ComplaintsforWilsons Mechanical

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In 2023 we had a ****** Heat Pump installed by Wilson's. Everything since the install day (October 5-6 2023) has been a nightmare. It was not articulated to us that we would need to run new electrical wire in order to complete the installation. The electrician sent from 1st Electric came hours after the initial crew had left, and drilled upwards of 11 holes through my entire basement to run the wire. The installation was done incorrectly, as the system was not configured for staging. The problems continued, as following the installation, I kept getting condensate leaks. After several failed fixes, they finally installed an electric pump to the outside. Come winter, the Aux heat is engaged all the time. I inquired as to why this would be, as this system is supposed to fine to at least -20C. The technician who came (****, Feb 9 2024) advised that the inverter board needed replacement, and that he suggested my S40 thermostat be replaced.. When the parts arrived, a new technician came (*****, March 1 2024). He insisted that the board was not defective, and there is a setting that "fixes this exact problem". Evidently this was a "Heating Factor" setting which is often set too high, causing the over-current issues. I asked why this would be installed this way, and I could not get a straight answer. A few weeks later, I notice my aux heat is still engaging, and I'm still riddled with notifications on the system of failures. I engage support again, and they send a technician (Chris, March 20) to replace the board, but not the thermostat. March 26th 2024 - I receive an alert email from ****** indicating my system has lost connection to the Heat Pump, since 5am this morning, and is running on aux heat since. On my thermostat I have multiple errors and notifications, and "Service Urgent" alerts. On March 30th 2024, it was 4C at 9:45am, and the inverter had failed again, causing Aux heat to engage. My warranty will expire before the next heating season.

  Business response

  02/04/2024

  Hello,

  The client's system is currently operational, and we have been in touch with technical support to ensure his system is operating as it was intended.

  We are currently working with the client to work out minor setup errors for his heat pump system, as I explained multiple times to the client, this is a newer model, and we are consistently in touch with the manufacturer regarding any new corrections needed for better functionality.

  Anthony Ha: "It was not articulated to us that we would need to run new electrical wire in order to complete the installation. The electrician sent from 1st Electric came hours after the initial crew had left, and drilled upwards of 11 holes through my entire basement to run the wire."

  The clients original wire feed did not meet electrical code, this is an unforeseen issue that we needed to correct due to electrical code, our sales personal or technicians would not have known this.  The original quote clearly states that drywall damage and repair may be needed but is not included in this quote.

  Wilsons Mechanical covered a portion of these costs.

  All other concerns are covered under the clients labor warranty through our company as well as the manufacturers parts warranty, I have attached an agreement in which I have extended the clients 1st year warranty coverage with our company an additional 6months.

  Thank you,

  **** ******

  *******, Wilsons Mechanical

  Customer response

  02/04/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  

  The Business states: "The client's system is currently operational, and we have been in touch with technical support to ensure his system is operating as it was intended."

  While my system is technically operational, the issues I'm experiencing cause the heat pump to fail, and the system to revert to costly auxiliary electric heat, negating the advantage of a high efficiency heat pump.Where the weather is beginning to warm, and calls to heat reduce, it becomes increasingly unlikely that heat calls would be made at all, reducing the frequency of the errors, and therefore the occurrences of the aux heat engagement. This is not fixed - it's just that environmental conditions have changed.

  
  The Business states: "We are currently working with the client to work out minor setup errors for his heat pump system, as I explained multiple times to the client, this is a newer model, and we are consistently in touch with the manufacturer regarding any new corrections needed for better functionality."

  I agree that Wilson's is now working with ****** to dial in problems with the system. However, this was 'explained multiple times' only after we started experiencing issues. At the sales meetings, right up to when they ripped out my existing system, it was not mentioned that this was a new system with a host of issues that need ironing out. Again, we are not the only customers experiencing the exact same Error 433 DC Overcurrent issue on this model. If the issues are so widespread, it should've been mentioned to us before we pulled the trigger on a replacement, to give us an opportunity to choose a different model.

  
  The Business states: "All other concerns are covered under the clients labor warranty through our company as well as the manufacturers parts warranty, I have attached an agreement in which I have extended the clients 1st year warranty coverage with our company an additional 6months."
  

  This is a good start, but it is our view that the year installation warranty coverage should begin only when the system is confirmed to be working properly. At the present time, the latest failure was March 30th 2024, after an inverter board replacement, and despite ambient lockout which would prevent the aux heat from engaging, unless it had no choice (like in the current error condition). There does not seem to be a way to predict when these errors will happen, but where the most recent error was only days ago, and no additional measures have been put in place since, I don't accept that the system is fixed.

   

• Initial Complaint

  26/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a Lennox dual-zone mini split heat pump from Halifax Home Heating (also operating as Wilson's Mechanical). That's one compressor connected to two evaporators (or "heads"). One head is upstairs in my master bedroom. The other is downstairs in my family room. The unit has been problematic from the beginning. The system leaked refrigerant. The compressor froze up solid. The heating and cooling were inconsistent. Now we've had a dozen service calls and multiple part replacements and Wilson's technicians have been unable to solve all the problems. The tech's have all be very polite and professional, but they obviously don't know how to fix it. The fundamental issue here is that the system cannot make my family room warmer than my bedroom. Even if the bedroom head is set to the minimum (17 degrees) and the family room head is set to the maximum (30 degrees), it will heat the bedroom more than the family room. In short, the system doesn't do what it's supposed to and I've explained this to multiple technicians on multiple service calls and they don't know how to fix it. Three weeks ago I called in to suggest a potential solution. They said someone would call me back by the end of the day. No one has called. I've called them back twice and they just keep saying there's nothing they can do until the manager looks at it but they won't give me his contact info and he hasn't called me. Maybe he's swamped. Maybe he's dodging me calls. Either way, the system doesn't work as advertised and if they're not going to consider my suggestions in a timely fashion, I want a refund.

  Business response

  08/06/2023

  Hello, 

  
  

  We are attempting to come to a reasonable resolution with this customer.

  
  

  Our company is now Wilsons Mechanical, not Halifax Heating.

  
  

  Once we have finalized our resolution, we will update you via the link.

  
  

  Thank you,

  
  

  
  

  Customer response

  28/06/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  

  Quick review: I bought a dual-zone lennox minisplit heat pump from Wilson's Mechanical. It doesn't work as described. You're supposed to be able to set the two rooms to whatever temperatures you want, and the units will throw heat into those rooms until they reach target temperature and then stop. That is not what happens. The unit cannot heat Room A (downstairs) to a higher temperature than Room B (upstairs) no matter what temperatures are selected. After a dozen service calls and no progress I gave up and bought a new system for upstairs. Now I've asked Wilsons to remove the defective unit and provide a full refund. 

  
  

  I have been communicating by email with a manager at Wilson's Mechanical named Mark Gillis. Mr. ****** asked if he could send a technician out to look at the situation. Of course I agreed and  had a good chat with the technician, **** (I don't know his last name). **** seemed to immediately grasp the situation. As luck would have it, my other downstairs heat pump is failing. **** and I agreed that, instead of a full refund, Wilsons could relocate my upstairs Lennox head downstairs. This wouldn't fix the problem exactly, but practically speaking it wouldn't matter because the conditions under which the problem manifests wouldn't occur. The two units would always be set at or near the same temperature. **** agreed re-locating was a good plan, took some measurements, and left.

  
  

  Mr. ****** sent me an offer to do the relocation job for $777.53. Mr. ****** fundamentally doesn't seem to understand the situation. Wilsons sold me a heating system under false pretenses. It's not like the sales person said "oh by the way, if you install this system this way it will be impossible to deliver more heat to your family room than your bedroom." I am not paying Wilsons to fix this problem they created. I am willing to pay a reasonable rate for removal of the existing heat pump - about $275 - but that's all. Mr. ****** doesn't seem to understand that I'm doing Wilson's a favour by offering this relocation solution, and that if this went to court I' have every right to demand a full refund. When I refused this offer, Mr. ****** complained that "the location you want the unit relocated to is an additional 80ft away." That isn't true. The location is an additional 30 feet away. He also described the problem as "overshooting" that could be fixed with "minimal programming." This also isn't correct. The problem isn't "overshooting" and if it could have been corrected with minimal programing, I imagine one of the half-dozen technicians who's been out here would have done that. I think Mr. ****** keeps misunderstanding the situation because he won't speak to me by phone or in person. When **** came out to the house and looked at the situation, he seemed to get it right away. 

  
  

  So, to summarize, Mr. ****** has not made a reasonable offer. I asked for a refund. He refused. Out of an abundance of sympathy and helpfulness, I offered a compromise: remove a failing heatpump and move one head of the Lennox system downstairs. Mr. Gillis' own technician agreed this was feasible and would solve the problem, but Mr. ****** expects me to pay market rates (~$775) for the work. Obviously this is not acceptable. I will pay $275 and not a penny more.

  
  

  Business response

  05/07/2023

  Hello, Please see the attached email, in this email I have agreed to relocate the unit at no cost to the consumer as per his suggestion.

  I have not had a response from him as of yet.

  Sincerely,

   

  Mark Gillis, HVAC Manager

  Wilsons Mechanical
  

*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. ↩