Complaint Review: Thompson Plumbing Heating-Cooling Craig Gadow Lee Brooks & Bill Gasser - Cincinnati Ohio

This office represents Thompson Heating Corporation. Pursuant to our telephone conversation yesterday morning, I am submitting herein Thompson Heating Corporation's response to the above-referenced complaint. At the outset, it must be noted that Mr. B's statement contains several materially false statements and inaccuracies. At this juncture Thompson remains uncertain whether Mr. B knowingly and intentionally made these statements, or whether he is impaired to some degree in his ability to recall the actual events surrounding this transaction. The following is offered in response: 1. The inspection fee charged by Thompson was $49.00, not $69.00 as Mr. B stated. Thompson's standard diagnostic fee is $69.00, but Mr. B presented a coupon which reduced this by $20.00 to the $49.00 charged. This is reflected on the work order # 107320 attached to his complaint. Mr. B has therefore paid Thompson at total of $49.00. 2. Mr. B was offered a refund of the $49.00, during a conversation with Thompson manager Lee Brooks on December 2007. Mr. B stated unequivocally that he did not want his $49.00 refunded, but instead wanted a letter of apology and wanted the technician, Mr. Craig Gadow, fired from Thompson. Mr. Brooks reiterated that Thompson would refund the $49.00 as a courtesy, and even offered to write a letter to Mr. B apologizing that Mr. B was dissatisfied, but advised Mr. B that he would not terminate Mr. Gadow. 3. Mr. B alleges that Thompson's technician, Mr. Gadow, intentionally sabotaged the wires in the heat pump outside and that the technician disconnected almost all the wires and connected the wrong wires. There is no evidence that this occurred. Other than a reference to a broken common in the work order submitted by the other service company, Enermax, Mr. B has nothing only his own conjecture that the Thompson technician did anything wrong. To even suggest the type of conduct Mr. B has suggested is very serious. Thompson is understandably concerned that such unfounded allegations (which have been posted on the website www.ripoffreport.com and perhaps other sites) do cross the line between a complaint about service or statements of opinion regarding service into malicious statements made as fact, with the specific intent to injure the company and its business reputation. This is aggravated where Mr. B's allegations are that the technician/company intended to take advantage of or cheat the innocent consumer, especially the elderly and handicapped persons like me. Mr. B has no factual or legal basis whatsoever to make such allegations. 4. Mr. B states in effect that he was pressured into purchasing a new unit rather than repairing, or attempting to repair, his existing unit. A review of the Thompson work order shows this is a false statement. On the service order, the technician listed three separate options for Mr. B. Of particular interest is the third option, which was in fact to simply recharge the unit. This is exactly the same service the other HVAC service company performed. While the Thompson quoted charge for this service, ($267.00), was somewhat higher than the $105.00 price Mr. B ultimately paid the second service company for such service, this is well within the variation one would expect in obtaining quotes for such service. Additionally, there is no fee listed by the other HVAC company for the apparent broken common wire, and had Mr. B opted to have Thompson perform the recharge service, the technician would have inevitably discovered the same wiring issue (if it existed at the time he was there), and would have corrected same. Mr. B may wish to impute some other motive, but this is not established by the facts of this matter. More importantly it is far from the overreaching and dishonesty Mr. B now attempts to establish on the part of Thompson and its technicians. Furthermore, Mr. B appears to ignore certain of the facts he acknowledges in his own statement, e.g., that Thompson was attempting to advise him of all options, including the potential costs and benefits of each option, and the overall cost benefit of replacement rather than repair of the older unit. 5. Mr. B alleges that he was promised payment of an additional $30.00 which the other company charged for fixing the wires deliberately sabotaged by Craig Gadow. As noted above, a refund was offered and refused, and the conversation regarding the additional $30.00 simply never occurred. Thompson has no knowledge whatsoever as to how Mr. B came to this conclusion. Mr. B is, however, correct in his account of his conversation with Mr. Lee Brooks regarding his refusal to terminate the technician Mr. Gadow. 6. Regarding the allegations surrounding the sales person, Mr. Bill Gasser, there is once again simply no evidence that this occurred as Mr. B has alleged. In fact, Mr. B stated to Thompson's President, Mr. Wesley Holm, that he thought Mr. Gasser was an honest man and had no problem whatsoever with Mr. Gasser, but had a problem with the technician. This is in stark contrast to the characterization Mr. B now makes concerning Mr. Gasser, including the allegation that Mr. Gasser was lying. Thompson records incoming phone calls as part of its quality assurance efforts. The facts set forth above are memorialized and can be provided electronically if needed in support of its position. Thompson treats its customers with respect and honesty. This is one of the reasons it has developed the good name and trust it enjoys in the community of greater Cincinnati. When legitimate customer concerns are raised, Thompson will be the first to address concerns promptly and professionally. However, in the present case, the customer has persisted in what can only be described as puzzling behavior. As referenced in the footnotes, it appears from the public records that Mr. B is quite familiar with litigation generally. Mr. B has filed documents as a matter of public (including medical records) in which he claims that he lacks mental capacity. While it is not Thompson's position or intent to evaluate such claims, it remains that the credibility and indeed competency of Mr. B, regardless of his intent, would be at issue under the Civil Rules. This may be considered by the Attorney General as well in evaluating this matter. Thompson trusts that the information provided herein will assist you in your review, and ultimately closure of this matter. If you do require additional information or wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you. In investigating this claim, we have determined that Mr. B has filed numerous documents in the Court of Common Pleas of Butler County, wherein he and his wife have stated to the Court that he is suffering from mental disabilities and lacks the capacity to be sued. Copies of the relevant documents are being provided herewith for the Attorney General's consideration and reference. Mr. and Mrs. B have filed as public record that Mr. B suffers from dementia, memory loss, and difficulty thinking.

This office represents Thompson Heating Corporation. Pursuant to our telephone conversation yesterday morning, I am submitting herein Thompson Heating Corporation's response to the above-referenced complaint. At the outset, it must be noted that Mr. B's statement contains several materially false statements and inaccuracies. At this juncture Thompson remains uncertain whether Mr. B knowingly and intentionally made these statements, or whether he is impaired to some degree in his ability to recall the actual events surrounding this transaction. The following is offered in response: 1. The inspection fee charged by Thompson was $49.00, not $69.00 as Mr. B stated. Thompson's standard diagnostic fee is $69.00, but Mr. B presented a coupon which reduced this by $20.00 to the $49.00 charged. This is reflected on the work order # 107320 attached to his complaint. Mr. B has therefore paid Thompson at total of $49.00. 2. Mr. B was offered a refund of the $49.00, during a conversation with Thompson manager Lee Brooks on December 2007. Mr. B stated unequivocally that he did not want his $49.00 refunded, but instead wanted a letter of apology and wanted the technician, Mr. Craig Gadow, fired from Thompson. Mr. Brooks reiterated that Thompson would refund the $49.00 as a courtesy, and even offered to write a letter to Mr. B apologizing that Mr. B was dissatisfied, but advised Mr. B that he would not terminate Mr. Gadow. 3. Mr. B alleges that Thompson's technician, Mr. Gadow, intentionally sabotaged the wires in the heat pump outside and that the technician disconnected almost all the wires and connected the wrong wires. There is no evidence that this occurred. Other than a reference to a broken common in the work order submitted by the other service company, Enermax, Mr. B has nothing only his own conjecture that the Thompson technician did anything wrong. To even suggest the type of conduct Mr. B has suggested is very serious. Thompson is understandably concerned that such unfounded allegations (which have been posted on the website www.ripoffreport.com and perhaps other sites) do cross the line between a complaint about service or statements of opinion regarding service into malicious statements made as fact, with the specific intent to injure the company and its business reputation. This is aggravated where Mr. B's allegations are that the technician/company intended to take advantage of or cheat the innocent consumer, especially the elderly and handicapped persons like me. Mr. B has no factual or legal basis whatsoever to make such allegations. 4. Mr. B states in effect that he was pressured into purchasing a new unit rather than repairing, or attempting to repair, his existing unit. A review of the Thompson work order shows this is a false statement. On the service order, the technician listed three separate options for Mr. B. Of particular interest is the third option, which was in fact to simply recharge the unit. This is exactly the same service the other HVAC service company performed. While the Thompson quoted charge for this service, ($267.00), was somewhat higher than the $105.00 price Mr. B ultimately paid the second service company for such service, this is well within the variation one would expect in obtaining quotes for such service. Additionally, there is no fee listed by the other HVAC company for the apparent broken common wire, and had Mr. B opted to have Thompson perform the recharge service, the technician would have inevitably discovered the same wiring issue (if it existed at the time he was there), and would have corrected same. Mr. B may wish to impute some other motive, but this is not established by the facts of this matter. More importantly it is far from the overreaching and dishonesty Mr. B now attempts to establish on the part of Thompson and its technicians. Furthermore, Mr. B appears to ignore certain of the facts he acknowledges in his own statement, e.g., that Thompson was attempting to advise him of all options, including the potential costs and benefits of each option, and the overall cost benefit of replacement rather than repair of the older unit. 5. Mr. B alleges that he was promised payment of an additional $30.00 which the other company charged for fixing the wires deliberately sabotaged by Craig Gadow. As noted above, a refund was offered and refused, and the conversation regarding the additional $30.00 simply never occurred. Thompson has no knowledge whatsoever as to how Mr. B came to this conclusion. Mr. B is, however, correct in his account of his conversation with Mr. Lee Brooks regarding his refusal to terminate the technician Mr. Gadow. 6. Regarding the allegations surrounding the sales person, Mr. Bill Gasser, there is once again simply no evidence that this occurred as Mr. B has alleged. In fact, Mr. B stated to Thompson's President, Mr. Wesley Holm, that he thought Mr. Gasser was an honest man and had no problem whatsoever with Mr. Gasser, but had a problem with the technician. This is in stark contrast to the characterization Mr. B now makes concerning Mr. Gasser, including the allegation that Mr. Gasser was lying. Thompson records incoming phone calls as part of its quality assurance efforts. The facts set forth above are memorialized and can be provided electronically if needed in support of its position. Thompson treats its customers with respect and honesty. This is one of the reasons it has developed the good name and trust it enjoys in the community of greater Cincinnati. When legitimate customer concerns are raised, Thompson will be the first to address concerns promptly and professionally. However, in the present case, the customer has persisted in what can only be described as puzzling behavior. As referenced in the footnotes, it appears from the public records that Mr. B is quite familiar with litigation generally. Mr. B has filed documents as a matter of public (including medical records) in which he claims that he lacks mental capacity. While it is not Thompson's position or intent to evaluate such claims, it remains that the credibility and indeed competency of Mr. B, regardless of his intent, would be at issue under the Civil Rules. This may be considered by the Attorney General as well in evaluating this matter. Thompson trusts that the information provided herein will assist you in your review, and ultimately closure of this matter. If you do require additional information or wish to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you. In investigating this claim, we have determined that Mr. B has filed numerous documents in the Court of Common Pleas of Butler County, wherein he and his wife have stated to the Court that he is suffering from mental disabilities and lacks the capacity to be sued. Copies of the relevant documents are being provided herewith for the Attorney General's consideration and reference. Mr. and Mrs. B have filed as public record that Mr. B suffers from dementia, memory loss, and difficulty thinking.

Having known Craig Gadow for a period of 3 years I am proud to vouch for his character and know that he is a man of integrity. Craig is in the top 10% of his profession skill wise and the top 1% from an ethical standpoint. Quite simply, he is a very honest man.

i tell you that is a sad sad story. almost cried about it to some extent. sounds like to me the elderly disabled person picked the wrong person to write about. if somebody lost half a pound would they walk, run, breathe, work or generally FEEL better. the answer is no. a half a pound of refigerant is nothing. systems usually have 10-12 pounds in it. if not more. sounds to me like somebody listened to the wrong guy. keeping a leakink 30+ year old air handler is in your best interest. I have some questions for you.. Did anyone ever suggest to you to replace it? hmmmmmmmmm or did they just keep taking your money all these years? hmmmmmmmmmmm did he show you the "sabatoge"? hmmmmmmmmmmmm or just tell you? hmmmmmmmmm does the guy that fixed it work on commision if you buy a new unit? hmmmmmm did you know that it is against government regulations to knowingly vent refrigerant into the air year after year?hmmmmmmmm sometimes people just get upset. it happens. nobody is perfect. people believe what they are told. end of story. i feel sorry for craig and his family. and to the "victim". craig and his family to have to endure this ridicule. and to the victim who is hearing two different stories from two different people. so lets just all gather at the table and eat 1/2 a dinner, 1/2 a dessert, and take half a nap and maybe we will a feel better.

In my post about the age of the unit in questions involved the home ownwers indoor unit or air handler. It is an equal part with the outdoor unit. I do realize the outdoor unit is about 5 years old, I could see that from the serial number. The indoor unit is the one that is 30 years old. It also has the refrigerant in it and can also leak. This is the reason a leak search was recommended to determine the exact area of the leak. My experience is that on that model air handler, coupled with the age of the air handler, it is the most likely place for a leak. Both of these pieces make up the system. The other thing that the air handler has is an electric heat kit that helps the heat pump provide enough heat for the home when the heat pump can't satisfy the load. The electric heat was working and doing it's job. As far as an apology goes, I feel that I have done nothing wrong in this situation. I try to do everything that is best for the home owner and the enviornment. If refrigerant is leaking from a system, it needs to be stopped because the US goverment and other world leaders have identified refrigarant as a cause of the ozone hole problem. Is trying to do what I can to help that a crime?

When I first read this complaint regarding Thompson and my husband, Craig Gadow, I was angry! This gentleman has NO idea who Craig is. How dare he make comments about a person's character without KNOWING him!!! Craig has gone out of his way to be honest and straightforward, not only with customers, but everyone else he associates with. Not ONCE in the time we've been married (almost 17 years), has anyone accused him of dishonesty and sabatoge. It's one thing to make a complaint against a company, in this case Thompson's) if you truly feel cheated. It's a totally different thing to bring up others' names and attack their character. Craig, Lee and Bill did not deserve what was written about them. Using their names in the way he has is slanderous!! I am no longer angry with this gentleman. I actually feel sorry for him. He must be so miserable and sad, that he is trying to make others feel as bad or worse than him. Hurting others will never make his hurt or pain go away. It will only make him feel worse.

When I first read this complaint regarding Thompson and my husband, Craig Gadow, I was angry! This gentleman has NO idea who Craig is. How dare he make comments about a person's character without KNOWING him!!! Craig has gone out of his way to be honest and straightforward, not only with customers, but everyone else he associates with. Not ONCE in the time we've been married (almost 17 years), has anyone accused him of dishonesty and sabatoge. It's one thing to make a complaint against a company, in this case Thompson's) if you truly feel cheated. It's a totally different thing to bring up others' names and attack their character. Craig, Lee and Bill did not deserve what was written about them. Using their names in the way he has is slanderous!! I am no longer angry with this gentleman. I actually feel sorry for him. He must be so miserable and sad, that he is trying to make others feel as bad or worse than him. Hurting others will never make his hurt or pain go away. It will only make him feel worse.

In my report, I stated that the claim of Thompson Plumbing Heating and Cooling Company THAT THEY HAVE THE BEST TECHNICIANS IS NOTHING BUT FLAT LIE. Mr. Craig is the technician in question, who created the mess, perhaps their company pays some kind of incentive to their mechanics for passing the sales leads and they get cut or commission of some sort if the new unit is sold. Since I do not know the facts, It is my assumption, which can be hundred percent wrong. Now the question is what motivated Mr. Craig with twelve years of work experience to do a thing like this, either he is plain stupid or he is motivated by the incentive his company offers him if new unit is sold. No one can answer this fact other then Craig himself. Yes, he gave me the option to recharge the furnace. But before he could do that, he had to find the leak, for which he gave me estimate for $1584.00 and further told me that there will be no guarantee that they can find the leak, If they fail to find the leak in such a case new pipe line will be laid at an additional cost of $1500 to $2000.00. If you dont call this trap and cheating, then what would you call it? If you were honest in the first place, you would have recharged the heat pump, since you were on the site and all it needed was less then a pound of gas cost of which was additional $15.00 Mr. Craig further claim that he turned the unit on electric heat to keep the home heated. So the furnace was working and therefore was heating the home. Now the question is why did Bill Gasser tried to sell me new furnace? Not only did he try to sell me new furnace, he also told me that he will take care of the gas leak, even if they have to replace the pipe line. Why would he do a job for free for which, I have been given an estimate for $1584.00. Mr. Craig claims to have a twelve years of experience, and yet he couldnt figure out how old the heat pump was? It is matter of shame to claim the experience you have and yet you do not know or dont want to let others know that how old is the heat pump. Your claim that it is 30 Plus years old is an absolute lie. You are welcome to come back and again check on the unit, the date of its manufacturing, if you really want to know the truth. I think you should be sorry and admit your mistake and assure that you will not do such a thing in future with any one, specially with old and disabled people. I will forgive you for your mistake and will not ask for any money either. Now it all depends on you. Remember lies have no feet, so trying to twist the facts is not going to take you or Mr. Bill Gasser any where. It will be good for you all to admit your fault and you will not only have my forgiveness, but will have our blessings and good wishes too. SO ADMIT IT.

I just wanted to let you know my side of this story. I did find the unit low on charge and that is a symptom of the unit having a leak. I also know from my twelve years of field experience that these units tend to have leaks after a certain time period, everything wears out and a thirty plus year old unit has passed the average life span of a unit. I was asked if I thought it would be a good idea to put this amount of money into the unit, and I recommened to use that money toward a new unit. I had got the system running on the electric heat to heat the home. I had given the home owner the option of just recharging the system, but I did warn him that the refrigerant would leak out again, this was based on the fact he told me that someone had to charge it every year. I am very upset that someone that I spent about one hour with can pass this kind of judgement against me. I have passed no judgement against this person, and still have nothing bad to say about him or his wife today. I was not happy that they had a unit giving them problems and wanted to do everything I could to help them. I have had many compliments over the years and have never had anyone talk about me like this. I hope this home owner would reconsider his opinion of me from the very short time I had to talk to him.

I just wanted to let you know my side of this story. I did find the unit low on charge and that is a symptom of the unit having a leak. I also know from my twelve years of field experience that these units tend to have leaks after a certain time period, everything wears out and a thirty plus year old unit has passed the average life span of a unit. I was asked if I thought it would be a good idea to put this amount of money into the unit, and I recommened to use that money toward a new unit. I had got the system running on the electric heat to heat the home. I had given the home owner the option of just recharging the system, but I did warn him that the refrigerant would leak out again, this was based on the fact he told me that someone had to charge it every year. I am very upset that someone that I spent about one hour with can pass this kind of judgement against me. I have passed no judgement against this person, and still have nothing bad to say about him or his wife today. I was not happy that they had a unit giving them problems and wanted to do everything I could to help them. I have had many compliments over the years and have never had anyone talk about me like this. I hope this home owner would reconsider his opinion of me from the very short time I had to talk to him.

I personally know this technician and i'm also a technician in this field. I have worked with Craig Gadow in the past, but not presently, i know that Craig would not intenionally do anyone the way this customer has claimed. I personnally do not believe that what this person has claimed is the whole truth.