Our A/C repair order has been assigned to MS Service/Same Day Air via AHS; and it has been over two months so far, and it is not fixed yet. Andre, the Technician was here twice, 2nd time on May 10th and he diagnosed that there is a short in the outside condenser unit and need to be replaced.
Over next week I called MS Services/Same Day Air multiple times and got conflicting information and false assurances that they will get back to me. One of the rep said they have already submitted their report to AHS and awaiting their further instructions. However, AHS rep said they had not received anything and they tried to reach this Contractor 4 times and had not heard back either.
Finally, around May 26th they mentioned they have put in their report and requested parts with AHS. At the time Nate, who handles warranty claims mentioned that they have requested AHS to order Evaporator coil (indoor unit) as well in addition to Condenser (outdoor unit); so that they can change the entire A/C system, though condenser unit is the only worn out part. Along came an estimate of $4609 in the name of modification and code changes that are not covered by AHS. The charges listed are superfluous and does not pertain to our existing set up which is already code compliant and does not require any modifications or code upgrades.
They have listed charges for concrete pad which we already have nice and about 4" thick. They have listed charges for earthquake strap, we already have earthquake strap installed on existing unit hence shouldn't be considered modification. We already have dedicated 50amps circuit breaker and outdoor disconnect and properly insulated wires, however they are listing charges to modify them. They are listing charges for refrigerant copper line set, primary and secondary drain pan replacement and changes to ductwork and Sheetmetal work in attic - all these currently exist, properly insulated and up to the code; and moreover these should not be required at all when replacing outdoor unit only. Also, for permit and inspection, I have clarified that we have right to pull directly from city and name MS Services as licensed contractor doing the work, that way we are not required to pay any additional processing fees they are charging in relation to permit and inspection.
Upon requesting clarification on these charges, Nate mentioned these are the minimum required scope of work, which in fact not at all justified and fair given they are not required and/or considered modification as per our current installation/set up.
AHS offered $1770 as cash payout option in lieu of repairs/replacement, which is based on what they intend to spend on our service request including materials. Such low cash option seems to drive us to opt for repairs by AHS contractor, who may not be reimbursed by AHS enough to perform the warranty work but has option to directly charge warranty customer in the name of modification and code changes as non-covered charge. This is unfair and predatory trade practice by AHS and it's network contractors. Any modification and/or code upgrade charges should be appropriate and commensurate to the actual site. In our case the technician who came to our home twice cleared stated and recognized that only outdoor condenser unit needs to be replaced and everything else would remain intact except they need to flush out old refrigerant and refill new refrigerant.
Upon further back and forth seeking clarification and questioning the legitimacy of the proposed charges, Nate did mention that there is some confusion about scope of work he sent earlier. Based on the email he sent on June 21, it sounded like they only need to replace pad and disconnect whip for outdoor unit replacement option, and other line items would be removed from the itemized list he sent before. However his email write up was not fully clear and to avoid any ambiguity I have been trying to reach him seeking clarification for past 6 days with many emails, texts and voicemails; however haven't heard back from him. I was told Sam who is manager/supervisor has been away from office, hence tried reaching him via texts, however i haven't heard back from him either.
As a homeowner the warranty service experience should have been smooth and provide peace of mind. This experience has done exactly opposite. This has been a nightmare so far.
It is unfortunate that this contractor couldn't employ honest trade practice and when exposed of such superfluous charges, they decided to drop the ball and declined to do warranty work after keeping us hanging for over two months and asked us to move on to a different vendor. read more