Payment expectation for multiple service visits to fix 1 problem

DJD775

My dad's condo is heated by a heat pump with backup heat strips. Last month he received an excessively high electric bill and upon inspection of his outdoor unit he noticed the fan wasn't running when it should be. He called the company that installed the unit and the sent a tech out. The tech changed a out a fuse and said that should do it and was on his way. Upon further observation my dad noticed the fan was only working intermittently. The same tech came back and this time replaced the contactor. All worked well immediately after the contactor change so my dad was satisfied. Within a day he noticed the fan was still not working properly. The company said they would send out a more experienced tech. This time it was diagnosed as a bad control board which ended up being the ultimate fix. After all was said and done he was billed labor for every visit plus parts. I personally don't feel like he should have to foot the whole bill for for the first two visits as the tech was more or less a parts changer. I'm asking the pros here what is fair and expected for a situation like this?

pecmsg

Unless written on the invoice, if I have to come back the labor is covered by warranty. Parts are an extra.

Have you called the service company and asked them?

DJD775

Your policy is in line with what I was thinking. My dad has called them but they didn't want to move on the invoice. I told him that did not seem right so he is calling again today. Worst case he pays them then does not use them again. Foolish on their part as they service many units in the condo complex including my dad's friends.

EdTheHeaterMan

Send them a bill for education with your payment less the labor for the first two visits.

With a letter that states you do not appreciate paying for inexperience. The first service call visit should have included the defrost board that caused the fan to stop working. The contactor relay may or may not have been defective, I'm sure that your inexperienced technician took the old part with them so there will never be a way to check the part to know if it was actually defective. I’ll bet there are plenty of old contactors in a junk pile at your shop. Finding the one that was in my heat pump will be easy to convince me that you just didn't grab any old part for show!

I found this company online that has a very fair customer guarantee. They never charge customers for incorrect repairs. Whatever the actual repair that fixed the problem is charged to the customer as if it was the only repair. Like they got it right the first time. Here is the back page that spells out that guarantee. See the middle of the form where it says "You Never Pay Twice"



I am willing to split the difference on the contactor since you can not prove it was defective and I can not prove it was not. I will pay for the repair for the defrost board which was what was really defective. The labor and service call fee for the fuse, along with the labor and the service call fee for the contactor are on you. That can be charged to your education expense account if your bookkeeper needs to know. I have enclosed an invoice for your records.

Please accept this check as payment in full for the repair to my heat pump.

If these terms are not acceptable, then you can take me to Small Claims Court and we can let a Judge decide.



Save a photocopy of the letter and the check in case they don't cash it

mattmia2

Might ask to talk to an owner if you aren't getting what you want. You might get a different answer from someone trying to get you off the phone to get to the 3 people on hold vs someone with a stake in the company.

DJD775

@pecmsg @EdTheHeaterMan @mattmia2 I agree with everyone's posts and I'm hoping my dad will get this resolved without me stepping in. Next time I'm at his place I'll read the fine print on the invoices.

DJD775

Closing the loop on this post. My dad went to the office in person and they did the right thing and knocked the bill down to the appropriate amount for the situation.

EBEBRATT-Ed

At least there are still some companies still around with a conscious.

Mad Dog_2

Ed is the best!!  In short, tell them. "Look, I know its not easy to find and train good help, but why am I paying for YOUR worker's inexperience and on the job training?  The guy obviously misdiagnosed the job. Would you accept this in YOUR home???"

What I think is fair here is. .

1) Pay for all parts and full labor on the Experienced tech who finally fixed it.

2) Throw them something small  for first two calls.  Negotiate that down. 

As a Homeowner :Depending on how they handle this, will determine if you use them again. Tell them that too!  Sometimes, even really good companies can make this error.  

As a Business owner: Charge for all parts. Charge for last tech. Send Jr for training.  Mad Dog 🐕 

retiredguy

This reminds me of a job done by a service tech that worked for the same company that I did in 1970. The customer called with a no A/C call. The tech sent there changed the following parts; contactor, 24 volt transformer, capacitors, T87F thermostat, then called the shop and ordered a new compressor. After the compressor was changed, the A/C still would not work. He called the shop for help and they sent another tech (me) to the job. I asked the tech if he checked the "screw in fuse" that was on the power supply to the furnace which also provided 24 volts for the A/C unit. That was the actual problem. The customer balked at the service costs and my boss had to negotiate an amount that the customer would pay. True story.

ethicalpaul

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

At least there are still some companies still around with a conscious.

The customer just had to go to their office to help them find it 😅

EBEBRATT-Ed

We had a guy I don't know how he survived as a teck for 10 years but he did.

1. On a walk in box on Super Bown Sunday he condemned a condensing unit, it would start and shut off. Had the supply house open up and get one changed it and this one would start and shut off Turns out all it was was a bad LL solenoid. Guy at the supply house was not happy he missed the game.

2. Same guy went on 2 ac calls. 2 units wouldn't run compressors started but no condenser fans. He took the condenser fans out and tossed them in the dumpster bought 2 new motors and they wouldn't run either. Both condenser fans had fan cyclers and both units were low on gas.

We had a big Viessmann Mod Con installed in a college. New Year's Eve it quit. No one could get it going and Viessmann tech support was nowhere to be found.

College insisted they get heat. The got a rental boiler on a trailer put it outside on a trailer core drilled the wall for hoses hooked up gas water and electrical and got it running worked all night.

The Viessmann had a bad gas pressure switch.

Being older and not the best with microprocessor controls I know I would have tried jumping every limit and safety until I found the problem,

Never considered myself the best technician especially on some of the newer equipment but just using common sense I was better than most all the young guys. They sit there on there phone trying to google the answers