ComplaintsforShanklin Heating And Air Conditioning LLC

• Initial Complaint

  09/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had Shanklin Heating and Cooling come out to my Commercial building, at **** ******* *** ** *********, to fix a problem on a my 3 year old commercial unit, that they did not install but was still under Warranty with the manufacturer on parts. They fixed the problem, temporarily. However they had to come back in less than 120 days because we were still having problems with the cooling system. Same problem, so they came back amd did a complete system check on the the unit, cleaned everything and worked on the same unit over again that they just worked on less than 120 days earlier, only to find out the batteries on the thermostat were faulty. They never gave me another estimate or even asked for authorization to do addition work. Over $1400 to fix the 3 year old unit, under warranty for parts only, on March 28th the first time and over $220 to come back again in July , less than 120 days later to replace faulty batteries on a thermostat that they should have checked on day one. Things are working now but I feel Shankling should have checked the faulty thermostat batteries on day one. No thermostat battery is worth that kind of money, clearly the faulty battery connection should have been checked on day one.

  

  Business response

  10/11/2022

  The thermostat in question was operating properly at the initial visit. We went out 3/17/2022 to perform a leak search as determined by our commercial technician (according to our notes & the information Mr. ***** provided, he's had a technician from another company out every 6 months to fix something) A leak search cannot be performed if the thermostat isn't working as the thermostat would tell the unit to run, thus finding the leak. 
  We performed the leak search on 3/21/2022 after authorization from Mr. ***** & after the conversation with him that this would be the first step of determining what the issue was with the unit.  The visit on 3/21/2022 found a low pressure cut off & the part (which was under parts warranty, not a labor warranty) was ordered & authorized by Mr. *****. 
  On 3/25/2022, we returned to replace the failed low pressure cut off part, pressure test the system, recharge the unit with refrigerant to factory specifications, & ensure all was working at the time of service (no further leaks). Again, this unit would not run if the thermostat was not in operating order. These three visits totaled $1,329.46; this payment is authorized according to our invoice terms & conditions as "SCHEDULING SERVICE AND/OR INSTALLATION THE CUSTOMER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT HAS AGREED TO THE STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR SHANKLIN HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING, LLC...". We did also have to charge 2 NON-SUFFICIENT FUNDS charges as he sent multiple bad checks. There was no indication of the thermostat having low batteries at any of these visits.
  
  All was working as of 3/25/2022. Mr. ***** called in on 7/19/2022 saying the air unit was "low on refrigerant". We went out on 7/21/2022 and found the unit was turned off at the thermostat via a switch (this was physically turned off by a person at the service location). We turned the thermostat back on to run the unit & saw the thermostat said "low battery" on the screen. 
  Our technician noted "Upon arrival found thermostat shut off turned on stat checked charge on unit cleaned condenser coil changed Thermostat battery’s unit operating properly at this time." We charged a service charge & a unit alignment to ensure everything was operating at the time of us leaving. There were no leaks at this time & was an unrelated reason to the March 2022 visits. Our terms & conditions also state "Labor/Service Charge: The labor charge as recorded here relative to the equipment serviced as noted, is guaranteed for a period of 30 days. We do not, of course, guarantee other parts than those we provide and install. If repairs later become necessary due to other defective parts, they will be charged separately."
  In summary, the thermostat in question that we replaced batteries in on 7/21/2022 had nothing to do with the issues with the unit uncovered, serviced, & fixed in March 2022. The thermostat being turned off is what caused the unit to not run in July 2022. Please let us know if you need copies of invoices, phone records, etc. Thank you!
  

  
  

  Customer response

  10/12/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  The fact that the Roof Top Unit was under manufacture warranty for parts on 3 year old unit and the fact that they had just worked on the unit 3 months earlier are my issues. I paid under $1500 in April 2022 and another $224 for services three months later in July to replace batteries on the Thermostat. Just under $1500 to fix a unit under parts warranty and to come back again 3 months later to replace batteries on a Thermostat for $224, not to replace the Thermostat itself, is excessive. So it is my experience with Shanklin Heating and Cooling is that you will pay excessive costs, even if its under parts warranty, to have your Heating and Cooling fixed on more than one occasion within a few months of each service. Under $1500 to replace a part under warranty and add 3 pounds of refrigerant, then to come back 3 months later and charge me $224 to replace the batteries in a thermostat, not the thermostat itself, is excessive. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ***** 

  
  

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