ComplaintsforMartin Carpenter's Air Conditioning and Heating, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  06/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Martin Carpenter's AC and Heating, was hired to remove and install a new AC system with new duct work in Sept. 2020, see attached signed proposal. The firm has been paid in full approximately $12,925. The firm originally installed a 3 ton Maytag unit which was plagued immediately with system failures and caused excessive humidity and freezing of the handler. I immediately contacted MCAC that the system was not working. I was told a Maytag representative would come out to inspect the system, in turn this was actually NOT Maytag but the Sales Person in which MCAC bought the system from at R.E. Michael's, a supplier of AC products to the local area. To date, as I have confirmed with Maytag Customer Service NO trouble shooting or service requests have been made through them. At this time, I asked for the system to be removed and for a full refund to be provided. It was clear that MCAC had no experience with MAYTAG units, as they deceptively advertised. I solely wanted a Maytag unit for its brand and warranty. Micheal, the manager was trying to find a resolution but I insisted that the only appropriate course to satisfy me was that the unit be removed and that I receive a full refund. Mind you this is clearly a policy of Martin Carpenter's Air Conditioning and Heating, that 100% satisfaction is guaranteed with no fine print. Martin Carpenter refused to remove the system and provide a refund. After dozens of calls and months of fighting for some form of customer service and resolution the company has installed a smaller system with improper duct work that still to this date has not passed inspection. The firm has installed a unit that now does not have proper filtration and the humidity has caused leaks to my ceilings and now mold growth in my duct work and throughout the air handler. After a year and a half of no return calls from the owner and operator, no customer service, they cannot avoid their improper install. I want this nightmare to end.

  Business response

  08/17/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/07/11) */ Dear customer, I am sorry to hear that you had an unpleasant experience with our company. I would like to address your claims in the following response. I am aware the three-ton unit you originally agreed upon and confirmed payment for was improperly installed and suggested to you. We understand and do admit a three-ton unit was too large for this house. We have the recorded phone conversations you had with our owner and secretary agreeing that we would come in and correct the problem by installing a smaller two-ton unit. The issue revolving the duct work was that the three-ton unit was too large for the duct work currently installed in the house. When we removed and replaced the three-ton unit in exchange for a smaller two-ton unit we replaced all of your ductwork free of charge. Due to the temperature, you have set in your current house (62-65 degrees) and the location of your air handler in your garage with a temperature ranging from 90-100 degrees, daily condensation is due to build up. Your unit is still cooling and has been since the installation. A resolution to the mold claim would be to get a dehumidifier and install that in your garage area to combat those dueling temperatures. When addressed with the problem of high humidity levels we sent a technician on 07/21/2021 to replace the TXV (metering device.) At that date and time, we have photos from our technician that no mold was present on your units. We have four witnesses attesting that you agreed upon and were okay with a two-ton unit being installed. We did indeed have a Maytag representative present who has provided their credentials and license in this process. We have indulged in multiple conversations by phone and email all of which have been returned. We installed the two-ton unit on 03/09/2021 we as a company still honored your one-year limited labor warranty on the unit present. If presented permission and the opportunity under your discretion we would be more than happy to come out and fix the items on the checklist provided to us with closure of the permit that remains open. Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2022/07/21) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) What you have not addressed here is that I have requested multiple times, in writing, to you personally via phone and in person, a full refund. Your firm has improperly designed and installed an air conditioning system and I demand a full refund. Under a policy that is clearly advertised and disclosed by your firm, " 100% satisfaction ... no fine print, if you are not totally satisfied with any of our services all you need to do is call." I have. You failing to honor this is a clear deceptive and unfair trade practice. The reality that I have entered into an agreement, in writing, in September of 2020 that you admitted your firm improperly installed and to this date July 21, 2022 still does not operate as designed, fails to cool properly and is the cause of mold throughout the system and duct work, extending to the concrete walls located behind the air handler and still has not passed inspections, should be a clear warning to any customer. You have provided nothing "free of charge." The original signed quote from September of 2020, which is provided to the BBB, clearly states that I have paid for duct work and the permit which was applied for in September 2020 included duct work. Your explanation is untruthful and irrelevant. I have in writing, from your salesperson dated September 2020 as to the additional charge of approximately $2000 for ductwork: "The duct work portion includes encasing the penetration through the garage to the attic with sheet metal to get up to code as well as replacing your main duct runs with better insolated duct work to help eliminate the sweating." I have paid for and contracted for a system that incorporated advanced measures to minimize and avoid such sweating, "condensation." Through your firm's negligence, you have failed to install the system to the originally agreed specifications and terms. I have no sheet metal encasing the penetration into the garage attic. This is a code violation. Your firm has improperly installed every component to this system including failing to properly design, size, assemble, connect, and seal all ducts with approved materials and mechanical fasteners where required by Florida Building Code, Florida Statutes, State and Local Licensing Boards, and Pinellas County. You have in your response a claim speaking to the, "temperature you have set in your current house (62-65 degrees)", this is entirely fabricated and is false. The system performance is documented via the thermostat and reports have been provided for record. You have failed to install this system to code requirements including the specifications set by the manufacturer. This is not my opinion, this is documented by the representatives you state are, "Maytag representatives", more technical service advisors employed by the vendor which has supplied the equipment to you as the contractor. This is documented on the recorded call(s) that you have referenced here in your response, specifically October 2020. The Florida Building Code requires the size of my air conditioner to match the size and conditions of my house. With this, you are required to provide the sizing calculation for HVAC at the time of Permit, in this case September 2020. Please provide this to the Better Business Bureau. As you have admitted to improperly installing the system at my home, more specifically defined as "faulty installation", this is a warranty exclusion. The exclusion reads as follows: This limited warranty does not cover failure due to accident, misuse, abuse, faulty installation, or adjustments to appliance controls required to adapt the appliance operation to the structure size, geographic location, or fuel supply, adjustment to the heat anticipator on the thermostat. You have not only faulty installed, but you have failed to ensure that a properly sized system is right for my home, ensuring that it is cooling my home efficiently and providing adequate dehumidification, and that it is conserving energy and reducing my utility bill. The system currently installed in my home fails on all of the above items and is the sole reason I have 0% satisfaction with your firm's ability, actual inability, to delivery on what I have contractually agreed to and paid for. There is no "fix" here, with multiple documented independent inspections coupled with the required remediation of Mold. Your firm should simply comply to my request for a full refund. Business Response /* (4000, 14, 2022/08/01) */ Dear customer, I understand your grievance and have looked at all aspects and factors in the installation we completed. We as a company are willing to come fix any and all issues still occurring with this system if given the opportunity too. We have contacted and spoken multiple times and unfortunately without your permission to come fix the issues, I am unable to provide you with the service our company strives to ensure. In regard to the "ductwork" we have spoken and discussed the amount I would refund but I cannot refund you money I was never paid. As a company we have tried to mend and fix these issues you have brought to our attention and would be more than willing to do as soon as possible. A full refund will not be given due to the system still fully operating and cooling. And the solution could be solved with a visit to fix the issues still documented under inspection notes. Our intention is to fix the problem and the issues that have been documented. Feel free to contact us with any and all questions. Consumer Response /* (4200, 18, 2022/08/09) */ ***Document Attached*** As a respondent, you have supplied nothing here to support your false claims. I have provided the executed proposal from Sept 2020 clearly including "duct work", also the email from your salesperson has been provided, explaining the duct work that is included in the proposal. These clearly show what I have paid for, and the requested amount of the refund is not a penny over what I have paid you. You have failed to provide the sizing calculation to the BBB as requested, which were required by the permit as you can see here. The BBB should not accept your false statements and explanations here without you being required to provide clear evidence to your claims. This complaint can be closed out and reviewed because this is just an abuse by the responsible party.

*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. ↩