ComplaintsforRinaldi’s Air Conditioning Service

• Initial Complaint

  02/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I brought 16 solar panels from Rinaldi's and two ofthe panels are not perduction correctly, called rinaldi's and was told hey don't do solar any more so i was just out of luck,the panel they installed have a 25 year warranty

  Business response

  02/15/2023

  1/26/2017 MR ***** solar was installed by sub contractor but sold through Rinaldis. Mr ***** has had issues with solar panels not showing up on his app but monitoring company shows that they work. We have been out several times to assist. Mr. ***** calls back in Feb 2023 and advised he has two solar panels not working and I advised that we no longer have anything to do with solar. I referred him over to another company that does solar, he called back to advise that they are not doing solar and that we will need to fix the issue. I again responded with that we do not do solar any longer and that he would need to reach out to another local solar company to address his issues. H e responded with I will sue you and hung up the phone. 

  Mr ***** warranty with Rinaldis was a 1 year labor warranty for all work that we had done from 2017 and he has this in writing as well. 

  Business response

  02/23/2023

  Mr. ***** is correct as to the money that he has spent with Rinaldis, however he does not have a contract with us except for the proposal that says his A/C has 10 parts warranty and 1 year labor warranty from Rinaldis. Solar panels does say that they have a 25 year part warranty and 1 year labor warranty. Its just like any product that is sold, the selling company offers a 1 year labor warranty which mean they would be responsible  for any issues within that year. However after the 1 year labor the selling company is not responsible for any more free labor. In this case case Rinaldis does not work on solar panels or install solar panels as of 2023 which MR. ***** was made aware of this when we spoke over the phone. He is free to contact any solar company of his choosing and pay for any defected panel that may have went out. We are sorry that this is how you feel but we just dont do solar anymore. 

  Customer response

  02/24/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company was supposed to install a brand new AC heater system about 6 months ago. The first time I go to use my heater it will not work. I have been trying to reach somebody about resolving this, but I have continuously been told that no owners are available and the one supervisor I have spoken to is not trying to resolve this in any way. I paid almost $8,000 for what was supposed to be a brand new AC unit with heat. I am now questioning whether this equipment was new or if it had been tampered with before installation. This company also falsely advertises 24-hour service but I was informed today that they do not do 24-hour service. I would really appreciate being able to get this matter resolved because I do not have extra money that they're trying to make me spend to fix their mess up.

  Business response

  01/05/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2022/11/28) */ Good Morning, I have spoken to this customer and advised that we have taken care of their issues, but the electrical wiring inside their main electrical box is not correct and the wires need to be addressed. The system we put in is the same type system that was taken out. The new system that was installed was inspected by building officials along with registering their equipment with manufacture to get them 10 years of warranty. I tried to explain this to ****** when I spoke to him on the phone and he and I had a understanding to fix said issues by putting a new heater in which we did and tested all components to have everything working. *** then started blowing out social media and phone lines up using bad language threating us with an attorney and the BBB. we have not done anything wrong. The customers advised that the heat was not heating that well, we sent technician and electrician out to find the wire size in the main electrical box is to small and needs to be replaced. The electrical in the main panel box has altered wiring to sprinkler system they have along with to small of wires to control said heat. Once *** advised that she was getting Attorneys involved we stopped all contact with her. ****** was a lot easier to get along with. the customer spent $7200 for the new system after credit was giving for the $853 they paid two months prior. the Modle numbers, invoices we have to prove we have done nothing wrong to this customer. We also service all of ******s families homes with no issues. ****** even stated he went with us because of our great reputation. We are not a 24/7 service provided in years, we will get back in touch with our customers within 24 hours and open 7 days a week.

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked Rinaldi's peak performance on June 15, 2022 and scheduled it on July 12. On the day technician started work and everything was fine. I had an issue with touch screen thermostat which was not responsive correctly but still warranty and the tech suggested replacing with a new one for $500. I called the company to lower the price and agreed on $325 for thermostat. During the installation, when he turned on the power, the fuses burned three times and from then the AC wasn't able to cool down lower than 78F while the unit constantly ran for hours! I called back the office and they sent the same tech who spent 3 hours without solving the issue. I ended up paying $494 without sleep at all for the night because it's too warm in the house. Next day July 13, Rinaldi's sent two techs, found out the thermostat wasn't wired correctly and redid the wiring. However, they left without solving the problem. July 15, another tech came, finding a loose wire and connected it. Again, AC kept running for hours without reaching the set temperature! July 16, I called the office and left message. July 18, I called again because they didn't return my call. Finally, they sent another new technician. Still, problem not solved! It's been two weeks now without cool air in the house. July 20, I talked to service manager on the phone and he assured me the unit is fine and it's probably a defective thermostat and will have the technician replace it. But when the technician arrived, he claimed I am low on refrigerant, he needed to get some from downtown office. One hour later, he came back and didn't do anything about the thermostat and said the problem was the location of the thermostat, refusing to change it because he wasn't told by manager. When I called back the day after, manager wanted to charge $130 for the trip just to have thermostat replaced! So, I hired another company and replaced with the old thermostat, and problem solved! Rinaldi's failed in repair and refused to refund!!!

  Business response

  10/04/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/03) */ I SPOKE WITH THIS CUSTOMER SEVERAL TIMES AND ADVISED THAT WE CAN COME BACK OUT TO CHANGE THE UNDER WARRANTY THERMOSTAT OUT FOR THEM BUT DECLINED FOR US TO COME OUT BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WANT TO PAY. I ADVISED THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY ADDITIONAL CHARGES EXCEPT THE TRIP CHARGE OF $109. THE WIFE SCREAMED AND STATED NO...THE HUSBAND CALLED BACK IN ON MONDAY OF THIS WEEK AND I ADVISED THAT WE WOULD HAVE CAME BACK OUT BUIT THEY REFUSED. WE KEPT ADVISING THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS THEIR ISSUE ALL ALONG BUT THEY DIDNT WANT TO BELIEVE WHAT WE HAD TO SAY. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/08/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I do not accept this response. The company's response is completely unsatisfactory. It all started up at a peak performance because I gave my trust to the company every year for three years but ended up in chaos, being ripped off $734 with 3 weeks of stress and sleepless nights! The professionalism of some employees in the company is highly questionable. None of the four technicians was able to diagnose the problem they caused. The first technician looked impatient, nervous, and asked if my husband knew how to set up the thermostat during installation, RED FLAG! He was literally about to run away when fuse #3 burned, he groaned and complained he didn't know what's wrong and had never seen such thing before, borrowed owner's guide going through pages to pages, opened house's electric panel without permission, dragged my ladder heavily in the garage, again no permission, left the attic light on overnight, not to mention he lied about breaking apart my 3-foot-long drainage pipe outdoor, throwing it into trash can till I found a deep 3" hole on the ground! The rest of the technicians just came to make up for the mistakes that the previous one made, all giving statements "My work is done! Give it 48 hours for adjustment, if not working, CALL the office!" They all said, "Temperature shall drop 1 degree in 1 hour." instead of normally dropping 1 to 2 degrees within 15 minutes. When I told them AC was working well before they came to do the annual maintenance this year, surprisingly they didn't believe it and stated "I don't know what it was like before. I have never been here!" It was until the 2nd week when I contacted Honeywell, the thermostat's manufacturer, for help that I learned that the contractor should not charge for replacement at all since it's installed by them/ professionals under 5-year warranty. But Rinaldi's found various excuses to delay the refund such as accounting was not here, wait till next week. They never reached out for the process but instead just sent a new technician each time. I trusted the company's effort to solve the problem, willing to let go the high price of thermostat they charged if they could fix my 3-year-new HVAC which they installed in 2019. But truth is, they are inept and inadequate to fix the problem and I had to hire another contractor to fix their mess! There is also no doubt that the company has an inconsistency between what they say and what they do. The 4th tech talked on the phone that he couldn't find the problem with the manager, right away after he hung up, he blamed the issue on low refrigerant which was caused by the previous tech who changed the blower fan to high speed, he then took off for an hour to fetch some referent from the office. When he got back, he didn't even look or use any tools to check if there's a refrigerant leak when I asked him. He kept ignoring my request to change the thermostat, when I told him his manager said that he would have thermostat replaced, the tech insisted the thermostat was not the issue, he stated he didn't have the same thermostat in truck even he just came back from office, he refused to change the thermostat, eventually he admitted the manager never told him to change the thermostat! When he was ready to take off again, he blamed the issue was now the thermostat location because there's no return vent nearby. There's never been any problem with the thermostat location for 18 years since the house was built. After I showed him the return vent right on the ceiling next to the thermostat and the fact that there's a return vent in each single room, he stunned without a word. At that time there's nowhere to reach the manager because he's off the clock at 5. He took off easily while I was left worried if something was wrong with my $7700 HVAC. Next day I reached out to the manager and before I could tell anything to him, he completely changed his attitude, raised his voice, yelled, talked over, and slandered towards me and my husband. He said thermostat warranty is only 1 year, and he'll charge $130 to send tech to diagnose the problem which didn't exist. He didn't care what Honeywell (manufacturer) said, and guaranteed the unit is good, thermostat is good, and I can have other AC companies to check, and they'll say the same thing (nothing wrong with HVAC system or thermostat) and added "the problem is the insulation of the house!" and recommend me a company to have an energy check. Disappointed and frustrated, I had no choice but to hire another contractor. It was worth it to finally have a second opinion. It turns out it was the faulty thermostat which was sold by the first tech. My husband kindly informed the manager of malfunctioned thermostat was the REAL issue and problem solved by another company, but the manager cut him off and refused to refund, repeated he would charge $130 for the trip. Why did Rinaldi's charge $325 in the first place to replace the thermostat that still under warranty? Why is Rinaldi's asking $130 for the trip to come back while repair is under warranty? I've paid $169 for peak performance, $325 for the malfunctioned thermostat and $240 for another contractor who fixed the problem. What I'm asking now is Rinaldi's to refund me the total of $734 for the expense, stress and waste of time plus shipping fee to return the faulty thermostat. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/08/12) */ THE CUSTOMER WOULD HAVE NOT HAD TO PAY ANOTHER CONTRACTOR IF THEY HAD UNDERSTOOD WHAT I ADVISED THEM THE FIRST TIME. I ADVISED THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS UNDER MANUFACTURE WARRANTY AND WE CAN SWAP OUT THERMOSTAT BUT THERE IS A TRIP CHARGE FOR TECHNICIAN TO COME OUT. THE WIFE CONTINUED TO SCREAM ON THE PHONE. I ALSO ADVISED THAT WE WILL NOT BE SENDING ANYONE OUT AT THIS POINT DUE TO THE SCREAMING AND PUTTING MY TECH IN THAT ENVIROMENT. THE HUSBAND ACTUALLY PUSHED MY TECH ON LAST VISIT AND WE WERENT GONNA GO BACK BUT I DECIDED TO STILL HELP THIS CUSTOMER. THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT WE WERE NOT COMING BACK OUT TO THEIR HOME FOR FREE. THEY INSTALLED THE OLD THERMOSTAT THAT WAS GIVING THEM ISSUES THE FIRST TIME AND THIS IS WHY WE CHANGED THERMOSTAT OUT. NIETHER ONE OF THEM UNDERSTOOD HOW THE WARRANTY WORKED. WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD TO HELP THEM OUT AND ALL THEY DID WAS SCREAM ON THE PHONE, THEY WERE ON SPEAKER PHONE. I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO REFUND $325 FOR THE THERMOSTAT BUT NOT THE REST OF SAID TOTAL DUE TO THE FOLLOWING, WE OFFERED TO COME BACK OUT AT $109 THE PEAK MAINTNENACE WAS ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED. Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2022/08/18) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I request Rinaldi's to refund me $325 for the faulty thermostat and $240 for the other contractor who fixed the problem, total $565. First, the company should not charge additional money for the same repair. According to Rinaldi's invoice on July 13, 2022, the repair warranty clearly states, "repair is under warranty", "Repair labor is warranted for a period of 1 year", especially they had already come several times in TWO WEEKS with the same issue unresolved. If Rinaldi's had fixed the issue in the first place, they would not have had to come back again and again and asked for more money for the trip, and I would not have had to pay another contractor to fix their mess. They had many times to replace thermostat, but they just didn't do it. As a matter of fact, it was the manager's idea to have other AC companies to check HVAC because he guaranteed there's nothing wrong with it. They failed to repair the damage they originally caused and then breached the contract. In addition, the company's professionalism and credibility are more of a concern. None of the 'screaming' nor 'pushing' in the response is true. It is unacceptable that they made up stories like this. Truth is, Rinaldi's had never been able to diagnose the issue. The manager interrupted me repeatedly and argued about a trip charge for $130. He was yelling and demanding me to stop calling them. The receptionist was rude on the phone and requested a charge of $159 for after 5 o'clock service. Some technicians also try to fool me with lame excuses. They have a pattern saying "My work is done! Things look good. Give it 48 hours for adjustment, if not working, CALL the office!" while things are REALLY, NOT GOOD. They all said, "Temperature shall drop 1 degree in 1 hour." So that means when it's 83F in the house, it will take 10 hours to reach 73F?! Anyone with common sense may realize it a bluff. It took hours and hours to reach the set temperature 78F, still felt like 80F, never go below 77F. The brand-new HVAC was installed by the company three years ago and was great: it drops 1 to 2 degrees within 10 or 15 minutes. When I told the tech that online says normally it should take AC 18 minutes to cool down a house by 1 degree, he laughed and said, "You believe things online? How much you pay for it? Do you believe YouTube University or professional???" In the end, they couldn't fix it but declared nothing's wrong with AC, and blamed the issue on this or that, first thermostat location, return vent, and then house insulation. If Rinaldi's had been honest, I would be happy to have them as my contractor for many years to come even if they are a little pricy in the industry. The sales team was nice, and the installation guys did a great job. With that being said, I would accept the refund amount of $565, for the thermostat and the repair done by the other contractor. They did complete the peak performance and they can keep $169. I have no problem with that.

• Initial Complaint

  12/30/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am 91 years old, This business was recommended to me by the residents management and I trusted that it would be reliable. Instead, this business in my opinion ripping seniors off. I contacted them in Nov and they came out and charged me $163. That same day the tech tried to charge me an additional $40 stating their was a COVID fee but I refused. The tech was refusing to leaving, I was getting scared. Eventually, he did leave. A day or two later the AC STOPPED. Working. My daughter Elizabeth called them, they said they would come out again out to take a look. No time given. I waited and waited, then finally about 7 I figured they weren't coming. I went to get milk. They showed up and I missed them I called them again , and because I missed last appointment at 7:30pm!!! I had to pay again another $98. And all they did was switch a breaker. A day later , my AC was out again. I decided I was done giving Rinaldi my money. They were just milking me for money and not fixing the problem. I am a senior on social security. Seniors should not be taken advantage off.

  Business response

  02/22/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2022/01/26) */ ON 12/6/2021 My tech responded out to this customer to arrive and find that the THERMOSTAT OFF THE WALL FROM RENTOVATIONS GOING ON INSIDE THE HOME. REMOUNTED THERMOSTAT TO HAVE THE SYSTEM UP AND RUNNING. ON 12/9/21 CUSTOMERS DAUGHTER CALLED AND SPOKE TO ME AND SHE ADVISED THE UNIT STILL ISNT COOLING AND THE TECH WAS TRYING TO CHARGE A COVID FEE, THIS WAS INCORRECT BECAUSE I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH THE TECH ADVISING HIM HE HAS TO COLLECT FOR TRIP CHARGE. THEY CONTINMUED TO ARGE. WE HAD SCHEDULED ANOTHER TECH TO GO BACK OUT TO THE HOME ON THIS DATE THAT EVENING TO ARRIVE AND BOTH THE HOME OWNER AND DAUGHTER WERE BOTH AWARE WE WERE COMING OUT. TECH ARRIVES TO FIND NO ONE HOME, DAUGHTER CONTACTED AND SAID SOMEONE SHOULD BE HOME. WE KNOCKED ON THE DOOR AND TRIED CALLING AGIN WITH NO ANSWER. 12/28/21 DAUGHTER CALLS BACK INTO OUR OFFICE TO ADVISE THAT WE HAVE NOT FIXED HER FATHERS UNIT AND I ADVISED THAT WE DID SHOW BACK UP AND EVEN SPOKE TO HER OVER THE PHONE WHILE AT THE HOME. SHE CONTINUED TO ARGUE SAYING THAT HER FATHER IS 91 AND WERE NOT HELPING HOM. I AGREED TO SEND A TECH OUT AGAIN AND SHE THREATENED US WITH FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB AND I SAID FOR WHAT AND SHE SAID BECAUSE YOUR NOT HELPING,,,ISAID MAAM WE RETURNED TO THE HOME TO FIND NO INE HOME. 12/29/21 WE RESPONDED BACK OUT TO THIS HOME FOR A SYSTEM NOT WORKING, I ADVISED CUSTOMER THAT THERE WILL BE A $99 TRIP CHARGE FOR A TECH TO COME OUT SINCE WE HAVE BEEN OUT AND NO ONE WAS HOME, HE ARGUED WITH ME ON THE PHONE AGAIN...I SAID IF ITS SOMETHING WE DID ON PRIVIOUSE CALL I WILL NOT CHARGE HIM, HE AGREED AND ONCE MY TECH ARRIVED HE ONLY FOUND THAT THERE WAS A BREAKER OFF IN THE HOUOSE NOT ALLOWING THE UNIT TO COME ON. TURNED BREAKER BACK ON AND THE SYSTEM CAME ON COOLING AND HEATING. TECH ADVISED THAT HE NEEDED TO COLLECT $99 AND THE CUSTOMER WENT OFF ON MY TECH SAYING WERE TRYING TO ROB HIM. WE HAVE HAD NO FURTHER CONTACT WITH THHIS CUSTOMER. CUSTOMER ALSO DECLINED OUR AADVISE OF INSTALLING NEW THERMOSTAT. ALL IS ATTACHED. WE DO NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANYONE, WE DO SO MUCH CHARITY WORK IN THE CENTRAL FLORIDA AREAS, THIS CUSTOMER WAS JUST WANTING SOMETHING FOR FREE

*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. ↩