Business ProfileforFirst Call Heating & Cooling OR LLC

I am angry with the service received from First Call and will here accuse them of being manipulative and dishonest. I have an over 100 year old house with a good condition over 100 year old furnace that has a newer (roughly 10 yr. old) ******* oil burner unit installed at its base. The burner began to fail to light a few weeks ago and we called First Call to troubleshoot the unit. When they arrived, the service technician told my tenant that they recommend replacing the entire furnace - before even looking at the problem. They also contacted me (the homeowner) to tell me of that recommendation. The service technician spent a good deal of time troubleshooting the furnace but was not able or willing to say why the furnace would not light. This is a simple burner system, pump, blower, ignition system, nozzle. They recommended we replace, at minimum, the entire burner unit ($1300.00) of parts, and would only do it if I were to sign a letter agreeing that it may not resolve the issue all while pressuring for a furnace replacement.I elected to troubleshoot the furnace myself, find that the pump was not functioning, replace the pump for under $200.00, and get the system working again.1. First Call has either incompetent service technicians, or 2. First Call employs a strategy of pressure, obfuscation, and outright dishonesty, in a no-heat situation to sell something to a consumer that they may not need.I believe #2 is the issue, as no service technician can be so incompetent as to not be able to identify in a few short steps that an oil pump on a ******* oil burner is not working.

The technician on site examined the furnace and conducted their diagnostic. Took pictures to indicate its present state and identify components that are recommended for repair. The pump that was in question was among his recommendations. Our repair estimates were for the 10-year-old burner. Our recommended replacement is for a total system that is 100 years old and due for replacement. There is no pressure to replace or repair, but recommendations as options are given. If we deem a piece of equipment a candidate for replacement but the customer chooses to repair it instead, there is a form attached indicating we are not responsible for future failures as we recommend replacement.