Complaint Review: Home Service Club

It has taken me about  8 months to submit this complaint because (1) I did not want to damage a company, but I feel that people should know about what happened to me and stay away from this company, Home Service Club. , NYC (2) I had to save up the money myself to pay for the job, which was done March 2015. I wish I had done it sooner. Would have save the other 4 their problem.

I was a customer of Home Service Club since December 2013. About the end of July 2014 I had a constant leak in my garage. It was coming cabinet that held the air-handler. It was nothing major that a towel could clear it up water. But I had insurance for this (so I thought)   I called the Warranty Company. After 4 days, they finally sent Londono Mechanical Heat & Air, located in Winter Garden, FL.  He showed up in a wine/brown car, without any tools. He did not show me any identity,  so I had my  reservations. He told me his name and that he was here to look at my A/C. I showed him the leak in the garage.  He took this small suction vacuum machine to the A/C at the side of my house. He said you may have a few stones inside the rubber hose. I said I know, but it was because the hose was too low to the ground. I told  him that I lifted the hose higher and secured the area as best as I could. He asked for a screw driver to dig out the stones. I thought he would puncture the hose or electrical wires. He could not get them out. Then he put this little suction machine over the rubber drainage. Nothing happened. He then asked for a garden hose to 'flush' out the stones from the hose under the Air Handler. He pulled up the hose in the cabinet, placed the garden hose over the drain then turned on the water faucet full force!  Before I knew it, my garage floor was flooded.

My mulch, soil and plant food were wet. He went back outside and said “ the water is still not draining”   I asked him to please cut open up the box holding the Air Handler. He said No, your problem is under the garage floor and the PVC is blocked. I am the professional here, I need to dig up the garage floor to repair the blockage. COST $1400!!!. I was adamant he was not touching my house. He offered another solution "Run a new PVC drain pipe from the Air Handler along the garage wall, dig a hole through the garage wall and let the water from the A/C run outside by the driveway. The assessment and resolution  by word of mouth . Nothing written and “Red Flags” were in my mind. “RIP OFF”  I told him I’d call him back. He left.

About 2 hours later I received a call from HSC (Mr. Reed) who said Londono (Zaire) had spoken with him and HSC was not paying to dig up the floor. He was curt and unapologetic in his tone! I told them I never agreed with that or the cost. He continued, but in good faith, we’d offer $500 toward the job. I refused thinking I still need $900.

I called Londono Heat & Air and told them of the conversation I had with HSC. They denied having the conversation, but said to me  “You are a good customer of HSC and we’d do the job for $700. I said to him, you are quite generous to give me (a customer) a 50% discount, especially since you’ve not done work with HSC. I never called them back. 

I wanted a second opinion and called Doc Holiday Heat & Air, located in my County. They had previously installed an ultraviolet light in the Air Handler. They took less than an hour to arrive. First they opened the air handler, (which Lodono never did) and it was full of water and iced over causing the drip in the box below.  They sucked all the water out of the Air Handler, checked the line, which cleared the drain line, pan and they put tabs in the unit. They also went outside the, lifted the rubber hose drain higher off the ground and put a large suction hose on the it and sucked the hose clear, the water is running and flowing as it should.  I asked them to cut out part of the cabinet holding the Air Handler because I knew a problem was in there.  They did as I asked. The black rubber hose had been completely disconnected from the underground house. The previous company Londono was responsible and had caused the access flooding.

In less than 90 minutes my immediate issue was resolved at Zero cost. Since this was an emergency, he needed to return  and check the rest Air-handler as to why it was freezing.  

I reported the findings to HSC. They refused to pay anything stating they are not responsible for the work Doc A& H was at the cost of $780.00  HSC also stated that they believed their technician was correct and I should have used them. I was infuriated and told them I will contact the Directors of this company. Mrs. Amy Arubio called and said she was offering $250 as a courtesy as long as I sign a form stating I would not report this issue on the Internet or to anyone.

Below is the email I sent to Mrs. Amy of HSC

Quote” Good Day Ms. Amy; this is a follow-up to my conversations concerning my AC Air Handler. Our last conversation you stated that you were willing to pay $250 as a good customer relationship. However I have not heard anything from you or received the docs you wanted me to sign.

Since this last conversation and the considerable time lapsed I have revised my verbal agreement (not to make my complaint public) Originally, I was told by you that a $500 courtesy payment would be given because it would be toward Londono Air & Heat having to dig up my garage floor for $1400. You further stated that this type of work was not under HSC contract, but the Air Handler was covered, and the $500 would help replace the Air Handler or necessary work and described by your Tech. I assume this was rescinded, given the fact that No Such Job was REQUIRED!    I was insulted by you telling me over the phone that your tech were more qualified than I and you believed their assessment to be correct, when in fact they were trying to 'rip me off and no such work needed to be done!!

Now that I have found a qualified person, whom I trust, you are now offering a lesser price by stating that the work to be done my Tech is not part of my contract for the Air Handler.

I am not accepting payment of any kind from HSC other than what is to be paid to fix my A/C Handler. A lot of the problem with the support box the A/C sits on was caused by Londono Air & Heat when they water logged the area surrounding the Air Handler. I am exercising my liberty and customer rights to seek proper compensation either through the directors of HSC, Consumer Affairs, Consumer Complaints Board or legal means. I am tired of bad and wrong diagnosed service and your people who stole from me. Customers have a right to know what type of tech's HSC provided” Unquote. 

Go to http://www.complaintslist.com/heating-cooling/londono-mechanical and find a similar complaint for  you guessed it $1400 Londono Heat & Air.   Have not heard anything HSC.

 R: e my A/C, the company Doc Heat & Air returned in March 2015 took the whole air handler off, refurbished the whole unit. HI was horrified that mold had grown in the A/C unit partically due to what Londono did and HSC refusal to handle the problem 7 months earlier.  DO NOT GO NEAR THIS COMPANY 

I have two other reports for their plumbers  who stole my fixtures and or/ have never completed the job. See this complaint under PLUMBERS and Air Conditioners(Londono)