CRAIN HEATING AIR

The Crain crew installed it to my satisfaction, but I'm glad I was there at the time as they would have set it below the grade where a heavy rain would have resulted in the generator sitting in standing water. When I noticed how they were going to place it, they didn't mind taking it out and allowing me to build the grade back up, then setting it again. For that I was thankful. Other than that, the Crain crew installed the generator satisfactorily. They were not able to get the device to function properly, though, and had to call authorized Kohler service to come in. They diagnosed and replaced a faulty electrical component in the generator. Even though the generator was not functional, Crain insisted I pay the full invoice. I declined, stating that I would pay when I had a functional generator. He was quite taken aback, and said nobody had ever done that to him before. I told him since we had never done business with him before, I needed to hold back at least a partial balance to assure the job would be completed. He clearly was distraught with my insistence on maintaining leverage. It took the factory service rep two visits to render the generator functional, at which time I immediately paid Crain in full. Shortly thereafter, the generator began to start up and run continuously even though there was no power outage. These occurrences were in addition to it's programmed weekly cycle in which it runs automatically for 12-15 minutes, then shuts itself off. I placed several calls to Dan, the owner of Crain Electric, which were never returned. When I finally connected, he blamed it on voltage fluctuations from the power company, and insisted I ask them to put a meter on my line to record the fluctuations before he would send anyone to look at the generator. He said he'd check with Kohler and get back with me in a couple days. He never did. I went to the power company and they showed I had only a handful of power outages to my home in the last month, all but one lasting less than a second. I told them I would monitor the generator's activity for a few more weeks to see if the problem persisted before asking them to install a meter that would measure voltage dips that might be triggering the generator. I placed more calls to Dan, which he did not return. When I finally connected with him what the power company said. I also told him I need better customer service from him. He explained "I've been busy trying to run a company." I asked if there was another company I could use for servicing my Kohler, and he gave me their contact information. The problem of the generator starting between cycles and without a loss in power has not yet repeated, but if it does, I will not call Crain Electric because of their poor service after the sale. Because of their poor customer service as demonstrated by the owner's unwillingness to return phone calls, or to call back when he says he's going to call, I would not recommend Crain to anyone who needs good customer service, and technical service after the sale.