
Thomas Service Company
About us
Thomas Service Company is locally owned & operated out of the City of Huntsville. We provide service and installation for your Plumbing & HVAC system and equipment. Our team of technicians responds quickly to your calls. We are your Trane Comfort Specialists.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Sales, equipment, installation and repair of HVAC systems, propane and natural gas lines & preventative maintenance. Home Performance Testing
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
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"We really appreciate your feedback!"
On Jan 27, 2016 Lee (the technician) said I had a hole in my heat exchanger. It would cost $3800 to fix IF he could find a replacement. He advised on a new unit. He verbally gave a quote for $12,000 Trane and then for a $6900 for Amana. He did not fire up my unit. He looked at it for 10 minutes, max. He didn't test anything. He showed a picture of the exchanger taken on his phone. He said I was lucky the unit did not kill anybody; it was leaking carbon monoxide; it was a death trap. This was alarming. So I didn't notice when he didn't provide a receipt. I paid $79 with AmEx & signed a hand held device. Also, he didn't provide a written for the diagnosis. This is rental property I'm getting ready to rent out. I was only thinking how I could get a new unit and not have to pay $7000. It was freezing and the property still had no heat.
Two days later another company gave a 2nd opinion. They said someone disconnected many connectors inside the unit, even high voltage, which is dangerous. There was a short in the PCB, which may have been the original problem or caused by whoever disconnected everything. The new guy, Brian, replaced the PCB. We watched the unit run for 45 minutes. I personally inspected the heat exchanger and didn't see holes. We watched the flames for "rollout". That's indicative of a crack in the exchanger. There was no flame rollout. Brian had a carbon monoxide detector. We held the detector next to every register with the heat on. All said 0.0. I paid Brian $330 and started wondering about the two radical opinions. I emailed Thomas with my concerns.
I asked if Lee disconnected the connectors. I told them the unit had a minor problem and it was repaired for $330. I asked for a copy of the pictures and for Lee to return to show me where he found the holes. Lee said he was "required by law" to disable the unit. I asked which law he was referring to. No response. I know the IFGC (Int'l Fuel and Gas Code) states in 108.7.1 that a "code official" can condemn a unit if they provide a WRITTEN NOTICE. If the unit is an immediate danger, a code official can condemn it without notice but they have to give one afterwards. No where did I read a service company can condemn a unit. Remember I got nothing in writing from Thomas.
I contacted Thomas several more times. I wanted to resolve the "death trap" Lee claimed vs the minor problem Brian fixed. I wanted see the holes in person. Lee and Thomas were cavalier about coming back. I emailed and called several times. Byron got on the phone and yelled at me. He said I had the pictures so why do they have to come back? (Really Byron? You're going to yell at me?) If it was a "death trap", you think they'd be concerned.
Meanwhile, I discovered a major HVAC scam contractors are pulling: the tech tells the consumer the heat exchanger is cracked; carbon monoxide is leaking; it's a death trap and they need a new unit. Hmmmm.... sounds familiar. (Get on google & type "heat exchanger carbon monoxide HVAC scam" to see for yourself.)
The facts that Lee 1) never fired up the unit, 2) only checked it for 10 minutes, 3) had no CO detector and 4) showed mobile pictures of the heat exchanger (a big no no, never rely on a tech's pictures) leads me to believe I was being scammed by Thomas HVAC. Lee did NONE of the American Gas Association's five-step method for inspecting heat exchangers for leaks. (http://icemeister.net/Articles/FYI/heat_exchanger_inspection_pdf.pdf)
Lee and Thomas HVAC condemned my unit without authority. They shut it down in an unprofessional manner: disconnecting and hiding connectors rather than using the unit's disconnect. They disabled my unit in the middle of winter for a marketing ploy simply to sell me a new unit. It's unethical & unprofessional. So if Thomas HVAC tells you that you have a cracked heat exchanger and need a new unit, GET A 2nd OPINION!
Educate yourself on this HVAC scam... it could save you thousands of dollars!
A couple of days after installation they also promptly returned upon my request to replace a faulty thermostat with a new one to optimize overall performance.
I am comfortable doing business with Thomas HVAC. This is a huge investment and I am hopeful of continued exceptional and reliable maintenance services for our home H/C needs.
The technician arrived and asked some questions about the detainls and timing of the failure etc. He then began working to find the problem. He checked every possible area that could cause the problem. He was very polite and patiently answered my questions. The unit had more than one problem which made it difficult to figure out but he did discover the source of the failure and quickly repaired the damaged parts..
The young man was very pleasant and clearly was well trained for his job. He did not hesitate to explain what he found to be the problem and what he would need to do to fix it. I was very pleased with the entire experience.
Without hesitation I would recommend Thomas HVAC Company they are friendly, very knowledgeable, and punctual.
We have been very pleased with the performance of our new HVAC unit, and with the work performed by Thomas HVAC.
Licensing
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