The blower on our heat pump was not working and we called ARS to check out the problem.
Andy (the service person) came out promptly and after being told what our problem was proceeded to put his hand on the blower and said the motor was bad. He came inside and told us our best course of action was to install a whole new unit. He could offer the $10000 unit to us for $7000 to $8000. Of course he would need to check with his boss first. Now if we wanted to only repair the unit he could not estimate how much, but it would be somewhere between $500 and $2500 and he would not be able to guarantee the fix would last. He then proceeded to call his boss and after finally locating him told us $8000 was as good as they could go.
Andy informed us of a $1500 tax credit we could get when filing our taxes next year. What he did not tell us was that Amana (the unit he was selling) also had a cash rebate until Nov.30th.
He went on to tell us that Amana rated #1 with Consumer Report so we would be getting a better unit than the Carrier we now had which was only 10 years old.
question 1 - Who was going to get the rebate from Amana (I don't think it was going to be us)
Question 2- Why tell us Amana rated #1 when it actually rates #7
Question 3- Why didn't Andy do more to check out the problem than place his hand on the unit
We decided to do nothing at this point as it felt like a scam.
We called out Sxxxx's Heating & Air Conditioning (((REDACTED))). He check the unit out and informed us of a clogged water line. He unclogged the line and checked on the Freon, which was okay. Total bill - $77.
ARS was definitely running a scam. I have since talked to others that have encountered the same problems with that company
6 Updates & Rebuttals
ARS Rescue Rooter
Tennessee,United States of America
ARS Rescue Rooter
#7UPDATE Employee
Thu, September 20, 2012
ARS is the premier provider of heating, air conditioning, indoor air quality, plumbing, drain cleaning, and sewer line services to homes and businesses. While current marketplace trends determine our pricing structure to continue providing exceptional service, please contact us at (866) 803-0879 to discuss your specific situation.
The Helper
United States of AmericaGood ol service
#7General Comment
Fri, September 23, 2011
Question 1: May have not been offered in some cases manufacturer pays half and contractor pays half. This cuts into profits for contractor so maybe they decided they needed more profit on the job.
Question 2: Anything will be said to make you feel like it is the best. Would you have been excited if he was HONEST. Plus regardless of how well a furnace is rated it's only as good as the company installing it. That is the major thing you should research call friends, neighbors, relatives someone has surely met some of the good knowledgeable companies in your area.
Question 3: Sounds like he is being paid by commission, the most he could make off of you was to sell you a system. Less work, lack of diagnosing, and convincing you to buy leads to larger checks on pay day. I mean we wouldn't want him to actually take more time diagnosing, getting dirty, and doing what is financially better for the consumer would we?
Tip of the day find a company that doesn't pay commission to their employees. Reason being you will have better odds that they send you a competent technician that is honest and actually knows how a heating and cooling system works.
Nancy
Westminster,Colorado,
U.S.A.
Similar complaint
#7Consumer Comment
Mon, February 28, 2011
I had a furnace inspection by ARS in the Denver area recently - see my report. They claim to be a vendor of choice for Home Depot. The technician lied to me about needing a new furnace, condemned it, and led me to believe I'd die if I used the furnace. He tried to pressure me into signing a contract and getting an install the next morning. Fortunately, I had to scramble to find financing since I've been unemployed for 3 years and have almost no income. I had the sense to get a 2nd opinion and not sign the contract. Whew!!!
I paid for 2 subsequent inspections which confirmed that the ARS findings were bogus - I did NOT need a new furnace and there was NO CO danger. I just needed a new high-low switch for $45 instead of an overpriced new furnace for $3862. Other companies would charge $2500 for a furnace. By the way, Goodman brand furnaces are highly recommended by 2 vendors. They're high quality and lower price because they don't advertise a lot.
I filed a complaint about ARS on the Home Depot web site, and the manager of the local store called me 15 minutes later to apologize and the home office called 2 hours later. They got me a refund of the service charges, and gave me a $40 gift card. They also said they'd look into the company and decide whether to continue using them as a vendor or dropping them. They contacted the ARS home office. So if the ARS in your area is working through Home Depot, contact Home Depot with your complaint so maybe we can save others from ripoffs. There seems to be a nationwide trend with ARS based on the complaints I've seen here.
Good luck!
Stormville_Firefighter
Stormville,New York,
USA
They do the same thing up here in NY
#7General Comment
Thu, October 29, 2009
One of the local big-box stores was allowing this company to solicit customers with $99 clean-your-heating-system teaser. Now I know that they always want to sell you additional service once they get in the door, but that was okay because I knew my boiler needed a couple of minor replacement parts. No big deal. What I didn't expect was the price-gouging the technician was willing to inflict.
I needed two air bleeder valves. The technician said he had them and they cost $131 each JUST FOR THE PARTS ALONE. These valves sell for under $10 at the local plumbing supply store. I know because I called and checked while he went out to his truck. Even online you can find them for less than $15! I didn't even let him start to do any work and ushered him out of my house. He wanted over $260 for two valves I'll pick up myself this afternoon for less than $20.
Consumer beware -- these guys are rip-offs.
Melisade Rupert
Ventura,California,
USA
Same thing here
#7Consumer Comment
Sun, October 04, 2009
I may have already commented on this, but we had a similar experience. With virtually no assessment, they told us the only way to find what was wrong was to spend $3000 to dig up the floor and a small section of pipe.
As it turnred out, they never camera-ed again - they just came up with an even higher estimate.
When it became clear they were lying about pipes themselves (and at one point took the length of pipe away so we couldn't see it), we called in two second opinions.
There was nothing wrong with any of the pipe - they dug it up for nothing.
Now, we're naive about plumbing and we've now had this kind of fiasco happen twice - but we're learning. They did not do what they said on the estimate they were going to do - and they didn't fix the drain in the most inexpensive, necessary way. WHile they brag that they never do unnecessary work, in our experience, that's all they do.
We paid $40 to have it snaked tonight - we'll get a videotape to support our claim that the pipe was find, on Monday.
Melisade Rupert
Ventura,California,
USA
We had basically the same problem
#7Consumer Comment
Sat, October 03, 2009
It's the lying that is so annoying, and the backpedaling when caught.
They told us we had corrosion inside our pipes caused by our water softening system (we do NOT have corrosion, another company confirmed this - as well as the sample pipe they dug out from under my bedroom, destroying the flooring).
They then wanted to do a whole house replumb for this non-existent problem (while the trench was open for the first one, offering us their first service *free* if we signed a contract for a $14000 work order) and they'd then throw in a *free* Halo water system.
Unethical sales, lying and unnecessary non-repairs - this is part of their nation wide business practice.