Complaintsfor1st Choice Heating & Cooling

• Initial Complaint

  07/16/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On July 7 2021 **** from 1st choice Heating and Cooling came to the residence do a tune up or diagnose a problem with my 6 year old Trane central air conditioner. When originally contacted on the phone they asked if we were existing customers at which time we stated NO. So they knew from that moment we were going to be new customers. We were told that we needed to turn the unit off before they got there it has been running and leaking in the basement. The unit was off approximately 2 hours before the techs arrival. When he arrived he refused to take off the panel to check or diagnose the problem. He also stated that since they were not the original installers of the unit back in 2014 due to new *****ship they no longer guarantee their parts or services on repairs. This is unacceptable as I didn't get a diagnosis due to him refusing to remove the panel, which was required by the next tech(different company to diagnose the issue, also they knew I was a new customer and couldn't guarantee

  

  Business response

  07/19/2021

  The service call was called in by ***** (*** ******)...We explained to him that the diagnostic charge was a flat rate fee of $175 which includes the trip charge and the technicians time to diagnose the problem (we don't charge by the hour) and if any additional repairs are needed, we would quote a repair price and get approval before doing any additional work.  *** told us his girlfriend ***** would be there and could authorize repairs.  We explained to *** that he would have turn his AC off because if it was a refrigerant issue the unit could be frozen and our tech wouldn't be able to charge the system if it was low on refrigerant.  Upon arrival our tech went to the basement to check the filter (they had a dirty filter which can sometime cause an AC unit to freeze up), he checked the blower motor to make sure it was working properly and it was.  He then went to the AC condensing unit outside and checked the refrigerant charge.  It was low but he couldn't charge it due to the system being frozen yet.  We had no history on this customer, they were a first time user and when the technician checked the model & serial number of the unit determined that it possibly could still be under warranty and told the customer to call the installing company to have them add the refrigerant because it might be under warranty.  We can only warranty parts or labor if we installed and registered the unit with the manufacturer.  We are not a TRANE dealer so we couldn't warranty anything on it.  Our tech did not refuse to take any panels off...he had to remove the panel on the furnace to check the blower and filter...and most AC units can be charged thru a port on the outside of the unit by hooking up gauges.  We feel our charges are justified and valid for the service we provided and the home***** was made aware of this when he called in.

  Customer response

  07/20/2021

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  First and foremost let's make this clear. I am the homeowner. It was stated on the phone that the unit was a Trane and it was 6 years old. Never were we told that they don't service Trane units. If they did then we wouldn't have tried to do business with them. The unit panel in the basement which was how my unit was diagnosed by the 2nd company I called had to be frozen so they could see what the issue was. We were told by 1st Choice to turn off the system for at least 1 hour(which I turned it off for several) yet that  panel was never removed to check what the issue was. Turns out that my system is not covered under warranty and no follow up was ever done by 1st Choice as to any sort of work they could provide. I was straight up told by **** while he was at my residence that they do not cover repairs or guarantee any kind of work unless it was originally installed by their company to begin with/that includes in or out of warrranty. They will not cover anything. This is very misleading to the consumer looking or setting up an appointment to not be told this information ahead of time. Also he never ever removed any panel on my system in or outside. I was watching him and speaking with him the entire time. If you aren't authorized to work with Trane then you should be up front at the time of appointment.

  Regards,
  
  ***** ******

  

  Business response

  07/21/2021

   *****, I'm the ******* ******* at 1st Choice and I was the one that spoke to *** on Tuesday morning 7/6/21 (we were closed Monday for the holiday...he called & left a message with our answering service to call when we were open)  We were very busy on Tuesday from the long, hot weekend and it has always been our policy to take care of customers that have no cooling.  I called him early Tuesday morning before our office opens at 8 am and when I spoke to him I said we could get a technician out that same day (I had to reschedule other customers that were on for maintenance) and he indicated that you, his girlfriend,  would be home.  I told him our tech would call on the way and also let him know to shut the cooling off and let the fan run to help thaw the unit in case it was frozen.  Our techs can't do anything if a unit is icing up or frozen...Here are the notes (copied & pasted) that I put in the work order for your service call  " AC is leaking...$175 diag.  (AC is off) CALL ***** (***'S GIRLFRIEND) ON WAY...************ *** WILL GIVE CC INFO OVER PHONE..***** CAN AUTHORIZE REPAIRS OR SHE'LL CALL *** "  He called back around 8:30 and said that Tuesday wouldn't work because you wouldn't be available so we rescheduled the call to Wed. 7/7/21 in the afternoon.  *** authorized the call and agreed to the diagnostic as this is always our policy to let the customer know how much a service call is and what it includes.  I spoke with the tech that was at your home (**** - who has worked for us for over 16 yrs) and didn't remember saying anything about warranties or not servicing if we didn't install the unit.  Maybe it was miscommunication on his part or the fact that our guys were running so many calls due to the heat those 2 days that he missed something on his diagnosis.  I apologize for that and I'm going to refund the service call to you because as a customer of ours (whether you are a first customer or a long time customer) we want our customers to be happy & satisfied.  We have been in business over 20 years and have great reviews & ratings because we always try to work with our customers and resolve the very few issues that arise.  A check will be processed within the next week and mailed to you.  Thank you

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