ComplaintsforChampion Heating & Air, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  05/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Champion Heating & Air was hired to install a new **** unit and new parts, and clean ductwork at my vacant home at ***************************************************************************** on April 4th for $8500. **** Tech, ****, called that work was complete on 4 April and I was called by the company owner, ****, to pay invoice on 6 April totaling $8755.30. After arriving at my home on 8 April, I found the **** unit not working, **** trash left under my home, concerns with code violations, parts not replaced, and the ductwork was never cleaned and so I emailed the company with my issues and disputed the charge with my credit card company. On 9 April, I texted **** requesting follow up action and I received a call from **** asking what my issues were and said he could come by and check on why **** wasnt working and also stated he did not know duct cleaning was part of the service but could do it the following week. I called **** with concerns over ***** trustworthiness and requested someone else to perform the repairs. **** replied that he was there during install and **** was working when they left and stated they tried calling me multiple times to schedule duct cleaning and address some issues with the system but couldnt get ahold of me. I never was told work wasnt complete during my phone call on the 4th with the **** nor the 6th with the **** and I have no record of multiple calls from them on my cell bill. **** came to the house and found blown fuse as cause of **** not working and replaced it, but due to the lack of trust from both the **** and ****, I requested that no additional services be performed by their company and instead requested an itemized quote for the work they performed and reduction in price for the items they failed to do and not to code. ***** revised quote deducted $600 which does not cover the $1498.70 in extra expenses that I am required to pay to finish the job, and **** does not agree to refund more than $600.

  Business response

  05/02/2023

  Our policy as a company is that payment is due upon scheduled service date as noted in the customers quote that she accepted. On the scheduled install date she had another company at the house that were preparing the exterior of the house for paint by spraying bleach and water and sealing up the exterior of the home which delayed us in performing the entirety of our scope of work having to work around another crew. She does not live at the address and was out of state during the time the work was performed. We got the system installed and working on the scheduled install date but we called and messaged multiple times over the the course of the next few days to explain to her that we needed to return to button up a few tasks to complete the system on the few of the invoiced items and would need to return on a day later in the week that wasn't raining due to the system being in the crawlspace. She did not want us to return as her partner or man at the house was upset she spent too much on different tasks to get the house completed for sale and said he wanted to recoup some of the cost back and did not want us to return to complete our scheduled tasks. As described in the emails she submitted and the revised invoice I itemized off the tasks we did not complete and made every effort to pay her for the balance of the tasks we did not complete. Since she does not live at the address she did not want me to mail the check to the address and she refused to give me an address to send the balance to bc she wanted more money back. As shown in the additional invoice she submitted she had another company return to button up the system that we made every effort to return to complete. By having another company complete the work she has voided the warranty as well as we don't know who this other company is or if they are being honest with their work. We offered to give her back more than what the other company charged her to complete so the amount she is requesting doesn't seem justified. We still have the check and envelope from that date signed ready to return to her for the balance we itemized off. $699. We have multiple text messages and emails proving our due diligence in trying to fairly remedy this situation but she seems to not want to work with it. I can submit more documentation in a file i have collected but i only have 30mins from the start to type this and put anything i have available together now.

  Customer response

  05/05/2023

  Champion knew of CertaPro being on-site on April 4th and even acknowledged and thanked me for my heads-up email. I was never informed there were any issues with completing work that day nor that there were any issues with the two companies being there at the same time. Champion also said I missed multiple calls and texts from them between 4-7 April trying to inform me of the job not being complete, but according to my attached cell log, I received two calls from the tech on the 4th, one saying he was on-site and asked for key code to get in and he other saying he was about finished, letting hvac run for a little and will be sending link to invoice. I missed 2 calls from **** one right after the other at **** and 1246 PST and received one text from him on April 6th. I answered the text and third call at **** PST and these calls and text was about needing to pay invoice immediately. I paid in good faith that job was complete and received an email from Champion stating thank you for your business and letting me know of other services they provide. I was never told that any work was still needing to be done. I only discovered work wasnt complete when I arrived at my home on Friday, April 7th and found all the issues. It feels as though Champion was taking advantage of me not being there and are now finding excuses to justify their actions because I called them out on their incomplete and very poor quality of work. I am very disappointed with Champions inability to take ownership for their install with code violations, lack of communication and poor customer service. Requesting their company not return was not about money, it was about trust and confidence in their company to reliably and competently do the work. The revised quote does not cover even half the cost to finish their original job so I did not agree to have the check sent to my out of state address. Because I didnt trust Champions install, I called ******************* Heating & Air to inspect the **** unit and they identified electric, gas, and drain line code violations totaling $504.70. ********************* quote was to only fix the code violations, not remedy the entire list of issues I identified with Champions work. I also called Peach State to clean the ductwork which was another $499. I am requesting Champion readjust the quote from $8500 to $7001.30 to account for the $1498.70 in items not completed/accounted for.
  

  Business response

  05/05/2023

  The install date was april the 4th. The customers call logs don't show anything other than ** trying to reach out to her and her not answering. Her typing in on the call log what she believes the conversation was doesn't show anything other than ** actively trying to reach out and communicate with the customer and do our due diligence within days of the install date. We have not avoided her or been out of contact. We didnt wait weeks or months to communicate. We were actively trying to contact her immediately. Customer wanted another tech to come out after dealing with my lead tech **** when he returned. The same day my tech **** was there her partner was extremely rude and cursing profanities and being abusive to my tech at the door. The job was done during Easter week yes I was out of town at that time with family and explained to her and her partner that I will personally come back and resolve any issues and concerns the next day after I return. They did not want to wait and we are a small business so I told them my only option was to send my lead tech **** back to finish buttoning up the system and resolve any issues as initially I told her or It will be my first task back from returning from out of state to fix myself after Easter. It is hard to gauge the amount of time a large job may take working around another companys crew not knowing what their scope of work is and not knowing that they would be working in front of the same area we were working, such as spraying bleach to prep house to paint. So we had to return another day to complete the small tasks that were left to button up our scope of work. Since the customer did not want us to return on another day that week that wasn't raining. We decided we will itemize off the tasks she did not allow us the due dilligence to return to complete. We are not going to be bullied into paying more than what we quoted for the work that we didnt complete. We are not responsible for her coming up with unreasonable charges because another company charges more for services that we quoted and needed to be allowed the due diligence to return and complete or remedy a resonable solution. We have done everything we are responsible to do to keep this customer happy and resolve the situation. We still have the original check we wrote to cover what we itemized off and are waiting to send to her if she could give us a suitable address to send it to. We have been doing the right thing but we will not be bullied to pay more than the work she didn't allow us to complete that we itemized off and have made every effort to return to her.

  Customer response

  05/08/2023

   
  Complaint: 19997925
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  

  The call logs I attached were to identify that Champion did not try and call me multiple times to inform me of work not being complete as they said they tried to do. Champion called twice on April 4th, once in the morning to say they were on site and needed a key code to get to the **** under the house, and the other that afternoon to say they were leaving soon, **** was running, and invoice to follow.  Champion then called three times and sent one text within a 6-minute time period on April 6th.  I missed the first two and picked up the third call which was **** asking if I had the payment link and needed me to pay invoice, which I did in good faith that job was complete.  NEVER was I told that Champion needed to return to finish anything during the calls from **** on the 4th nor **** on the 6th.  Champion only came back on Saturday April 8th because I contacted them about their negligence and sent pictures of incomplete job and safety concerns with install and told them I was going to stop payment on the credit card. If I never showed up to my home and saw the state of the **** install, they would have never returned and Id have a dirty, incomplete **** unit riddled with code and safety violations. I am not bullying the company for an unreasonable amount of money.  I am standing firm with my request for this business to take accountability for their poor quality of work, lack of communication and negligence and be reimbursed for the amount Im having to pay other companies to finish Champions sub-par work (code and safety violations) as well as work Champion failed to perform in our agreed upon estimate (install of new gas pipe, install of condenser pad, replacement of return and supply plenums, and duct cleaning) they charged me for.  To date, Ive paid Champion almost $9k ($127.27 on March 22nd and $8,755.30 on April 6th). Again, I am requesting Champion readjust the invoice and reimburse $1,498.70.

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

  Business response

  05/17/2023

  Again, we have been in contact with the customer and according to her call logs where she did not answer and text messages I have where I both on the call and in text have stated we need to return to finish a few tasks to button up the system. We were reaching out to her immediately. We did not avoid her and we have been trying to get her job rescheduled for the remaining items we were delayed on at the jobsite to be complete and done right. Customer did not give us the due diligence to complete since she had another company working right in the area we were working spraying bleach delaying our scope of work. We itemized off the work she chose not to have us return to complete for a total of $699. Instead of allowing us time to finish or the due diligence to make things right she chose to utilize another company that  charged more. We are only responsible for itemizing off the tasks that she chose for us not to complete. We are not legally obligated to pay the difference of what another company charges for services we were scheduled to perform and she did not allow us the time to return to complete, so we itemized off what we billed her for those tasks and have a check ready to return that money. We are not obligated to pay more than what we billed her for. 

  Customer response

  05/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 19997925
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I paid Champion on the estimate believing all quoted and agreed upon work was completed and to code. Champion never communicated with me about the job not being complete until after I arrived at my house and both emailed and texted them complaining about their incomplete work and my concerns over the improper install and mess left. I continue to receive messages containing excuses without any acknowledgment of their improper and incomplete install and lack of communication.

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

  Business response

  05/19/2023

  We have been in communication with the customer per her call records. She denys hearing that we told her we needed to return to complete a few remaining tasks due to her having another company spraying bleach and chemicals in the area we were working delaying our scope of work. Instead of working with ** and giving ** the due dilliegence to complete our work she chose not to have us return. We have itemized off the work we could not complete and have been trying to return her the $699 we were charging for the tasks to be finished. But she won't accept that. That is her choice. We will not pay more because another company charged her more to finish our work that we were scheduled to complete and she failed to allow us to return to complete because she had another company scheduled to work in the same area we were working that caused us to be delayed on our job tasks. We will not be paying more because of her mistake. Thank you

  Customer response

  05/22/2023

   
  Complaint: 19997925
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Champion only started a discussion of their incomplete work with me after I showed up to my home (8April) and pointed out multiple deficiencies and an incomplete install and said I was going to request a stop payment with my credit card. I was never informed or told of more work being needed to be scheduled at any point between 4-8 April. 
  I am astounded that Champion continues to blame me for their incomplete and sub par work and lack of communication. 

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

  Customer response

  05/23/2023

  Better Business Bureau:

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

  Regards,

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

  Business response

  05/24/2023

  Better Business Bureau:

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

  Regards,

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

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