We purchased our first home in June of we were happy that we were told the house came with a warranty, it offered us peace of mind... Boy were we fooled!
During the summer of 2002 we began having problems with the air conditioner leaking. We wanted to call a service repair company that we were used to and comfortable with that we had service other homes that we had lived in. However, HMS stated that our company was to far down on the list of "preferred companies" The did however allow our guy to come due to the other preferred companies being booked. The issue was with the condensation pump which was replaced. We paid the HMS $100 deductible that was required and did not have any more issues with the air conditioner that summer.
During the early spring/summer we began having problems with unit freezing up and then leaking. We asked that the allow our company come again. However we got the same issue in which they were not at the top of the list. Therefore they sent out Alvico heating and Air. Upon arriving, the technician made a comment about how everyone hated dealing with HMS and about how they were the worst. He then went to service my unit. At that time, he told me the issue was a leaking pan which was not covered under the warranty and since he was not specialized in sheet metal someone else would have to come. That trip costed us another $100 deductible. Alvico also quoted us this outrageous price to replace the pan. We called the manufacturer of the unit who stated that the pan was about $35.00. We repaired that problem only to have the a/c continue to give us problems.
Once again, they sent out Alvico. We went around and around with HMS about the unit and the repairs. The problem went from being the pan, to the filter being dirty, to the freon being low. All in all we spent about $500 in deductibles not to mention having to go and buy 3 window unit air conditioners (I also forgot to mention that in May we paid over $400 to renew the service BIG MISTAKE!) in order to keep at least our bedrooms cool in 90 degree weather until their service people became available. We have also in the meantime missed countless days of work in order to be home for the technicians to enter the house.
Finally, we had to call the fire department in on one occasion because the unit started spewing freon and we were not sure if it was safe for us to be in the home. At that time, once again, HMS sent someone out to assess the unit costing another $100. I argued with HMS that we should not have to continue paying the $100 for them to send people out here when it was obvious that the repairs were not being fully repaired. They continued to tell me that as long as the second repair came outside of a 30 day period we would have to keep paying the deductible. This time the technician finally unmasked the problem as being a hole in the refridgeration coil and the unit had to be replaced. They came and replaced our York unit with a JennAir unit which to me is not comparable in cost or quality.
However, they stated they did not have to replace the unit with the same unit that was currently there. Due to this, we had to pay additional fees for them to re-run duct work since the new JENN AIR unit they were replacing was not compatible with the duct work that was there for the YORK unit.
The unit worked fine the remainder of the summer. Until we get to the summer of 2004 where we DID NOT renew the warranty. Now that the whether is cooler and the unit barely has to run, we are having problems with the unit leaking yet again and freezing up on the outside as well as the inside of the house. When they replaced the unit, they only replaced the air handler (top portion of the big box like unit) and sat it on top of the bottom portion (which is for the heat). With this unit being an all in one unit, I believe they should have replaced the ENTIRE unit rather than leave us with a half York, half Jenn Air.
With the amount of money we spent in deductibles, duct work, lost wages and renewals we could have replaced the unit with a top of the line unit and had it installed by a top of the line company and would not be going through this issue today. Hind sight is 20/20 I guess. Now we have no money to fix the existing piece of crap unit and are wondering if we can allow it to go until next year to repair or if it will effect our heat. We did not renew the warranty and ofcourse, the warranty on the new unit only covers parts therefore we would have to pay another company to come out, assess the damage and any labor that would be needed to make the repairs.
If you are selling your home, do not think that this company will give the new homeowner peace of mind. It will only cost them more money and hassle in the end!
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