ComplaintsforJBC Repairs, Air Conditioning And Heating

• Initial Complaint

  03/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 04/12/2021 we had JBC repairs come out after we set up an air duct cleaning with Smart Cleaners an online advertiser in the area, JBC was hired by them. The kid who showed up showed up in a raggedy van and old, dirty clothing. He said his buddy worked there and he hired him. Tech was Christopher ******* He upsold us on services that were supposed to be included in the special, when he left none of the vent covers were removed to take out debris and the service was not completed as specified. He also recommended inside coil cleaning which we paid for. We reached out to JBC who issued a total refund. In February of 2022 our unit stopped cooling, we had another major company come out who said the unit was lacking refrigerant, and inspected both units indoor and outdoor. Upon inspecting the inside unit it was found that the coils had the acid cleaning solution from the JBC cleaning still on it which caused acid to erode and eat away at the coil. The entire air conditioning was replaced in our home at the end of 2019 so it was only about 2 years old. I have reached out to JBC repairs via 2 emails and one phone calls with no resolution. The issue with the AC was caused by a lack of knowledge and I believe the person who came out was not a certified air conditioning tech. total for repairs is $1174.95 items attached are invoice for repairs, deductible of $100 for troubleshooting and photos of acid on unit.

  

  Business response

  06/23/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 19, 2022/05/03) */ ***Document Attached*** To whom this may concern, The following customers complaints are at best inadmissible, and at worst the result of discrimination and greed. On April 14th, 2021, the customer reached out regarding a service was supposed to be completed on April 11th, 2021. The customer was invoiced for the sanitize and clean for an Air Conditioner and a negative pressure machine (see invoice attached). According to the customer, the service on April 11th was not completed as "advertised" and given this, we provided the customer with a FULL REFUND. On February 10th, 2022, after ONE YEAR of being serviced, the customer reaches out and mentions issues with the inside coil of the air handler. However, on April 11th, our technician did not conduct a coil cleaning and as you can see on the attached invoice, the customer was not ever charged for a coil cleaning. Further, our cleaning solution is not acid based. Our company utilizes EnviroCON(r) (see the picture attached) which is an EPA registered, ready to use, safe, low toxicity formulation that inhibits the growth of odor causing organisms as well as those organisms associated with mold, mildew and bacterial growth in the air and in HVAC systems. Therefore, it is not possible that our duct cleaning service led to eroding of the coils causing the refrigerant to leak (the customer accused us of in an email on March 7th also attached). In response to these accusations, we asked this customer to provide us with written documentation from a certified technician supporting these claims and never received it. Furthermore, we are not responsible for funding the cost of the refrigerant. Additionally, we are not 100% sure why the customer felt the need to address the appearance of our technician who is certified AC tech and used his appearance to devalue his work and demand refunds. This is disappointing and unacceptable. Consumer Response /* (3000, 21, 2022/05/15) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) JBCs response did not address the complaint of the coils being corroded by a cleaning agent, instead the person responding decided to pick apart my complaint and try to paint me as a greedy person. The complaint was in no way trying to be greedy and collect anything other than damages by the company. The response stated that there was no coil cleaning, inside the air handler the evaporator coils were certainly cleaned by the person conducting the service. It was listed as clean and sanitize but the person that conducted it did use a chemical that was not rinsed from the coils. The coil that was replaced was inspected and it was stated that it was a result of improper cleaning and procedures by the servicing person, however the company did not wish to get into a legal battle with another company in the same industry. As far as the initial refund, that was issued because the person did not remove any vents, did not clean anything up and upsold us on services that were supposed to be included with the service as stated by Smart Cleaners who contracted JBC to do the work. I am not the only person to state this as it is also included in other reviews of JBC AND SMART CLEANERS on other sites. As far as referencing me as degraded your technician, I only stated that his appearance did not reflect very professionally, I have always believed that a person representing a company should represent on a way that was the direct reflection of how a company would expect to be represented. I would also request to have supporting documentation uploaded showing that the person that was sent to provide the service was authorized and certified to do so in the state of Florida. So to summarize we have a until they was 2 years old, we requested that a service advertised on Facebook by Smart Cleaners to have air duct cleaning. Paid person showed up said his buddy hired him. Upsold us on items that were to be included. No vents were removed to clean debris. Air return was cleaned. After we were told it was an additional fee, after we were told by smart cleaners it was to be included in the initial price. Upon completion and seeing the vents full of debris we called and requested a refund. Basically we paid for something that wasn't done correctly, I would hope anyone would do the same and not just let it go. When we had issues we called our home warranty company who came out and without saying anything we were told the coil in the air handler was corroded and it looked as if someone tried cleaning it but didn't eunseyit completely. We had to pay for the service calls and refrigerant and the company warrantied it. Afterwards I called JBC and notified them. When stating what has happened the male owner or manager said ohhhh.. and why didn't you call us for the service, and I did say I would try to get a statement of possible. however as stated above technicians in the same industry do not want to go against someone in the same business.I then send an email to the company as well as phone calls with no response. I do not consider this issue resolved, the company was sub contracted by Smart Cleaners, or perhaps was using that as another name but they did complete a service that caused damage and they should be responsible for the cost of the refrigerant. Attached is a point of a text with the tech that stated the cleaner was not rinsed entirely. Business Response /* (4000, 23, 2022/05/26) */ Thank you for your response. As stated previously -- JBC Repairs is not responsible for the customers corroding coils. In the original complaint, the customer accuses our company of using acid to clean the coils which led to said corrosion. Now it seems the coils became corroded due to improper cleaning. Again, this is impossible because we do not use acid-based cleaners to clean Evaporators. we only use the NO RINCE COIL CLEANER. The customer already got a full refund because he was complaining about the cost and not satisfied with the Duct cleaning service, we happily provided this refund and apologized for the inconvenience. Despite this, the customer wants to paint a narrative of blame on JBC Repairs for corroding coils one year after the service which according to their OWN evidence ( text message from an AC tech) corroding happens over time and may not have been caused by the service they have already been refunded for. The hard truth is that coils rust and leak over time -- hence why the customer used the manufacturer warranty to change out the coils for new ones. But unfortunately the cost of labor and refrigerant are always the responsibly of the consumer. Our air duct cleaning service had nothing to do with the corroding and leaking of the coil. Thank you

*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. ↩