ComplaintsforPorterhouse Heating & Cooling

• Initial Complaint

  10/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I made an appointment with this company to have my furnace evaluated as a requirement of the *********************** in order to move forward with the sale of my home. The tech, ***, came out and took one look at the wires of the furnace and said it was a fire hazard and that the wires were melted and also said the furnace was not safe. He insisted that we needed to buy a new furnace from his company for $3500 because the furnace would catch fire. He said he could not certify that the furnace was operational because he would lose his job when it catches fire. He was also upset that the company sent him because it was an older electric furnace. He never turned the furnace on or conducted any tests with any equipment. He merely looked at the wires and concluded that the furnace did not work and was not "safe". I had *** Heating and Cooling come out the next day and they performed several tests on the furnace, turned it on and off, ran several safety checks and the furnace performed at optimal levels and is fully functioning and operational. I was so upset yesterday after the tech left because I felt he was trying to scare me and pressure me into buying a new furnace when I'm closing on my new home in a few days. He wanted me to open a line of credit which would've negatively impacted my closing on my home. I paid him $100 even though nothing happened. I called the company and while they were at first horrified by ***** actions and understanding of the situation, once they talked to him their tune changed and they defended him. It's fine that they stand behind their employees but it's unconscionable that they use scare tactics to upsell their products and force customers to buy from them. He came, told me for twenty minutes that my furnace would catch on fire and then had me pay $100. I want a refund. I know that you will not always be happy with a service but in this case, no service was performed.

  

  Business response

  10/12/2022

  10/12/22

  Upon technician arrival, he noticed the wires were burnt and he stated to the customer it was not safe to run the electric furnace as well as showed her the burnt wires.  He was at the house for about 45 minutes and he could could not pass the certification.  There was a charge of $100 whether you pass or fail the inspection. 

  The customer called the office and she was upset about the entire diagnosis.  I, in turn, stated to customer, I am sorry to hear this and I will speak with my boss as well as the technician.  I called to verify the information with the technician that he gave to the customer and explained to her that I am not a technician and the one we sent out is very experienced and he was more concerned about the possibility of a problem with the furnace.

  PORTERHOUSE HEATING & COOLING 

   

  Customer response

  10/13/2022

   
  Complaint: 18197519
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The technician never turned the furnace on or tested the furnace as a part of an actual inspection. I was told that it was $100 for an actual inspection when all I received was repeated option to buy a $3500 furnace from the company. He kept telling me that the previous inspectors never looked at my furnace. I told him they did and I watched the inspection process on my home camera. I have pictures of the furnace wires that he said were burned and melted, they were not. I had a reputable company come out the very next day and do a battery of tests and perform a thorough inspection of my furnace and said my furnace was up to code and in perfect working condition. The Village inspector also came back out and my furnace was further verified to be safe AND operational. The Porterhouse tech is very experienced but was also irritated that he was assigned to the service call because it was an older furnace. He did not test my furnace, he did not turn it on, or do anything but try to upsell the new furnace and try to scare me by repeatedly saying the furnace would catch on fire.

  When I called the company the next day, the woman who made the appointment was at first shocked and dismayed that he would do that and said that he should not have charged me the $100 if he didn't perform the inspection and told me she would call me back. When she called back, she changed her tune and said that he is a well respected tech who did not want to risk his safety by doing anything to my furnace. She then went on to claim that the company that I had come out after them did not know what they were doing. 

  I was respectful and disagreed with her assessment and the way it was handled. I am closing on my new home and current home tomorrow and this tech made it like I would not be able to complete the sale of my home without buying a new furnace from his company. That is deceitful and manipulative and immoral. If they don't want to refund my money, it will be a dummy tax for me for trusting them to provide honest customer service, but I don't think it's fair to have to pay for a service that was never provided.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business response

  10/18/2022

  We are a professional company with integrity and we have never been deceitful in any way to this customer.  I was very professional and did not take any side.  The customer has a way with her words that makes it sound like something else and the way we responded.  I stated to customer I was surprise to here what had happened and I would try and find out what the situation was from our technician.  When I spoke to the technician he stated he showed the customer the burnt wires and determined it was not safe to turn the furnace on.  Our technician did give the customer a quote for a new furnace and it is always the customer choice to call another company out to get another diagnosis which she did.  Whether the customer passed or failed there is a charge of $100.   

  We are sorry the customer was not satisfied with our decision but we are concerned with the safety of our customers if we find a situation such as this.  

  Customer response

  10/19/2022

   
  Complaint: 18197519
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  The wires were not burned or melted or a safety concern. The company has decided to stand behind the deceptive practice of falsely diagnosing a safety hazard without actually testing a system. I will just get my refund through my financial institution instead. Its not fair and its not right to take peoples money without performing a service. The technician didnt come in with any equipment to perform any tests. He came to sell a furnace to a customer who just needed a test to show that the furnace was operational. *** learned my ****** and will never patronize Porterhouse again. It makes me sad because I am being called a liar when I just tried to give honest feedback about my experience. I dont need the money, Im not a scorned or vengeful person. I just dont think it was fair that I had to pay someone for a service that I never received and that the company instead wanted me to buy a new product from them.

  If the wires were melted and not safe how did it pass a full safety inspection?

  I wish them the best going forward but this experience has really made me changed my view on this type of service and opened my eyes to the lengths that people will go to in order to make money. Its unfortunate and disheartening.

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

  

  Business response

  10/27/2022

  Replying to the complaint for the 3rd time.  Unfortunately as we replied 2 other times, nothing has changed.  

  Customer response

  10/27/2022

   
  Complaint: 18197519
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  They made me pay for a service that they did not provide.

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

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