As noted by a previous review, Brandon was personable and a good salesperson, if not as good a diagnostician. Our 12 year old Carrier furnace was shutting down after about 45 seconds of attempting second stage ignition. Brandon diagnosed the problem as being the gas valve and ignitor, which would cost us $1,000 without one of their plans and $800 with the silver plan, at a cost of $192 per year, a savings of $8. These folks have a very interesting pricing strategy where parts of wildly varying actual cost fall under one umbrella, from $0 to $1,187, depending which plan you buy. He further recommended that we consider a new furnace as our's was of doubtful quality (it is in fact top of the line) rather than spending $1,000 on repairs. He left us with our heating situation unchanged and a service call charge of $99.95 + tax.
I balked at this and sought a second opinion. This repairman diagnosed the problem as being the gas valve and pressure switch. He disabled the furnace's ability to attempt second stage, leaving us with first stage heat (thank goodness) while the parts were ordered. These have now been installed at a total cost of $380 and the furnace is running perfectly.
I would be careful of recommendations made by this company, as in our experience, they were neither accurate nor cost effective.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $113.00
- Company Response
Gerry, thank you for your review. While I would have preferred you calling our office directly to discuss your concerns, your comments are welcome here on Homestars. We have a policy of 100% customer satisfaction and if we didn't deliver for you, we are going to refund what you paid. Brandon is a competent and conscientious technician as well as a valued member of our team.
I have not seen your file but will review it in the morning. I am glad your furnace situation has been rectified and hope you reconsider your rating of our company.
Gerry I have reviewed your file and here are the facts. Your regular company would not provide service to you and you
You emailed our website on Saturday Dec 22nd. Brandon visited your home from 7.30pm to 10.00pm, he found out that manifold pressure is too low and gas valve could not be adjusted, after several attempts. He checked other parts as well and found your hot surface ignitor had a high reading. He quoted you $690 for the gas valve and offered you a discount if you would consider a maintenance program. He also quoted you for the ignitor.
Our Service Manager contacted you on Monday Dec 24 and offered you a lower rate of $475 for the gas valve and a further reduction should you choose to join one of our protection plans.He also advised your that your ignitor is showing signs of wearing. Your response was that our price is high… but when offered further discounts with a maintenance program you chose to reject the options. Please feel free to call and we can discuss this and we will refund your diagnostic fee.
Gerry I dont know what else we could have done for you on a Saturday night during the holiday season as your regular contractor would not attend your call.
Happy New YearDarrel