Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Adventures in home ownership

We think we may have our air conditioning unit fixed. As some of you may remember we got a warranty on our house when we bought it back in October. We tried using the warranty on the same unit last fall when it would not shut off, but since we did not use a warranty company approved HVAC service company we had to pay for that repair ourselves.

Then when we had a pipe burst this past winter they said it was not covered.

So when I found standing water under out unit a little over a week ago I was hesitant but I called it in anyway. The warranty company contracted the job out and the guy came out last week. He figured out what was wrong with it and shock of shocks they approved the repair. Well the AC guy had to order the part and it finally came in today and he came out and worked on it for a couple of hours this afternoon, then he said it was all good to go. I started writing him a check for the amount of the deductible and he tried to tell me I had to pay him $40 more on top of that. I politely but firmly told him that our deductible was only $100 and that's all we'd be paying him. He objected saying that the warranty company was supposed to call us to tell us that the was a $40 fee on top of the deductible for some reason he tried to tell me. I told him once again that we'd be paying the deductible and nothing more. I also said that if they wanted $40 more from us they could make their request in writing and that we'd take it under advisement. He stammered a bit, then he made a call on his cell phone. I handed him the check for $100 and thanked him for his labors and I asked for a receipt. He told me he'd have to go outside so he could talk in private to whoever he was calling and he went to his van without giving me the receipt I requested.

Next thing I know he's starting his van and he drives off from our house. No receipt, no explanation, no nothing, he just left. I think he was trying to make a little pocket money off us. If he really wants $40 extra bucks he can mark up something when he submits his bill to the warranty company, he wasn't about to chisel one more red cent out of us.

5 comments:

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

Way to stick it to the man Monkey!

joe said...

He was definitely trying to rip you off.
Congrats on the new home, btw.

dguzman said...

Holy crap, Monkey! I wonder how many people have just paid him that extra 40 bucks to be done with him. Asshole.

Sorry you're having a tough time with the new place. It's just the way shit goes sometimes.

Whiskeymarie said...

What a shady loser. I wonder how many people he's conned into paying him- I hope you reported him to the warranty company or whoever sent him in the first place.

Snad said...

I would appreciate it if you would share the name of the guy and/or his company in a private email to me, so I make sure and never use his services - or should I say get used by his services?

Nothing you've told me so far makes me regret canceling the home warranty service that magically came with the house, by the way.