ComplaintsforMoncrief Heating & Air Conditioning

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had my air conditioner unit serviced on 7/13/2023. I was charged $1371 for the service. The unit stopped working on 7/22/2023. I called on 7/22 and was told a manger would call me on 7/23. No manager called me on 7/23 so I called 7/23, left a message, no call back received. I called second time on 7/23 and spoke to a manager. They stated they would call me back. On 7/24, I did not receive a call back. I called on 7/24, and was told a manger would call, and they failed to do so. Management has been unresponsive to resolve the issue. Another HVAC company came to my location and stated that Moncrief misdiagnosed my problem and the service they provided on my air conditioning unit was incorrect and should not have been completed. Also, pricing of the repair was not discussed or told to me before service began.

  

  Business response

  08/03/2023

  The customer called us out to address why his HVAC system was not cooling on Thursday July 13th.  Upon inspection we found a 20+ year old system that was very dirty and low on refrigerant.  At that time the technician (who was a supervisor with Moncrief for over 30 years)  recommended replacement due to age and condition but gave the option to clean the system and add refrigerant as a temporary solution to get some cooling.  The customer gave informed consent to the work.  We cleaned the out door condenser, cleared the condensate drain line and added 3 lbs. of R-22 Refrigerant.  We also positively identified the evaporator coil leaking.  He was billed for the work at our normal rates for service charge, labor and materials.  We stated verbally and in writing that these were temporary measures and that he would need to replace the system.  We coordinated a visit with our comfort consultant on July 19th to provide a quote for the replacement for which we gave 3 options.  We told the customer before doing any work that our efforts would only be temporary and could not guarantee any length of operation and he chose that option.  The customer did call on Friday the 22nd to speak with a manger but was out of the office that day.  The manager did speak to the customer on Monday the 24th and explained that we stood by our diagnosis and recommendation and charges.  We billed for work that was completed and the system did cool for 9 days before failure as the customer was warned.  We do not feel any refund is warranted as we informed the customer prior to doing any work of the charges and effectiveness.  We 100% stand behind our work and our recommendations because regardless of what anyone else found, the system is still 20 years old and leaking refrigerant and should be replaced.  

  Customer response

  08/03/2023

   
  Complaint: 20375472
  
  I am rejecting this response because: at no time did the technician recommend an immediate replacement.  At no time during his visit did he tell me the cost of the work being performed.  Had the technician informed me of the cost, I would have sought additional estimates and recommendations. I have since had additional HVAC companies to inspect the unit and was informed that the initial diagnosis by Moncrief was wrong and the service they provided should not have been completed.  I have also attached the invoice from Moncrief and no where in this written invoice does it state that this was only temporary a temporary fix.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business response

  08/04/2023

  The technician absolutely gave verbal options and showed customer pricing from our digital pricebook displayed from I pad before doing the work.  This work was not recommended due to age and condition of the system and the expense of work but this was the option chosen by the customer was an attempt to get cooling. These efforts did get the system working at that time.    

  From Technicians written notes on the invoice attached by customer:

  "I talked it over with customer about how old his system is. He wants to try clean and recharge unit to see
  how it cools."

  "System is cooling for now but leaking. Note: There is no warranty on the R22 I put in today with this old leaking system.

  I set up our Comfort specialist to come work up quote new system"

  This was all discussed and left in writing that this approved work was an attempt to get cooling until replacement.  Also per the invoice attached that He signed stating that: "The above prices, specifications and conditions are satisfactory and are hereby accepted. You acknowledge the work done as specified. Payment for $1,371.00 will be made as outlined in the invoice."

  We still stand by our work, recommendations and ********, a third party's opinion of what we did or didn't do does not change the age, condition or leaking status of this system.  We leave it up to the BBB to look at what is in writing and signed by the customer.  We do not feel a refund is appropriate.  

   

   

  Customer response

  08/04/2023

   
  Complaint: 20375472
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  The technician did state that it would probably be a temporary fix, but did also indicated that it should make it through the summer and possibly longer.   There is nothing in writing stating that this temporary fix would last less than 2 weeks
  

  In Moncriefs response they state, the system is 20 years old, leaking and should be replaced.  If this was the assessment, why did a senior technician even suggest and recommend a repair?  I did not demand a repair, I was looking for the best course of action and open to all options.   After the technicians assessment of the system his response should have been the system should not be repaired and needs to be replaced.  Instead he recommended and then performed a repair that cost $1371 and lasted less than 2 weeks.  I know nothing about HVAC and I relied and trusted the technicians assessments and recommendations of a repair.  Had he recommended that no repairs should be done and a new system is needed that is what I would have went with.  Instead he suggested an expensive repair on something that he should have known would fail. 
  

  I tried to call the company several times, about this issue, and only received a call back after I filed this complaint with the BBB.

  I am willing pay for the initial service call, but all parts and labor performed to the system should be refunded as it was an improperly diagnosed problem and repair.  The repair should have never been offered by a senior technician who should have extensive knowledge about when to replace a failing system.

   

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Customer response

  08/07/2023

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID .********, , and find that Mediation is necessary.

  Regards,

  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Moncrief sent out a technician on Aug. 1st because our main floor unit was not cooling. They said $179 fee would include visit and 15 minutes of diagnosis. The technician came to the door and said I'm here and now I am going to start billing in 15 minute increments (ie, not going to give us the first 15 minutes of time). Then he performed the diagnosis and said it was the capacitor and it would be $660 to fix. My husband asked if that would solve the problem and was told yes. So he said go ahead. Shortly thereafter the technician said, well it also needs more freon and that will be another $500 no matter how much 410A freon is needed. My husband was furious at this, but decided to just do it to solve the problem. Then after filling it, the technician told him that the unit also had a leak and would need to be replaced. So now we have a bill for $1229 and need for a new unit. We feel that the technician was deceitful and should have told us upfront that neither of the repairs was permanent or was going to solve the problem. Instead he kept saying this would take care of things and then coming back with a new problem and increasing the bill. In addition, while we didn't realize it at the time, Moncrief had already replaced the capacitor on this unit 11 months ago. So we asked them to honor a one year warranty on that repair. The charge to replace the capacitor then was $378 (versus $660 for the same repair?). We also asked why it was almost twice the cost and the big difference was the amount of time that the technician took to repair the part (ie, the technician this year took 3 times longer than the one last year). We feel they should warranty the repair from last year and that they shouldn't have lied about each step of the process solving our problem when they couldn't guarantee that. If we had known that this wouldn't solve our problem and that we needed a new unit, we wouldn't have authorized these very expensive repairs.

  

  Business response

  09/04/2022

  We were called to look at a system that was not cooling.  *********** charge to come out was quoted ahead of time was $179.  Once there We found the system not cooling due to a bad capacitor for which we charged $285 which includes the  part and labor.  We answered that the capacitor repair would get the system running. Once that was fixed and we got the system to turn on we discovered a secondary problem that the  system was low on refrigerant.  We quoted to add refrigerant and do a leak check on the system to find out why is was low.  We did add refrigerant and found the evaporator coil leaking and recommended replacing the equipment due to age and leak.  At that point the system was running and cooling temporarily which had value, allowing the homeowner time and comfort to do research and get quotes to replace their equipment during the hottest time of the year.  All charges were quoted before performing any work and we were given approval.  It was only after all work had been done that payment was refused.  We apologize for any miscommunication on the expectations Through each step but there was never any deceit intended.  The Situation was due to the nature of the problems as they presented themselves. We could not know there would be a refrigerant leak or some other issue until the capacitor was repaired.  The system was returned to operational with a recommendation on what the homeowner needed to do next.  We did not follow up with a quote because of the refusal to pay for work already done.  All billing was reviewed and done correctly except for the capacitor. We will waive the repair charge for the capacitor ($285) and cover under our Service warranty as that part was replaced less than a year ago. That would leave the balance at $944 for the service charge, labor and refrigerant necessary to properly diagnose and make recommendations.         

  Customer response

  09/06/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution reducing the balance is satisfactory to me.   I would, however, like to correct the narrative that the business has provided.  The technician gave us a quote for $660 to fix the capacitor -- that quote included the $179 for the visit, the $285 for the capacitor and the rest was labor (about $200).  It was only after he fixed the capacitor that he told us that the freon was low and that would cost an additional $500.  After he fixed that, then as he was handing over the bill, he said that there is also a leak in the coil, and you need a new system. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We have used Moncrief for routine HVAC maintenance for years. They came out on 6/29/22 for routine maintenance and noting nothing major - just had to replace a capacitor on our downstairs unit. 1 month later, we noticed a light flashing on our system and that our upstairs unit wasnt cooling quite as effectively (nothing major), so had them come back out on 7/28/22 to assess. The tech told us that we now needed a new capacitor, on our upstairs unit, which he replaced, and that our Freon levels were a little low so he added additional Freon (he did this before telling me). Because we had just had routine maintenance, the tech told us he would just not invoice us for the capacitor or Freon, so he didnt charge us and actually noted that we refused a capacitor on the service note so as not to raise eyebrows about the fact that he didnt charge us for it. After this, the upstairs system cooled more efficiently for about ***** hours, but then completely broke down and stopped cooling. We called Moncrief back out the next day (7/30/22), and they told us that the evaporator coil was now severely leaking and hissing, and that we would have to repair it or replace the system entirely. When we told them that the other tech had just added Freon 24-hrs, even the Moncrief tech mentioned hed never seen anything like this and that there must have been too much Freon added to the system causing it to bust so severely and suddenly. Were now being quoted $3.7K for parts only to repair the coil (which is on back order with no ETA) or $7K-$10K for a new system. We have 2 toddlers ages 3 and under and another baby on the way, and have no AC in our bedrooms in Georgia summer all because a coil was burst after something an AC tech did. We really need some help getting support - it just doesnt seem right that were on the hook for this when we literally had a perfectly functioning AC that was destroyed by routine maintenance.

  

  Business response

  08/03/2022

  Our service manager ************************* has been involved and communicated directly with the Homeowner verbally.  We are refunding the invoices in question as we did not perform up to expectations.  The customer is going to use another provider for future work.  We believe this to have resolved the complaint to the best of our ability.     

  Customer response

  08/03/2022

   
  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,
  
  ***************************

*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. ↩