Complaintsfor1st Choice Heating & Cooling

• Initial Complaint

  05/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a new A/C unit from 1st Choice just 2 years and 11 months ago. The A/C unit is under a 10 year manufacturer warranty and the labor warranty expired after 1 year. My issue is concerning excessive labor fees for repairs that involve parts covered under manufacture warranty. The condensor fan motor broke, the part is covered under warranty, but I had to pay for the labor for the repair. I paid $166. 96 for a trip/diagnostics fee, and then an additional $651.00 in labor and fees. The repair took a total of 35 minutes to complete. The repair was completed on 5/28/2024. $817.96 for a 35 minute repair seems excessive. I understand that the labor fee includes processing and filing fees. The company was unable to explain how much of the $651 labor fee for 35 minutes was attributed to labor vs. fees. The initial labor fee estimate was $985.30 in addition to the $166.96 trip/diagnostic fee. I spoke to the Service Manager, ******, who was able to lower the labor to $651 but only after I signed up for their monthly maintenance membership program for $24 per month.

  

  Business response

  05/30/2024

  To Whom It May ***************** addressing the complaint submitted by the complainant, I would like to highlight several important points regarding the maintenance and service history of the installed unit.
  
  Firstly, it is crucial to note that since the installation over two years ago, no maintenance has been performed on the machine. Annual maintenance is a requirement stipulated by the manufacturer. Our records indicate that First Choice Heating & Cooling LLC contacted the complainant at least twice to remind her of this requirement and the importance of adhering to the manufacturers maintenance schedule.
  
  Had maintenance been conducted, our technicians might have identified any potential issues, such as a failing motor, during the first year. This would have allowed us to process a claim for parts and labor within the warranty period. The failure of a condenser fan motor within such a short time frame is highly unusual and is typically attributable to external factors like power surges or brownouts. However, determining the exact cause is challenging without the annual maintenance that was not performed.
  
  Despite the lack of maintenance, First Choice Heating &Cooling LLC proactively pursued a warranty claim for the part, assuming the risk of it being denied due to non-compliance with maintenance requirements.
  
  Regarding the concern about "labor charges," our company does not charge by the hour or for labor separately. We operate on a flat-rate pricing model determined by regional rates through a computer system.Our technicians do not have the authority to alter pricing in the field. The complainant was provided with a fixed price for ordering the motor, returning to the home, and replacing the necessary component. The complainant disagreed with the price, declined the estimate, and subsequently lodged a complaint with our office.
  
  In a conversation with our service manager, we offered the complainant a significant discount in good faith, acknowledging that we installed her system. This offer included a membership subscription with benefits such as a furnace tune-up in fall/winter and an AC tune-up the following year to ensure compliance with annual maintenance intervals and monitor for any potential environmental issues affecting the condenser fan motor.
  
  The complainant accepted this offer, which she stated matched another contractors pricing. Although we could not verify this claim,we took her statement in good faith.
  
  I believe First Choice Heating & Cooling LLC has done everything we can do to accommodate this complainant at this point.
  
  Unfortunately, it has become evident that the complainant may not be acting in good faith and remains dissatisfied with the resolution.We regret that we are unable to provide further discounts. Our pricing structure is necessary for sustaining our business operations, and it may not be suitable for every customer.
  
  As a result, we have canceled the club membership and decided to terminate our business relationship with the complainant. We apologize for any inconvenience this decision may cause and genuinely wished for a more positive outcome. However, we cannot agree to a full refund.
  
  Lastly, I can confirm that our technician was actually on-site for 1 hour and 3 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes of drive time which is contrary to the 35-minute total in the initial complaint.
  
  Sincerely,
  *******************
  General Manager
  First Choice Heating & Cooling LLC

  Customer response

  05/31/2024

  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.
  
  No offer was received. For clarification, I did not ask for a full refund, just a billing adjustment to reflect a fair amount of labor for a service that took one hour or less. While I initially accepted the "discount" provided by the service manager, the discount price is still far more than what would have been paid out of pocket by not using the warranty and is not in line with other contractors. Local competitors have provided me with the following information:

  -Energy ******* Systems - would have charged about 1/4 of the labor fee that 1st choice charged and further explained that no maintenance would have prevented this issue from occurring.

  -Countryside Heating and Cooling - their price for the part and labor would be far less than what 1st choice charged for just labor.

  Regardless if annual maintenance is performed or not, $650 for a service that took one hour or less is excessive. The company is price gouging customers and up charging their labor fees specifically in situations when the parts are covered under warranty.
  

  I've been a customer for over 10 years and never encounter a problem until I tried to use the warranty. In fact, one of your service technicians who did a furnace repair for me in the last few years stated that annual maintenance is not necessary. I appreciate the cancellation of the monthly membership. Will I be reimbursed for the $20 membership fee I already paid? Can the labor be adjusted to a more reasonable cost?
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  05/31/2024

  Upon reviewing the actual recorded call log of the conversation between the complainant and our service manager, it has been confirmed that our service manager did offer a reduced price for the service. Additionally, it was discovered that the complainants pricing comparison was based on her purchasing the part independently and having a friend in the business install it for her.
  
  As stated in my initial response, our company does not charge by the hour; we charge by the repair. There is no breakout of parts and labor; instead, our pricing is set by a flat rate based on regional averages and MSRP.
  
  While our pricing structure may not suit everyone, the complainant agreed to the pricing prior to the dispatch of our technician, as evidenced by the attached documentation to this case.
  
  All work was completed in good faith by First Choice Heating & Cooling LLC. We do not set our pricing based on other companies and will not comment on their pricing structures, as we are not privy to their operational details.
  
  Regarding the comment about not needing service, our technician recommended that the complainant should have annual maintenance. The complainant has only been a customer since 2021, not for 10 years. It is possible the complainant is confusing our company with another they have dealt with in the past. Our technicians would never state that maintenance isnt required on an annual basis. This is why we attempted to contact the complainant twice in the two years since the installation.
  
  We will be promptly refunding the $20 charge for the canceled membership but will not be making any further adjustments.
  

  Customer response

  05/31/2024

  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.  
  

  I am not confused and have been a customer for over ******************************************************** your database youd see I once had a property at **************************************. I had a furnace installed by your company at that house and some repairs completed. I continued to use your company when I move to my current home in 2021. In the recorded call did you hear your service manager lie about the cost without warranty? she claimed it would be $2,500, which is a blatant lie.

  I am not satisfied with this result and will pursue a price gouging complaint with the ** consumer protection agency.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/16/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On July 7 2021 **** from 1st choice Heating and Cooling came to the residence do a tune up or diagnose a problem with my 6 year old Trane central air conditioner. When originally contacted on the phone they asked if we were existing customers at which time we stated NO. So they knew from that moment we were going to be new customers. We were told that we needed to turn the unit off before they got there it has been running and leaking in the basement. The unit was off approximately 2 hours before the techs arrival. When he arrived he refused to take off the panel to check or diagnose the problem. He also stated that since they were not the original installers of the unit back in 2014 due to new *****ship they no longer guarantee their parts or services on repairs. This is unacceptable as I didn't get a diagnosis due to him refusing to remove the panel, which was required by the next tech(different company to diagnose the issue, also they knew I was a new customer and couldn't guarantee

  

  Business response

  07/19/2021

  The service call was called in by ***** (*** ******)...We explained to him that the diagnostic charge was a flat rate fee of $175 which includes the trip charge and the technicians time to diagnose the problem (we don't charge by the hour) and if any additional repairs are needed, we would quote a repair price and get approval before doing any additional work.  *** told us his girlfriend ***** would be there and could authorize repairs.  We explained to *** that he would have turn his AC off because if it was a refrigerant issue the unit could be frozen and our tech wouldn't be able to charge the system if it was low on refrigerant.  Upon arrival our tech went to the basement to check the filter (they had a dirty filter which can sometime cause an AC unit to freeze up), he checked the blower motor to make sure it was working properly and it was.  He then went to the AC condensing unit outside and checked the refrigerant charge.  It was low but he couldn't charge it due to the system being frozen yet.  We had no history on this customer, they were a first time user and when the technician checked the model & serial number of the unit determined that it possibly could still be under warranty and told the customer to call the installing company to have them add the refrigerant because it might be under warranty.  We can only warranty parts or labor if we installed and registered the unit with the manufacturer.  We are not a TRANE dealer so we couldn't warranty anything on it.  Our tech did not refuse to take any panels off...he had to remove the panel on the furnace to check the blower and filter...and most AC units can be charged thru a port on the outside of the unit by hooking up gauges.  We feel our charges are justified and valid for the service we provided and the home***** was made aware of this when he called in.

  Customer response

  07/20/2021

  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.
  
  First and foremost let's make this clear. I am the homeowner. It was stated on the phone that the unit was a Trane and it was 6 years old. Never were we told that they don't service Trane units. If they did then we wouldn't have tried to do business with them. The unit panel in the basement which was how my unit was diagnosed by the 2nd company I called had to be frozen so they could see what the issue was. We were told by 1st Choice to turn off the system for at least 1 hour(which I turned it off for several) yet that  panel was never removed to check what the issue was. Turns out that my system is not covered under warranty and no follow up was ever done by 1st Choice as to any sort of work they could provide. I was straight up told by **** while he was at my residence that they do not cover repairs or guarantee any kind of work unless it was originally installed by their company to begin with/that includes in or out of warrranty. They will not cover anything. This is very misleading to the consumer looking or setting up an appointment to not be told this information ahead of time. Also he never ever removed any panel on my system in or outside. I was watching him and speaking with him the entire time. If you aren't authorized to work with Trane then you should be up front at the time of appointment.

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

  

  Business response

  07/21/2021

   *****, I'm the ******* ******* at 1st Choice and I was the one that spoke to *** on Tuesday morning 7/6/21 (we were closed Monday for the holiday...he called & left a message with our answering service to call when we were open)  We were very busy on Tuesday from the long, hot weekend and it has always been our policy to take care of customers that have no cooling.  I called him early Tuesday morning before our office opens at 8 am and when I spoke to him I said we could get a technician out that same day (I had to reschedule other customers that were on for maintenance) and he indicated that you, his girlfriend,  would be home.  I told him our tech would call on the way and also let him know to shut the cooling off and let the fan run to help thaw the unit in case it was frozen.  Our techs can't do anything if a unit is icing up or frozen...Here are the notes (copied & pasted) that I put in the work order for your service call  " AC is leaking...$175 diag.  (AC is off) CALL ***** (***'S GIRLFRIEND) ON WAY...************ *** WILL GIVE CC INFO OVER PHONE..***** CAN AUTHORIZE REPAIRS OR SHE'LL CALL *** "  He called back around 8:30 and said that Tuesday wouldn't work because you wouldn't be available so we rescheduled the call to Wed. 7/7/21 in the afternoon.  *** authorized the call and agreed to the diagnostic as this is always our policy to let the customer know how much a service call is and what it includes.  I spoke with the tech that was at your home (**** - who has worked for us for over 16 yrs) and didn't remember saying anything about warranties or not servicing if we didn't install the unit.  Maybe it was miscommunication on his part or the fact that our guys were running so many calls due to the heat those 2 days that he missed something on his diagnosis.  I apologize for that and I'm going to refund the service call to you because as a customer of ours (whether you are a first customer or a long time customer) we want our customers to be happy & satisfied.  We have been in business over 20 years and have great reviews & ratings because we always try to work with our customers and resolve the very few issues that arise.  A check will be processed within the next week and mailed to you.  Thank you

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