ComplaintsforWellington Plumbing & Heating Ltd

• Initial Complaint

  21/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Problems started in Jan. 2022 but it was many months later before I realized that I, as an individual, was helpless against both Wellington Plumbing and the board of directors of our residence. My word is of no value. The "experts" have spoken. Wellington Plumbing & Heating installed a programmable thermostat in an attempt to repair my furnace. This was thermostat #3.....another company had tried 2 other thermostats that did not repair furnace. It was reported that the furnace was okay. It was a full year later before a relay switch in the furnace was replaced. Board of directors of Life Lease Residence had not authorized the installation of a programmable thermostat and refused to pay. Wellington, in an attempt to justify charging the Resident, stated that I had "requested" a programmable unit. Wellington refused to respond to my multiple requests re their mistake until I sent a registered letter to owner, George E. Then it was stated that I had "agreed to" the installation. At the time I accepted that with the hope and expectation that the board would be reasonable. I certainly could not have anticipated what followed. I had neither requested no agreed to this. In fact, I had objected because I felt it would be too complicated for me (age 83), and I had no need for it. Then the serviceman set it to be non-programmable, saying, "This will be better for you." This thermostat also supposedly failed and was replaced with a 4th unit (by the first company). Programmable unit was returned to Wellington. No money had changed hands. The board refused to believe me because the "experts" stated that I had "requested" the unauthorized thermostat and that the furnace was okay. I tried to reason with them but they stated, "Case closed". Furnace problems continued and board refused to provide service for 10 months. (I had heat but not enough. Thermostat #4 resulted in excessive heat.) That is the short version of a horror story. Once again (June 2023) my requests for Wellington to correct its error have been met with no response. Wellington's error was the direct cause of the resulting problems with the board. I did not pursue my case against Wellington at the time because I was wasting my time trying to deal with the board. A Life Lease Residence is covered under the Corporations Act and board members cannot be held liable. It took me a long time to realize this. But also, I expected the board to be reasonable and to take steps to ensure that Residents rights were protected. This explains the delay before I tried to contact Wellington again...numerous times. VP is Kyle M.. The time limit to initiate a claim might be over but the circumstances are such that this case needs to be addressed. What I have requested is that the board clarify the meaning of a By-Law to make members understand the difference between a decision and an informed decision...and their responsibilities to the Residents. Then I want the board to have a Dispute Resolution Policy. But as long as the board believes Wellington in that I "requested" or "agreed to" the installation of a programmable thermostat, they will not be cooperative. Wellington appears not to have a Dispute Resolution Policy either. Or rather, I should say, their Policy is to ignore disputes in the hope that the person will give up. If Wellington admits to having made an error then I will be in a position to prove my case against the board. This has the potential to provide all Residents with protection against Decisions vs Informed Decisions.

  Business response

  24/07/2023

  Hello;

  We have been advised by the condo corporation to not respond or communicate with **** *******. 

  Customer response

  24/07/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: It is outrageous that a company can state that a customer requested an item when that did not happen. Wellington wanted the customer to pay when the corporation would not pay. 

  Wellington's action was the direct cause of the board's further actions against me. I was not believed. The "experts" had spoken. The board does not understand the difference between making a decision and making an informed decision.

  The board refused to believe me when I continued to report problems.....problems that were verified by the superintendent. No board member came to investigate. And yes, there was a problem....a faulty relay switch in the furnace which service men did not locate.

  The follow year was very distressful. No service for 10 months! Abuse. People in positions of power caused harm & distress to a senior. 

  And it all started with Wellington and one word "requested". 

  This abuse of power will only continue until the board learns the difference between a decision and an informed decision. They chose to believe the "experts' and never listened to me. Wellington caused this and the board compounded it. 

  Residents are equal partners with the board with equal rights. My rights were not honoured.....by Wellington or the board. Wellington is in a position to correct this so that all Residents are treated fairly.

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

  Customer response

  25/07/2023

  ID ******** I just replied to a response from the BBB. But then I realized ..... I liked the suggest of a a billing adjustment. I said that this would address the problem. I should have said Could...not Would. As well......I should not have been billed in the first place. It is ********* corporation's responsibility to provide furnace repairs. The fact that the corporation does not authorize programmable thermostats should not have meant that the bill was sent to the Resident. No money actually changed hands, because the thermostat was torn out and returned by the board of directors, However, the resulting damage to my reputation, the harm & distress, and the abuse that followed from the board...10 months without a properly functioning heating system......was a direct result of Wellington having stated that I had "requested"....later changed to "agreed to" the installation.
  
  Sent from **** ******* (*******@****.net)

  Business response

  25/07/2023

  Hello;

  We have been told by the condo corporation to not communicate with **** *******

  Customer response

  25/07/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Note that I have already responded to this.....
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *******

   

  BBB.....July 25
  
  After learning that Wellington had been told not to communicate with me I was rather upset. Heart pounding and Blood Pressure up. Scary situation for a person with AFib.
  
  Not the first time that I felt it necessary to defend myself against bullying in this situation. However, in my rush to provide information, I failed to edit my comments to you and now note several points that need to be clarified. Plus others. 
  
  I acknowledge that the order of these statements are random. But the original e-mails will show the correct order of the statements.
  
  1) I welcome Mediation because my statements can be supported by a series of e-mails. Statements made by the lawyer for the corporation do not match this documented history.
  
  2) It should also be noted that management had ordered me to not communicate with Wellington. My messages were wasted efforts to defend myself from false accusations.
  
  3) The corporation tried to prevent communication between the parties.
  
  4) It was the Wellington service man's choice to install the programmable thermostat despite my stated objections. He seemed to think that making a programmable thermostat to be non-programmable was the solution.
  
  5) Superintendent may not have notified management of the times he came to check the heating situation. Specifically, late one Fri. afternoon. I had told the Superintendent that I would report it to management on the Mon. morning. He noted that the thermostat (#4) did not control the furnace. In the meantime I controlled the furnace with the main switch. 
  
  6) I stated "By-Laws". Should be just one. By-Law 11.2. Reasonably prudent person....diligence. From the research literature I read I believe this to include making informed decisions.....taking into consideration all information.....not just that of the "experts". But you should not even require a By-Law when common sense is applied.
  
  7) I said 10 months without service. Correction: One service call (the other company) during that time to remove the unauthorized thermostat, which had supposedly failed, and to install #4. 
  
  8) Four new thermostats failed to control the furnace ?????? And yet service men claimed that the heating system was okay??????
  
  9) It was a full year from the time I first reported a heating problem until a relay switch in the furnace was replaced. (Yesterday I said located....but replaced is correct)
  
  10) #4 thermostat was of a lesser quality than the original. Difficult to accurately set and read.
  
  11) Board tried to put responsibility for furnace repairs to the Resident. Against the Lease Agreement.
  
  12) I had wasted time trying to make the board see reason....before I realized that the board was protected by the Corporations Act. Even then, I still hoped that the board would act in a reasonably prudent manner, as per the By-Law. 
  
  13) All of this because of one word, "requested", from Wellington. When I denied this, the board labelled me to be not truthful. And my reports of continuing furnace problems were not addressed. A full year without a properly functioning furnace. First not able to get sufficient heat. Later, after installation of 4th thermostat, excessive heat and a furnace/fan running continuously. 
  
  14) What started out as a small matter, easily rectified, has grown into a major problem. And now, if Wellington communicates with this Resident, it appears to me that they could risk losing the corporation's business.
  
  15) All that I asked was that Wellington consider my concerns over the use of the words "requested" and "agreed to". At the beginning I thought that "agreed to" was better than "requested" (my mistake) since the board's decision against me had been based on "requested". But the board stayed firm in their belief that I had requested an unauthorized item.
  
  16) And all that I asked of the board was that the current and future board members understand the meaning of By-Law 11.2.....that they comprehend the difference between a decision and an informed decision. And that they have a Dispute Resolution Policy in place.....rather than to make decisions that are not informed and then to declare, Case closed, Final decision, Original decision stands.
  
  17) And don't forget management's involvement in this.
  
  18) Residents have Equal Rights. In this case the Resident's Rights were stripped from her first by Wellington then by the board.
  
  19) My requests to the board will have a chance for success when Wellington acknowledges that a mistake was made by stating that I had "requested" (or even "agreed to") the installation of an unauthorized thermostat.
  
  20) All Residents will have a better chance of being treated fairly if my requests are met. After all, the Corporations Act sets out to provide rights for all parties. It is a matter of understanding what the Act  and the By-Law mean.
  
  Yes, this message is long.....but the case started and continues since Jan. 2022.
  
  I can answer any questions you might have because I documented everything from the start and there are e-mails to support my statements. The situation is so absurd that it could be difficult for another person to differentiate between fact & fiction.

  Business response

  26/07/2023

  We have been told to not communicate with **** ******* from the condo corporation

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