Rando's AAA HVAC

Rando's AAA was the service provider sent out by our home warranty company to address air conditioning problems in a rental home. The first time they went out, Rando's reported there was no problem with the AC. Our property managers sent another vendor out to take a look and he reported the AC was not functioning; so we called the home warranty company again and they sent Rando's back out. This time Rando's AAA HVAC determined that we needed a new condenser and coil, which would be placed in the attic. I'm not sure what the home warranty company paid Rando's, but we were charged an additional $4000 (on top of whatever they charged the home warranty company) for an upgraded system. Fast forward a few months: the tenants have moved out and we moved in. Hot weather comes and the AC doesn't seem to be working very well. In an unrelated event, our electrician was up in the attic space and discovered a large tear in the distribution box for the AC ducting. We discovered that Rando's had taken a permit out with the city of Folsom, but no inspections were ever done and the permit had expired. We called Rando's who claimed that the system had a Title 24 test done and had passed - and that it wasn't their responsibility to have their work inspected by the city. They are denying any responsibility for the tear or for having the city inspect and approve the installation. Despite the fact they gave a one year warranty on their work, they are denying any culpability and will not come out to assess the situation.

On the day of our appointment, the service guy, Scott, showed up on time (9:30am on a Friday), and he even called ahead. So far, so good. (Note, however: the repair guys' calls come from blocked cell numbers, so all you can do to contact them is call the company's main office at 916-248-8363. Unfortunately, getting someone to answer at this number is a miracle, and they do not have voicemail, so you're out of luck if you need to get a hold of them). Scott seemed to quickly diagnose the problem, which was that the primary drain line was clogged. The way to fix it, he said, is to shoot high-pressure CO2 through the line. But then he came to me and said, "Sorry, I've broken the CO2-pressure gun that I need to clear the line, so can't fix it today. The office will call you and set up a time for us to come back and do the repair." OK, I said, as long as it's today because I've set aside all of today to wait for you to come and do the repair. He said, "well, the girls will contact you and set up a time, I'm not sure it'll be today though." Then he left. I immediately called the office number--the one and only time out of a dozen calls that someone actually answered--and I stressed that the repair needed to be done today because this was the day I had set aside for this. I didn't care that they guy broke his equipment--that was his problem, not mine. She said she'd see what they can do and that she'd call me back in a few minutes. Ninety minutes later, no phone call, so I called them--and that's when I realized they never answer and they do not have voicemail. Called again 10 minutes later, no answer, no VM. Called 10 minutes after that, again no answer, no VM. Finally, she called back, and she said that they'd have someone out between 1pm and 5pm later in the day to fix the problem. Come 4pm with no one showing up and no call, I called them just to make sure that it was still on track to have someone come by 5pm. I got a human being on the line but it was from an answering service. The woman informed me that even though they were an answering service, they did not pass any messages to the company, and that she had no idea about anything related to the company. She said I could leave a message but that "it would do absolutely no good, because we don't give the company any messages." Great, thanks. So, come 5pm and no one showing up or calling, I wrote them off. Called the home warranty company and got another company to do the job. Overall, Rando's AAA HVAC is the most unprofessional contractor I've ever dealt with. They stood me up, and it was impossible to communicate with them. It was a very frustrating experience and frankly I don't know how they're still in business.