My problem began a year ago November. I called to report a problem with my heater. It took a lot of red tape to finally get what I thought was a reputable company. Meanwhile, I had to buy space heaters for every room in the house.
At the time of my initial service call, I was limited to choose from one of only two contracted a/c and heater service companies sponsored by First American Home Warranty. The first company would make appointments and not keep them and was rude on the phone, so eventually I had had enough and refused to work with them.
First American Home Warranty then sent me the only other option, Desired Temperatures. What a nightmare!
January, I took vacation time and was stood up for two appointments with the elderly man who was the technician (who told me that he was the only technician). He asked me to be patient with him, I am slow, but I know what I am doing Ma'am. I do good work. The third appointment, I didn't take time off work, so wasn't at home when he got there.
Desired Temperatures assessed the problem and gave the same advice, the indoor Trane air handler needed to be replaced (the out-door unit was still okay). They sent their delivery men, after several weeks of waiting, with a Payne unit. I was irate! It looked like a toy.
It was visibly smaller and easy to carry. The delivery guys carrying the unit in were trying to explain to me that it was capable of handling my two-level, three bed-room home. The contract states equal or better appliance. The Payne was neither. It appeared to me like a problem waiting to give birth. Not in my home! I sent it back.
After a long conversation on the phone, I let them know. First of all, a Trane cannot be matched with anything but a Trane or it will not opperate efficiently. The unit outside was a large, heavy-duty Trane, not a Payne. I sincerely thought I was being punked. After that, getting the job completed seemed to have gone downhill. After another very long wait weeks that seemed like months, the elderly technician, (I'll call him Bob) with an eye patch said that he would do the work for less than the other company $2900.
I had to pay approximately $965 cash in non-covered costs; permit fee, new support structure, sheet rock, Freon disposal, etc. No exceptions. I called AHW back since they sent this cl*wn to me and they were hands off'. Ma'am that's their policy. So, I paid it. We made an appointment for him to come, so I went to work, stand by. He did that I'll-get-there-sometime-that-day type of thing again and didn't show.
The next appointment about two weeks later, he called late afternoon, he said that he wasn't coming because it was too wet outside. About a week later, he showed up without calling (while it was raining). My son (18) was at home, so when he called me, I told him to let the man in. I was desperate and we were cold. He did some work and left. He left a mess.insulation and trash were everywhere upstairs.
Mud on the carpet. I figured he did that because the boys' rooms were a mess. I was upset, but I guess he felt justified, so I had the boys clean his mess and their rooms. I looked at his work. It was incomplete, otherwise it looked fine to me, but I didn't know what I was looking for.
I called him and he seemed to know who I was (caller ID I guess), before I said anything. He said he'd be back tomorrow to finish. He didn't show. And didn't show and didn't show. Eventually, one day he showed up like before. No appointment. He went upstairs and in the attic back and forth. I called my son several times to check on things. Then like he came, he left.
Bob called me and said someone had been upstairs messing with the duct work and that the warranty didn't cover that. I'll fix it though when I come back. It got too hot up there today. And I noticed someone made a hole in the sheetrock in the ceiling.
I told him yes. That i did it when I went up there to see how bad everything was and fell, but I didn't touch the duct work. As a matter of fact, I fell soon as I got up there, I told him. Bob made an appointment in May to work on the duct. When he went to my house, I was at work and Junior didn't wake up to answer the door. Bob was highly upset. I apologized and explained to him that it wasn't on purpose and that my son was asleep.
That was sometime in the spring. I hadn't heard from Bob for months. I called so many times I can't recall. I even called the home warranty company, so they could schedule an appointment. Their advice is to call Desired Temperatures and make an appointment. I always talk to a supervisor, because the reps get rude after they realize I am not easily pacified. The supervisors I talk to (I always have to go through the whole story again) advise me that Bob penned notes on my account that I am difficult to work with and that I refuse to make myself available for him to come and complete the work.
I tried to explain that Bob is the one who is difficult. He doesn't answer his cell phone. My family dealt with the hot Texas heat with window a/c units. They can be quite expensive to use. Well, it's getting cold again.
I finally gave in and called another a/c and heating company. The Better Business Bureau referred a reputable company. The techs were very helpful and courteous. I had the technicians give me an estimate to complete the work. I informed them that I had paid $2900 for a new unit and that the work was left incomplete.
They looked at everything outside, in the attic and in the second floor unit closet. He wrote me an estimate for $1500. Ma'am you were ripped off. I would've replaced both of your units inside and out for $2900, no hidden/non-covered costs.
Then he got a flash light and showed me how the unit was not properly insulated in the dark places behind the new unit. There wasn't a drip pan. The date on the unit reflected that it sat in someone's warehouse for at least a year. It was dated 2007.
The wires were not connected at all and the piece atop the unit was missing.in the attic, (I didn't go up there for obvious reasons) he said it was a mess and duct work was literally pulled out. It wasn't that way when I went up there. The new technician apologized for the last guy, Bob. Then, he told me to call and give Bob a chance to make things right. I wouldn't pay another cent to get this work completed. You've already paid too much!
So I called Bob in September and again in November, I called with call block and he answered. He pretended to be someone else each time and said that he would give the technician the message. It was clear to me that he didn't plan on completing the work.
I eventually emailed everyone that I thought could help me and the Director over San Antonio got involved. She called him and got him to agree to complete the work under one condition. I had to pay him $235.
I told her that I had already paid the non-covered costs. She began to repeat what he had told her about the expenses having had gone up. So I said, ok but how do I know that this is it? She assured me that all he wanted was $235 to replace the plenum and it's a go. We made an appointment. She told me that if we are a no show at home, he's going to charge me. On the morning of the appointment Monday, November 24.
He called and said the precipitation was to high. (He called the supervisor handling this case that it was raining in San Antonio and he doesn't do AC work in the rain. It wasn't. So, we rescheduled for the following day. (Please note that the day he finally put the new unit in my house it was raining hard. All that is left for him to do now is duct work.)
Tuesday the 25th, he showed up at my house approx. 9:30 and told my sister he wanted her to sign his papers saying his work was completed. She refused and told him that she would when he was finished. Then, he told her I hope you have the check for me. She told him yes. I will give you that when you are done also. He then asked her, you know it should be for $2035? She said $2035?! Then said ok.
She then called me and told me what happened. And I told her to let him complete the work and give him what we agreed on. Fifteen minutes later, sister called me back and said he refuses to do anything until she pays him in cash. He went back to Floresville, TX. He has my number and never called me with any of this garbage! Games! He is playing games! Meanwhile, my family is cold!
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