Complaintsfor4 Seasons Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  06/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our AC quit while we were out of town and I had someone staying in our home so the issue needed to be addressed quickly and I had to handle it remotely. After a technician evaluated the problem, I was told that it was a frozen coil which had caused the blower motor to burn out and that we also needed the drain line cleared. The blower motor was covered by the warranty but the labor to replace it was not. I was told that replacing the blower motor is very labor intensive and quoted $99 service call fee, $116 to clean the drain line and $624 for labor and warranty processing fee for a total of $839. I agreed as we have used this company for repairs and maintenance in the past (including the purchase of a different AC unit than the one currently in question) and been happy with them previously. The repair was performed two days later while we were still out of town. I checked my doorbell camera after being informed that the repair was completed. Unfortunately, it did not capture every instance of the technician entering and exiting the house, but it did show four: 11:48am the technician rang the bell and entered, 11:54am the technician went to his truck, 12:09pm the technician is sitting on my front porch, 12:26pm the AC truck drives away. While I cannot tell precisely how much time was spent repairing my AC versus sitting on my porch, he was at my property a total of 37 minutes! 37 minutes is NOT a “labor-intensive repair” and to charge $624 for 37 minutes is unconscionable! When I called to question it, they agreed that the drain line had not been cleaned (which I had paid additionally for) and they would address that. But otherwise, they claim I had an “experienced technician” and they had to drive to pick up the part and that justified them charging $624 for what they claimed was a “labor-intensive repair”. I believe I was lied to and they misrepresented what they did. I asked for an invoice but it does not show proof of a blower motor purchase.

  

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  I reviewed the customer complaint compared to our service records and the complaint was valid and accurate.  I have contacted the customer and let them know that we will be refunding them $237 on the repair.  The original quote was for a motor and separate module that would have required additional work.  The motor installed has the module attached and the additional work not necessary.  Accounting is processing the refund today and we are making our dispatchers aware that they need to work with the techs to determine the correct repair code before billing. We thanked the customer for bringing this to our attention.

• Initial Complaint

  10/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  REVIEW ON BBB #******** SEASONS AIR CONDITONING AND HEATING The most horrific experience, BUYER BEWARE! In 2020 in the heat of Florida summer, my old AC system went out! I chose 4 Seasons AC, Owner, Brian Hastings, Florida licensed contractor number ********** to replace my AC system entirely. I selected a top of the line "Carrier Comfort Performance System", condensing unit*********/Air Handler FX4CNP049, a $7,108.00 investment. Six months after installation I noted my home was humid and NOT cooling correctly. 4 Seasons came and preformed routine maintenance on my Carrier system, and then again six months later again. In May of 2022- I called for repair as my home was humid and NOT cooling @ that repair appointment, 4 Seasons cut a 4" square into my brand new air handler and they applied more "mastic sealant," and started the system right up again! I wrote a formal letter of complaint to Brain Hastings, I mailed one letter regular USPS and one certified mail. After some research I found one should NOT turn the AC system back for 24-48 hours after sealant is applied. BUT let me say should the tech have to apply sealant to a NEW system? NO. I finally got wise and took a private analysis of my Carrier system to be told it was a faulty install, the air handler is crooked hence the dripping lines, that the 3 ton, 16 seer unit requires an additional intake interior vent to be placed in my home, 4 Seasons never mentioned this. I have contacted Carrier and I do NOT want the air handler that 4 Seasons cut into and have applied mastic sealant to twice now. I am taking a second private analysis with a Factory trained Carrier Specialist this week.

  

  Business response

  11/09/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/14) */ I reviewed the photos and there is no hole cut in the air handler and I have explained that to the homeowner. The 4"x 4" plate is from the factory to accommodate heater with a built-in breaker. The only hole that we cut was in the duct board, above the air handler, to seal the inaccessible duct on the back side of the air handling unit. We seal the duct with SMACNA approved tape first and then apply the mastic sealant over that. This keeps the air from disturbing the mastic as it dries and allows for a more permanent seal. It would be great to let the mastic dry for 48 hours but I have yet to find a homeowner that wants to sweat in their home for another 48 hours while the mastic is curing, so as an industry, we have adopted the use of the tape as a first layer of sealant and then add the mastic as a second step. It is not always perfect, but we always are happy to return to re-seal it if any leaks are noted. As to the drain line issues, we have offered to remove the air handler from the platform, reline the platform, install a new 3/4" plywood top and reinstall the air handling unit correctly. At that time, we will also clear the drain of any debris and confirm that it is 100% functional. Clogged drain lines are not covered by the warranty and in this case, it is feasible that a clogged drain got the platform wet, which caused the platform to sag and exasperated the water issue. Since the system is two years old, this seems like the most likely scenario, yet our offer to still stands to remove and reinstall the air handler at no cost to the homeowner. We were contracted to install a new heat pump system on the existing duct system, which we did. The new system was the same capacity as the old unit which worked fine on the existing duct system. At the time of the installation, there were no complaints about the duct system or air flow, so we had no reason to make any recommendations to modify or change the existing duct as there were no complaints. After the homeowner's complaint about the comfort level in the home in May of 2022, we did inspect the ductwork in the attic and found several ducts that are missing insulation and others that need to be sealed. The homeowner was advised of the deficiencies and indicated that they feel it is an equipment issue and not a problem with the duct work. We have the pictures and will be glad to share them. The system has been checked and is cooling within design parameters as of our last site visit in September.

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