DO NOT USE MDL Electric Cooling & Heating…read more
I do not recommend this company and strongly advise against using them for any HVAC services.
I contacted MDL Electric Cooling & Heating on a Friday because my Goodman air compressor stopped working during a heat wave. The owner explained that there would be a $125 diagnostic fee, which I agreed to.
A young technician arrived and pulled the 240-volt circuit breaker on the compressor's fuse box. He explained that one of the fuses was dead and further mentioned that the capacitor was a "cheap one" that should probably be replaced as well.
He later returned, said he replaced the capacitor and one bad fuse, had me turn on the thermostat, and proclaimed that the unit was fixed. He called his boss, handed me the phone, and I was told the total cost would be $425, payable via Venmo. I explained that the technician had only been at my house for one hour in total, and that even a high-end capacitor costs about $50, with a two-pack of 20-amp fuses costing around $20 at Home Depot. He responded by saying I was paying for the technician's travel time to pick up the parts. I reluctantly paid the $425 via Venmo.
About three hours later, around 6:00 PM, the compressor stopped working again. I called the owner and informed him. He said the technician was finishing another job nearby and would circle back in about an hour to see what the issue was. After waiting 3.5 hours, I called back at 9:30 PM and was told I would now have to wait until Monday morning. (Again, this all started on a Friday.)
I went outside and pulled the circuit breaker, thinking the new fuse may have blown. To my surprise, the fuse slot was empty. This meant the technician took the dead fuse with him after the first visit, returned to install the new capacitor, but forgot to install a replacement fuse.
This was a dangerous situation. My 240-volt motor was now running on 120 volts, and one leg of the circuit was left unprotected from a power surge or short circuit, creating a major fire hazard.
I removed the remaining fuse and planned to go to Home Depot the next morning to purchase two new fuses. Upon inspecting the remaining fuse, I noticed it was not a time-delay fuse, as recommended by Goodman and commonly used in air compressors. My first thought was that the $125 diagnostic fee should have at least caught that. So, the HVAC tech had said he replaced the capacitor and one bad fuse, but in reality, only one incorrect fuse was present and the other was missing.
The next morning, I purchased two 20-amp time-delay fuses at Home Depot, installed them, and the compressor fired up again. It ran fine for about 20 minutes but then stopped again. I reset the breaker, waited a bit, restarted the unit, and it fired up once more. This prompted further research online, where I learned that airflow issues in the furnace air handler could also cause these symptoms.
I shut off the unit at the fuse box, removed the lower air handler panel, and discovered that the air filter was improperly installed. Instead of being inserted from the top by opening the small spring door, the installer had forced it in from the side, where it had become crumpled into a ball, blocked by nearby piping and wiring. This caused a significant airflow obstruction. I returned to Home Depot for a new filter and installed it properly. That was over a week ago, and the unit has been working perfectly ever since.
On Monday morning, I called the owner back and told him about the missing fuse. I also questioned why I paid a $125 diagnostic fee when the technician simply checked a fuse and then forgot to install the new one. I also asked for an itemized invoice, which he had promised previously. He said he would speak with the technician and call me back. He also said he would send me the itemized invoice within the hour.
I'm writing this four days later. He never called me back, nor did he send the invoice. I even called again to remind him, but still, no response.
Do yourself a favor: hire a qualified HVAC company, one that is professional, provides proper documentation, communicates clearly, and stands by their work. At this point, I feel completely ripped off having paid $425 for a capacitor install, with no fuse replacement and no resolution of the actual issue. In the end, YouTube was more helpful than this company.
When you say you're going to follow up after doing subpar work, leaving my unit at risk, and charging me for parts and labor you didn't actually deliver, the very least you can do is keep your word.
DO NOT USE MDL Electric Cooling & Heating.
UPDATE regarding not providing an invoice:
Under the Consumer Fraud Act (N.J.S.A. 56:8), any home improvement contractor--including HVAC technicians, plumbers, and electricians--must be registered with the state and follow contractual disclosure rules, including providing an invoice when requested by the customer or if the project is $500 or more, or if the work requires a license.
