SCAM ALERT! I don't use the word scam lightly, I checked the meaning on the dictionary and perfectly describes Four Winds. I have no idea how this company has such stellar reviews. I guess they are professional scammers and know how to get away with their dishonest and unethical practices. The worst kind of business. Good-face predatory tactics. Will be reported to State official. What amazes me is that they mercilessly scam people in the middle of a pandemic and get rewarded with good reviews as the heroes who keep us cool.
Here is my experience, I hope it helps other people. I called them last week as my old AC was not cooling. They sent a technician named Vince the very next day. Vince looked at the condenser "in great details" and tells me that there was no refrigerant in the system and that the compressor was running but it was "on its last leg". He goes back to his truck to talk to his manager and put together a quote. He comes back and shows me his tablet with a long list of parts that needed to be replaced and tells me that the repair would cost ~ $ 2900 and that a brand new system would cost $ 3500. None of this turned out to be true. I asked him to send me the repair quote and that I was also willing to talk to their sales person for a free quote on the new system. Then Vince cashed the $ 97 service call and left, without even putting the refrigerant valves back in place. After a week of waiting, I have not received a quote for the repair yet but I did receive a quote for the new system. Options range between 5 and 14K, obviously inflated, thought not outrageously inflated as other companies I consulted. In the mean time I had someone else inspect the system in front of me. James, the operational manager from Lutes (I have a review for them too..) found that the diagnosis from Vince was completely wrong. No need for refrigerant and the compressor was actually not running at all, unlike Vince told me. James found and showed to me that the cables powering the compressor were damaged. James connected them back and the system instantly got back to life.
I then decided to test Four Winds bad faith and asked them to send me the quote for the repair since I had been charged for that. They confirmed the $2900 was needed but refused to put that in writing. I mentioned I would call another contractor for a second opinion. Four Winds bad faith was then in full display when Elliot, the service manager, called me today to ask if he could stop by for a second evaluation. He said that he "noticed that something was weird' in the first evaluation and he wanted to make sure Vince got that right. The only weird thing in my opinion is actually that it took him a full week to come to that realization and me mentioning about the second opinion. It's not hard to imagine they got alerted by someone that I was writing bad reviews on HVAC companies in the area and reporting these practices and they wanted to fix this before it was too late. What's laughable is that Elliot said that a bad review would mean "termination" of the technician, which I really don't want. Technicians do what they are asked to do by their managers. Vince called his manager before quoting the repair and he received the go ahead. Vince doesn't cash the profit of dishonest practices. His company does. The people running the company should be held accountable. Vince just wants to keep his job. And, while I understand that he is under pressure, I wish I could talk to him and explain why what he does it's wrong and hurts innocent people. Vince, if you read this, please stop screwing people, don't let your company exploiting you. They are willing to throw you under the bus.
The reply from the owner confirms that they not only scam people but they also try to terrorize them with nonsense.
Todd, here is my direct reply to you:
#1 True. The system is 26yrs old, and still working. This suggests that, when systems are serviced by honest and competent people, they last longer than companies like yours would like.
#2 False. I never received any invoice from you. You cashed the service fee and refused to provide a written quotation. Is this even legal? How are taxes paid on that money without a paper trail?
#3 False. Your technician did not mentioned any fire hazards. He told me that the systems had no refrigerant (which proved not to be true). He did not (or did not want to?) find the damaged wires, which were probably the cause of the arching. It remains unclear how those wires got damaged in the first place.. Your service manager Elliot admitted over the phone you guys made a mistake and would refund the fee.
I would like to add that it is not my integrity here that it is called into question. I didn't show up at your door and took your money. You did. Playing the victim reveals more of your character. Your decision to keep the money just proves that the lack of integrity comes from the top. read more
