ComplaintsforAir Flow Designs, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Air Flow designed the AC system for our newly built home (2020). There were humidity issues in the home from the start and now we have growth all over the duct work in the attic and in the AC unit itself. My whole my family is sick with mold illness. I want them to replace the duct joint boxes in the attic where the growth is and clean the AC unit completely, replacing insulation that is full of growth. After raising the issues with the builder as soon as we moved in to the newly built home in June 2020, they directed me to work directly with Air Flow. I placed countless calls 2021-2022 and they came out many different times, trying to do minimal adjustments (filling up sink pipes with water so that no outside air comes in) without any of them making a dent in the issue. The issue was / is way bigger than that. I was told it's normal for the AC unit to sweat (the closet was full of growth). They lowered the sweating issue of the unit eventually by 2022 Sept by changing the thermostats and enlarging the box above the unit. Unfortunately these steps helped a bit, but didn't fully solve the issue: the unit still sweats, only on a smaller surface now, while overall humidity in the home was still hard to keep at 55%. They sent out a sales rep to give me a quote for a whole house dehumidifier unit which I was considering to have installed, but they never replied to my question how they would fit it in to my tight attic. So even though Air Flow created the problem, I had to hire another company who added a third zone to the attic so that the ducts stop sweating. This solved the humidity issue in the home. It didn't solve the damage that was already done though. The AC unit itself is full of growth along with visible black growth around all duct joints in the attic. Both of these making us sick. This is why I am asking them to clean up their mistake. I emailed them 3 times the during recent two weeks, didn't receive an answer. I called 5 times and never got a call back.

  Business response

  09/18/2023

  To be accurate we are responding with facts based details on the scenario that you have faced within your home. Air Flow Designs was responsible for the heat load calculations that were confirmed prior to the installation of the system. These calculations are calculated based on the design of the home, its square footage, and other relevant factors. your builder would have chosen the system for installation in accordance with the calculations. Air Flow Designs does not have the burden of designing systems as we do not manufacture them. Many factors can influence humidity in the home including but not limited to the envelope of the home, setting of the temperature, and overall heat load in the home. We have data indicating that the whole home dehumidifier was an option that was presented but could not be executed due to the limited size of the attic. When we quoted the repair of the duct boxes you described we did so in good faith and assume no responsibility for a mistake as that would indicate that we created the growth in your home by some erroneous action. We do not dispute this needs some action but are under no liability to proceed with a free solution to something that was not our fault. 

  Customer response

  09/28/2023

  
  Complaint* ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Yes, Air Flow did not design the system, that is correct. However, the extra moisture, that has caused the growth is not due to design, but rather installation.

  Since my initial complaint I learned more for what was causing the extra moisture and each of these are due to faulty installation. I have also learned since my last complaint that the extent of the issue is much larger than just the outside of the ducts in the attic - growth is also in the inside the duct joint boxes in the attic and most of the vents (inside) in the first floor ceiling.

   - Air Flow installed a new bypass damper last summer and closed it. The damper wasn't closed properly / broke so it was leaking cold air into the AC handler - causing the unit to overcool, hence sweat and send out overcooled air to the ducts and vents, hence sweat. See AC company's finings attached. Air Flow came out many times and never caught this issue. We closed the damper manually just test and since then the unit is not sweating at all. Proof is that return has mold all around the mastic as well - no cold air should be around there that woudl great growth.

   - I had 3 different licensed AC companies look at the system and each and every one of them were shocked that the growth is solely around the areas where they were sealed with mastic - that is supposed to be antimicrobial. One company said they had the exact same issue at an install where they accidentally used bad / spoiled batches of mastic. They had to replace it all for the customer and the AC  company's insurance covered the cost for them for the replacement.

   - There is faulty install of AC vents in most areas on the first floor. The vent boots are not sealed properly, the metal is sticking out for an inch or so. Lack of insulation created sweating, hence the mold inside most of AC vents downstairs.

  Due to the additional growth we have found the whole system now has to be replaced - AC unit inside and outside, ducts in attic and in ceiling of first floor - cutting into ceilings. A ~$30K project - estimates for exchange attached, repair and remediation costs are not in writing yet - all due to faulty installation.

  I am asking Air Flow to foot 75% of this bill as it is their solelyresponsibility that the system was sweating, creating moisture and growth.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  08/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Transaction Date: various, July-August 2023. Amount of money paid to Air Flow Designs: $461 total for service visit, leak detection and service agreement. AC system suddenly stopped cooling to the desired temperature and Air Flow Designs committed to repairing it. They determined that I had not leaks in the compressor or in the air handler coils, and determined I had a leak in the underground copper pipes for which they quoted $3,100 to repair, and while doing this they broke my 7-year old Trane AC system. Due to their incompetence and negligence, I had to install a new AC system with another company. Today, over a week after this happened, they still have not reached out or responded to the fact that they left my house with a damaged ceiling and with no AC.

  Business response

  09/09/2023

  Ms. ******, I am very sorry and surprised to hear of these issues that you are facing and would like to contact you to discuss further. This is the first I am seeing or hearing of this matter as you have described and need to better understand the situation. As of right now I have confirmed that we have a standing order for a replacement evaporator coil that was on backorder from the manufacturer at the time of it's order and this is the last detail of information that I have access to. I will be reaching out during our normal business hours to see if we can establish and continue the dialog as it pertains to your claim. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My AC stopped working on 9.24.2022. Air flow Designs installed the AC in my new home which was built in 2018. I have a warranty for parts and service with Air Flow and a 10yr warranty with the AC manufacturing company. The problem with my AC is that the TMZ valve is not working. A part request was sent on behalf of Air flow to the AC manufacturer since it us under warranty. The Warranty company has failed to respond and failed to deliver the part and when I call air flow they keep saying the part must be on backorder and no one can tell me when I will have AC again. My brother is a disabled veteran and had heart failure and being in the extreme heat throughout the day in our home is detrimental to his health and I would like an answer on why my part is not available and would like my AC fixed ASAP!!

  Business response

  12/23/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/23) */ We agree that this is frustrating to be without your A/C, especially when you are managing situations such as yours. In all sincerity, the question is better placed with the manufacturer and their distributors. The order for the needed replacement part has been placed with an escalated designation by our company. Our parts department has, in fact, confirmed the arrival of the part at the distribution point is guaranteed for Monday, the 28th of November. We will be calling you to arrange an appointment for the repair to be completed. We, at Air Flow Designs, have no benefit in not completing this repair as soon as possible and unfortunately are caught somewhere in the middle when a delay from the manufacturer creates this undesired situation. We appreciate your situation and thank you for your patience. We will be in touch to get this repair scheduled.

• Initial Complaint

  09/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have been going without ac now for almost 2 months. Air flow stated that the part we needed was backordered a month and a half ago and would be there within weeks, that time came and went and now were going on almost a month in a half and we still have no ac. They have come out and put freon in the ac after we begged them to since the part did not come. We call every day and now they save its indefinite. How can an ac company not be able to fix someone's ac unit for 2 months in the summer. We have children. We don't know what else do to.

  Business response

  11/14/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2022/10/13) */ We understand your concern and were at the mercy of the manufacturer of your system to obtain your parts. We are simply the service provider who would conduct the repair. We are happy to confirm that the needed parts were received and repairs completed on 9/23/2022. After a follow up call on 10/13/2022, we were able to certify with you, the homeowner, that the system is operational.

• Initial Complaint

  04/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I just purchased my new home three weeks ago. I had a home inspection which stated the AC was in working order. Since moving into the home, we keep the AC pretty cool in the house (72 degrees) day and night. I've had no issues with the AC whatsoever. I scheduled a $125 summer tune up, as a preventative maintenance, as I did not know how the system had been maintained by the previous owner. I contacted Air Flow because they were the original installers when the home was built 5 years ago. When Air Flow's techs came out, they originally tried to upsell me a UV kit for "mold" in the air handler. Then the next thing is magically my AC's compressor won't start. Which it was working properly prior to their arrival. After some monkeying the techs tell me its "overheating" and try to sell me a "kick start device"...that costs an additional $294! Mind you my unit has been working perfectly fine for weeks now, but all of a sudden it won't even start unless this kick start part is added. They leave me with a unit that is not cooling, buzzing very loudly (which it didn't do prior to their arrival), and charged me the $125 for their "tune up!" I called and spoke to the manager and explained the situation above. He went round and round with me on the phone, but never offered to assist me in anyway. I was told "it's my choice, I don't have to buy the kick start part from them." What kind of choice is that?? Either I have no AC or I do after I paying them an additional $294! The crazy thing is if I would have never called, I would have had cool, working AC and could have saved the $125 "tune up" cost plus the $294 "now necessary" part cost! The manager finally tells me to turn the AC off for an hour and let it cool down and maybe it will work again. I turn the breakers off and check the outside breaker and discover that it wasn't plugged in all the way. Which was causing all the problems. After plugging it in, the unit works fine and has no issues. I want a refund.

  Business response

  06/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 20, 2022/06/16) */ I want to acknowledge Mr.********'s frustrations with the events that transpired. He is correct in that we were called out to perform a tuneup on the system shortly after purchasing his home. At the beginning of our maintenance, we discovered that the compressor had very recently overheated and shut off. The system was not working properly when we arrived. We cooled the compressor with a hose and restarted the unit. The unit failed to restart despite the run capacitor being fine. We obtained permission to install a start assist kit. The compressor then started up properly. Pressures were good but compressor was pulling high amps even with the start assist and was still very hot. After speaking with his spouse, homeowner decided against the hard start kit. We removed it and restarted the unit. Upon restarting the system, we were finding that there were continuing errors with the compressor upon start up and we were unable to restart the system despite trying several things. My understanding of the situation was that we left telling him to wait until it cooled back down, that it was off at the breaker, and to turn it on once the compressor had some time to cool. His initial complaint to us was that we left him with the unit off and he didn't realize he would have to turn back on the outside breaker after it cooled. I cannot speak for if that was well explained (the technician says he did and Mr.******** did finally figure it out) but we've apologized for any confusion there. He reported to us that once he replaced the breaker, the unit was performing as it had before we came out. ************ requested a refund for the tune up, which we have denied, because we did in fact perform the tune up as contracted. His issue was not with the tune up itself or whether it was done, but with the fact that the breaker was left off while the unit cooled and that he believes that we were trying to upsell him. We were merely trying to help his failing compressor last longer, work a little better for him, and inexpensively help his issues (a new compressor is thousands of dollars compared to $300). We did not charge him for the additional work we performed for the diagnosis for his failing compressor nor for installing and then removing the start kit after he changed his mind, and therefore feel we do not owe him anything at this time. Consumer Response /* (3000, 22, 2022/06/20) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) My unit has never "overheated" since owning the home. There is nothing wrong with the compressor. The reason the unit was having difficulties when their technicians were out was because they were purposely only plugging in one leg of the breaker. Of course the unit would have difficulties starting at that point, it's only getting half of the volts. The company tried to trick me into purchasing a hard start kit, which I never gave them permission to install. They installed it as a sales tactic to show me that the unit would only work if I purchased the hard start kit. After installing it, they plugged the breaker in fully and the unit started normally. They also didn't leave the unit in the off position when they left. They left the unit running, with only half the breaker plugged in. The unit was making horrible sounds and they said "see we told you, you need the kit." After they left, I looked around and found the issue. The breaker was only half plugged in. After plugging it in all the way, I've had no issues since. No "overheating," nothing is wrong with the compressor. The technicians were purposely shorting my unit in an attempt to sell me a product I didn't need. They tried to leave me with the choice of having no AC or paying them an additional $300 for a part I truly didn't need. I have no faith that the tune up they perform was even done correctly. They provided me with a list of services they performed, half of which weren't done. For instance, my outside unit was never cleaned, it still have leaves in the bottom. They didn't replace the air filter, I did that. Half of the services they say they performed on the tune up weren't done and on top of they they left me with my AC unit not working. How do I call to have a tune up on a working unit, get charged for the tune up, and left with a unit that wouldn't even run? They have tried since day one to play this off like they were doing me a favor, but in actuality they got caught being shady and trying to sell me something I didn't need. Even the whole statement about "we told you we left it off" is a false claim. I spoke to the manager who was the one who told me after the technicians left and the unit wasn't working properly and was making a horrible sound, to turn off the unit and "let it cool for an hour." I turned it off and after doing so discovered what there technicians had been doing. I found the breaker halfway plugged in. Had I listened to the manager, I would have been without AC for another hour and it still wouldn't have even worked after starting it back up, since it had nothing to do with the unit needing to "cool down." It totally and without a doubt had to do with them messing with the breaker. They would only plug it in fully when they wanted to show me that the kit would solve the problem, otherwise they only half plugged it in making it appear that my unit was not working. Had I not figured this out myself, I would have been left without AC and would have had to call they back out or use another company to get my AC working again. I'm sorry your scam didn't work on me, but I really feel bad for the customers of your company who aren't as technically minded or the elderly who you successfully scam out of money using shady sales tactics like this. Business Response /* (1000, 20, 2022/06/16) */ I want to acknowledge Mr.********'s frustrations with the events that transpired. He is correct in that we were called out to perform a tuneup on the system shortly after purchasing his home. At the beginning of our maintenance, we discovered that the compressor had very recently overheated and shut off. The system was not working properly when we arrived. We cooled the compressor with a hose and restarted the unit. The unit failed to restart despite the run capacitor being fine. We obtained permission to install a start assist kit. The compressor then started up properly. Pressures were good but compressor was pulling high amps even with the start assist and was still very hot. After speaking with his spouse, homeowner decided against the hard start kit. We removed it and restarted the unit. Upon restarting the system, we were finding that there were continuing errors with the compressor upon start up and we were unable to restart the system despite trying several things. My understanding of the situation was that we left telling him to wait until it cooled back down, that it was off at the breaker, and to turn it on once the compressor had some time to cool. His initial complaint to us was that we left him with the unit off and he didn't realize he would have to turn back on the outside breaker after it cooled. I cannot speak for if that was well explained (the technician says he did and Mr.******** did finally figure it out) but we've apologized for any confusion there. He reported to us that once he replaced the breaker, the unit was performing as it had before we came out. ************ requested a refund for the tune up, which we have denied, because we did in fact perform the tune up as contracted. His issue was not with the tune up itself or whether it was done, but with the fact that the breaker was left off while the unit cooled and that he believes that we were trying to upsell him. We were merely trying to help his failing compressor last longer, work a little better for him, and inexpensively help his issues (a new compressor is thousands of dollars compared to $300). We did not charge him for the additional work we performed for the diagnosis for his failing compressor nor for installing and then removing the start kit after he changed his mind, and therefore feel we do not owe him anything at this time. Consumer Response /* (3000, 22, 2022/06/20) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) My unit has never "overheated" since owning the home. There is nothing wrong with the compressor. The reason the unit was having difficulties when their technicians were out was because they were purposely only plugging in one leg of the breaker. Of course the unit would have difficulties starting at that point, it's only getting half of the volts. The company tried to trick me into purchasing a hard start kit, which I never gave them permission to install. They installed it as a sales tactic to show me that the unit would only work if I purchased the hard start kit. After installing it, they plugged the breaker in fully and the unit started normally. They also didn't leave the unit in the off position when they left. They left the unit running, with only half the breaker plugged in. The unit was making horrible sounds and they said "see we told you, you need the kit." After they left, I looked around and found the issue. The breaker was only half plugged in. After plugging it in all the way, I've had no issues since. No "overheating," nothing is wrong with the compressor. The technicians were purposely shorting my unit in an attempt to sell me a product I didn't need. They tried to leave me with the choice of having no AC or paying them an additional $300 for a part I truly didn't need. I have no faith that the tune up they perform was even done correctly. They provided me with a list of services they performed, half of which weren't done. For instance, my outside unit was never cleaned, it still have leaves in the bottom. They didn't replace the air filter, I did that. Half of the services they say they performed on the tune up weren't done and on top of they they left me with my AC unit not working. How do I call to have a tune up on a working unit, get charged for the tune up, and left with a unit that wouldn't even run? They have tried since day one to play this off like they were doing me a favor, but in actuality they got caught being shady and trying to sell me something I didn't need. Even the whole statement about "we told you we left it off" is a false claim. I spoke to the manager who was the one who told me after the technicians left and the unit wasn't working properly and was making a horrible sound, to turn off the unit and "let it cool for an hour." I turned it off and after doing so discovered what there technicians had been doing. I found the breaker halfway plugged in. Had I listened to the manager, I would have been without AC for another hour and it still wouldn't have even worked after starting it back up, since it had nothing to do with the unit needing to "cool down." It totally and without a doubt had to do with them messing with the breaker. They would only plug it in fully when they wanted to show me that the kit would solve the problem, otherwise they only half plugged it in making it appear that my unit was not working. Had I not figured this out myself, I would have been left without AC and would have had to call they back out or use another company to get my AC working again. I'm sorry your scam didn't work on me, but I really feel bad for the customers of your company who aren't as technically minded or the elderly who you successfully scam out of money using shady sales tactics like this. Business Response /* (4000, 35, 2022/08/03) */ We understand this situation and the frustration you have experienced. We trust that the assessment made in the moment by our techs was truthful and performed with your benefit in mind. At the time of the overheating finding, the information was passed along to the field manager who agreed with the actions taken and the method in which they were handled at the time. The thought was that the sound that was emitted from your system was because of the overheating. The recommendation was based on experience and meant in good faith to allow proper cooling of the component in question. Specifically, your compressor displayed traits that are consistent with impending failure. The technicians present during that visit were forced to cool off the compressor before confirming abnormal voltage readings. This is information drawn from the component itself based on standards for your system's operation. A hard start kit as it was presented is a secondary option to prolong the operation of the compressor to take the stress of igniting and placing it on the HSK module. The preferred recommendation would have been to replace the compressor outright with readings such as were discovered. Your prior statement that we left your system not working purposefully is something that we deny outright. A standard practice for an overheating compressor would be to allow it to cool. In some of those cases the breaker may be disabled to ensure that the system does not turn on while that cooling takes hold. We can only say that the position of the breaker once we left was an oversight and not a tactic to draw out a purchase. For clarification, we have conflicting indications as to how we left your system. Based on your recent responses you are saying that your system is functional which contradicts that we purposefully left your system inoperable. We confirm that we left with an expectation that the component would need to cool down before resuming operation as before. This indicates that we anticipated your system to resume its operation as you were accustomed to once our maintenance operation was completed. Again, if we failed to communicate about the breaker positioning this was not intentional. Furthermore, this does not change our assessment of your system and our recommendations. Tune-ups are driven and conducted by the system's design, assembly, and condition. All the points described as part of a tune-up service are performed based on those factors. A tune-up for one system may require different things than another. Filters, as noted in the details of our tune-ups, are to be user provided and if we failed to install that filter upon it being made present then we own missing that step. We can certify that the tune-up that was provided was meant to ensure efficiency and functionality of your system. We would have gladly followed up to ensure our work met those standards in the event of any failure on our part. We were not provided a fair opportunity to verify our work if you were unsatisfied with it and would have done so at no additional cost. Your request for a refund was denied because based on the system's needs and its condition, the tune-up was completed as purchased. We at Airflow Designs hold our services and practices to a very high standard. With over 60 years in business, we could not survive if we deliberately engaged in substandard or unethical practices. We truly understand and value the experience of our customers. It is our highest priority to serve our customers with integrity and quality. We have no benefit in "scamming" any of our customers. We carry long standing relationships with many of our customers over decades which we could not count on if our actions were not professional. We regret that your experience was not to your satisfaction. We will continue to improve our efforts to deliver better experiences for all our customers going forward. Our hope is that your system is continuing to function and wish you well. Consumer Response /* (4200, 37, 2022/08/04) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) This back and forth is exhausting. The company has done poor job of handling this matter. The company lies and does not take ownership for the work they did not do and the condition they left me in. I have nothing further to add, everything has been stated in my prior posts. I still would like a refund for the service they claim to do, but didn't.

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On June 29 2021 They performed a tune-up and "fixed" an error message on the thermostat. I paid them $200 for the service. Three weeks later, the thermostat showed the same error message. I called today to let them know, and they want to charge me another $100 to come and look at it!? I asked to speak with a manager and tried to understand why I should pay for something they obviously didn't fix correctly the first time. The supervisor lady "Ashley" yelled at me, told me that I had no option, and hung up on me!! Outrageous! I want Airflow Designs Orlando to come and fix the Thermostat issue and an apology for the rude supervisor who yelled at me on the phone and the poor customer service I experienced.

  Business response

  08/11/2021

  Consumer Response /* (2000, 6, 2021/08/05) */ I was contacted by the business owner and the issue has been resolved. I want to withdraw the complaint. Thank you *************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩