ComplaintsforKabran Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  04/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  AC (Kabran installed) 9 yrs old under warranty started to run consistently, blowing warm air. Kabran sent service rep. He looked at the roof condenser, then looked at air handler (never opened front of unit) and said we had a very small leak that he could not find. He then said he could fill 4lbs @ $89 per lb and service call $89 and see if it lasts another year. OR buy a new unit. We filled it and it emptied out in 20 hrs. He obviously knew it would run out. They sent Sales Rep, who didn't talk much, gave little information, had to ask questions to get some answers. Then said he had to go back to the office to write estimate and send email for a signature. During this time, he kept saying it would only take a couple of days for installation. We waited 4 days, called and they said it would be 14 days for installation. Enough, cancelled order immediately and called Goodman AC recommended specialist. He said he could be there at 12:00 same day. He arrived, checked roof condenser, opened air handler front panels, checked all and ran special fluid to find the leak He found leak immediately up on roof condenser. Said it would cost $1000, part and labor under warranty. We opted to buy a new Goodman AC. I was a customer of Kabran for 26 years and have lost all trust in this company. I would at least expect a refund of that service call and refrigerant cost, since they were not upfront or doing his job.

  

  Business response

  04/10/2023

  Good morning, 

  In response to the complaint from Ms. *****, we dispatched a technician to her home on Saturday, 3/25/2023 to check her air conditioning system. Per the caller, the system would not cool down to temperature. Upon arrival, the technician found the system was almost void of refrigerant. He proceeded to check for leaks in the refrigerant lines and coils, but he was not able to locate the leak at that time. He explained that the system could be recharged at the homeowners expense, but that the leak was still present and we did not know how long the charge would last. We also explained that if they were to chose to try and charge the system for temporary use and they were to purchase a replacement system from us, we would refund the cost of that service call. The customer chose to try this option so we charged the system and made a note to follow up in a week to re-check for the leak. As the unit was 9 years old and located on beachside, it's overall condition was poor, so, we also provided an estimate for  replacement. At this time, our schedule is booked out about 2 weeks before our first opening for a complete system installation. Ms. ***** agreed to our proposal, which was provided the next day, and at that point we installed a portable a/c unit for them to use until the job could be completed. When it came time to get her job scheduled, she told us if we could not get it done right away, she would find someone else that could. Unfortu*****y, we did not have an opening that worked for Ms. ***** so she then chose to cancel the job. 

  If they had the work completed by us, the entire amount of the service call would have been refunded as stated above. Having chosen to use another company, the refund was not available. 

  It should also be noted that her system was NOT covered under a parts and labor warranty as stated in her complaint. There was a part warranty still available, but, it does not cover corrosion damage. 

  Had Ms. ***** taken the time to speak with a manager, it is possible we could have found a resolution to her issue. We always attempt to accommodate our customers as much as possible. Because she decided to cancel with us and go with another company without giving us the opportunity to solve the problem, we do not feel we owe a refund to Ms. ***** for the work we performed, even though it did not last. We were clear when we explained that there was a risk with recharging the system having not found and repaired the leak. 

  Please let me know if there is any further information needed from us. 

   

  Thank you, 

  James A. P********

  Service Manager

   

• Initial Complaint

  11/08/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased a "Brand New" Rheem A/C, Hvac Unit from Kabran for our Surfside Wedding Chapel because they are also a local small business and we trusted them. We were guaranteed a 10 year warranty purchase and install of this "new" Rheem Unit. Right off the bat the Thermostat went bad. We have since found out that this is one of the main causes of Blower Motor Failure. Which we had soon after. (within 1st yr) We were also told that since we were a business that our 10 yr warranty was no longer any good. Well they knew that when they sold it to us because they were here and they put on our proposal "surfside wedding chapel". Each time they come we have to wait 3-5 days for repairs since they do not sell or service the product they sold us and they always charge us double service call charges when they come, because they always have to wait for the needed part, charging hundreds of dollars for the freon that leaked from the bad parts on top of it. Since we purchased the unit August 2018, they have charged us exactly $1948.00 in repairs on this "new unit" Why did they sell us a unit they don't work on or SELL? They also instructed us to use bleach weekly in the drain line and we have had two seperate Professional Rheem A/C service techs tell us that this not only RUINS the system but instantly VOIDS the Manufacturer's Warranty! We definetly feel they have set us up for failure and reoccurring service and repairs. A Certified Rheem Agent also told us that holes or leaks don't just appear in refrigerant lines, (which were installed by them new) and they are usually the result of poor soldering, friction or other such installation issues. So the damages were caused by the only people who have touched this unit. Kabran! They should not sell a product to a neighboring business they want to "ditch" because we are only a few doors down from them. They should not have ruined our system with the terrible install or instructing us to use a chemical that directly corrodes it all.

  

  Business response

  11/30/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/11/10) */ On 8/30/2018 the owners of Surfside Chapel purchased a new air conditioning system from Kabran Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc. They signed a proposal for a Rheem system which is a brand we frequently sell, install and service. The system was sold with a 10 year part warranty from the manufacturer and a 1 year labor and misc. materiel warranty from Kabran Air. Due to the property being listed on the Property Appraiser site as commercial, Rheem reduced the parts warranty to 1 year. Since Rheem reduced the warranty, Kabran Air has honored the warranty we sold (10 year parts) and provided any necessary parts at no charge to the owners as was on our proposal and our original agreement. After the first year, labor and incidental material such as refrigerant, driers, etc. have been billable as was documented on the original proposal. 8 months after the installation, the owners had a service call for the thermostat being "blank'. This was caused from the drain line being backed up (lack of maintenance) and the safety switch cutting power to the thermostat to prevent any water damage. They did NOT have a bad thermostat, and, thermostat failures are NOT a primary cause of blower motor failures. After the drain was cleared, the thermostat worked correctly and did not need replacement. This was covered by Kabran under the 1st year warranty even though backed up drain lines are a maintenance issue not usually covered under warranty. The motor that failed was 17 months after the drain issue, well out of the 1st year warranty, and, most likely caused by a power issue as it failed electrically. The part needed was provided at no charge to the owners and we billed for labor and processing fee's only. When a part fails for any brand equipment, we have to order the replacement from our local distributors. This sometimes takes a couple days to get no matter what the brand of equipment. We have little to no control over how quickly we receive these parts. It has nothing to do with the volume of business we do with them. Kabran has NEVER charged 'double service call charges'. We have all of the billing to the owners well documented. It is all fully justifiable, and, has been provided to the Surfside Chapel's attorney who found no issues or incorrect charges on any of the invoices. The only charges have been for labor after the 1st year and material not covered under the parts warranty. The claims the owners are making against Kabran are baseless and untrue. We have never advised any customer to put bleach in their system once a week. We have never double billed service charges. We certainly didn't 'ditch' a product on them as stated. If Kabran has been the only company to service the system, it is curious that there has been 2 other Rheem agents providing opinions on the system. Kabran has provided exactly what the owners signed a proposal for. It is unfortunate that the system has had component failures after the 1st year warranty, but, it can and does happen. Any system has potential for problems, especially when it is not properly maintained and is located along the coast in the harsh, corrosive environment. When they had a problem, we responded quickly, professionally and only billed what was not covered by any warranties. If the owners pay the balance due on their account, we will be happy to continue to provide them with the high level of service afforded to all of our customers for well over 3 decades. We pride ourselves in being a locally owned small business and have not survived in the same location by treating our customers unfairly. If we have an issue we work diligently to do the right thing for our customers. Period. Once again, these baseless claims have been addressed again, and, if the account is brought current, we will continue to service their system. We have tried on a number of occasions to resolve their concerns but due to the unreasonable requests, we cannot provide them with the resolution that they want. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2021/11/16) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Delane told us they only sell Carrier which they could not get for weeks, but he had this Rheem in their warehouse still in a box, new with a 10 yr warranty. He himself wrote our proposal out to Surfside Chapel right in front of us. How can a professional A/c company not know that Manufacturers don't cover commercial? We never got any maintenance because you were here rebuilding it ALL OF THE TIME! They most certainly DID replace our thermostat. Christian was so embarrassed they had to come back AGAIN this last time and he talked to the service manager Jim on his phone in our office and we were told there would be NO CHARGE for today's service, which we felt was fair considering that we have replaced so much on this "new unit". Few days later we got a bill for nearly $1000. They know they have done us wrong and they are lying about the bleach too. We have been communicating with other dissatisfied customers who have also been dealing with the same types of situations with NEW INSTALLS. It is unfortunate that they thought they could take advantage of us considering we are only a few doors down and trusted them. They have not ONCE reached out to us for a resolution, in fact they tried to kick Dave out of their office, when we got the bill and he went over there to talk to JIM in person and discuss it. Jim wouldn't come out of his office. Then told Dave he had to leave because of "covid" and Dave was the only human in the building with a MASK ON. They have NOT TALKED TO US ONE BIT because they KNOW THEY ARE WRONG AND THEY KNOW THEY TOOK COMPLETE ADVANTAGE OF US. They are LIARS! We have had several professional opinions including from Rheem about the install, the bleach and their service charges and had Rheem Service Specialists inspect it on October of this year. Not anytime before. Ya'll should be embarrassed and certainly held accountable. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2021/11/23) */ Our representative Delane never told them that we sell only Carrier, we sell a number of brands of air conditioners including Rheem , Carrier, Goodman, Trane, etc. We did accidently tell them they would have a 10 year part warranty from the manufacturer, however, due to this being our mistake, we have indeed covered everything that the manufacturer, Rheem, would have covered and agreed to do so for the remainder of the 10 years from the date of installation IF the account is brought current with the past due amount. We have never "rebuilt" their air conditioner, we have responded to service calls and repaired what was needed at the time. This does not in any way take the place of routine maintenance. We have not replaced the thermostat. Simply not true. On the last service call, the service manager agreed to review the billing to take into account any prior service or discounts that might be afforded to the customer. We never said the repair would not be billed or charged to them. Once again, simply not true. It also should be noted, the system in question is not "new", it is now over 3 years old and on the beach. We have not "done them wrong", we have not instructed them to use bleach weekly nor do we have any number of dissatisfied customers that we are aware of. We make every effort to resolve any issues that may come up with any and all of our customers. We were advised early on in this issue form their attorney to cease contact with them, so, we have not tried to reach out due to their litigious actions. We never tried to "kick Dave out of our office" as stated. Again, simply not true. We have not refused to discuss this with them because "we know we are wrong", we have not discussed it because they chose to get a lawyer who told us not to contact them. Incidentally, their attempt at legal action against us went nowhere due to us having not done anything wrong or improper. We are not "embarrassed" as we know we have done everything possible to try to assist them when they needed us in a fair way. Once again, if they agree to bring their account current, we will honor the 10 year manufacturer part warranty we had on the original proposal. We do the best we can on every call every day. We cannot guarantee that we never make a mistake or have an issue, but, we can guarantee that we will do everything we can to resolve any issue fairly for all parties involved. We are proud to be in the same location for over 35 years with many many positive reviews and believe that if we were as devious and unscrupulous as they claim, we would have seen our demise long ago.

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