O'Brien Service Co

"After a discussion with the service technician in question (Chris), our service manager (JP) has communicated the following response: "After" checking the air handler, Chris informed the customer that he may want to look into replacing both units. He was simply trying to make the customer aware of the age of the equipment since there are some time limited specials going on right now. However, Chris should NOT have given a “ballpark” price. That is not our practice because in truth ballpark estimates are rarely accurate. Chris should have explained to the customer that we have trained professionals that will come out to do a proper FREE estimate on replacements. This would involve a NC State required Load Calculation (Heat Loss/Heat Gain) as well an evaluation of the individual customer’s comfort needs for their particular home. This takes time as well as training in the knowledge of these procedures; which is why our service technicians are not permitted to try and provide this information. Concerning the drain line leakage; the statement made by Chris “he could not guarantee that it would not happen” is a true statement. No one can guarantee that a drain line will not leak, especially on a 19 year old unit. All we can do is preventive actions such as flushing/blowing out the drain lines and/or install Treatment Pads. In regards to the recommendation, Chris did not want to pressure the customer with prices on raising the air handler (not condenser). Although now, after speaking with JP, he realizes he should have given a quote for this repair. (JP and Chris are discussing in further detail the labor and material involved in this repair and JP will be contacting the customer with a final price this week.) Concerning the value of the $250 that was spent; this price included the Maintenance performed for both units, as well as a 1 Year Silver Club Membership for both units. The membership includes 1 FREE Tune-up, priority service, and discounts on Service Calls & Repairs. I hope this explanation will allow the customer to see the “true value” in what was paid. It is unquestionable that Chris is an experienced service technician. He has been in the HVAC industry for several years and is very knowledgeable in his chosen field. Therefore, it is unfair to question his knowledge and abilities in this area. However, he does realize the mistakes he made in communicating with the customer and is determined to respond differently should a similar situation arise in the future. We would like to thank the customer for his feedback. We hope we have satisfied the customer's concerns at hand and that after reading this perhaps he feels we (& Chris) may in fact deserve a better grade. :)"