Complaint Review: Frigidaire - Tappan - Nordyne

     Bill; Its several years now since I tried to make others aware of what happens to the consumer when companies do not honor or stand behind their products/warranties.  I have since purchased a "Bryant" two stage air conditioner with Puron Refrigerant and can not tell you how pleased I am with the company and their service.  On June 16, 2008 the air condition system of my complaint broke down for the last time.  I called in "Independent A/C Inc of Cape Coral" who intalled Bryant A/C systems.  What a wonderful company and I can't began to tell you and others how wonderful this unit is.  It actually takes the humidity out of the air so you do not have to lower your thermastat setting to achieve the cool temperatures you desire.  My electric bill went down $200 the first month.  Whether that was because my old unit was using so much electric to reach its temperature settings or because the new unit is so efficient.  Regardlss of what ever the situation was; I can say that this new system is the best purchase that I have ever made.  Also included is 5 years of no cost repairs and on site inspections....Big difference with Bryant....I love the unit so much I would love to take it with me when and if I ever move.....only kidding; I plan that in the future if I ever need a new air conditioner there is only one company I will ever deal with and that is Bryant!

SHOOTIST--WRONG Sir--Parts and Labor was once covered when you bought a new system!!  Mine was Carrier and was for 5 years PARTS and LABOR!!  The industry just came up with this SCAM to divert all the labor cost to the customer!!  Why not!!  EVERYONE gains except the customer!  Everyone being the manufacturer, distributor and contractor!  Biggest mistake of my life was installing a Nordyne system in '09 with only parts covered (contractor offered NO labor coverage)!  TWO coils, blower motor, etc. later I am out more than $1400 dollars in labor costs mainly due to INFERIOR replacement parts from Nordyne!  Nordyne says anyone can do the repairs but the distributor/contractors get together and force some customers into using them!  Then they charge outlandish prices for freon and labor!!  KICKBACKS are common between these two!  I speak from experience since I uncovered one kickback scam between a distributor and contractor!!  The other contractors in the ares were MAD!!!

I am contacting you on behalf of Electrolux Major Appliances in relation to your posting on www.ripoffreport.com. I would like to apologize for the difficulty you have had with your appliance. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this issue with you so that I can personally look into this matter. In order to do so, please send me your contact information, and the best time to contact you. I would also need your model and serial number and a file number if available, so that I can research this matter. Again I regret your disappointment with your appliance and look forward to resolving this issue with you.

Sincerely,
Chris Polk
Escalation Specialist
Electrolux Major Appliances
chris.polk@electrolux.com

I'm an HVAC contractor in another state. I felt the need to inform the original complainer and others about the facts on HVAC equipment factory warranties.

1) There is no such thing as factory labor coverage for HVAC equipment. There never has been and never will be such coverage. The only exception would be a labor allowance to the contractor for work required on a unit defective at initial start-up (DOA). If a part fails during the warranty period the factory (through it's local distributor) will provide a replacement part to your licensed contractor. The labor is always the homeowner's responsability. In some cases the distributor will charge the contractor a handling or freight fee for some warranty parts, especially heavy compressors.
2) There is usually labor coverage for the first year from the contractor that installed the unit. Any labor coverage beyond that first year usually costs extra (extended warranty).
3) The factories usually have no dealings with consumers about warranty repairs. ANY licensed contractor can honor the factory warranty on covered parts that break. It is up to the homeowner to find a contractor to make warranty repairs. The factory can recommend a dealer on their website or by calling their customer service number.

The rest of this will apply to cherylynmac's situation:

Nordyne is the parent company that made your A/C equipment. Nordyne sells those same units under about 15 difference names including Frigidaire, Tappan, Philco, Maytag, Intertherm, Whirlpool, Miller, Gibson, etc. Nordyne has made a business of buying the use (license) of familiar appliance brand names and using these names (and their name recognition) to sell their equipment. In some cities there will be 5 or more different wholesale distributors selling the same Nordyne equipment under different brand names. I install Nordyne equipment from time to time and have found the equipment to be constructed well overall and have not found them to have the dependability problems you've experienced. I can tell you that I've found that most "lemon" A/C systems weren't installed properly which causes excessive failures down the road. It can be as simple as the installer not pulling a proper vacuum on the sealed system prior to start-up. I've also found that A/C systems that are properly cleaned and maintained are far less likely to break. I guess the bottom line is that you really don't have a gripe with Nordyne. Their only warranty policy is to provide a replacement warranty part if one fails. This is the same policy for all other A/C manufacturers in the US. Again, no A/C manufacturer provides labor coverage unless the homeowner purchases a factory-sponsored extended warranty at time of purchase. I wanted to clear the air as I didn't think it fair to criticize Nordyne because this consumer felt entitled to special warranty coverage beyond what other consumers receive.