Tough Lesson- furnace repair - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

FacePaint · 12-17-2008, 04:18 PM

I'll start by saying that we should have handled this way differently but here's a heads up for those folks whose furnace breaks down.

We moved into a new place two years ago, new furnace. Last week our furnace broke down on the weekend. As the previous owners/renovators had put in the furnace we didn't have the warranty info. We Googled a couple companies (mistake #1) and asked someone to come out and check out our furnace.

The technician was suprised our furnace broke down after 2 years and said it should be under warranty. Says the motor is broken $800 to fix. We call our realtor who is trying to reach the previous owners to get the warranty info and decide to go ahead with the repairs. (mistake #2).

He comes back upstairs later, bad news... cost will be $1200 b/c it's not the motor but the circuit board. We say go ahead, need heat. After putting the circuit board in he comes back up and says it's actually both problems and the cost ends up being $2142.

Unfortunately for us the previous owners were being audited by Revenue Canada so we didn't know who installed the furnace. Our realtor offered to cover half the cost and would persue the warranty on our behalf. She called back today and said we were ripped off... big time!

I called 4 random companies and these were the costs:
Motor $202-$350
Board $197-$275
Labour $80-99/hour (4 hours max)

I called the company that ripped us off and they asked how much do I think we should pay. I gave them the average of around $950. The manager went to the owner then called me back saying they could give us $300 back (total cost still $1842).

This company is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has 16 complaints in 3 years. I welcome all comments, helpful suggestions and clever criticisms.

FacePaint · 12-17-2008, 04:19 PM

Oh... and before anyone says it...

You should have kicked him out for cheering too loud. LOL...

ok, ok,....I get it · 12-17-2008, 04:20 PM

don't pay......make them sue you....I am sure they happy to stand in front of a judge and say "we screwed this guy and now he will not pay".

DuffMan · 12-17-2008, 04:21 PM

what kind of furnace?

FlamesAddiction · 12-17-2008, 04:23 PM

Don't be too hard on yourself for being ripped off. It could happen to anyone.

Most people know jack about how furnaces work and how much things like that cost.... and like you said, you need heat in the winter.

Consider it a lesson learned and thanks for sharing. Hopefully this makes other unsuspecting people wiser.

Rerun · 12-17-2008, 04:26 PM

Ok... whats the name of the company that screwed you over? ... for future reference if any of us are in the same position.

ok, ok,....I get it · 12-17-2008, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rerun

Ok... whats the name of the company that screwed you over? ... for future reference if any of us are in the same position.

You may not want to post that......

Traditional_Ale · 12-17-2008, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

What company?

Yeah!? +1

DuffMan · 12-17-2008, 04:29 PM

post it, do it, what's the worst that can happen, they kick you out without cause.

ken0042 · 12-17-2008, 04:32 PM

As much as I would also like to know the name of the company, keep that ace up your sleve for now.

I would ask them to settle on a better amount. Also talk to the consumer advocates at Global and CFCN. Might even be worth it to mention to the company that you are going to go public.

At the end of the day you want your money back- explore all of those avenues first.

driveway · 12-17-2008, 04:32 PM

You should absolutely post the name of this company everywhere you possibly can. It's the best recourse that a disgruntled customer has: badmouthing the company who treated them poorly.

Rerun · 12-17-2008, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuffMan

post it, do it, what's the worst that can happen, they kick you out without cause.

What? He'd get kicked out for exposing some &^%*! rip-off artists?

Bagor · 12-17-2008, 04:33 PM

Curious but what would be the problem with posting it?

e.g. How would it be any different from talking about Futureshop's crap customer service or an expensive store?

ok, ok,....I get it · 12-17-2008, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

As much as I would also like to know the name of the company, keep that ace up your sleve for now.

I would ask them to settle on a better amount. Also talk to the consumer advocates at Global and CFCN. Might even be worth it to mention to the company that you are going to go public.

At the end of the day you want your money back- explore all of those avenues first.

I don't think he has paid.....has he?

FacePaint · 12-17-2008, 04:33 PM

It's a York furnace, the manufacturer was helpful as best they could. Asked that we send the parts back and that's another problem. It was two different days of work and I got the circuit board as the technician was leaving the first day. I forgot to ask for the broken motor though, and called the day after. The receptionist said she would check. I followed up two days later and there was "no record" of my request for the motor but she would put it on file to check. A call back the next day and the motor was conveniently recycled.

FacePaint · 12-17-2008, 04:35 PM

We already paid, unfortunately. My credit card company said that I'd have to file some paperwork for an investigation to get my money back.

Company is Clearview Plumbing & Heating. I'm going for a run now to vent... will answer queries that you may have later. THanks for the support.

flip · 12-17-2008, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FacePaint

We already paid, unfortunately. My credit card company said that I'd have to file some paperwork for an investigation to get my money back.

Company is Clearview Plumbing & Heating. I'm going for a run now to vent... will answer queries that you may have later. THanks for the support.

That sucks man. Hopefully you'll get some of that back.

Prototype · 12-17-2008, 04:45 PM

You're doing the whole Hookers and Blow thing wrong... that's what F'd up your motor...

CubicleGeek · 12-17-2008, 04:48 PM

Yikes that's brutal. I called about replacing a blown motor at a rental property and was quoted around $500. I ended up finding a little furnace company that was willing to just sell me a motor and belt. Ended up fixing it myself for $100. These guys are crooks!

REDVAN · 12-17-2008, 04:56 PM

Are these the same guys as the Punctual Plumber? We have used them a few times and they weren't so bad, maybe you just got a bad guy.

At the same time, they are probably really busy.

But that isn't really a reason to more than double charge you. You should investigate this until you get an answer you are satisfied with, or some of your money back.