ComplaintsforRichard's Fuel and Heating Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  10/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  (4/17/23) Our central air was not cooling. *************************************************** sent a technician to our house and checked ** system and recharged system with R22 coolant. We were made aware that R22 coolant is being phased out by the federal government, that our system is leaking coolant/refrigerant, and that they are recommending that the ** system be replaced soon. Total amount charged and paid for this service was $267.46, R22 refrigerant cost at this time was $95 per lb., in which there were 1.4 lbs. used.(9/7/23) Central air was not cooling again. My husband, being aware that *******'s suggested that we replace our ** system soon, opted to have *******'s refill our system to get through the summer heat and spend around $300-$400 vs. spend approximately $10,000 for ** replacement as it is clearly out of our budget. I have been out of work since July due to medical reasons and money has been tight. He spoke with manager (*******) and he specifically told her that he was aware that the R22 was getting phased out and aware of *******'s recommendation to replace our ** system. In that conversation, she never mentioned how much the cost of the refrigerant would be per lb. She just reiterated that the R22 would be phased out, and that there will come a point that they can not get hold of it anymore, and that they can not service our ** system after that, and therefore, ** system should be replaced. My husband agreed and a technician came over to service our **. When the technician arrived, my husband conversed with him and repeated the things above. The technician also relayed the same message by manager AND also did not mention how much the cost would be. The technician put in 3 lbs. or R22 refrigerant for the service.We receive the invoice dated 9/13/23 and was surprised that the cost was $757.45. The cost of the refrigerant more than doubled to $200 per lb. and the amount of refrigerant used from 1.4 lbs. to 3 lbs. We were confused as to why the price skyrocketed like that in a span of a few months and why our ** system accomodated more refrigerant. My husband went to *******'s office and disputed the bill. He argued that if we knew that it was going to cost almost threefold that we would NOT have had the service done. NOBODY conveyed to us that the price of the refrigerant more than doubled. WE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THAT SERVICE DONE IF *******'S CONVEYED TO US ABOUT THAT SIGNIFICANT COST INCREASE. The manager was not available at that time so they just had him leave the invoice so the manager can look at it when she got back.I got a voicemail from ******* saying that the price on the invoice is correct. In her voicemail, she made false statements of her conversation with my husband when he was setting up the service call. She falsely stated that: (1) the cost for the refrigerant would be $200 per lb. - This never occured, if it did, my husband would not have gone through with the service call. (2) She convinced him not to do service because it will be costly - My husband specifically told her that we were aware of need to replace the ** system -- this service was just needed to get us through the summer, then we will replace the system in the spring of ****. (3) She said that my husband told her that he asked around and quoted some companies charged $500 per lb. - This also did not occur. We did not ask around how much other companies would charge, we just assumed that it would be similar or slightly more than the past service, as it was just a few months ago.

  Business response

  10/10/2023

  Given that customer service is our #1 priority I am very sorry to see this complaint. Shall I assume after reading this complaint you are requesting to close your oil service with us also?  I will be refunding to you the monies built up on your oil account, stopping your automatic delivery and refunding your unused service plan money for your boiler.  Please consider your account closed at this point going forward.
  Regarding the current complaint:
  Your leak on your existing ac system began in August of 2022 and is getting worse as time goes on leaking out more refrigeration and at a faster speed therefor is requiring more refrigeration. Over the phone we have no idea of how many pounds your system holds and no idea how many pounds are going to be required to recharge your system. The technician cant even visually tell how many pounds are required until after he pumps it in and gets a measurement.  An average air conditioning system could hold anywhere from 4-8lbs.
  Our cost and ability to find refrigerant has changed from April through September. Our cost on all materials we handle change drastically month to month and prices are constantly being updated in our computer systems.  We traditionally dont give pricing over the phone because we simply cant keep up with the always changing pricing structure across the country.  Our technicians have no idea what the pricing is on anything we would never be able to keep them updated on a daily basis with the thousands of parts we deal with.When someone orders service we supply the service and send a bill later. This has been the same practice for the past 11 years that you had been a customer with us.
  We have several customers with leaking old systems so the conversation I thought I had with your husband regarding other companies cost of the refrigeration must have been with a different client of ours. I am sorry for the mix up.
  While we can sympathize with your medical issues: we did begin to warn you regarding this leak on your existing system on 8/24/22 when we initially recharged the system. We do realize this is a large bill and that you may have not been expecting it be this costly. We would like to offer to you 10 months to pay this invoice without finance charges. We would accept 9 monthly payments of $75.75 and the 10th month payment would be $75.70.
  In closing we do not believe we should have to adjust our invoice.We are a fair and reputable company that has been in business over 55 years. We all wish we could rewind the clock 5 months to get cheaper pricing with everything in our daily life, however this is not the case. And as stated we have repeatedly recommended to the customer to replace the existing air conditioning system.  
  

  Customer response

  10/10/2023

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

  First of all, the business' assumption that I am requesting to close my oil service with them is totally wrong.  Their reply, "Please consider your account closed at this point going forward" is retaliatory and counterproductive to the resolution of the complaint. I did not ask for this action nor there is anything written in my complaint to the BBB pertaining to this.  My correspondence is about asking the business to take accountability to the incident involving our air conditioner by adjusting their invoice.  The main issue was that the manager failed to convey the probable cost of the service.  My husband assumed that the cost would be somewhat similar to the "similar service" performed a few months back.  To reiterate, WE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THAT SERVICE DONE IF RICHARDS CONVEYED TO US ABOUT THAT SIGNIFICANT COST INCREASE. 

  Per the business "We traditionally dont give pricing over the phone because we simply cant keep up with the always changing pricing structure across the country." If the price increase was that significant, it would have been prudent to inform your customer of the change.  "This has been the same practice for the past 11 years that you had been a customer with us."  This incident may be a sign that this practice is not good for your business and customers.

  I am willing to find a fair resolution to this problem.  I can meet you halfway, based on invoice from 4/26/23 (invoice #*****) and 9/13/23 (invoice #*****): I am willing to pay $512.46, divided into 10  months without finance charges.  $51.25 each month for 9 months and $51.21 on the 10th month.
  

   

  Business response

  10/10/2023

  We do not negotiate service invoices but to close out this case and move forward we will accept this offer. Your oil and services accounts are closed moving forward. We are mailing out a refund for your oil credit and unused service plan. We just don't feel that we are a good fit for your future services given how unhappy you are with our business practices. I had consulted the BBB and was told we have every right to close your account going forward. 

  Customer response

  10/10/2023

   
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  The business' reply is retaliatory and vindictive. I did not request to terminate our other services.  Instead of taking accountability for their mistake, they punish the customer for bringing up a complaint to the BBB.

*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. ↩