Business ProfileforElite Heating, A/C Refrigeration

My A/C spit out an error code about my outdoor unit and it stopped cooling. I had the Elite H&C who installed it 9 years ago out and they said is the main converter board. They told me that unless I can provide Carrier proof of annual maintenance for the last 9 years, it would NOT be covered by warranty. I only had receipts for the last 3 years even though it was serviced annually. They quoted $3400 parts and labor and the part will take 7 to 10 days to arrive. They recommended replacing the outdoor unit for $10,500 (financed at $180/month for 5 years) since it's 9 years old. They could install it the next day. It's sounded plausible but I decided to price check with other local Carrier dealers because it was a lot of money. It had to a carrier unit to communicate with the rest of the system. Several dealers wouldn't quote prices over the phone. However, the 3rd one I called was an eye opener. The lady at R******* *** said it she's worked at this Carrier dealer for 25 years and never needed maintenance receipts. She asked for the serial number and went to the website and confirmed the unit was under parts warranty. They are scheduled to come the next day with the part for a warranty service. Not only was the part under warranty but it was locally available. R******* installed the part under warranty for $165. So, Elite was either scamming into buying a new unit for $10,500 or they were going to charge me $3400 for a service that should have been $165. R******* also said that the new unit replacement should have been $6000, not $10,500 Elite quoted. I'm contacting Carrier, the BBB and I'm leaving a scathing review on Google. I'm wondering if my unit really needed replacing 9 years ago. Most people would have just knuckled under and bought the new unit. Sadly, most victims would be those least able to afford a new A/C but would have chosen $180 / month versus $3400 out of pocket plus waiting 7 to 10 days without A/C.