Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The initial transaction that took place was on September 28, 2021, when two heating/cooling units were installed in two ********** at the cost of $14,587.00 plus an additional $455.99 for a work order to "show the customer how to program thermostat". By January, one of the units was already malfunctioning, and we were charged $634.84 for the repairs were made. On August 31, 2022 four more units were installed in the amount of $31,493.39. When we began using them, we found that one of the units was not working properly, and the classroom was cold enough that they had to relocate. This was less than three months after installation. Farmington Heating and Metal came on November 10, and claims the unit was working at time of service. They charged $1522.26 for the servicing. The unit still did not work, and one of the other units stopped heating as well, one of the ones installed in September of 2021, which was only a year old. Two workers were sent out on 11/28/22, and we were charged $594.00. They ordered parts and returned on 12/5/22 and charged $792.00 and another $888.50 for filters, refrigerant and a fuel surcharge. Again, they said the units worked at the time of service. We had to call them back, and they made 5 more trips: 1/4/23, 1/24/23, 3/6/23, 4/18/23, 5/1/23 and sent an invoice for $5,189.88 for the five trips, $405.00 of which was for freight, and $75.00 of which was for fuel surcharge. I disputed the charges due to the $50,967.98 for the units that were malfunctioning after a year or less of being installed and still being dysfunctional. When I received the invoice, the same unit was again not working, as we had just started using it for the fall. I was told they could lower our invoice to $2714.04, which I paid, but they will not come and repair the unit without charging more, and I am requesting this unit be repaired at no charge, since so much has been charged already, though many units are still working poorly.

  Business response

  02/26/2024

  see attached

   

  RE: ******** I would first like to respond that until this interaction with ***** *********, Farmington Heating & Metal had previously been dealing with ******** ****, prior to her retirement. With that being said, I don't feel that Ms. ********* is familiar with the whole situation. The unit that is in question was installed in the portable on the North East side of the building through ****** ******** * ******* in July of 2020. The two units that are being stated as the "initial transaction" were installed in the two ********** in the South East portable.

  The work order for showing the customer how to operate the thermostat was for a forced air furnace serving two ********** in the main building. The thermostat had been installed and programmed by Farmington Heating & Metal previously. We were authorized by ******** to return and determine the reason for failure. It was determined at the time that the programming had been changed by a ******* and was the cause for the system not working properly. The service call in January of 2022 was for the unit installed in July of 2020. The unit was found to be operating properly and the customer was made aware of the multiple air leaks in the portable building. This was not under warranty; Farmington Heating & Metal provides a one (1) year labor warranty on installed equipment, therefore the customer was charged accordingly.

  Farmington Heating & Metal installed units to serve the four ********** in the main building in August of 2022. There have been no service calls for this installation. Farmington Heating & Metal returned on November 10, 2022 to check the unit in the North East portable. A small leak was located and the unit was pressure tested, evacuated and recharged according to the manufactures requirements. Again, this unit had been installed in July of 2020 and none of these repairs were under warranty. We were called again on November 28, 2022 and the service technician added one {1.0) pound of refrigerant to bring the discharge air temperature up. The technician also measured for filters for air purifiers per customer's request. We returned again on December 4, 2022 and found the valve cores leaking on the unit. They were repaired and the unit was pressure tested, evacuated and recharged. The filters for the air purifiers were also delivered. Only the labor and filters were charged for on this trip. Once again we were made aware that the North East portable was not heating as well as one unit in the South East portable. By this time we were dealing with our suppliers and proceeding as they advised. After multiple trips and parts being replaced, per our supplier and factory, they authorized replacement of the outdoor unit. These were replaced in May of 2023 at no charge. Both units were operating properly at this time.

  In August 2023, Farmington Heating & Metal credited back $2,475.84 in labor on this job as a courtesy to the customer. The customer was advised that this bill needed to be paid prior to any more service work being performed. The customer was also informed that all the units were out of labor warranty and any further service work would be charged accordingly. We feel that we have gone above and beyond to provide our customer with good customer service and that we followed through and took care of the manufacturers' problem. If any further discussion is needed please feel free to reach out to me.

  Customer response

  03/04/2024

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I am not disputing the work that has been done. I am aware of the many trips that Farmington Heating and Metal has made to *** ******* ******. My dispute is that despite many trips and work orders, the heaters (which were "working" according to the work orders) do not work as soon as the cold weather comes around. This is frustrating as we had a functioning heating system in place prior to the installation of these heating units. The heating units were installed in hopes of being energy efficient and to improve air circulation, but now with cold weather we struggle to keep some of our ********** operating. These units are brand new in comparison to our old system, and yet we have had to put more money into repairs, and have had some of them not working for longer than they have been working. The business is responsible for ensuring that these new heating units are working up to standard, as they have not worked properly or consistently from the time of their installation.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *********

   

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

  Customer response

  10/09/2024

  The business never reached out to me to resolve the complaint. Now, as the weather is starting to get colder, we are once again (for the fourth year in a row, the four years since our units were installed) experiencing issues with the heating and cooling units installed by Farmington Heating & Metal company. I am afraid to call them, since I know that they will charge me for all the servicing on these units that are too new to have so many problems, and they will take months to fix them. Our ******** bring blankets to their ********** because the heating does not work correctly, despite only being installed in the last four years. We would like a way to take out all the units installed by Farmington Heating & Metal and return to our old system, since at least it was reliable. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In October 2022, Farmington Metal and Heating were called to detect an issue with our gas furnace. They sent out an employee that afternoon. Upon arrival, the furnace was already opened and showing the error code on the control board. I discussed what the issues we were having with the furnace, and he began to tell me they do not work on that brand of furnace regularly. He then called someone and told them what code the furnace was showing. He spent 15 minutes on the phone in my garage and then informed me he was unsure what the issue was, and it could possibly be a control board issue. We denied any further inspection or repairs. The employee spent a total of 10 minutes inspecting our furnace and 15 minutes on the phone. The employee performed no repairs, he did not remove anything, no repairs were conducted. The charges are more than what was performed. The employee never gathered any information from me. He did not have any paperwork, I did not sign anything. The company never called me. Six months later, when I call for services again, I am then given to a very unprofessional employee who says I owe over $200 for charges from October 2022. I then began to say that there were no repairs performed and I would gladly pay the call service charge for the employee coming to my home. She began to argue and yell at me over the phone saying the total amount was due. She then proceeds to call me a liar when I explained what their employee had told me that day about the furnace. Completely unprofessional and rude. There is no excuse for this behavior from any company to their customers.

  Business response

  04/19/2023

   

  Ms. ******,

  Thank you for taking the time to contact us about your experience with our company. We are sorry to hear that this was the outcome of your experience with our representatives. We have taken the time to review each of the problems you have listed in your statement.

  Regarding our customer service, we will continue to be improving our customer service through training and experience. Each customer is important to us and should be handled with grace. We always listen to the customer and talk through the problem at hand. Our administrative team handles multiple inquires during the day in person and over the phone, being courteous is what we strive for in each situation. Again, we are sorry that during your conversation this was not shown.

  As for the bill that is currently open under your name and address, we have reviewed the GPS of the technician. We have spoken to the technician and his supervisor concerning what occurred during his time on the job. We show that the technician was in fact physically at your home from 3:17pm to 4:45pm. Our company policy on this matter is that our services are charged door to door, meaning that when the technician leaves our business until the technician returns to the business. With that in mind the timing on job is from 2:52pm until 5:09pm, this totals 2.11 hours, the charge on the bill. The bill only includes the technician's hours on site and not the hours spent by our supervisor and controls specialist off site. The time spent speaking with you, researching the problem by our technician's superiors and setting appointments to come by and look into your unit were not billed to you. We find that not charging for this time is compensation enough on our behalf; therefore the amount for the bill will remain at $216.45, for the technician's time and fuel surcharge. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

  Regards, 

  Bryan *******

   

  Customer response

  04/20/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
    I am not responsible for the time an employee spends at my house on the phone.  This employee also spent time speaking to me about opening his own side business for plumbing and heating needs. He supplied me with his name and number for future reference. The actions of this companies employees are not the customer’s responsibility. When you call to make a service call, you are told it is a $99 fee to have the problems assessed. Well, he took 15 minutes to look at our furnace that was already apart and open for him distinctly showing the error code. He then spent the rest of his time on the phone seeing if someone knew what that code was and advertising for his own side business. When I tried to explain that to the rather rude woman on the phone I was called a liar. There are no additional fees or hours that will be paid on this matter. I will not be taken advantage of and treated horribly by your company. Your bill is inaccurate and your company should spend some time evaluating yourselves and the people you hire. 
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ******

   

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

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