Vanderbrook A/C & Refrigeration, Inc.

Review: We purchased a brand new central a/c outdoor unit from Vanderbrook A/C in 7/2009 for a total cost of $3400. It came with a 10 yr warranty. Approx. 2 yrs later the compressor stopped working. It was covered by warranty but we still had to pay $700+ for installation and freon. Just one year later unit malfunctioned again and we were told that a screw came loose and the freon leaked out. We were told that the unit was thoroughly checked for other leaks and none were found. That visit cost us $195 to reload the freon. Now just 2 mths later the freon leaked out again and now we are being told the the coils have a leak and need to be replaced. Vanderbrook wants us to pay another $948 to replaced the coils and freon. I am halfway to the cost of a new unit. We feel that this unit is a lemon and have asked on 2 occasions to have it replaced only to be told no, thats not how it works. I don't think its fair that every 1-2 yrs we are making repairs on a brand new unit. We want a new unit or our money back as this unit one is causing us to pour money into a pit.Desired Settlement: I would like to have the unit replaced or money refunded for the repairs to this lemon of a product. But do not want to spend any more money on a unit that broke/failed within the first 2 years and have broken twice since.

Business

Response:

Very shocked to get this complaint, as we have been very attentive in responding EACH and EVERY time customer has called. We have responded to each call on SAME DAY and we have responded to all phone calls and emails. Just last night, when I spoke with customer over the phone, she said "I know it's not you or your company. It's the manufacturer of the unit." On last visit, we even waived the diagnostic charge and all labor associated with leak detecting system. I agree with customer that unit has had issues since installation, but warranty stipulations / guidelines are specific as to how repairs are to be done. It is not up to US to give customer a new unit - this would be at the sole discretion of the manufacturer of the unit or the distributor. If we replaced a unit (at OUR cost) every time there was a warranty issue or customer demanded this, we would no longer be in business. Warranty does not work that way. All work done by our company was always done PROPERLY and PROFESIONALLY. If any of these issues were a result of faulty repairs or installation performed by us, we would make right and there would be NO CHARGE to customer for any work. We have done this in the past and this is what makes us successful in business for over 86 years. Faulty installation or repairs / service by us is not the case, though. Also, customer failed to mention that unit has not been maintained properly since installation. We explained to her that the manufacturer can always void her warranty if she does not provide maintenance records for the unit, as maintenance is a vital and important part of keeping the system working properly and avoiding repair issues. Leak found on unit is a manufacturer defect and they will provide a new condenser coil to customer at NO CHARGE. Customer is still responsible for labor, materials and refrigerant necessary to install that part (which is a major repair). We even went as far as reaching out with our distributor to see if they could reimburse us for any labor and refrigerant for this repair and they said that this was very possible, but that we would need to perform the repair, then submit a claim. So, Mrs. [redacted] may not have to come out-of-pocket as much. Hopefully, this sheds light on the facts of this complaint and our story on what transpired. We are more than willing to help Mrs. [redacted] in any way that we can, WITHIN REASON and WITHIN OUR MEANS. Most other companies would not go as far as we have.......