I just recently found out that my furnace in my rental unit is non functional. The property mgmt company called a service tech, in which they identified a control board as "fried". With this, the technician and owner said the furnance company is no longer in business and replacement parts are non existant. So a new furnace is necessary. Being a mechanical engineer I have experience in the HVAC area and decided to do some research and get a second opinion. It turns out the controller is easily available and made by honewell ($70) and has nothing to do with the furnace make. The second technician told a different story and assessed a faulty on/off switch as the problem ($2). Said the furnace is in good working order (9 years old) and the board is NOT "fried". The original owner and technician apologized for the miss diagnosis but I feel he tried to pull a fast one on me. He said he will pay for the other service call, but then said only half. Should I report this to the BBB?
2007-07-06 10:22:43 · 2 answers · asked by Johnny H 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
I don't agree with the first comment. The first technician said that since parts are not available for this new furnace a brand new furnace is necessary ($3000). The controller is not my by the furnace company it is a Honeywell controller with the part number stamped right on the front. As a professional this is something the technician should have noted to replace instead of a 9 year old furnace.
2007-07-06 10:38:36 · update #1
The problem at hand here is misdiagnosis and a costly one at that. The first technician said the unit was fried where as the second technician said the switch leading to the unit was bad. If I didn't do my homework I could have been coughing up 3k plus dollars for a furnance that is in good shape. To me that sounds like someone trying to make some quick money.
2007-07-06 10:41:36 · update #2
Actually, whoever ordered the service person is liable for that service person's bill, unless you have it in writing that the owner or his representative authorized your order. It sounds like the owner is being taken by a dishonest or an inept serviceman or property manager.
2007-07-06 10:39:54 · answer #1 · answered by Bibs 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-07-19 03:45:34 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have no complaint here. It is normal and expected that a service technician will look to the manufacturer for replacement parts. They have no ability to search OEM parts for furnaces which are no longer manufactured.
Errors in diagnosing these parts is not uncommon. As long as you were not cheated out of any money, consider yourself lucky and let it go.
2007-07-06 10:28:13 · answer #3 · answered by acermill 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋