ComplaintsforAdvanced Air & Refrigeration, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  03/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 1-16-2024, Advanced Air (tech *******) came to perform annual maintenance. Tech advanced there was a leak, and I agreed to pay for "leak search" service at a price of $449.10. This service included 2 pounds of refrigerant. Tech determined AC coil was the root cause, and it would be replaced under warranty. I agreed to pay the $69.00 fee to process the warranty. Tech also added an additional 4 pounds of refrigerant at a cost of $352.00.On 1-25-2024, Advanced Air (tech *******) came to replace the coil. The entire system needed to be drained and refilled with refrigerant to ensure/confirm proper operation.My complaint is there was no need to pay for an additional 4 pounds of refrigerant at at cost of $352.00 to have it drained out 9 days later to replace the coil. I have contacted Advanced Air multiple times to try and resolve this issue. After ~2 weeks, I finally was able to talk with ***********************, service manager to discuss the problem. He promised he would contact me back very soon after speaking with his manager, and he stated he understood my concern and basically agreed it. This was ~2-3 weeks ago, and I still have not received a response. I contacted Advanced Air again over a week ago and advised agent to have ****** contact me again regarding this situation. As of today, I still have not received a response. My request is for a credit of $352.00.

  

  Business response

  03/07/2024

  ****************** reached out to our company to schedule routine maintenance on his A/C system. On 1/16/24 ************** ******* arrived and performed said maintenance. After reviewing the unit, ******* found the outdoor unit was leaking refrigerant. At that time, he suggested a leak search and adding refrigerant to the unit which was approved by ******************. The idea was to keep the unit running while we wait the necessary nine days for the coil delivery. The customer was advised there is no guarantee how long the refrigerant would last while we waited for the coil. Advanced Air emailed ***************** the below summary of that service call which explains in detail what was done and what the risk could be. We feel ****************** received a verbal and written breakdown explaining the risk of a possible refrigerant loss. Below is a job summary emailed to ****************** explaining those details.
  
  
  
  ******* verified the coil was still under warranty and ordered it. On 1/25/24, ******* arrived at Mr. ******** residence and installed a new coil at no-cost to ******************. Based on our findings, our **************** Manager declined the refund of $352 as ****************** was advised of the potential loss of refrigerant. ****************** also approved the repairs and cost associated. ****************** paid for the refrigerant the first time but the cost to replace the coil and adding new refrigerant was at no-charge to *****************.
  
  
  Thank you,
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In 2018 i purchased a HVAC system from Advanced air ~$14,000...at the time i also purchased a 10 year parts/labor warranty. I've had 3 service calls on the system each time being asked to pay several hundred dollars because the" problem was not covered in the warranty" ...however when I purchased the system I expressed a concern about items not being covered as I didn't want to have any significant surprise costs in my retirement...and my limitations with parkinsons makes it difficult if not impossible to do even simple repairs/actions/checks. the salesman said not to worry all his customers have been very satisfied with the warranty. Most recently the air conditioning went out on Sunday June 25, 2023...the tech came to repair on Monday the 26th so response was great and tech was capable and nice...(I also have a routine maintenance plan with Advanced that i've kept up with as a condition of the warranty) the problem on this visit was a clogged drain...the charge $269 plus a $69 service fee. My next routine maintenance was/is in 40 days and on those visits they are supposed to clean the drain. I knew i would need to pay the $69 service fee for this visit (not a problem)...but was not aware the drain cleaning charge once again was not in warranty...and that is what I am seeking reimbursement for...the warranty says no deductable, no limit on repairs, with the premium plan i purchased 100% of the labor charges are covered...that has not been the case as on each of the service calls what ever the problem was "IT WAS NOT IN THE WARRANTY" ...or at a minimum should have been covered as part of the 6 months routine maintenance process. (I'm not very technical so not sure how to upload the bill/my payment/and warranty information i was given about warranty when i purchased the system.)

  

  Business response

  07/17/2023

  Tell us why hereCustomer Information:
  *******************
  ***********************************************************************
  Daytime Phone: **************
  E-mail: *********************
  
  The details of this matter are as follows:
  Complaint Involves:
  Repair Issues
  
  Customers Statement of the Problem:
  In 2018 I purchased a HVAC system from Advanced air ~$14,000...at the time I also purchased a 10-year parts/labor warranty. I've had 3 service calls on the system each time being asked to pay several hundred dollars because the"problem was not covered in the warranty" ...however when I purchased the system, I expressed a concern about items not being covered as I didn't want to have any significant surprise costs in my retirement...and my limitations with Parkinsons makes it difficult if not impossible to do even simple repairs/actions/checks. The salesman said not to worry all his customers have been very satisfied with the warranty. Most recently the air conditioning went out on Sunday June 25, 2023...the tech came to repair on Monday the 26th so response was great and tech was capable and nice...(I also have a routine maintenance plan with Advanced that Ive kept up with as a condition of the warranty) the problem on this visit was a clogged drain...the charge $269 plus a $69 service fee. My next routine maintenance was/is in 40 days and on those visits, they are supposed to clean the drain. I knew I would need to pay the $69 service fee for this visit (not a problem)...but was not aware the drain cleaning charge once again was not in warranty...and that is what I am seeking reimbursement for...the warranty says no deductible, no limit on repairs, with the premium plan i purchased 100% of the labor charges are covered...that has not been the case as on each of the service calls whatever the problem was "IT WAS NOT IN THE WARRANTY" ...or at a minimum should have been covered as part of the 6 months routine maintenance process. (I'm not very technical so not sure how to upload the bill/my payment/and warranty information I was given about warranty when I purchased the system.)
  
  Response:
  
  The Extended warranty purchased by ************** covers the labor portion of repairs for parts covered under the manufacturer's equipment warranty.  Anything that is not a functional part of the indoor and outdoor equipment is not covered by the extended warranty nor the manufacturer's parts warranty.  Those things not covered include Drain Lines,Refrigerant Lines, electrical wiring exterior to the equipment, any issue that is considered a maintenance issueetc.   I have attached a copy of the J.B Extended Warranty. 
  In Section 10. WHAT IS NOT COVERED:
  Item:
  t) Charges related to No problem found diagnosis or preventative maintenance performed without mechanical breakdown or electrical failure. Non failure problems, including but not limited to; noises, squeaks, unbalanced fan blades, tightening of fittings, resetting switches, etc. Intermittent issues are not product failures;
  
  w) Clogged drain line, electrodes, nozzles or gaskets, are considered maintenance and are not covered.
  Exterior disconnect box and high voltage wiring.
  
  ab) Filters, duct work,vents, external fuses, external line sets, belts, connectors, piping,high or low voltage lines external of the equipment;
  
  
  The only Charges that ************** has paid are:
  
  Invoice *********, for $338.10.  This was for a clogged drain line between prepaid maintenance visits.  The previous maintenance was done February 6,2023 and the next maintenance was not due until August and had not been scheduled as of the time of the service call.  We do everything we can to prevent drain line clogging during the maintenance, however due to extreme humidity and algae growth we cannot guarantee that the drain will remain clear. 
  
  Invoice *********, for $207.00 which was refunded to him.  This was for resetting the power to the unit and checking it out.  During that time post hurricane, we were still having electrical issues all over the area due to infrastructure rebuilding.  Advanced Air submitted this to the extended warranty and the claim was declined.
  
  Invoice *********, for $766.50 of which $697.50 was refunded and billed to the extended warranty and was paid by the warranty for a refrigerant leak repair on the service valve on the outdoor AC Unit.  So the net total payment from ************** was for $69.00 for the Trip charge and diagnostic which the warranty does not cover. 
  
  The only other thing ************** has paid for in the last 2 years is for ************* Maintenance agreement.  I believe we have done everything we can and acted fairly with ************** and he has scheduled his last maintenance visit on the current agreement for August 2, 2023. 
  
  *************************
  Service manager...

  Customer response

  07/18/2023

   
  Complaint: 20249399
  
  I am rejecting this response because that is not what I was told when purchasing the system....in regards to TWO other service calls; on the one for ~$700 i was told by the service person that the cost was mostly related to labor that the warrantee covered the labor to FIX the problem but NOT for the diagnostic time to find the problem....made no sense,  on the thermostat repair was told by the tech when the new unit was installed they used the old wiring to the thermostat...then some comments that he did some work to change it fomr a 4 wire to a two wire and hopefully that would resolve the problem...the interesting thing is on the installation bill I was charged for new thermostat wiring... my point being when I've had to get the unit serviced for a problem...there is always a reason it isn't covered under the 10 year warrantee i purchased.  This time it was a clogged drain...a month before the normal service is suppose to include drain line flush.  As I said...and have via e-mail...I didn't want future AC costs and was told the 10 year parts and service warrantee would cover any repair costs....
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  03/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My father, *******************************, is now 95 years old. He had lived in **************, ******* until he had a stroke in early 2021. After the stroke he moved (in March 2021) to ***********, ** where his three sons reside. When he lived in ******* his address was: *******************************************************************************************. He sold that residence in mid-2021.I have now taken over the financial affairs for my father. I went back over his credit card charges and found a charge of $198 dated 03/26/2022 from Advance **************************** in *****************, **. I called the company and was told that my dad had purchased an auto-renew maintenance contract. They said that they had tried to call him to schedule his maintenance (on a home he no longer owned) but were unable to connect with him.I explained to them that he had sold the condo in mid-2021 and that he had had a stroke. I'm not sure what telephone number they were using to get a hold of him. If it was his "land line" that was obviously disconnected. If it was his cell phone number he has great difficulty hearing.I asked if they had sent a letter via **** to the address they had on file and they said that they had not. If they had done so, it would have been forwarded to me and we would not have this issue.I understand that I should have caught this earlier but the facts remain the same.This company has charged my father $198 and did not provide any service. I asked for a refund and was offered a service visit instead. Since my father does not live in the area any longer, offering me a service visit was non-sensical.I would like the company to issue a credit of $198.

  

  Business response

  03/22/2023

  I apologize for the aggravation but as a policy we don't refund charges that old.   However, we will go ahead mail a refund in this case.  

  Customer response

  03/22/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Advanced Air & Refrigeration **** sold us a Daikin A/C unit that has never worked properly for $6,618.18 on 10/14/2019. I have called and talked to managers of this company repeatedly over the last 3 years, and they don't do anything about it. The unit can't keep up with 78 degrees! I pay $200 annually for their cool club membership in which they clean and maintain my unit. Every time, they look at the unit, they argue that it is fine or they say a part needs to be replaced. They replace a part and it appears to work for awhile, but then goes back to not being able to keep up with 78 degrees. They have replaced a bad dual cap, a txv valve, and now they are saying we need a new coil. They are saying that our A/C unit was placed too close to our well water system and that's why the coil has rusted. They are the ones who installed the unit there and never said a word about it being too close to our water system! They are trying to charge us $1,580 for labor to complete this work. I have expressed to the managers that they need to either repair our unit and get it working properly at no cost to us or give us a new unit. I have already spent over $8,000 on the unit and all the repairs over the last three years. The unit has never worked right and I can't afford to spend another $1,580 for another repair! Managers say they will call me back and they don't. I just keep getting brushed off. I have asked a manager to give me the new coil that it is covered under my tenure warranty comma so that I can hire another company to put it in. She says that they have to be the ones to put it in. That is the last time I heard from her, and she was supposed to call me back after she talked to a higher manager, but does not. I need them to either fix my unit correctly, install a new unit that works, or give me the coil so I can hire an A/C company that knows what they're doing.

  

  Business response

  12/09/2022

  Our first contact with ****************** was to check her system after another company had told her she was low on Freon.  Due to the age and condition of the system she made to the decision to replace the entire system.  Advanced air installed the new system in the same location as the original system which is normal practice (see pictures below).  Our comfort specialist notes state that ****************** was not interested in any additional charges or any additional items or work.  The unit comes with a 10-year manufacturers parts warranty and 1 year labor warranty with Advanced air.  11 months after install a capacitor failed and was replace at no charge to ****************** under the part and labor warranty.  ****************** did pay for a maintenance agreement for the 2nd and third year.  The cost of this is $198.00 per year which includes two prepaid maintenance visits. Approximately 18 months after the install the outdoor unit tie-down anchors were rusted and needed replacing. The technician informed the customer that the rust was from the nearby water filtration system.  ****************** Declined the offered replacement of the tie-down anchors and refused to pay the service charge.  There was a part that failed on the indoor air handler in which the manufacturer paid the part and ****************** paid the labor charge of $346.00.  This was in July of 2022, 3 years after the install and out of the 1st year labor warranty.  The Condenser coil is now leaking and in need of replacement. The process for replacing a part under the manufacturers warranty requires a contractor to purchase the coil and after replacement return the failed coil for credit of the part with the warranty claim.  Because it is outside the labor warranty ***************** is responsible for the labor and materials need to replace the coil.  We cannot get the warranty coil from the manufacturer without doing the job and returning the coil and filing the warranty claim, however any licensed HVAC contractor should be able to do that for her if she chooses not to use our service.
  
  We responded in a reasonable manner to every request.  If we knew more about the history before installing the new unit, we may have been able to foresee this issue and include a price for relocating it.  With the unwillingness to consider any additions to the base price of the replacement and the refusal of the repair charges from the rust I dont see anything else we could have done to prevent this current issue.    
  
  
  Respectfully

• Initial Complaint

  01/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Advanced Air & Refrigeration has been charging my MasterCard $16.50 each month for the past year for me to be a member of the "Cool Club". By paying this monthly fee, I get 2 maintenance visits per year, discounts on equipment, discounts on heating & cooling repairs, and other discounts. I was scheduled for a maintenance visit on January 5th. The serviceman called me at 9:00am and told me he was on his way and would arrive in about 20 minutes. I asked him how long the maintenance visit would last and he said 5 HOURS! I told him I couldn't have him here for 5 hours as I had to leave at 11:30am for a commitment. I have 3 air conditioning units and said that he could work on one and come back another time to work on the other two so it wouldn't take 5 HOURS. He said to call the office to check on that. I did call the office and talked with the Manager and told her that I couldn't do a 5 HOUR maintenance visit and that I wanted to break it up for 2 or 3 visits to do the maintenance in less than the 5 HOURS. She said she couldn't schedule the work that way. So I said to cancel my maintenance visits and refund me the $198.00 I have paid over the last year. She said she could only refund the December payment. I think it is outrageous that she wouldn't schedule my maintenance visit over 2 or 3 days to reduce the 5 HOUR visit. And that she won't refund the $198.00 that I paid her over the last year!! That is why I am filing this complaint. I have paid $198.00 to Advanced Air & Refrigeration and RECEIVED NOTHING for it!!!

  

  Business response

  02/11/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2022/01/25) */ Mrs. *** entered a no sweat payment plan for maintenance June 12, 2020. The first payment (June 2020) was $33.00 monthly for 3 units. From July 2020 to December 2021, she was mistakenly billed only $16.50 per month, the single unit price. Since June 2020, Mrs. *** received a 3-system maintenance on June 29, 2020, a 3-system maintenance on December 15, 2020, a 3-system maintenance on July 12, 2021, and an attempt on January 5, 2022. She paid for 4 system maintenances total and benefited from 9 maintenances. We accept full blame for incorrectly billing Mrs. *** and did not attempt to collect the missing sum of $297.00. In addition, during this period Mrs. *** benefitted from discounts applied to service calls run June 24, 2020, July 4, 2020, December 21, 2020, December 22, 2020, February 15, 2021, November 20, 2021, totaling well over $500. Unfortunately, we can not break up trips to a house to perform multiple system maintenance. It simply would not be cost effective. Mrs. *** should be aware of the time it takes as the three previous maintenances trips took approximately five hours each. When Mrs. *** cancelled her maintenance in January, we stopped the no sweat payment and refunded the January payment which would have started a new year. We are confused why Mrs. *** believes nothing occurred in 2021. If she would like supporting documents for the maintenances run or service calls made, we would be happy to send copies.

• Initial Complaint

  08/20/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  You sign up for the yearly program which cost $198.00 includes 2 service calls for maintenance only. They keep your credit card on file. They charge you a reduced service charge of $69.00 since you are a member. driver arrives without ever going into the attic. goes into my bedroom takes pictures of my ceiling then gives a quote of over $300.00 without ever entering the attic. I immediately asked him to leave since he was only there to charge for the service fee. I then called the office to cancel the program since they did nothing. When you dispute and cancel the program, they then credit you the membership charge of $69.00 and the total charge of $198.00 for joining the program. Now since you canceled the service they credit your credit card for the annual fee and the $69.00 fee which was charged and re-bill you as a non member the amount of $119.00 (This all happened within a 5 hour period). I have disputed the un authorized charges with my credit card company.

  

  Business response

  09/16/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2021/09/15) */ Our apology for the confusion. All monies have been refunded.

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