Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  11/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We are owner of a restaurant in *********. We have 2 AC units and one have been installed by Black **** in 2017. On June 2022, we renewed with Black **** a yearly maintenance contract. This contract indicates that we pay for 2 bi annual inspections and 4 quarterly filer changes so 6 visits total. First of all they are impossible to have on the phone so it is hard to schedule the maintenance.The only time Black **** came on our premise was on the 10th of February. This invoice indicates that All systems are functioning properly at this timeIn August 2023 we left a message to Black **** because the heat was high. A technician came and checked our systems. He told our manager that both our units were in a terrible condition and that probably caused a problem on the 10 tons unit. But the most terrible is that this technician stated to us by text that the filters are over a year old so the filters have not been changed in February as indicated on the invoice.This means that on the maintenance agreement that specifies 6 interventions and we were supposed to have only one. But we had none has long as their technician indicated us that the filters have not been changed for more than a year.The technician came back, and told us that it didnt see that on Friday, but one compressor was dead and the second one was about to die also. He left and stopped all the system. We are a restaurant and especially in August we need AC, we lost many customers these days.We informed Black **** of that situation and told them that because of their lack of maintenance, our landlord helped us but Black **** acknowledged a problem but made us a quote to replace all the compressors with a small discount because of the misunderstanding. Since then no answer. We asked our lawyer to send a letter to send to ask for a resolution, no answer either. We had to change the compressor at our own cost and are really afraid that both our units have been damaged due to the lack of maintenance

  Business response

  11/04/2023

  This is a customer whose machines failed and are in need of replacement or the need to incur material dollars to repair the units. The customer has a history of nonpayment of even the simple of fees and repairs to the point of having to visit the restaurant and call the number on record to see he person who answered the cell phone.

  The customer has a profound misunderstanding of the payment made to our company and demands something unusual. It is not a prepayment as suggested. It is standard practice for our company. We even communicate to our customers, it is not a contract but a simple agreement and if not satisfied, we will return the payment. 

  The issue referenced in no way caused the units to breakdown. The units are nearing the end of their useful life and should be replaced. We communicated spending any funds on the machines is not economical. We even suggested they contact the landlord to replace the units. When the customer did, and did not get the response desired, they demanded the work be done for cost. Because we have such respect for the landlord, we did reduce the price quote significantly but to no avail.

  In addition, the customer has threatened legal action but to no avail. 

  Customer response

  11/09/2023

   
  Complaint: 20814708
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  We totally disagree with the answer of the company.
  First all our payments are paid, we have nothing due.

  
  Secondly, it is an employee of the company himself at he last visit who stated by text so we have an evidence that the machines were in a terrible condition and that the filters were more than a year old while we had a maintenance contract with them and that another employee of this same company stated that he changed the filters in February 2023 and that the machine were in good conditions.
  The machine where the compressor broke is 6 years old,and the other more than 10. The one which is more than 10 years old is still working while the one who is 6 and installed by Black **** should be already finished ?

  
  On carrier.com you can find the following statement : While every unit is different, and every homeowner has a different understanding of when their central air conditioner is broken beyond repair, it's fair to say that, with proper maintenance and care, you can expect a good 15 to 20 years of cooling from a new high efficiency air conditioning system. So this system is really not done.

  
  On this same website by the manufacturer you can find this statement : System reliability: Because a clogged, dirty filter can make your fan motors and other components work harder, ignoring routine filter maintenance can shorten the life of your HVAC system

  
  It is clear that the lack of maintenance by Black **** is the cause of the dead compressor.

  
  We are not the only ones in this situation. Black **** has a poor 2.8 rating on ****** and you can find this type of reviews :
  

  Horrible customer service. Zero follow through on requests, never retuned calls. Very rude. Owner dodges calls and never accepted responsibility for his staff. Paid for maintenance service, which I doubt they even did properly did. No accountability to repairs needed on machines they deemed and certified as good condition during install. Do not waste your time or money

  Terrible, terrible company. Multiple problems while paying them for a service contract. Awful customer service, rude staff, do not use them!!!
  This AC company does not take any responsibility for installing AC units with problems.  They simply tell you to take it up with the manufacturer which in our case was YORK.  2-3 year old units having problems.  YORK replaces the parts b/c under warranty but Black **** expects to get paid for every minute they spend fixing the issue and simply states, it is not their problem.  Bad way of doing business. They should not be installing units that have problems or maybe it is good for their business because these units have issues all the time
  

  We are asking Black **** to pay the minimum for us : a refund for the maintenance contract that hasnt been honored, a refund of the cost of the compressor we had to change and the cost of the install, and to change the second compressor of the unit they installed.
  Our next step will be to file a claim at the court if we no possible settlement. We let multiples chances to the company to make things right.

   

   

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  04/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Black **** had an agreement to change and clean our filters and lines every quarter. This was never done by them for our locations resulting in major damage to our AC units resulting in thousands of dollars.

  Business response

  05/19/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/04/21) */ Many customers do not fully understand the concept if a Maintenance Agreement. First, it is foremost an insurance policy to ensure an HVAC company will respond in a timely fashion in case of clogged line, parts that need repair. The customer in question is Orange Theory and customer already voiced his concerned about an expensive repair. Parts are higher by 40% currently due to supply chain and will continue to be such for some time. He did not complain to Black **** about their service agreement. In addition, it is NOT a contract. A customer may cancel at any time. Commercial agreements provide service every quarter and thereabouts. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/04/21) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I had complained several times because the filters ere not being change Quarterly and due to that create a lot of extra expenses .

*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. ↩