07-06-2009, 05:11 PM
When we bought our home we inherited the final months of a heating/cooling service contract. With it, a local heating/cooling company comes out once in the fall and once in the spring to check the systems, and we get a 20% discount on any work that might be needed to fix/tune-up the system. Overall, the yearly fee for this seems pretty fair to me.
In mid May I got both a phonecall and a letter from this company, letting me know they are aware of the change in ownership and that they would be having somebody else call me to schedule a time when they can come out and do the spring checkup and discuss if I'd like to renew the contract. Sounds good to me. Didn't hear anything back from them until Friday-- when a bill comes for the NEW contract.
Today I called the company up and explained that there were two problems-- one, I never agreed to renew my contract, and two, they never sent anybody out for the spring checkup, so in a way, they hadn't ever fulfilled all the parts of the old contract. The guy I was speaking with started to feed me some line of excuses, "Well, we got busy, and then you know the weather, and there's the economy... we can get somebody out there eventually, so do you want to renew that contract?" I told him I'd get back to him about that, and he told me they needed to know right away, today if possible. I reiterated that I'd get back to him.
A little while later I called the company back. "I'm not going to make a decision on a new contract yet-- not until you guys complete your services for my old one first," I told the man (same one I spoke with earlier). "Ok, but you know, we just had gotten busy, and there was the ec-" he started to say, before I cut him off. "Quit making excuses, I don't want excuses, I want the service that has been paid for. You send somebody out to do the 'spring' checkup, here in JULY, and then we can talk about re-upping."
He the proceeded to try to give me grief when I told him they could come when I get home from work, 4:00 or after, but I mentioned their hours are until 5:30 each day, so they can just suck it up and come out when I'm available. I have no intention of getting a new service contract with these clowns.
Oh yeah, it's West Michigan Heating and Air Conditioning Services, for all of you in the GR area.
In mid May I got both a phonecall and a letter from this company, letting me know they are aware of the change in ownership and that they would be having somebody else call me to schedule a time when they can come out and do the spring checkup and discuss if I'd like to renew the contract. Sounds good to me. Didn't hear anything back from them until Friday-- when a bill comes for the NEW contract.
Today I called the company up and explained that there were two problems-- one, I never agreed to renew my contract, and two, they never sent anybody out for the spring checkup, so in a way, they hadn't ever fulfilled all the parts of the old contract. The guy I was speaking with started to feed me some line of excuses, "Well, we got busy, and then you know the weather, and there's the economy... we can get somebody out there eventually, so do you want to renew that contract?" I told him I'd get back to him about that, and he told me they needed to know right away, today if possible. I reiterated that I'd get back to him.
A little while later I called the company back. "I'm not going to make a decision on a new contract yet-- not until you guys complete your services for my old one first," I told the man (same one I spoke with earlier). "Ok, but you know, we just had gotten busy, and there was the ec-" he started to say, before I cut him off. "Quit making excuses, I don't want excuses, I want the service that has been paid for. You send somebody out to do the 'spring' checkup, here in JULY, and then we can talk about re-upping."
He the proceeded to try to give me grief when I told him they could come when I get home from work, 4:00 or after, but I mentioned their hours are until 5:30 each day, so they can just suck it up and come out when I'm available. I have no intention of getting a new service contract with these clowns.
Oh yeah, it's West Michigan Heating and Air Conditioning Services, for all of you in the GR area.