East Coast Air Conditioning

Approximately eighteen months ago, we purchased an AC unit from East Coast Air paid in full cash. The unit supplied was RHEEM so this correspondence is also being addressed to the RHEEM Company because if you supplied a defective unit which we now believe is what happened - to the company, the liability is also yours. Six months after installation, we had to contact the company because the unit stopped working in totality. Upon completion of the work on that visit, the technician advised me that I should clean the outdoor pipe with a cloth occasionally to avoid moisture from clogging the pipe. I thought such a recommendation was reasonable given the tropical climate in Florida for roughly 7 months out of the year. Twelve (12) months later, on April 18th, the company had to be called again because the supposedly great brand name of RHEEM unit had again stopped working suddenly, no notice! So, the unit went out of service on a brand new unit, twice in 18 months! I was told by the owner that because it was after 5.00pm I would have to wait until the following day or be charged $95 for service after 5.00pm.I was also advised by the owner that there would be no charge because the unit is currently under a 10 year warranty but he suggested to purchase a yearly contract for $295 per year.I then replied that I would consider such a suggestion maybe in 5 years because a new unit with a 10 year contract should not stop working twice within 18 months.The conversation ended by both parties agreeing that the technician would arrive the following day to fix the unit no charge. The technician arrived the following day and after diagnosing the problem, replacing the broken part, CAME UNPREPARED because he had to request lubricant from me to assist in removing highly corrosive part he suddenly stopped and requested $295 to complete fixing an assumable new unit. Obviously I recognized the classic case of deceptive business practice or in other words bait the customer and then switch.The Technician then called the owner and in speaking with the owner it became crystal clear that I was deceived. At no time during or after the purchase of the unit was it ever communicated to me that I should purchase a yearly service contract separate from the 10 year warranty provided so therefore I was been held hostage because if I didn't pay $200 the unit would not have been fixed I was then forced to pay. Deceptive business practices are clearly been exercised when examining partial details of work completed not to include main reason why unit stopped working completely not only service been done. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A BAIT AND SWITCH ON THE PART OF THE COMPANY. It should be made clear that when we first contacted this company it was because of references online. At the time, the work was done professionally and we thought everything was fine! What a surprise. My wife is immunocompromised with COPD, acute/chronic respiratory disease among other major health issues. That means, if the AC stops working and the home heats over say 75, she has to go to the ER as a precaution and to avoid a respiratory flare up. The only reasonable solution to this problem is for the unit to be replaced because obviously it is a defective unit or refurbished and include a five-year service contract. In terms of Rheem: what is your warranty and support of units purchased from your company?