ComplaintsforSears Heating & Cooling Company

• Initial Complaint

  02/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On and off all fall, we would notice that the heat was not on so we tried to adjust the google nest and then the furnace would come on. We thought it was the google nest thermostat and we were going to replace it with a regular thermostat. The problem was getting worse with the cold weather. We called Sears Heating & Cooling on January 9, 2024, because they were the company that installed the new furnace. The technician called and said that water was sitting in the pipe, he could tell by the gurgling sound, and he thinks it is because the pipes are not sloped properly and we will need to open the ceiling so they can see the pipes, at our expense. After talking with the technician, he agreed to cut the inside pipe 2" to add slope to the pipe to see if that would solve the issue. I told him we should not be paying for the call because the furnace is under warranty. The tech did check with his manager and she said they only just hooked the new furnace to the old pipes. I paid the bill because she needed heat! We purchased space heaters so we would not freeze or the pipes in the house. Cutting the pipe did not help so we had SHC come back out on January 15, 2024 and we still had the same problem with water in the pipe which turned off the furnace. The technician stated again that we would have to have someone come in and remove the ceiling so they have access to the pipes and we would have to pay for the removal and the cost of replacing the pipes/or repair. I told him that SHC should have made sure that the piping was adequate for the new furnace and it is not up to the homeowner to make sure the furnace was installed correctly. The home owner hired SHC to install a new furnace that worked properly. We had purchased the house under the conditions that the furnace, air conditioning, hot water tank, garage door and roof be replace new so that we would not have any issues with the systems since they were old. They need to come back and fix the problem at their expense.

  

  Business response

  02/13/2024

  When we quoted this job we noted on the contract that we would be re-using the venting and did discount on the job for that. The main reason being that the vent pipes go above the furnace into a finished space (ceiling) and we would need to cut the drywall to run new venting as it goes up and through the home with the termination roughly 6-8 feet in the air. We did offer to repair the venting however we are not a drywall company so we did advise the customer that we would not repair the drywall once the repair was complete as this is pre-existing issue with the builder of the home.

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We had a new air-conditioner replaced in May 2023. While removing the old unit the technician cut the lines of the unit on my concrete driveway. The driveway was only three years old. There were chemical stains that penetrated into the driveway. I called immediately, tech returned but the stains remain. I have contacted them every month and they keep sending the same tech. No one ever follows up with me on the damage to my property. The last I was told they were going to contact someone with expertise in concrete and get back to me. No one has. The damage is still visible. If you say you are insured why hasn't this matter been resolved when you damaged my property?

  

  Business response

  12/11/2023

  We are working with this customer to resolve this complaint.

  Customer response

  12/12/2023

  I accept the business's response ttyry are attempting to resolve this complaint. Weather is the delay at this time. 
  Regards,
  
  ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  05/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am 82 yrs old. I had a furnace installed 5.19.18. The btu on the furnace doesn't heat my house. I have 900 sq feet. I kept changing filters, I could see where air was going over filters. I had an air duct cleaning company come in last winter. The tech told me there was a problem, and I should contact the furnace. I paid $4000 on it and it is creating a problem. I called them, but they did not want to come out.

  

  Business response

  05/06/2022

  Furnace was installed 12-30-2017.  We haven't been out in over 4 years for any kind of work.....customer didn't want to pay our standard service charge of $79.00 to come take a look.   

• Initial Complaint

  02/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our heat was not working intermittently during the coldest time of the winter, so we called Sears Heating and Cooling in Columbus, Ohio for help. We purchased the $5,000 furnace 6 years ago and it is still under a 10 year parts warranty. They sent out a technician who had no idea what he was doing. It cost us $800 and we are still with no heat. The furnace was showing error code '68' - no signal is going to the blower motor. When ***** T. (The Sears cooling and heating technician) came out, he had no idea what the error code even meant. He had to call his company everytime something happened. Although blowing intermittently, ***** said $400 module, $900 motor, and a $500 discount for purchasing there. We wanted to start with the module but he said he couldn't find the part and we would need the combined for $1300 so with $500 discount it would be $800. When we mentioned the parts warranty, he changed the quote completely saying now that $800 were labor charges, and the parts were covered. We have a recording of this quote change. When we asked if he tested the motor, and ***** said he could not until it was replaced. Seemed weird, but it was freezing temperatures so we had to go with the suggested fix. He was here for less than 2 hours for $800 in labor. After he was done, still no heat, with the same '68' code. ***** suggested the problem might be a $11 memory card. He said that was free, but once again 48 hours without heat. Part goes in, and the heat works without issues. 1 week later, we got the exact error again. ***** came back out, and now saying it is the smart board. Although it was working fine for a week, he refused to even try another $11 memory card and demanded another $750 for labor to replace. When asked how it could be the board when it worked fine for a week, ***** started getting rude and saying we don't know anything, and we can just go to another company. He told me to not speak since he is the expert. Please help us, BBB. Thank you

  

  Business response

  02/14/2022

  The repairs quoted were legitimate but due to the conditions in the area the system is bound to have additional issues until the standing water issue is fixed. We are willing to send a different technician out to give a second opinion if you would like.

  Customer response

  02/17/2022

  When the technician came out to my home, the temperatures were 10 degrees, and there was no standing water in my basement, nor did he ever mention any to me. On his last visit, he never even set foot into my basement. The unit is sealed and bone dry on the inside. It's completely wreckless how they came in and just guessed which part could be the problem and chose the most expensive part to replace first. I got a second and third opinion and both stated the original problem was likely the control board to start. The motor wouldn't have had any problems since it was still kicking on intermittently. Furthermore, the part itself should have been FREE because my furnace was purchased in 2016 and we'll within its 10 year warranty. Meaning I paid $800 in labor for TWO hours of work quoted on the invoice. Their "work" was simply exploitation of my need for heat in the coldest time of this winter.

  

  Business response

  02/18/2022

  Attached is a picture of the conditions our tech was working in. Your basement was so unsanitary and wet that our tech brought cardboard to lay on when he returned to do the repair.   Speaking of this repair.  He quoted you a repair cost.  Parts had to be shipped into Columbus.  You paid on the spot.  We returned the next day with the first part to get your heat going. Then again Monday with the second part. So, 3 visits to complete, (sure was a lot more time than what you're saying.). But how long something takes doesn't matter. Bottom line, we quoted a repair and did it. 2 weeks later, you had a different (not the same) part fail. We came back at no charge (4th visit). You will continually have electrical issues with the wet basement. Our service manager also left you a message to send our lead tech back to look things over but you chose not to do so.

  Also, you (****) are not listed as the legal homeowner yet we chose to honor the parts warranty anyways and complete the repair. The only thing left to pay were labor and overhead charges. It is not uncommon for both the control board and blower to fail in these situations. You mentioned how cold it was and that is the only reason our tech chose to stay and work in those conditions. Had it been warmer out, we would have advised to clean up the basement prior to us coming back to repair the unit.

  Customer response

  03/28/2022

  In response to the latest note from Sears Heating and Cooling, I would like to note the following:
  
  After consulting another professional for a second opinion, the expert noted it was more than likely the control board to start with the error code the furnace was displaying. It is clear that Sears Heating and Cooling relies on misleading the customer and going about the repair without diagnosis, just guess work. The technician resorted to changing out the most expensive parts first despite the fact that the motor was clearly functional for my furnace to be able to kick on at all during its intermittent function. The parts warranty is with the actual manufacturer and when we got the second opinion, they told us that Sears Heating and Cooling has nothing to do with getting the warranty and should have been able to get the part for free as the furnace itself is still under full warranty. But the tech said that we would not be able to find a better price anywhere and continued to misinform us about the manufacturer warranty trying to get people stuck into using them again even if they are expensive. 
  
  There is no standing water in the picture provided however the basement itself has a normal amount of moisture for an older basement. 

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