Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  When I purchased my home my mortage lender had a new unit installed from Northgate. Almost a year later the unit needed fully replaced. Now a year after that it's broken again. Warranty or not, this is clearly an installation issue. Units last on average 10-15 years. A one year life on a unit is absolutely unacceptable. They won't cover the expense of their shoddy workmanship either so you're expected to pay labor and wait over a month for resolution while I have to take my children to stay at a hotel because my home is 89 degrees.

  

  Business response

  08/10/2022

  Consumer Response /* (2000, 6, 2022/07/20) */ They have repaired the unit and made things right. Excellent care.

• Initial Complaint

  03/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In 2017 My mother and I co-signed to get a loan for a brand new mobile home, through Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance and Clayton Homes. Everything was brand new, and the HVAC unit had a 10 year warranty. In July or August of 2020, the HVAC unit went out. We called Clayton, who told us that Northgate Parts was who we needed to call to come and fix it. We did, and they came out. They refused to honor the warranty, and still charged us around $200. We asked why, and were told that the specific problem wasn't covered under warranty. We agreed and paid. In September of 2021, the unit went out a second time. We called Northgate, who again came out and repaired it, and again, charged us. We again asked why, since it was a different issue, and he gave us the same excuse. So we paid. Well, on 3/24/2022, the unit went out a third time. We noticed that some of the wires were frayed and we thought it was rats, so, instead of calling Northgate, we called a third party HVAC company. They came and looked at it, and said that 120 volts of electricity was running through the 24 volt wires, and had caused them to melt, and that's why they looked frayed. He informed us that just what he could see on the inside was around $600, but since it was still under warranty, this would definitely be covered, and recommended we call Northgate. So we did. They set up a tech to come out on 3/31/2022, but that morning, I got a call from Northgate telling me that the service call was canceled because in the past, they "had trouble collecting," and, we "badgered the tech the whole time." We have called the third party HVAC company, and they are going to come out and fix it, and let us do monthly payments, however, I feel like Northgate should be responsible for paying. My grandmother lives with us and is in her 70s, with COPD and CHF so, we can't go this long with no heating and air.

  

  Business response

  05/05/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2022/04/18) */ Original install date of the heat pump was 06/29/2017. This is a 10 year part only. It came with a 1 year labor warranty. After the first year the labor warranty ceased to exist. The furnace that came with the home has a 2 year part only warranty. Our first service call to this home was 08/12/2020.Someone else had been working on the equipment, because there was a new thermostat installed and a lot of incorrect wiring that was performed by someone else. We corrected all wiring and changed out a TXV valve (valve was under warranty - NC). We collected for only the labor. Any unauthorized technicians working on Nortek equipment voids the warranty. Next call was 08/26/2021. Control board was bad in the furnace. This is no longer under warranty. Customer has the responsibility to maintain proper maintenance and good housekeeping of their equipment. On this particular call, that expectation wasn't met. This is the only 2 calls we have for this customer. We have documented where in the past the customer has gone outside of Northgate Parts for service. I feel like we have provided proper service on both calls. I can't speak for the company they have retained to fix their new problem. What I can say is their unit would not have worked for the time since we last serviced it, if it had been wired incorrectly as stated. In Northgate Parts opinion, no compensation is due the customer. Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2022/04/19) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The fact that there are 3 different warranties for what is essentially the same overall system is confusing, however, the warranty paper that we have from when we bought the home says it's a 10 year parts and labor warranty, so, that's what they should be honoring. As for anyone else working on it when it went out in 2020, no. We called Northgate and they were the only ones who came out to work on it. They replaced the thermostat, so if the wiring was wrong, it was on the tech. The condensate drain pan was clogged as well, and the overflow from that has damaged our floor in front of it, which is an issue we recently found out. As for the second call, firstly, we were keeping the filters cleaned and changed, and we were keeping the condensate water pan drained. We were following the cleaning guide we got when we bought the house. If there are things that weren't in said guide that we weren't doing that we should have been, we didn't know. As for that being the only two calls, that's a flat out lie. I have call logs from where I called this most recent time, and I have logs where they called on the day that they scheduled to come out and cancelled. We only went outside of Northgate parts this most recent time, and we only did so because they clearly refused to honor their warranty in the past. This most recent repair is somewhere in the range of $5,000. The damage was caused by a power surge, the unit wasn't surge protected. According to the Tennessee Building Code, HVAC systems have to follow UL 1995, and according to that, they must be protected from electrical surges. I do believe that Northgate is 100% responsible for compensating us. If for no other reason than the fact that it's a unit that is only five years old, that wasn't installed to code. If a copy of the warranty from me, and copies of the call logs are required, please let me know. I'll be more than happy to send them. In the meantime, I have to figure out a way to keep my elderly grandmother who was COPD and CHF out of the hospital over the temperature extremes we've been having to deal with. Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/04/20) */ Northgate Parts has been in business since 1973. We didn't get this far in the business world by implementing questionable practices. When customers use words like lies or lying, then it's time to move on. I stand behind what I stated. The homeowner has responsibility to do periodical maintenance check and filter cleaning. No company can be liable for clogged water issues. The standard labor warranty for most companies on an installation is 1 year. We are in year 5. No relief will be given.

*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. ↩