Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/11/2023

  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.

  On December 15th we got $400 in oil, $426 in repairs to the oil heater. We replaced the circulator. On December 22nd our heater broke again. Company came out and charged us another $426. It was $100 in repairs and $300 in labor. I explained to them we shouldn’t have to pay that much in labor when we had you guys out less than a week ago. They knocked the price down from $426 to $226. Now on January 9th, our heater broke again and we completely ran out of oil. I contacted them and they were rude and told me to find somewhere else to go. I went to another company, and yesterday they came out and couldn’t give me any oil because Middletown ice and coal didn’t put water in my boiler on their last visit and it blew up the circulator and the motor. So now those things need replaced and it was no fault of mine as the technician didn’t do the job correctly to begin with. I’ve called and left messages, but no one is returning my phone call. I am on day 3 without any heat and I have a 4 year old disabled child at home.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2023

  December 20, 2023 
  

  Dear *******, 
  

  We would like to respond to ******* and her complaint. 
  

  We started to service the property the beginning of January 1921 as a cash, will call oil customer who would order 100 gallon of fuel at a time. We had not performed any mechanical service for her until December 1922. 
  

  On December 14, 2022 
  We received a call in the morning that they had no heat and were out of oil. We made the delivery of 100 gallons as requested shortly after the call but found they were not out of oil and had a service problem. We sent a service tech as soon as we had one free and he found the circulator was not operating and had to be replaced, which he did at that time. He checked that the system was working and heating before he left. 

  On December 20, 2022 
  After 6 days of everything working OK we received a call that they had too much heat, even with the thermostat turned off. We made the call as soon as we had a service tech free and found the flow control vaive was not stopping the hot water flow thru the heating system and the valve had to be replaced. There was water in the system or there would not be excessive heat to the second floor. We made a sizeable adjustment of $200.00 for the charge of the service to try to appease the home owner. This problem had nothing to do with the circulator that was replaced 6 days ago. 
  

  On January 9 2023 
  After 20 days of not hearing of any problems we receive a call from a loud irate woman who did not want to speak in a reasonable, respectful manor and we told her she needed to contact someone else. After a day, emotions calmed down and we decide to go back and see what was wrong. We found the circulator we replace on the 14 of December did not blow up but was not working; we replaced the defective circulator with another new circulator under warranty. No charge for a new replacement circulator and no charge for labor. System is heating! 
  

  We regret that our customer had several service problems so close together but we had no control as to when these parts would fail. We did try to respond to her needs in a timely and professional manner. 

  Both service personnel, **** and *****, who attended to the service calls, each have more than 30 years experience. 

  Let us know if we can be of further assistance. 
  

  Respectfully, 
  

  Fred O.
  Middletown Ice & Coal Co.