I am extremely disappointed with my experience with PC Richard & Son regarding a brand-new air…read moreconditioner that I purchased in August 2025 for approximately $1,500, along with professional installation and an 8-year service plan. I purchased in the Yonkers, NY in Central Avenue location.
Because I purchased the unit at the end of the summer season, it received very little use in 2025. When the first major heatwaves arrived this year, the unit stopped cooling properly. Since the unit was still under warranty and I had also paid for extended service coverage, I contacted PC Richard for assistance.
The first service technician told me the unit had been installed incorrectly because a rear grille had not been installed. He informed me that if I did not have the grille, I would have to pay $233 for a replacement. Fortunately, I had saved the grille because the original installer had told me it was unnecessary since there was already a grille from the previous unit.
I showed the technician that I had the grille and asked him to install it. He refused, stating that the installer would need to do it. So I had to schedule another visit.
The installer then came to my apartment, installed the grille, and left. When I turned the unit on during another hot day, it still did not work properly. With temperatures reaching 86 degrees in my apartment, I had to call for service again.
During the next service visit, the technician informed me that the unit was STILL installed incorrectly. When I asked what was wrong, he explained that the installer had added the new grille but failed to remove the old grille from the previous unit. I asked how I was supposed to know that. His response was that the installer should have known.
I then asked him to correct the problem. Initially, he refused, stating that the installer should have done it. At that point, after multiple appointments, conflicting explanations, and sitting in an uncomfortably hot apartment with a brand-new air conditioner that still did not work, I firmly expressed my frustration and insisted that someone take responsibility for fixing the issue instead of continuing to argue about whose job it was.
Only then did the technician remove the old grille himself. The result? The air conditioner immediately worked perfectly.
What should have been a simple 10-minute fix turned into FOUR separate visits.
As the customer, I paid for the air conditioner, I paid for professional installation, and I paid for 8 years of service because I am not an HVAC professional. Yet I found myself caught in the middle of what felt like a dispute between the installer and the repair technician. Each blamed the other. The installer called the repair technician lazy, and the repair technician called the installer lazy.
Meanwhile, the only person suffering the consequences was me--the customer--sitting in an 86-degree apartment with a non-functioning air conditioner during a heatwave.
In my opinion, the installer bears responsibility for failing to install the unit correctly from the beginning. However, the repair technician is equally responsible for refusing to correct an obvious installation problem until after multiple visits and significant frustration on my part.
What shocked me most was the complete lack of customer service. No one seemed focused on solving the problem. Instead, there appeared to be more concern about determining who was right and who was wrong.
I paid for installation. I paid for service. I paid for peace of mind. Instead, I received FOUR appointments, finger-pointing, excuses, and days of discomfort for a problem that ultimately took only minutes to correct.
This experience has completely undermined my confidence in PC Richard & Son's installation and service departments. Customers should never be forced to referee disputes between employees while suffering the consequences of their mistakes.