Paul Harvey from Toronto

Business we have given McKinnon includes a new boiler and installation, a hot water heater and installation and service calls, for total business approaching $10,000 over 7 years. In December, a drain valve failed on the boiler. Luckily there was a hose on the valve so there was no flooding. McKinnon's technician came and replaced the valve. With my assistance, we bled the radiators and everything was work well, including third floor radiators that had not previously been giving off heat. The technician noted that there was a part that had to be replaced and that the furnace required cleaning. The technician returned the following week and after replacing the part and cleaning the furnace, he was convinced that there was a leak somewhere in the piping because of the pressure readings he was getting. He suggested to my wife that we start opening up the walls and get a plumber to fix the leaks because McKinnon does not do that kind of work. There were no logical signs of leaks (we had had frozen pipes the previous winter, so we were fully aware of the damage that can ensue with about 2 minutes of leaking - it was only due to luck and foresight that the frozed pipe issue did not absolutely devastate our house, but we know firsthand what damage a one minute leak can cause), and despite my explanations (over the phone) why there could not possibly be a leak (there is an epoxy liner throughout 80% of the piping and the rest was replaced and extensively tested months before), the technician drained the system and left. This was late on a Friday afternoon, so he essentially walked away, leaving us to start making holes in the walls and following up with plumbers, etc. over the weekend. He us told that the system would work on a limited basis. This was not true, but being trusting, we stayed in the house, relying on gas fireplaces to keep warm. I filled the system on the following Monday evening and there were no leaks, although there was some steam blowback because the technician had closed a valve on the back of the boiler that I did not know existed. I shut everything back down again. The technician came back on the Wednesday and started up the system, bleeding the radiators, with my assistance. He replaced a bleeder valve on one of the radiators and the replacement valve requires a special key (rather than a screwdriver) and did not leave a key for us when he left. The third floor radiators that had come to life after the technician's first visit did not heat up subsequently. He suggested that I bleed that radiator and it should heat up again. After five or six attempts over 2 hours each time, the radiator is still not working. I received a call from McKinnon informing me that they were unable to process their charges because there was an issue with my credit card, lucky us. I called back, politely suggesting that we be given a break on the charges given our previous customer loyalty and business we had sent their way, and that we had needlessly lost at least one day of work and were inconvenienced being without heat. My suggestions were not well received, McKinnon told me that they had made concessions in not charging us for the technician's second visit. There was no forthcoming sympathy for our unnecessary inconvenience, that I bled half of the radiators, and that the system was not working as well as before it was before the technician's second visit. We paid the outstanding balance and sent a letter with the remittance, outlining our dissatisfaction, and requesting advice/assistance in getting our third floor radiator working again. Our letter has not been acknowledged.