Two PNP employees blatantly lied and attempted to trick me into replacing my furnace using a common…read morescam tactic. They also failed to be transparent regarding their pricing, in order to upcharge me.
I have heating and air systems coverage under a home warranty with American Home Shield. My furnace was having an issue short cycling, so on October 23rd, 2023, I filed a claim for repair. I was assigned PNP. Their technician, Trevor, told me that my heat exchanger was cracked, and that the unit was leaking dangerous carbon monoxide throughout the house. He also told me that the unit had to be replaced, as there was no option for repair.
PNP's sales manager, Keith, inspected the unit as well, and shortly thereafter quoted $1500 for repair costs not covered under warranty, the "incidentals". I asked for an itemized list of what this $1500 comprised, but was not provided the information. Instead, upon contacting the warranty company, was explained that $900 of that price was for ductwork. Since the new unit was not being moved, and no major ductwork modification taking place, I could not reconcile this cost. We even spoke to the office manager, who also refused to provide an itemization or justify these numbers. The office manager was also falsely informed that we had denied the offer.
We also discovered through the warranty company that PNP was only being budgeted $205 for 2 hours of their labor. At this point it starts to makes sense - they use these warranty companies to get their foot in the door, then charge exorbitant prices to the property owner for services not specifically covered. Pressuring clients into replacing their furnace, by wrongfully informing them of imminent danger, is part of the strategy.
Prior to the situation being resolved, the warranty company was notified that the service had been completed, despite no labor being done. During this time in late October, the temperature was dropping below freezing at night, so I had to pack my things and stay with a friend, with all of my pets in tow. While gone, my father inspected the furnace and did some light cleaning, which got it working properly again. We also installed carbon monoxide detectors throughout the house.
Suspicious of their business practices, I scheduled another evaluation with a separate professional. They informed us that the heat exchanger was not cracked, and that clearly, no carbon monoxide leak was taking place, as the monitor's reading was 0. He said that no competent professional could make such a mistake. So the furnace is working just fine, only needed a minor cleaning, and there was never any need to replace it.
If you search "furnace heat exchanger cracked scam" you will discover that this is a common scam tactic.
PNP blatantly lied to me about a health risk, caused significant and unnecessary stress, and attempted to scam me for replacement costs. This business is dishonest and unethical, and clearly has no issue putting other people in harm's way to cheat them out of a few dollars.
