I called Parker and Son's and told them that my Heat pump was not cooling. I had confirmed that my coil was freezing up, stopping air flow, etc. Everything went well until I found out that the total cost would be above what I could afford at the time. I did ask for a maintenance check. The check was never explained what that included. I figured that the most important thing to fix was the Freon issue, because the rest of the unit was starting and working fine.
This is what he found and quoted verbatim:
'Performed 1 unit maintenance check Checked all motors & compressor Amp draw's, checked contactor and run capacitors checked Freon levels checked supply and return temps Checked reversing Valve and metering device, found unit low on Freon, also contactor very pitted and 35 run capacitor dead.'
What was done:
'Replaced contactor and 35 run capacitor'
'Recommended leak search but just added 3lbs of R22 Freon.'
What it cost:
Service call maint check 59.00
1 pole contactor 204.00
35mf run capacitor 176.00
3lbs of Freon 168.00
(quote) (Leak Search) (quote) (142.00)
Total 607.00
(I showed the invoice to a couple of companies and they said I was ripped off, too)
After the parts install, I could not afford to pay for the leak search, and I thought that was part of the maint. Check. (that's the problem with not knowing what the maint check covered).
The tech was knowledgeable and professional, but, his trouble shooting abilities I am questioning because after one week my compressor seized.
So I called Parker and Sons back, they sent the same tech back out, after 5:00pm, very nice of them.
This is what he found:
'Found compressor terminals shorted internally, need to replace compressor, no way to repair.'
Notice there is no mention of low Freon or a leak.
I was concerned so I got a second opinion. A very experienced A/C tech checked out the unit, the next morning.
This is what he found:
'Found no cooling as comp not running, checked run cap and start kit comp. Compressor is locked up, needs replacement, ALSO unit has Freon leak at guage port suction line.'
This tech told me that when he opened the unit he could hear the Freon leak on the suction line. So I asked is there a charge for finding that leak? He said it was noticeable and no there was no charge for that. He also said the leak would have caused the unit to seize up.
Now I realize that I should have had the Parker tech do the Freon fix and and the leak check but I couldn't afford it at the time.
I called Parker about the discrepancy they said, 'I was owed a $165.00 refund because there is a discount that I should have received.' I said, 'Well, at the time of the maintenance I could have afforded the 'leak check' if I had received the $165.00 discount.' 'My compressor would not have failed if the leak was fixed.'
They won't admit that they sent out an incompetent technician who was unable to hear the particular leak during the maintenance check and failed to follow company discounts and policy for its customers. So I believe that they technically initiated this compressor failure.
If I knew how important the Freon and oil was to the compressor I would have ONLY requested that the leak check, fix, and Freon add was accomplished. I now know that the replaced parts were not required and I was misled into believing that the parts were important and caused the problem.
Just because a company charges a lot of $ to do quality work, does not mean they ALWAYS do quality work.
I personally am in the service industry, I know quality and I know when I get ripped off. My customers let me know if they feel they are getting ripped off. I try to make things right for them when things go astray but Parker and Son's is avoiding me. I think its great that Parker gets lots of awards for customer service?
My heat pump hasn't worked since last Sunday night, and I'm thankful its not in the middle of summer, its still a little hot but bearable.
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