Drake Heating & Air

Note:  For a shorter read, simply jump to my conclusion at the bottom.
 
The Installation (A-)  August 2009:

I was very pleased with the installation crew and their professionalism.  I was comfortable leaving the installers alone in my home and felt that they were doing great work.   My only issues were that it took them almost a full week and they let my dog out of the house to roam the neighborhood twice.  Neither of those were huge issues with me.

First Issue  (A+) October 2009:

Shortly after my systems were installed I had one small mechanical issue and Drake quickly replaced the part.  During his visit, the technician provided me with some helpful maintenance tips.  His service went way beyond my expectations.

Second Issue (D) January 2010:

While remodeling my home I discovered that at least one duct had not been cleaned.  I contacted Steve and he offered to re-clean the ducts.  I declined since I was remodeling and would need a complete cleaning when finished anyway.  I explained to Steve that I simply wanted to point out his crews oversight
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Third Issue (F) January 2011:

I contacted Drake because my UV bulb was not working.  I was told that it was out of warranty and that I would have to pay parts and labor to replace it.  After getting off the phone I checked with Sanuvox (the bulb manufacturing company) and found that the bulb had a 3 year warranty.

I called Drake and explained that the bulb should still be covered and provided a contact name and number at Sanuvox where this could be verified.  An appointment was scheduled for my bulb replacement.

The next day I received a call from Kristen at Drake to explain that the bulb was in fact covered but that I would have to pay a $50 service fee.  I expressed my displeasure that I'd be required to pay any amount for an item covered under warranty and Kristen explained that-that was their policy.  I asked to have the bulb sent to my home so that I could replace it myself.  I told Kristen that I understood that by installing the bulb myself that I would void any further warranty.  Kristen replied that I did not have that option.  I would be required to pay Drake to install  the bulb.  I kept my appointment thinking that it would be worth $50 to keep the 3 year warranty on the bulb and maintain the integrity of the system warranty. 

The next day Kristen called to tell me that Drake would only order the bulb if I would agree to pay full price for the bulb if it turned out that there was another issue with the system.  (The bulb cost $180.)  Kristen explained that the issue could actually be a faulty ballast. 

I then spoke with Chris (a Drake technician) who explained that the only way to determine if the ballast was bad was with a working bulb and that they do not carry extra bulbs.  Bottom line:  Drake was asking me to pay for their diagnostic tool.

I called Kristen back to explain what Chris had told me.  I got a lecture from Kristen explaining that I should have never called and said that I need a new bulb.  Rather I should have said that my bulb was not working so that they could diagnose the problem.  So her solution was to schedule a technician to come and diagnose the problem ($50).  Having already spoken with Chris I knew that he would show up with no bulb.  He would then ask me to purchase a bulb so that he could return to test the system. (Another $50 plus the cost of a bulb @ $180.)  When he returned to test the system and found that the ballast was bad he would then re-schedules another appointment to replace the ballast.  (ballast $0, another service charge $50).  My total cost to have a warranty part replaced: $330.  The irony is that I could go on-line and purchase the bulb for $160 and replace it myself. 

After doing all of the diagnosis myself it turned out that my ballast was bad.  Drake provided me with a ballast at no charge since it was under warranty.  But I also had to replace the ballast myself.

Fourth Issue (F) January 2011:

While diagnosing the issue with my bulb I discovered that a crucial component had not been installed which effectively rendered my UV light useless.  I would have never known this if I hadn't opened the system up myself.

Conclusion: 

If  I did not have the technical ability to diagnose and replace the faulty part myself I would have paid Drake $330 for a bulb (that I didn't need) and a ballast (which was covered under warranty).   My warranties with Drake are worthless.  They kept trying to sell me a service plan that would have cost hundreds per year but if I had their service plan the only thing that it would have saved me was the $50 service fees.  I would have still paid $180 to replace a warranty item plus the cost of their service plan!  I'm better off severing all ties with Drake and making repairs on my own.

An overall grade of 'F' may seem excessive considering that installation and the first issue received an 'A'.  The reason that I firmly believe that Drake deserves an overall 'F' is simply that when all things are considered I simply cannot trust them and my entire decision to hire them in the first place was based on trust.

An 'F' for Professionalism despite the fact that I had great interactions with Steve and the service technicians is totally based on my interaction with Kristen.  I felt almost like Drake hand established some sort of "Good cop/Bad cop" system in an attempt to keep the customer happy while not giving an inch.  Once the sale is complete and the system is installed it is up to Kristen to maintain professionalism.  Her unprofessional attitude reflects poorly on the entire company.