Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/03/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  On 6/20/24, we bought our home with the understanding that everything was in working order. The AC had been cleaned and checked by Trouth AC on 5/15, and we received a diagnostic report before closing, which indicated that everything was in good condition. However, during our final walkthrough on 6/17, we noticed water dripping out of the drain line, and Trouth AC inspected it, assuring us that the line was draining fine. On 7/4, I contacted Trouth after hours because the house was not cooling correctly. They scheduled a visit for 7/7, but due to a delay, they came on 7/8. During the visit on 7/8, *****, who had conducted the original diagnostic in May, mentioned that the ductwork to the master bathroom and closet was too small and should be replaced with larger-sized ductwork running from the central AC unit to the master bath and closet. He also noted that the unit in the attic was sweating excessively. When asked if adding more ductwork would help, he suggested it might but was unsure and said someone else would need to assess the situation. Following this, I spoke with ****** and requested a quote for the necessary changes, but we are still waiting for someone to contact us. After speaking to previous Trouth employees regarding this issue, they made it very clear that it was not Trouth's intention to lie about something like this. On 7/23, another AC company inspected the issue and recommended changing the Plenum and installing another return. Finally, on 8/26, another AC company replaced our Plenum and installed another return. The old Plenum was in a terrible state, and the installer confirmed that it should not have passed a diagnostic. I believe Trouth AC deceived us. Had we known about the state of the Plenum during negotiations, we would have requested a price adjustment from the seller.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/07/2024

  Please accept this as Trouth Air Conditioning & Sheet Metal, Inc’s response and record of events related to BBB Complaint ********. 
  Key points to consider:  
  What is included in a System Clean and Evaluation Service Call and what is not included as part of a System Clean and Evaluation Service Call.  
  The complaint refers to three service calls performed by Trouth Air Conditioning & Sheet Metal, Inc.   It is important to note that two of these calls were initiated and paid for by the seller of the home.  The third call was initiated by the complainant.  Please find a summary of each service call and related actions.  
  Service Call #1 
  5-20-2024 12:06 PM CST - We received a call from an established customer that owned the home at *** **** ****** ****** in Lake Charles.  The customer told us he intended to sell this home and requested a one-time cleaning and evaluation of the unit before selling it.  The customer also requested we evaluate the drain pan and if needed provide a price to replace the secondary or emergency drain pan under the indoor system.  
  5-21-2024 11:00 AM CST – Service Technician ***** and a helper were dispatched to *** **** ****** ******, Lake Charles, LA. Upon arrival the technician performed an evaluation of the unit and performed the cleaning. Please see copies of the Invoice and Evaluation Report attached.    
  System Details: 
  Outdoor Unit 
  Condenser - Bryant 4 ton - Manufacture Date June 2013 – 11 Years old 
  Model # ***********  
  Serial # ********** 
  Indoor Unit 
  Furnace – Trane 80,000 BTU Furnace - Manufacture Date September 2012 – 12 Years old 
  Model# *************** 
  Serial # ********** 
  Coil - Trane 4 Ton Coil – Manufacture Date September 2012 – 12 Years old. 
  Model # ************* 
  Serial# ********** 
  Items of note regarding a Clean and Evaluation Calls, these service calls are unique in that there is not a specific issue or complaint, meaning the system is operating and the call is to perform a cleaning of the system components and evaluate if the system is working properly. This type of call is similar to having a mechanic check out a used car and changing the oil before purchasing it.  Everything could be running properly when evaluated but there is no way to predict how long it will continue to run.  There is also no way for a mechanic when evaluating a used car to predict how that car will perform based on the new owner's driving habits and expectations.  
  The same is true of an older air conditioning system, there is no way for a technician performing an evaluation of an existing system to know what the expectation of the new homeowner is going to be with for temperature set point or expectations in specific rooms of the home. The evaluation is to determine if the system is operating properly only. 
  
  ***** found the system working properly in addition to the cleaning the evaluation included  
  inspection of the amp draws of all the electrical components 
  inspection of indoor and outdoor units  
  including refrigerant level 
  Evaluation of supply temperature at each grille and return temperature. 
  inspection of the return air including if the amount of return air was sufficient for the system 
  inspection of the supply ductwork including if the total amount of supply duct was sufficient for the system as installed 
  Inspection and Testing of primary and secondary drain lines.  
  Inspection of the secondary drain pan  
  ***** found the 11-year-old system and ductwork to be operating properly.  
  He also reported there was some surface rust on the secondary drain pan but it was not leaking.   The customer (seller) declined to have the pan changed.  
  Please remember this evaluation is of an 11-year-old system conducted for the seller of the home to evaluate if the system is operating properly or not. At the time of inspection, the system was working properly.  
  
  Service Call #2 
  6-19-2024 7:03 AM CST – Received a call from the seller of the home that on the final walk through, a water leak was found in the drain line.  
  6-19-2024 1:00 PM CST – Technician ***** was dispatched to the home and found there was no leak in the drain line that a portion of the insulation around the drain line was pushed down and the split in the drain line insulation was facing down allowing condensation to leak from the outside of the drain line.   ***** repositioned the insulation around the drain line and secured it in place with tape.   See “Drain Line” picture attached. 
  Technician ***** also checked system performance in addition to the function of the drain line and found the system to be operating normally and drains functioning normally.  
  Service Call # 3 
  7-4-2024 – 6:39 PM CST – Call Received by our afterhours answering service and forwarded to dispatch for follow up 7-5-2024.  
  7-5-2024 – 11:49 AM CST – Dispatch received a call from the new owner of the home while moving in that the system was not cooling properly.  
  7-5-2024 – 1:43 PM CST Technician Dispatched – Attempt #1 -**** attempted to contact the new homeowner. Outgoing call at 1:45 PM with no answer  
  7-5-2024 – 2:05 PM CST – Attempt #2 - Technician **** attempted to contact the new owner.  Outgoing call at 2:06 PM with no answer and no voice mail option available.  
  7-8-2024 – 9:53 AM CST – Technician ***** Dispatched. Upon arrival the new owner stated the Master Bedroom and Bath were not cooling well.  ***** then evaluated the ductwork to that area of the home and recommended that it be made larger to provide more airflow to that bedroom.   ***** also reported that the plenum was sweating.  The customer requested a price to correct those issues.  ***** also noted that the unit components were still cooling properly, and the complaint was related to duct work.   
  7-8-2024 – 4:47 PM CST – Complainant called and left a message with afterhours answering service asking to speak to a supervisor. This call was returned by Service Manager ******.  
  This service call is the one the complainant would like a refunded.  The complainant alleges that our system evaluation was lacking and that we were less than truthful.  
  We disagree with both statements.  The evaluation and cleaning performed for the seller in May found a system that was working properly.  No sweating was observed and the duct work as a whole while 11 years old was installed properly and sealed correctly.  
  With no one living in the home it was impossible for ***** to know if there were specific rooms that were not cooling. The air exiting the grilles in May was within the expected range for the unit as was the air temperature entering the return. 
  This was explained by ***** during the 7-8-24 service call and explained again during the return call by service manager ******.  
  Technician ***** did point out that while installed correctly if the new owner wanted more cooling in certain areas of the home the way to do that was to add larger or additional duct work to that area.   A finding corroborated by another Air Conditioning Contractor according to the complainant.  
  Regarding the allegation made by that other air conditioning contractor that the existing plenum should have never passed inspection not relevant as original service call was to evaluate if the system was performing properly which it was at that time with no sweating issues at the time of the evaluation.   Our evaluation went even further and looked at the overall installation of the ductwork which was observed to be correct and sealed properly.  There was no way for Technician ***** to know of hot spots in a specific area of the home when performing the May evaluation and cleaning. All of which was explained to the complainant by Service Manager ***** in his return phone call.     
  Lastly regarding the complainant's statement “Finally, on 8/26, another AC company replaced our Plenum and installed another return. The old Plenum was in a terrible state, and the installer confirmed that it should not have passed a diagnostic. I believe Trouth AC deceived us. Had we known about the state of the Plenum during negotiations, we would have requested a price adjustment from the seller.   
  The evaluation and cleaning done in May, requested, and paid for by the seller, did not include a duct or plenum cleaning.  That was never part of what was requested for this evaluation and is not part of the numerous system evaluations we perform annually for homeowners selling or buying a home.  Additionally, when reviewing the pictures of the inside of the plenum I would disagree that the plenum was in “terrible shape” it in fact looked like it was in rather decent shape for an 11-year-old plenum.  If not for the need to add additional duct to the plenum, it could have been cleaned inside and continued to be used if the insulation was not wet.  If the insulation got wet inside the plenum when it began to sweat in July, then it needed to be replaced. This was also explained to the complainant by technician ***** and Service manager ******.  
  After reviewing the complaint and speaking to all Trouth Air Conditioning personnel involved I did not find anything to substantiate the claim of deception, nor did I find our evaluation lacking.  I will be asking our technitians to be extremely specific on future system evaluations so not to have any future confusion.  
  While I feel for the complainant that she had to pay another contractor to enlarge ductwork right after moving into the home, it was clear this was an 11-year-old system and ductwork.  A system that was functioning properly during all three service calls in question.   While there may have been a misunderstanding of or a misalignment of expectations on the part of the buyer.  The seller, the original customer, was clear on the work requested and what work was performed.  
  Regarding the request to refund the complainant's money for the only service call we performed for her.  I respectfully decline as the work she described that she choose to have done by another company was the exact work our technician recommended.