- Report: #531379
Complaint Review: Parker And Sons Heating And Cooling Inc. - Irondale Alabama
Reported By:
Clint -
Pelham, Alabama, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Parker And Sons Heating And Cooling Inc.
2010 1st Ave N Irondale, Alabama, United States of America
Phone:
2059569418
Web:
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Parker And Sons Heating And Cooling, Inc. Worst customer service experience Irondale, Alabama
I bought my house 17 months ago. In that time I have had Parker and sons called twice to fix the ventilation. I have 1 unit to cover my house and bonus room upstairs. The first time they came nothing was fixed, the same problem, sweltering heat upstairs, continued. In August of this year I called them to fix this problem again. This time the man that did the work told me that he rerouted the air and that was all he could do. Well, it was too much, being cool upstairs when comfortable down.
Last week I called in the morning when I came in from work in the morning because the heat wasn't coming on. I told Tracy, the lady who answered the phone, about it and I just got off work and would be home when the serviceman arrived. She called me 2 hours later and left a message telling me I had 10 minutes to call and let them know I would be home or I would be cancelled. Fortunately the phone woke me and when I checked the message, it had been 20 minutes and I called but got no answer. Then about 15 minutes later the serviceman arrived.
He checked the control box downstairs and then went up in the attic. He asked me if anyone had been up there and I replied noone buy my wife and I and he reached over and flipped a switch turning the system on. He then told me he had to charge me 50 dollars for the service call and left. On Monday I received a call from Jennifer who left a message explaining that they did not bill and needed to get this bill paid so call back with either a credit card number or a check.
The bill is almost 83 dollars- 50 dollars for labor and the rest for the service call. Although we paid it, neither me nor my wife remember cutting the switch off- having not even seen it when I did my search for possible solutions before calling- and though it is entirely possible that one of us did flip it off by accident, the possibility is greater that tyhey cut it off when they did service on the system. I do not know because I have left 2 messages with no return call.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Cody
Richmond VA,Virginia,
USA
Thats about Right...
#2General Comment
Wed, December 02, 2009
I work in the heating/ac business and can tell you that using a single system to heat and cool a multi-story house is asking for trouble. Heat rises, and cold air sinks - thats physics. Ideally you should have two systems for a two story house. Or, a less costly alternative is to use have a zoning system installed so that you can control the upstairs/downstairs with seperate thermostats and dampers installed in the ductwork.
The builder of your house didn't do any of this - he was trying to keep costs down and profits up. That is a real shame because a zoning system could have been installed during construction for about $2500 or a second system added for about $5000. Instead, you have a house that is uncomfortable to live in.
As to the "switch" upstairs - is it possible the switch is actually a breaker installed on the electric heat strips? If so, a breaker can trip because of faulty equipment, an electric surge from the power supply, or just because it is an electrical device subject to failure at any time. If you have a gas furnace, then the "switch'' is probably a service disconnect switch. If that is the case, its is basically just a glorified light switch and should not change on/off positions unless some one actually turns it off.
The $83 for the service call is about right, or possibly even on the low side. Most guys in my area (Virginia) would charge a $99 service call + $50 diagnostic (which would include about 30 minutes of labor to determine the problem).
I know it sucks, you spent $83 over a switch. But this is actually common. Many $100+ service calls exist over a very minor issue such as the thermostat not being set correctly, a dirty air filter, a tripped breaker, etc.
