ComplaintsforEnergy Stars Heating and Cooling Co

• Initial Complaint

  06/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Transaction dates are included in the attached receipts. I have been having issues with the HVAC system, purchased from Energy Stars Heating & Cooling under a program offered by ****** Electric Company in 2016. I was told the warranty had 10 years. Since March 1, 2022 I have paid the company $932.00 for four service calls and the unit still does not cool my home. The cooling system goes on and off, mostly very early morning hours and temperatures reaching or exceeding 78 degrees. All this information has been relayed to different service technicians and to date no resolve. I did contact management who stated the parts needed will take another week to get for which I wasn't advised of this in the beginning and was charged additional service call fees with the unit still not fixed. In final note, the unit is about six years old, should still be under warranty and should not be responsible for any additional charges. I ask they finish the job that should have been done right in March 2022.

  

  Business response

  06/24/2022

  Mr. ****** had his equipment installed by Energy Stars Heating & Cooling Co. through the HEIQ program put on by his utility provider. The equipment was installed in 2016. It came with a 10 year parts, 10 year compressor and a 1 year labor warranty.

   

  We had not been to this home for any regular maintenance since 2017, but it was our understanding that a different contractor was being used for those maintenance visits.

   

  On 2/16/22 we were called to his home and found that his compressor had failed. This part is under warranty, however the labor was not. The labor warranty was 1 year, and expired in 2017. The homeowner was charged $144 for the diagnostic charge to dispatch a technician and diagnose the issue.

   

  On 3/1/22 We replaced the compressor for the homeowner. The part was under warranty, the labor was not.
  

   

  On 6/10/22 We were called out to the home for a no cool situation. We found the unit was slightly undercharged. We added the necessary refrigerant and the unit was operating correctly. Refrigerant is not covered by the manufacturers warranty.
  

   

  On 6/13/22 We were called out to the home to replace the thermostat that had been installed by a different contractor. The homeowner was made aware that this may need to be replaced, and was given a cost to replace it.The technician went through the system operation and cycled the equipment on and off multiple times and found everything operating properly.

   

  On 6/18/22 We were called back to the home again. Our technician went through the operation again, multiple times and found that there was an intermittent drop out of the blower motor not coming on every time. He took the whole motor housing apart and found what looks to be organic growth in the molex plug that connects the motor to the circuit. We are replacing both the blower motor and the molex plug. This is something that we have not seen before, and have made the manufacturer aware of it to see if they have seen this. 

   

  Unfortunately, the issues that have occurred are not something that Energy Stars Heating & Cooling Co. has caused. We have been upfront with the homeowner on costs associated with the repair work, along with timelines that can be expected. The HVAC industry is dealing with the same parts/equipment shortages that every other industry has been seeing. We have put a rush on both of these items. However, they are coming from the factory and we are waiting for them. We have filed the warranty parts with the manufacturer. The labor warranty on the equipment was 1 year, and as stated previously had expired in 2017.

   

  The equipment is currently operational, however due to the buildup of organic material the motor does not come on each time. We understand this can be very frustrating and we are working as quickly as we can to get the parts from the factory and make the repairs.

   

  If there is anything else we can do to speed this process up, or make it easier for the homeowner, we are very happy to look at that.

   

  We desire all of customers to be happy with our services, and we are sad to see this homeowner is not. Again, we are happy to help in any way that we can, that is within our control.

   

  Thank you
  

   

   

   

   

  Customer response

  06/24/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: From March 2022 to present the air has not functioned correctly even with all the tech visits. Why wasn't this error in the system identified in March? Why was I charged for every visit within the dates specified time frame?  I understand the backlog of getting the parts needed, what I don't understand is being charged for several visits and not detecting the malfunction in March and still ongoing. I'm being charged all these labor charges and the unit is still not functioning/fixed. From what I read in Energy Star response, I will most likely be charged again, unacceptable. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

  

  Business response

  06/27/2022

  The homeowner was charged for the labor to make the repairs on his equipment. The labor warranty offered with the equipment expired after the 1st year.
  

   

  We could not diagnose the intermittent blower issue as it never appeared in the previous calls for service. It was observed on the last visit by the technician after cycling the equipment on and off numerous times. Once it was observed, he took the assembly apart and found organic growth inside the molex plug that makes the electrical connection providing power for the motor.

   

  The blower motor and molex plug have both been ordered. The homeowner is correct, there would we a labor charge to replace both of these items. The parts cost is covered by the manufacturers warranty, the labor warranty expired after the 1st year.

   

  We are upfront with all customers about what costs would be for repairs. This is done so that all parties are on the same page with what to expect.
  

   

  The Service Manager has been instructed to waive the labor costs for both of the upcoming repairs.
  

   

  Please let us know if you require any further information.

   

  Thank you again.
  

  
  

  Customer response

  06/29/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  From the beginning, I suggested as final settlement to finish the job, however as of yesterday 28 June 2022 the replacement of motor and wiring harness was completed and as of now the unit is in working order with no issues at this point. Since February 2022 I have had some major problems with this HVAC system having to replace the Compressor, Motor, and Thermostat itself on three occasions with only six years of use under a ten-year warranty. With payments exceeding $1000.00 over a four-month period is unacceptable and possibilities of a breakdown in the near future would surely exist because of these part replacements so close in conjunction with each other.

  Therefore, it is my desire that the company, Energy Stars Heating & Cooling Co. or York provide a five-year extended Parts and Labor warranty provided to me in writing. From what I've gone through these past few months and out of pocket expense as well, I believe this would be a fare settlement, from Energy Stars or York. 

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

• Initial Complaint

  06/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I saw an ad that as a senior I may qualify for a free air conditioner. I applied and I qualified. They came out and said that my furnace was not compatible to the new AC and I would have to replace the furnace. The furnace cost $3500.00. They put the new furnace. Now it is air conditioning season and the brand new AC is not working. They came out to take a look; they said that it was the module on the motor. All they put on was a new module, not a new motor. And they are charging me for this, $110 an hour. I have health issues and I need to have the AC.

  

  Business response

  06/02/2022

  The homeowner is correct, they applied for the HEIQ program put on by their local utility provider. Their AC qualified for replacement, their furnace however did not. In order to hit the efficiency required for this program, the furnace would need to be replaced so that a matched HVAC system could be installed, hitting the efficiency requirements for the program they wished to take advantage of. We offered her program pricing to replace the furnace, so that she was able to take advantage of this program. The homeowner accepted this and decided to move forward. This was done 3 years ago, on 4/3/2019 to be exact. On all of our new HVAC installs we offer a 1 year labor warranty. This labor warranty expired on 4/2020.

  On 5/12/22, the homeowner reached out stating the her AC unit was not working. We dispatched a technician and found that the module for the outdoor unit was inoperable and needed to be replaced. While we waited on the part to come in, we provided the homeowner with a room air conditioner so that they at least had some temporary cooling until the part arrived and the unit could be fixed. The homeowner is correct in stating that the system has a 10 year warranty, however this is a parts warranty only. We charged the homeowner for the labor to replace the part. We provided a customer service number to the homeowner for the manufacturer of the equipment.

  Throughout this process we were upfront with the homeowner about who is responsible for what when it came to the manufacturer's warranty versus our 1 year labor warranty that is provided on new installations. We confirmed with her that there would be a charge for us to dispatch a technician and repair the unit. I do not feel it is a fair statement to say that we "bait and switched" her when we detailed out each step of this process, including parts warranty versus labor warranty and providing the customer service line for the homeowner to state their concerns to the manufacturer about her AC unit.

  We pride ourselves on being fair, honest and upfront with our customers. Please let me know if you require any further documentation such as work orders, service tickets, etc. We are happy to provide those to resolve this situation.

   

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