Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating

Review: My husband and I have been longtime clients of Tuckers and have used them for annual maintenance of our heating and air conditioning. In March, our heat started going off and would start after the heater was reset. We had a service call on 4/2/2014 and were told we needed a new oil pump, which was installed 4/4/14. We were charged $372 for the oil pump. We went on vacation 4/11/14 and returned on 4/20/14 to a cold house and the exact same problem - the furnace continually shut down and needed to be reset. On 4/23/14, another technician came out and fixed a kink in the copper line, which he said probably happened when the new pump was installed and what likely what was causing the furnace to shut down. The following day, the furnace shut down again and would not restart. I phoned Tuckers and spoke to the manager, [redacted]. I told him I did not believe that the oil pump was the problem, since installing a new one failed to correct the problem. He promised to check with [redacted], the technician who told us we needed the oil pump, and call me back. He never called back. On 4/25/14 a technician returned to examine the furnace. He found it was on lock out, pulled and electrode, realigned it for correct firing, and the furnace started. It has been running since. I believe the problem was incorrectly diagnosed and that I was sold a heat pump that I did not need. I phoned Tuckers, was told **. [redacted] was in a meeting, and left a voice mail message for him, explaining my concern and requesting a return call. After a few day, when I did not receive a return call, I phoned again and left a message for **. [redacted]. He did not return my call.Desired Settlement: Credit for oil pump which I believe was unnecessarily replaced.

Business

Response:

There were several issues with the oil furnace that resulted in the system shutting down and not producing heat. On the first visit 4/02/14 the technician fired the furnace and heard a squeeling noise from the oil pump. The noise was bearing related and the pump needed replacing (See attached invoice). The furnace fired up after safeties were reset and the technician believe the safety was activate as a result of the pumps intermittent failure. After replacing the pump, the system was cycled several times and the technician left with the system running properly. We had technicians return on two additional dates as indicated in the complaint. A technician found a kink in the oil line and believed that may have resulted in the system's most recent shut down. On a subsequent visit it was determined that the electrode was not igniting the oil at the burner. The electrode was pulled, cleaned and realigned and to my knowledge, the system has been operating since. The diagnostic of the failing bearings in the oil pump was correct as the pump was failing as evidenced by the noise from the pump bearings. The electrode was cleaned and realigned. There are no moving parts in this circuit that could be misconstrued as bearing noise. It is true that the oil furnace failed multiple times and from the homeowner perspective it was the same problem; no heat. Intermittent issues are the most difficult to pinpoint. The cause of the problem was from two different issues within the furnace. Both were corrected. The replacement of the pump was appropriate. Subsequent visits and the work on the electrode were not invoiced or charged as part of our guarantee and efforts to ensure the system was operating properly. There is a comment in the complaint regarding the sale of a heat pump? We have no record of a heat pump installation and a heat pump is not typically installed with an oil furnace. We did install an Air Conditioner and coil (cooling circuit) on 3/22/12 two years previous to this heating issue. That installation was the result of an outdoor condenser coil leak and the option to replace was chosen over an expensive coil repair. The air conditioner is a completely separate circuit and only shares the blower in the furnace during the cooling season. It is not tied to, nor does it affect the heating circuit. These are two completely separate issues, years apart, that are unrelated.