topic Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience? in Community Chat

Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

KathyPet — Mon, 05 May 2014 22:55:48 GMT

We have a maintenance contract with the company who installed the Heating and AC in our house which was new 7 years ago. It entitles us to 2 Maintenance checks a year, a top priority on any service calls for problems and some discount on labor for repairs which we have never needed. the first week of April the tech came for the check up. He has never been here before. goes to basement to check that unit and then calls me down to point out several areas that he thinks we should address. Then he goes to check the outside air conditioning unit, comes in and says the fan is leaking oil and that we really need to replace it immediately or face having it die when it gets hot enough to turn on the A/C. we say Ok. Cost is $625.00 and they need a 50% deposit to order. He asks for a check for the 50% deposit. I say No, we will use a credit card. He writes up the paperwork and calls in to authorize the charge. I asked how long before the part comes in and he says about a week. Fast forward to this past Friday. haven't heard a thing. DH calls to find out what status is. CSR says they will check and call back. No return call. he calls today and CSR tells him the tech NEVER ordered the part! DH is not a happy man. CSR says Well, he's new on the job. DH says well then you didn't train him very well then did you? Did he think the part would order itself! Anyway, now I don't trust his work. I want to insist that we get another more experienced person to come back out and check his diagnosis on this fan. Do you think we should??

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

RainyDayGal — Mon, 05 May 2014 22:58:34 GMT

I would want a second opinion also. And I would cancel the deposit put on your credit card.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

tansy — Mon, 05 May 2014 22:59:09 GMT

I'm a skeptical person and would have been wary of the tech's recommendations on a system that was only seven years old.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

kittymomNC — Mon, 05 May 2014 23:00:41 GMT

I would absolutely insist on another technician that is more experienced. If the first one was careless or inept enough to not even order the part, I would not trust his diagnosis of the problem. Definitely get another check of your systems to be sure -- that's a lot of money if it turns out to be unnecessary work.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

CelticCrafter — Mon, 05 May 2014 23:07:46 GMT

I would call the credit card company to make sure the charge doesn't go through and then call the maintenence company for a second opinion.

Don't tell the service tech what the first one told you.....

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

KathyPet — Mon, 05 May 2014 23:30:01 GMT

I just finished disputing the charge on line with BOA. DH has the name and # of the President of the Company and he is going to call tomorrow and say we want another opinion.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

maryebrown_1 — Mon, 05 May 2014 23:38:17 GMT

On 5/5/2014 KathyPet said: I just finished disputing the charge on line with BOA. DH has the name and # of the President of the Company and he is going to call tomorrow and say we want another opinion.

Very good move, Kathy! Please let us know what happens. My DH is a lot like yours, persistence pays off.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

lizzief — Mon, 05 May 2014 23:55:50 GMT

Where shall I begin? I live in FL and use A/C year 'round. We hear about scams constantly. We don't believe in maintenance contracts because they are an excuse for a tech to come to your house and try to sell you things you don't need. They don't make money on the maintenance contract, they make money on the extras. So first, I'd cancel that contract, you said you aren't using most of the service anyway. My DH said that a/c fans don't leak oil - there's minimal oil to leak! Get a referral from your friends/neighbors for a reputable company - they are out there. Get your money back and don't look back! You can get an annual check up for a reasonable rate without being locked in. Emergency calls are very rare, especially on a "young" system as yours. No need to pay for services you aren't using! Good luck! BTW, $625 is a lot of money for a 7 yr old system repair - we paid about $3,000 for a whole new system!

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

Kachina624 — Tue, 06 May 2014 01:07:18 GMT

You're going to get a second opinion from the same company? Gee, I wonder how that will go?

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

colliegirls — Tue, 06 May 2014 01:14:26 GMT

I would call in another company. Ask around to see who has someone they trust.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

occasionalrain — Tue, 06 May 2014 05:53:35 GMT

On 5/5/2014 tansy said: I'm a skeptical person and would have been wary of the tech's recommendations on a system that was only seven years old.

I would be so suspicious that I would call another company to get a second opinion. Getting the same company to send a second inspector is not a second opinion at all.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

Azcowgirl — Tue, 06 May 2014 07:29:32 GMT

Oh my goodness....for sure, call another company for a second opinion. I had a popular local company come out when my AC quit working. The guy came down from the roof and said I needed a new unit, and they would call me back with a bid. It was close to three thousand. I called a different company thirty minutes later, and all that was wrong was a sixty dollar part needed replacing !!!

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

biancardi — Tue, 06 May 2014 11:49:18 GMT

On 5/5/2014 kittymomNC said:
I would absolutely insist on another technician that is more experienced. If the first one was careless or inept enough to not even order the part, I would not trust his diagnosis of the problem. Definitely get another check of your systems to be sure -- that's a lot of money if it turns out to be unnecessary work.

totally agree

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

ID2 — Tue, 06 May 2014 13:50:43 GMT

On 5/5/2014 KathyPet said: We have a maintenance contract with the company who installed the Heating and AC in our house which was new 7 years ago. It entitles us to 2 Maintenance checks a year, a top priority on any service calls for problems and some discount on labor for repairs which we have never needed. the first week of April the tech came for the check up. He has never been here before. goes to basement to check that unit and then calls me down to point out several areas that he thinks we should address. Then he goes to check the outside air conditioning unit, comes in and says the fan is leaking oil and that we really need to replace it immediately or face having it die when it gets hot enough to turn on the A/C. we say Ok. Cost is $625.00 and they need a 50% deposit to order. He asks for a check for the 50% deposit. I say No, we will use a credit card. He writes up the paperwork and calls in to authorize the charge. I asked how long before the part comes in and he says about a week. Fast forward to this past Friday. haven't heard a thing. DH calls to find out what status is. CSR says they will check and call back. No return call. he calls today and CSR tells him the tech NEVER ordered the part! DH is not a happy man. CSR says Well, he's new on the job. DH says well then you didn't train him very well then did you? Did he think the part would order itself! Anyway, now I don't trust his work. I want to insist that we get another more experienced person to come back out and check his diagnosis on this fan. Do you think we should??

Geez can't read this! Remember paragraphs are your friend.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

loveschocolate — Tue, 06 May 2014 13:55:23 GMT

On 5/6/2014 ID2 said:
On 5/5/2014 KathyPet said: We have a maintenance contract with the company who installed the Heating and AC in our house which was new 7 years ago. It entitles us to 2 Maintenance checks a year, a top priority on any service calls for problems and some discount on labor for repairs which we have never needed. the first week of April the tech came for the check up. He has never been here before. goes to basement to check that unit and then calls me down to point out several areas that he thinks we should address. Then he goes to check the outside air conditioning unit, comes in and says the fan is leaking oil and that we really need to replace it immediately or face having it die when it gets hot enough to turn on the A/C. we say Ok. Cost is $625.00 and they need a 50% deposit to order. He asks for a check for the 50% deposit. I say No, we will use a credit card. He writes up the paperwork and calls in to authorize the charge. I asked how long before the part comes in and he says about a week. Fast forward to this past Friday. haven't heard a thing. DH calls to find out what status is. CSR says they will check and call back. No return call. he calls today and CSR tells him the tech NEVER ordered the part! DH is not a happy man. CSR says Well, he's new on the job. DH says well then you didn't train him very well then did you? Did he think the part would order itself! Anyway, now I don't trust his work. I want to insist that we get another more experienced person to come back out and check his diagnosis on this fan. Do you think we should??

Geez can't read this! Remember paragraphs are your friend.

You CAN'T use paragraphs with an iPad on the Q's site.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

Madame Lorrraine — Tue, 06 May 2014 14:01:52 GMT

You should have sought a second opinion before authorizing the first guy to do the job. I know what a pain in the neck the process of getting bids is but it can really be worth it. You were SMART to put it on your credit card; I NEVER do business in cash or by check.

Live and learn; we've all done it.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

Lipstickdiva — Tue, 06 May 2014 15:30:15 GMT

Am I the only one who doesn't think 7 years old is that new? Back in the day, heating and a/c units used to last a long time. So did everything else. Now, an a/c unit is designed to last 12-15 years so that unit is half way through it's "life expectancy."

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

Elstongunn — Tue, 06 May 2014 15:33:11 GMT

Absolutely YES.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

birddrops — Tue, 06 May 2014 16:36:42 GMT

On 5/6/2014 LipstickDiva said:
Am I the only one who doesn't think 7 years old is that new? Back in the day, heating and a/c units used to last a long time. So did everything else. Now, an a/c unit is designed to last 12-15 years so that unit is half way through it's "life expectancy."

I agree.

Re: Would you insist on a second opinion after a bad experience?

hckynut — Tue, 06 May 2014 21:27:34 GMT

Never mind I thought this was about a 2nd opinion on a health issue.