Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/17/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had Fritch Heating and Cooling come out July 13, 2023 to look at my outside air conditioning they put a new capacitor and put refrigerant the Fritch Heating and Cooling repair guy told me my outside central air conditioning could last me 2 more years 2 days my outside air conditioning stop working again I had to paid for ether Heating and Cooling company to come to look at it I call my credit card to dispute Fritch Heating and Cooling they send me to dept collector cause my pass due bill so I paid it January 5, 2024 cause I don't want debt collector on my credit report I told Fritch Heating and Cooling to come my house to take of capacitor that they install they can have their part back I'm not going to call Fritch Heating and Cooling anymore

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/18/2024

   

  Info from service ticker on day of service:

  07/12/2023 11:14 AM *****: 
  Found failed capacitor and low on charge, replaced capacitor and added 2lbs r22(no warranty on refrigerant), recommend new equipment due to age and condition of ac

  on 7-20-23 Mr. ******* called in that the unit was not working again.  He cancelled this call before we went.

  7-25-23 Mr. ******* stopped the payment with his credit card company.

  We invoiced:

  $48.24 for a dual run capacitor

  $250 for two pounds of R22 freon

  $122 for one hour of labor

  Sadly, we can never guarantee that freon will hold in a unit and the customer was warned about this at the time of service.  We did tell the homeowner that we would credit the service amount towards a new system.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/18/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  Mr. ******* states that he wants nothing further to do with this business. He does not want a new system from this business. He has paid the bill to collections, and he wants to be sure that this bill is no longer in collections and will not show up on his credit report since it has already been paid. Mr. ******* also states that the business can have their part back, but would like half of the amount of the cost of the part. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/20/2024

  We do not want the part back, after all of this time, it is not reusable.  The account on collections has been closed with the January payment.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/10/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Please see a full documentation of the issues attached. I am BEGGING YOU TO SEND OUT THE ***** EXPERT!!!

   

  Initial Installation Days
  The folks dropping off the equipment in our backyard helped themselves to unlatching the fence and never notifying the homeowners of their presence. We have two dogs, one of which is a flight risk, who could have easily escaped as I had no idea your folks were on the property.
  ? Technicians unlocking the gate and helping themselves to our backyard became such a problem that I had to post a sign on the fence informing any worker that they needed to ring the doorbell and announce their presence at our residence before starting any work. I cannot believe this was not common sense for employees. Every other worker from every other company I’ve ever had at my house rings the doorbell to announce that they are there to work for the day.
  
  ? **** ordered an air conditioner instead of the heat pump we discussed. He noticed this after the existing - WORKING - air conditioner had been removed by your folks. He did order it for another day, but this caused me to take an additional day off work. He repeatedly blamed the company that he ordered from for the mistake, and I repeated that I did not care as long as they made it right.They did not, which made me feel it might have been ****** mistake.
  ? **** also told us that we were not priority customers. He said he had to prioritize those without air conditioning. WE were folks without air conditioning, because Fritch had taken our unit away and did not provide another same-day as promised. I can’t figure out how **** did not see the irony there. 
  
  ? After finally getting the heat pump installed, I’m told the job cannot finish - they left my thermostat in the basement and not hooked up where it belonged. I guess I understand, as I at least had air conditioning now, but they schedule the follow up quite a ways out and leave a mess at my home that I’m just supposed to live around? I had to call and complain to ****, the office manager, and send the below pictures. I don’t get how your employees thought leaving tools on my dining room table to wait a week until the follow up was appropriate at all. They also disrupted my retaining wall outside, left a panel off the equipment, the doors off my closet, ceiling panels off kilter, manuals everywhere.. and expected me to wait a week for them to come back and clean up…if they were going to clean up at all - that’s unclear.

  ? When they came back to install the thermostat, they knocked paint and plaster off the wall. 

  Billing
  ?It took three phone calls to get a bill.
  ?Call 1: Answerer could not give a reason for a delay, but promised to call me back. Did not.
  ?Call 2: Was told that the party responsible for the billing sends four weeks after the service.
  ?Call 3: It had been well over four weeks post-service. I was told that the individual responsible had been on vacation, and they would get the bill to me soon.
  
  ?I received the bill the week of 8/17/2023, the week it was due before interest would accrue. The bill stated there would be thirty days to pay. I had to provide receipts from **** proving that I only received the bill less than a full week before the due date. I’m not sure why you would print an invoice and sit on it for approximately 20 days, and then put the onus on the payer to prove that the invoice was not sent in the appropriate time frame. I luckily have **** informed delivery that proved delivery date, shown below.  

  Furnace Issues (Current Problem)
  ?10/31/2023 - My furnace popped the breaker two nights in a row. I called and had a technician come out. He found frayed wires. I also asked about the furnace filter housing at this time, as I believed it to be incorrect. Technician confirmed it was, and **** called to schedule a whole other new furnace install. **** assured me that I wouldn’t need to take another day off work, but I think you can see in the photographs why I would need to be here to prevent property damage, someone letting my dogs out, messes made and not cleaned up, etc. I asked for a partial refund for this nightmare and was asked to wait until November 8 in case they “mess up again.”
  
  ?11/1/2023 - My furnace blew another fuse and I woke up to no heat. I called and was asked by **** if I really knew that the fuse had blown. I may not be an HVAC technician, but I do know what it means when the switch flips in the breaker box. :)
  
  ?11/1/2023 - ***** came out to take a look. He believed the issue to be the aluminum wires being too twisted. He cut their ends clean and re-hooked everything up to the fuse box. I asked ***** to get me a management contact after ****’s treatment of me. ****** texted me and promised to come Friday, November 3 to personally inspect the job.
   
  ?11/2/2023 - Woke up again to no heat, thermostat off. Found a flipped switch in the breaker box.
  ?11/3/2023 - ****** came out to hear my grievances and inspect the unit. He found that the air handler was not the correct unit, as they had apparently upgraded the heat pump because it was faster to get than the unit originally ordered. I actually had no knowledge of this. ****** was very kind but did tell me that **** said he “bent over backwards” for me. I’m really not sure how me trying to get Fritch to meet the basic terms of our agreement is bending over backwards. I am hoping this list of issues might get me a partial refund for the time I’ve spent - especially the time I’ve taken off work - and lengths I’ve gone to for getting conformance to our June 2023 contract. 
  
  ?11/7/2023 - *** comes to the house at 8am. He replaces everything in the basement. Informs me that everything was previously wired incorrectly, and it was a wonder that the heat pump was even working. I am completely satisfied with the work he did making the furnace filter housing acceptable. He was also the only technician to cover my flooring with protective film and notify me of comings and goings so that no dogs were able to get loose. He spent most of the day here and struggled getting the unit to connect over the internet.
  
  ?11/8/2023 - *** returned to use a bluetooth data loader to flash the heat pump board with. He eventually got them to connect.
  
  ?11/9/2023 - Woke up cold. Turned the thermostat all the way up to 75 and noticed that the unit was pushing extremely cold air. Texted ****** and called the Fritch office. The woman I spoke with told me that she needed to communicate with ****, and I asked her to talk to literally anyone else - see why above, plus his sexist treatment of me when trying to purchase the unit (only addressing my husband, asking for my husband’s email address when we made it abundantly clear that I was the one making the purchasing decision). The woman didn’t say, but I could tell she put me on speakerphone, as I heard audible laughing. I don’t get what’s funny here. The thermometer reads 46.8 degrees Fahrenheit. 

  
  ?11/11/2023 - Heat pump nor furnace would run. Texted ******. Talked with **** on the phone, asked if we could PLEASE get an expert in as I was tired of waking up every few days cold. **** came out to work on the units and told us that there was a step missed in the set up. He fixed and thought we’d be good finally…
  ?12/9/2023 - Breaker blew again.
  ?12/10/2023 - Breaker blew again. Texted ****** and called the office. I had previously called the office and asked to be called by **** so that we could have the ***** expert inspect. No such call occurred. Though it is Sunday, ****** has not texted back and has not texted back to any message I’ve sent since November 9
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/12/2023

  I am breaking this complaint into three parts: original install, October no heat issues, and December no heat issues.

  6-7-23 thru 6-8-23

  The supply house delivered the wrong unit.  They supplied an air conditioner rather than the ordered heat pump.  This caused a one-day delay in the install.  The following day, the supply house provided an upgraded heat pump.  We rescheduled other customers to be able to return to Ms ********* house on the following day to complete the install. 

  Late October no heat

  When the supply house delivered the upgraded heat pump, they did not take into account that the preciously installed air handler was not compatible.  Unfortunately, it took us three service calls to determine that we had a mismatched system. The supply house admitted to this mistake and corrected it immediately by providing the proper air handler.  

  December no heat

  12-10-23  Ms ******* said that ****** had not gotten back to her since November.  He was under the impression that the situation was corrected, and all was working fine.  He did not call her immediately back on this day as he was in church and had his phone turned off.  He called her back once home.  ****** arranged for the Chicago ***** specialist to come and check the system for the first available appointment on Tuesday.

  12-11-23 We sent out a technician, *****, in the morning to see if he could diagnose the problem.  His report is as follows:

  found hot 60amp breaker in main panel
  removed cover and both 60 amp breakers feeding ah
  main panel has some visible heat wear on service bar.
  replaced both breakers with new 60amp with added ox-gard (anti-oxidant compound).
  added ox-gard at ah terminals also.
  tested hp and ah operation
  no breaker trips at this time with system running hp and ah.
  advised client breaker replacement is normally billable and not covered by equipment installation warranty or service contracts.

  The customer was advised to contact an electrician due to the electrical issues.

  12-12-23 The ***** specialist was at her home at 8 am and found nothing wrong with the install.  He confirmed *****'s diagnosis of bad breakers.

   

  Please let me know if you would like the supply house's number for more information,

  ****** 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/12/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We called to get clarification on an issue we were experiencing with our furnace. We use Fritch for our yearly maintenance on our old furnace. Every year (last one was November 2022) they marked the assessment as “pass” and we were never informed of any potential issues or hazards to be on the look out for. Instead, we were told how great of shape our very old furnace was in considering the age. So of course, as customers we assume our furnace is functioning safely and properly. Prior to our yearly inspection this year, we turned on the heat for the first time this year and immediately noticed a gas smell and called ******. They discovered we had a gas and carbon monoxide leak at unsafe levels. We decided to call Fritch and also called to get a few other opinions from other HVAC companies. We were informed our “Maintenance Techs” (Fritch) should’ve informed us of rusting and serious erosion long ago because in the heating exchanger it was so badly rusted, black and corroded. Although it was discovered by all techs, including Fritch this year we were told it should’ve been caught in the years prior because it was that bad. They all believe this what led us to having a gas leak and carbon monoxide. But the Fritch techs told us our furnace “passed” and is “safe” and a great furnace for its age why would we expect other companies and individual HVAC professionals to question why this wasn’t caught earlier in our previous yearly assessments? However, one of the techs even took pictures and showed my husband how bad the heating exchanger was. We even had an HVAC professional in the family look at the area in question and they were also concerned as to why this wasn’t “caught” during our yearly assessment last year or even sooner. And we even asked if they “open” the box during their assessments where the heating exchanger is and Fritch told us they dont.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/26/2023

  We are sorry that we did not communicate better with the homeowner.  The paperwork clearly states that the furnace is 31 years old, and a furnace of that age does show it's age, but that does not mean that it is not safe.  When we checked the furnace nearly a year ago, there were no signs of carbon monoxide or gas.  It was safe to operate at that time.

  Our service ticket reads:

  11/08/2022 10:55 AM ***** **********: 
  Checked Pilot, Burners, etc.,<CR>Checked temp rise across Heat Exchanger,<CR>Checked Blower Motor,Checked Blower Wheel, Checked Temperature, Checked Thermostat, Checked all electrical, Cycled & Checked Operation of System,. Installed customer provided thermostat. All OK at this time

  We stand behind our tech's assessment in 2022.  Heat exchangers go bad daily, it is very common with old furnaces, and we monitor for this and recommend CO detectors in all homes (new or old furnaces, anything with gas appliances) for this reason.

  We did take the situation seriously and had a tech there the next morning at 8am, and had a salesperson out once the furnace was condemned.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have a service contract with Fritch heating and cooling Inc. for many years. they typically visit my house two times a year. the first is before summer to check the AC and the 2nd time is around late Oct or early Nov to check the furnace. I work for *********** and moved to ******** Texas in late 2020 but I still renew the service contract with Fritch to make sure the house is heated during winter.
  In early Nov of 2022, Fritch called me making an appointment to service my furnace to prepare for the winter. The technician got code of garage and enter the house. It seems they checked the furnace and found something. They turn the furnace off and called me. I missed the call however. I did call back later but the connection was very poor and the technician did not have patience to explain. I called Fritch office too checking what happened. they said they did not know but shared the same phone number and I can not reach out that technician.
  I visited my house May 13. I turn well water on and the pipes were leaking. I shut down the water but the pressure tank continue feed water to the house that resulted significant damage. I checked and found most of the water valves broken from frozen winter. one of copper pipe cracked inside dry wall. It took me 5 days to fix all the valves and soldering the copper pipe. The hot tub leaked bad but I did not know where is wrong. it has been taken up before we know.
  I visit Fritch office two times in the same week. they said they will take care but nothing happened. I called them after my return to Texas. they asked me to send the damage pictures to them so they can check with their insurance. However, they confirmed received my picture but then they refused to communicate on anything till today. No reply on email or answer phone call.
  I checked with Lawyer. The lawyer said that the damage is around $13K. even I win the case, those money will go to lawyer's office. So I start with your office.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2023

  In response to our customers complaint, I can sympathize with what he going through, and I am sorry he's had to deal with this.

  We went to the customers home on 9-14-22 and serviced both the heating and cooling units.  We found that the furnace had a failed heat exchanger, so we turned off the gas to the furnace (and the technician put in his notes that furnace replacement is recommended).  

  The next note in our records is about the technician returning a phone call regarding the service call (this was on 9-26-22).  Our technician did reach out to the customer, but the customer didn't answer or return our call.

  I understand how frustrating this is.  We turned this claim into our insurance company on 5-23-23 (so I am sorry it has taken this long to get the ball rolling for him).  We are simply waiting on insurance to go through the proper channels.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/28/2023

  Greetings! 
  ***** insurance, I believe FRITCH’s insurance company, contacted me for details last Friday- 8/25. 
  they need to talk to Fritch for confirmation/ verification. 
  No anything/ arrangements/ promises ever made so far. I am not sure we can close this case now as there is no decision. 
  

  thank you 

  ****