So this past week has been a traumatic one for me...
Last Saturday our air conditioner went out. So on Sunday we called on of the only services that offers weekend calls. The guy came out and told us that our control board was out, that is the computer of the furnace. He couldn't get the part until Monday and he'd be back in the morning. He didn't show until afternoon and by 3:30 had put in the board and charge us a small fortune according to our budget. But it was working and we were happy. It had been 92 degrees on Sunday night and we were melting.
About 2 hours later there was a noise and I was worried so we called the company and they were going to send another tech out. He came and said that our motor was bad because we had a clog and that it wasn't working properly and it would completely go out eventually. We decided that since we were leaving for Utah in a week that we would try to keep it going and when we returned we would deal with it. It lasted about 24 hours.
On Wednesday I woke up to no air again and called the company. They sent yet another tech out. This guy claimed our whole entire unit in the attic was fixin to fall through the ceiling and that everything needed to be replaced...blown motor, board, coil, pan, everything and then gave us a quote large enough to by a small used car! He said that nothing was working! I was distraught, angry, frustrated, not to mention HOT!!! We were luck because Hurricane Dolly came through and cooled us down a bit. But, what to do? We just don't have that kind of money. So...
All day Thursday we were fighting with this company...something didn't make sense. If I had a clog, why didn't the first guy recognize the symptoms? Why did he only replace the bad part instead of figuring out why the part was bad. I went up there and could easily see that there was or had been water all over the place? And if I had a clog and the third guy offered to unclog it until he called his head office and they told him to tell us we needed to replace the whole thing, why didn't he try to unclog it? Why did no one unclog my clog? When I was thinking about all of this...it all didn't make sense and even I thought that something wasn't right. So Thursday night I decided to call another company for a second opinion since I was getting no where. Immediately the guy said, why haven't they unclogged your drain? Told me that there was no need to replace a nine year old furnace. He came out the next morning and unclogged the drain, powered up the unit and it ran like a charm and is still running. That cost...$180. Good Grief, where are the honest people? Rusty, the new guy walked me through every part of the unit and showed me what to look for, how to unclog it myself, what parts do what and how to tell if they are not working properly. THANKS RUSTY, a good ol boy from Texas.
We are still fighting with the other company to get some of our money back, especially the $120 they charged us to DIAGNOSE the problem, give me a break.
This issue caused me a lot of grief and stressing...even now when I hear a strange noise I run up the stairs to listen. Justin thinks I am insane. I just get worried that I will have to fork our money we don't have. I thought he would post about this but I guess he has been busy, he would have done a better job, he is great at story telling.
On a COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS note, the same day, Friday night, we were sitting on the couch around 9pm and I heard a boom and ran up the stairs to listen to the air conditioner and on my way up I heard sirens. Justin and I ran outside to see our neighbors house (across and 3 down) with flames shooting out of it. There were 4 fire trucks, tons of smoke, and people watching. They weren't home, luckily but came home shortly after and we watched their sadness and were grateful that they were not home and no one got hurt. Also that we were ok and a little time with no air seemed like a piece of cake. Funny how some things give you a little perspective. Anyhow, I am not saying that I am not still worried about our air but next time I will try not to freak out as much.
4 comments:
That stinks! I am sorry that you guys have had to deal with such problems. You are absolutely right though, where are the honest people? Most people are so selfish and greedy now a day that they lack in quality service. We have seen this time and time again and it does nothing but make more of a mess and cause a financial strain on our own wallets. Glad to know things worked out. All in all though, continue to look at the eternal perspective--like the fact that your family is okay and well.
This has been a nightmare for us, but as I kept telling Samantha, everything would work out okay. Our estimated cost went from $120 to $600 to $4800 down to $180!
As for the neighbor's house catching fire....what a wake up call! We feel so badly for them. They were at dinner celebrating their daughter's birthday. (16 yrs)? They have a boy about 10 or 11 and a little girl about 6.
Not bragging or anything, but since we're leaving on vacation next week I offered our house to them. I've offered clothes, toys and anything else they need. Fortunately home owners insurance will help with most of their stuff, but the owner says it will be 3 or 4 months....so WE ARE BLESSED even in the midst of our own trials. $600, $4800 is nothing compared to what they are going through.
Yeah, what a nigtmare...and not to sound rude, but at least that wasn't your house that burned...it definitely puts things into perspective. I'm sorry you've had to deal with all that crap, but I'm excited to see soon!!!
I was so glad to hear that you were able to fix it for so much less. So sad to hear about your neighbors house. How bad was the damage? We are so excited to see you guys in a few days! We love you!
Post a Comment