ComplaintsforBarton Brothers, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  11/16/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a new replacement heat pump from Barton Brothers Inc. April 17, 2020. They replaced a 16 yr old 5 ton unit with a new ***** 3.5 ton unit. The new unit performed acceptable with one failure of the air handler fan motor in Jul of 2020. Barton Brothers responded and replaced the motor very quickly. Their service and customer support was good to this point. The heat pump started making an abnormal noise on 1/12/2021. The compressor was much louder than normal and sounded like it was struggling to run. I found the outside unit completely covered in ice including the coils, copper lines, and compressor. The set temperature was maintained, but the unit would not cycle off. We called Barton Brothers and were told that frost on the coils is normal. I knew that the level of ice on the coils was not normal so I insisted we needed service. Technician responded 5 days after the first call and acknowledged that it was not normal. He ordered a defrost control board and returned a few days later to replace it. Within one week we had the same problem. Between Jan 12th and Feb 24th, they replaced multiple parts and completely disassembled the outdoor unit at least 3 times. They assured us that the unit was fixed for good because they found the problem with assistance from ***** engineers. The weather was mild during March. On Apr 3rd. the unit iced up again. I called Barton Brothers and talked to Johnny B***** on the 5th and he said he would contact ***** and call me back. I have not received any return calls even with repeated attempts. Now it is Nov 15, 2021 and the unit was completely iced again this morning. I have the exact same problem as before but now I don't have any labor warranty.

  Business response

  12/29/2021

  problem resolved

  Customer response

  01/03/2022

  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. 
  
  I called Barton Brothers just after filing the complaint with the BBB and the response was that they could not do anything for me that it was between me and ***** to get the unit replaced.  I asked for assistance with contacting ***** since my unit was still not fixed. I have yet to get contact information for ***** after more than 1 month.

  After Barthon Brothers received notice of my complaint to BBB they called me and were very upset that I had filed a claim against them.  At that point they replaced the control board for the second time.  This replacement corrected the problem and my unit is now running properly.  

  However, the work done last winter to attempt repairing my unit has left me with a new unit that has been completely disassembled  and re-assembled multiple times in my back yard.  Additionally the unit ran for more than 1 winter season with the unit and the compressor freezing up each day the temperature dropped below 35 degrees.  Each time the unit ran in this frozen condition I could hear a distinct difference in the running sound which sounded like excessive vibration.  After the unit thawed out the sound returned to normal.  This prolonged running in a degraded condition and the repeated dis-assembly has done irreparable damage to my unit and it is no longer a new unit.

  This unit must be replaced in order to guarantee the expected life of a new unit.

  
  Regards,
  *********** ******

  Business response

  01/11/2022

  Mr. ******* unit (according to him) is working properly at this time. ***** had a run of bad defrost boards which was out of our control. After putting 3 new defrost boards on we finally got a good one. We went to Mr. ******* house on several occasions to check his unit, put parts on, and talked with ***** technical support to solve his problem which is the proper channel to go through to a problem job. Each time he called we made every effort to repair his unit. He was even given a follow up call after the last board was installed and at that time, he said his unit is working fine. We had our territorial rep for ***** call him and explain his warranty and the problem with the defrost boards. He also sent him the contact information for *****. We have not charged Mr. ****** a penny for any work we have done at his house. His concern with wanting a new unit is out of our control as we do not own *****, we just sell them. As the present time we do not know of anything else we can do for him as his unit is working properly. 

  Customer response

  01/16/2022

  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. 

  Yes my unit is finally working correctly and defrosting as it should.  However, the entire winter last year and the first month and a half of this winter I had to deal with very poor customer service from Barton Brothers.  All last winter it was weeks between each failed attempt to fix what turned out to be a very simple problem.  During the entire winter season I could hear the compressor struggling to run while frozen.  The difference in the sound of the compressor was very distinct.  I have 35 years of experience maintaining industrial machines and hearing a change that noticeable in any rotating unit almost always signals that failure is imminent.  In addition to the compressor running in that condition, they completely disassembled my unit 3 times by un-soldering every connection in the unit. The reliability of my unit is highly compromised.

  Due to incompetence and poor customer service my unit is very likely to have extensive failures prematurely.  I will not accept anything less than compensation for the damage that has been done or a replacement unit.  As it stands I paid full price for a unit that Barton Brothers put together from parts in my yard.  I no longer have a unit that was manufactured to be reliable for many years.  Now that the full warranty has run out I will be responsible for the labor and parts not covered under the warranty when it fails due to the damage done by Barton Brothers.

  It is time for Barton Brothers to decide if they are going to treat me the way they would want to be treated or not.

  Sincerely,

  ***** ******

  
  Regards,
  *********** ******

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