. Yes, there was an incident where a technician did not show up for a scheduled appointment due to a personal matter and did not call Mrs. [redacted] or the office and let us know.  This was completely contrary to our company policy, so the employee was reprimanded, and our apologies were given to Mrs. [redacted]. Yes, it took several visits to find the source of the leak. This is one of the most challenging tasks in our industry, and we are equally frustrated when numerous visits are need to find the defect in the coil. It is especially challenging during cool weather when the system does not run, and the dye that is added does not circulate sufficiently through the system.
 
By the time we were finally able to confirm that the leak was in the coil, we had incurred over 13 hours of labor cost, plus the cost of dye and 16 lbs of refrigerant; and Mrs. [redacted] had only been quoted $298.18 for our standard leak check fee, which includes the 1st lb. of refrigerant, the dye, and one return visit. In addition, because of the number of visits it took, we had assured her that we did not expect payment until we had, in fact, found the source of the leak. We were finally able to confirm that the evaporator coil was the source of the leak, and that it would need to be replaced. The manufacturer would supply a replacement at no cost; however, the labor was not covered.  We quoted her $1600, which included labor and related materials including additional refrigerant needed to install the replacement coil. The $298.18 for the leak search has been waived.
 
We would never take ‘advantage of a senior living alone’ or ‘threaten' anyone with no service; however, good business practice dictates that we don’t knowing provide service and materials to an individual who has indicated they don’t want to pay for them. Mrs. [redacted] had the discretion to pay for the replacement or not. Today, she agreed to pay for the coil replacement, and the work has been completed and payment received. While we understand that $1600 is a lot of money to pay to have a coil that is only two years old replaced, we hope that Mrs. [redacted] understands that we always want to do our best by her, and that the cause of the leak was due to a defect in the coil from the manufacturer, and not from the installation process completed by Sterling.

Review: On 6/21/14 I requested service because A/C was not working. Repair tech ([redacted].) said a/c was out of Freon and a/c had a leak. He said the only way to find leak was with a dye test which would take 6-8 weeks for results, and results are only 70% accurate. He said he could put in Freon and we could chance that it would work until we decided what to do, so we agreed to this. Total charge was $464.38. $149 for emergency svc, and $285 for Freon, and $30.38 for tax. He left and within 2-3 hours a/c was not working. I called another repairman for 2nd opinion the next day because I was unsure about waiting for dye test results. When he came, he did not need to do the dye test, but took cover off of indoor unit and found problem within 15 minutes of visit. Sterling tech never looked in unit, saying that dye test was necessary, which it was not in this case. Also, Sterling tech never checked for leak as he was putting Freon in unit, which would have allowed him to find the leak also. Because he never attempted to look for problem I was charged $285 for Freon that was wasted. I called them on 6/23/14 to complain, and they said everything was done to procedure. I completely disagree with their procedure ,and told them on the phone call. Tech should have looked for problem before saying an expensive test was needed. After multiple phone calls Sterling agreed to refund only $65. Not only was this poor service, which wasted my money, it was inappropriate waste of Freon from an environmental aspect.Desired Settlement: I want a full refund because the Freon should never have been put in and would not have if he had done the job which I originally thought I was getting--Service. Because service tech was lazy or unqualified, he did not do the work I paid for, and I was deceived and charged inappropriately. Besides the refund, I really want to let other consumers know about this businesses poor service and poor business dealings.

Business

Response:

The [redacted] contacted our company for air conditioning service on Saturday 06/21/14 and agreed to pay the minimum weekend rate of $149.00 + tax. Additional repairs would be quoted on an as needed basis. The technician found that the unit was very low on Freon and checked the outside condenser forany signs of leaks, but none were found. Looking for a refrigerant leak that could be anywhere in the condenser, the line set, and/or the evaporator coil is time consuming and expensive to the consumer without the use of dye. That is why it is standard protocol in the industry to add refrigerant and dye to the system, and allow the dye to circulate. The amount of time that is needed to reveal the leak varies greatly depending on the size of the leak and the amount of time the system is running.Before proceeding with any additional service, the technician explained that the source and severity of the leak at that time was unknown. On average, a small leak could take six to eight weeks for the dye to reveal it, which is what was quoted to the homeowner. The homeowner authorized the refrigerant but declined the dye. However, the homeowner was warned before proceeding that if the leak was major, it was possible for the refrigerant to escape in as little as a few hours. They were advised that if the AC stopped working to call us back. Instead, when the air conditioning was not cooling just a few hours later, they called another contractor. We believe that contractor had the advantage of knowing that we did not find a leak outside so knew to begin looking inside the coil, as well as the advantage of higher pressures in the system from the added refrigerant, which would have aided them in hearing the refrigerant escape. They were indeed fortunate to find the leak quickly; that is not usually the norm.When the customer called to complain, we explained that we followed standard procedure and industry protocol. Our technician did provide service. He did add refrigerant to the system. He did recommend dye, which the homeowner declined. He did explain that if there was a major leak, the refrigerant could escape in as little as a few hours. And he did advise them to call us back if that happened. The homeowner elected to call someone else. Had they called us, we feel we also would have found the leak quickly, made the repair, and adjusted the refrigerant at no additional charge, but we were not given that opportunity. We regret that the [redacted] are dissatisfied with our service; however, it is our position that the charges are fair and reasonable, based on service provided and disclosures made; that they voluntarily called someone else instead of calling us back to make it right. We stand by our offer of refund of the after-hour upcharge as a courtesy, but do not feel that any additional refund is due.