ComplaintsforKohl Heating Services LLC

• Initial Complaint

  07/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  on june 20 our ac quit working we called kohl heating on saturday 6-21-24 they sent a tech out , he replaced the capacitor and told us it was the compressor ,we went out on saturday and sunday and purchased 2 AC window units to keep the house cool monday 6-24-24 they quoted us a price of $1650-$1950 for the compressor that was under warranty . friday 6-28-24 we had another company come for a second opinion and it it was only the capacitor that was bad . we are seeking compensation for the AC units approx $500.00 and , reimbursement of the $ 179 service fee they charged us plus money for being inconvenienced for 1 week .

  

  Business response

  07/25/2024

  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  Kohl Heating Services endeavors to help keep all of our clients running and satisfied. During the recent and unprecedented heat wave with temperatures in the mid 90s for many days in a row, this homeowner’s air conditioning unit shut down. 
  
  We received a call on Saturday, June 22 that your system shut down. Kohl Heating dispatched a seasoned 30-year experienced technician to the call. Upon arrival the unit was found unresponsive. The technician took several readings, replaces a capacitor and attempted to install a hard start kit to see if the unit would run. These attempts did not help the unit start. The compressor would not turn on and run. 
  
  The compressor has an internal thermal overload safety switch built in to protect it. The protective circuitry would normally reset as the unit cools down. This unit would not reset, and this resulted in the initial diagnosis that the compressor would need to be replace. The homeowner was advised of this, and the new compressor was ordered – however it needed to be shipped in from out of state and would take up to a week to 10 days to arrive.
  
  The service call and diagnostic bill of $179 was given to the customer and was paid in full – noting that the capacitor and hard start kit were removed so as not to charge for something that he did not need. 
  
  Later in the week the homeowner contacted us to see if Kohl Heating Services thought that the unit could have been damaged by storms, power surge or lightning. There was no evidence that this was the result of a power surge or lightning, we stated that it did not appear that the unit had taken a surge or strike since only that the compressor would not start. At this point the homeowner contacted his insurance company who advised him to get a second opinion. The other company arrived 6-8 days after the shutdown, which allowed the unit to sit for almost a week. The homeowner stated the other company replaced a capacitor and the unit started. 
  
  Kohl Heating does have a contingency plan in place for failed compressors to be confirmed by a second technician prior to replacement. In this instance that would have happened when the new compressor arrived, and the second technician dispatched to confirm diagnosis and proceed with repair as need. It is of no advantage to Kohl Heating, our client base or any employee to replace a compressor unnecessarily.
  
  *** **** asked for a concession. Kohl Heating offered to refund the service call charge of $179.00. *** **** discussed with his wife, they countered that they wanted both a refunded service call charge and a re-imbursement for the two window air conditioners that they had purchased, in the estimated amount of $500.00 plus part of their electric bill. In an effort to appease the homeowner Kohl Heating agreed to buy one of the air conditioners from *** **** if he would provide a receipt and we could pick it up. *** **** informed us that he had already given one air conditioner away, he never provided Kohl Heating with a receipt and where the discussion ended. Kohl Heating Services was not able to meet his demands - as a note, to date the total *** **** has paid is the $179 for an emergency service call on a Saturday. 

  Customer response

  07/26/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** **** * NEVER EVER WAS IT STATED TO US THAT THE COMPRESSOR MAY HAVE BEEN OVERHEATED AND NEEDED TO COOL DOWN !!!!!! and that the tech to instal the compressor would double check just to be sure NEVER !!!! even if the compressor was " OVERHEATED " the AC quit around 7pm on 6-21-2024 Kohls Heating Services did not arrive until 6-22-2024 around 10am , so Kohls Heating Services is implying that after 14 hours the compressor had still not cooled ? and as for the $179.00 fee that was paid , for what ? a misdiagnoses ? also Kevin Kohl stated to in a phone call on Tuesday 7-2-2024 that the technician was to verify with Kevin Kohl that it was in fact a bad compressor but never did .  and it cost me $100.00 service call for the other company to install a capacitor that was in fact the actual problem . and the TWo AC units were sold at a loss at over $100.00 so i still feel the Kohl Heating should offer some  compensation for the money we spent on the two AC units , the $179.00 service fee and the $100.00 service fee from the other company let alone how much money was spent on our electric bill for the 2 AC units to run for a week . 

• Initial Complaint

  10/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In April of 2023 my Crown boiler stopped working. I had called another company and was told they don't handle that system. I searched Angi's list and specifically asked for a company that works on Crown boilers, Kohl sent me a request to come and look at it. I was told the evaluation was free and it was. I received a proposal from them to do the work. They came and said they could have their boiler guy fix it. He came and looked it over and said they would see if they could get the parts and be in touch in a day or two. That visit was $172.00 I paid that by check. I received an email the next day and it said the total price was 1,500.00-1,800.00 dollars total. The part was 800.00 and I needed to pay that up front for them to even get it. I used my debit card and received a receipt by email. It took at least a month for them to get the part. They came out to put the part on and while here broke the part. The technician said he would take it with him and fix it. He came back a few days later and put the part on and said it still did not work. He said he would talk to his boss, and they would get ahold of me in a day or two. I have not heard from them since. Gillece came out to handle an electrical issue and when I asked if they handled Crown boilers, he said that he did. I called and them to come out and see if it could be repaired. The technician that came out looked at it, took pictures of it and told me that whoever put the part on ruined it by drilling a hole through it. So now I have to get a new system and it is going to cost approximately. $26,000.00 At this time we have not had hot water or heat since April 7 and winter is approaching.

  

  Business response

  10/23/2023

  Kohl Heating Service was contacted on April 20, 2023 to provide a free in home estimate on a new combination high efficiency boiler with a water heating storage tank. Upon arrival the homeowner stated that the heat and hot water were not working and that it had already been looked at by another company and they were instructed that they would get back to the homeowner with how to proceed. The homeowner relayed to us that company never contacted them again while we were at the home for the estimate. With this information, I stated to the homeowner that this was an extremely expensive system, and it relies on the boiler to heat the water for the home also. I asked if they understood that it would be upwards of 12,000.00-16,000.00 to replace the system and was informed that there were not funds to make that kind of investment at that time. With this information, I asked the homeowner what the previous technician from the previous company said and she only stated that a light code was blinking. After reviewing the code that was present on the boiler it was suggested that our 20+ year experienced technician perform a diagnostic inspection and we could try to locate parts for the unit after that inspection. The homeowner was aware that their boiler unit is no longer in production or supported as it is approximately 15-20 years old, that parts are extremely rare and are not readily available as most are discontinued and/or very expensive. 
  On June 4th, 2023 the homeowner contacted us and we scheduled the diagnostic inspection for June 13th. As stated, Kohl did send a technician to diagnose the part that was not working was the inducer motor and charged $179.00 total Our office spent hours trying to locate parts and was able to find motor for the inducer.  
  On June 23, 2023 we sent the homeowner an estimate of $1500 - $1800 for the cost of the inducer motor replacement with the expressed statements that there was nonrefundable deposit for the inducer motor and there was no guarantee that no other issues would be found. 
  On July 12, 2023  the homeowner instructed us to order the part and paid the $800 deposit for the part. The special-order parts were ordered with the consent of the homeowner knowing that this was going out on a limb to try to keep the cost down and repair instead of an entire system replacement that was not in their budget. 
  The parts came in after a lengthy wait and we called to schedule the repair. When scheduling the repair, we were asked to wait a few more weeks to allow time to get the money together for the repair, which we accommodated.
  On August 22, 2023 When the technician went to repair the unit there was a screw that was part of the original housing that needed to be removed and the screw was found broken off in the mounting hole. At this point we took the part back to the shop to try to re-tap the housing for the screw. 
  On September 1, 2023 The technician returned to continue the repair but it was found that there were additional problems and that the unit couldn’t be fixed. The structure of the housing completely disintegrated due to the fact that this unit is a 15-20 year old boiler that has suffered from water corrosion and general mechanical fatigue as it is part of the flue exhaust system which is highly acidic.
  At this point Kohl Heating Services felt that this unit could not be safely repaired or restored to any sort of safe working order and conveyed that to homeowner. She told the technician that said she needed to call the bank to see if she could get things situated. We did not hear from the homeowner again until this complaint was filed. 
  
  No one won in this situation. Kohl went over and above to try to find a repair solution because replacement of the system was not in the homeowner’s budget and did everything possible to satisfy the homeowner given the fact that they could not replace the aging and failing system.  
  The estimate of $26,000 stated in the homeowners’ details was not provided by Kohl.

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