I'm Lindsay Ferrier, a Nashville writer with a passion for family travel, exploring Tennessee, and raising kids without losing my mind in the process. This is where I share my discoveries, along with occasional deep thoughts, pop culture tangents and a sprinkling of snark. Want to get in touch? Use the CONTACT form at the top of the page.
Air!
May 17, 2013
First of all, let me apologize for taking a full day and a half to give you an update on our HVAC.
I’m absolutely certain that you’ve all been sitting on the edge of your seats for the last 36 hours, anxiously wondering how on earth we Ferriers were managing to survive without downstairs A/C on an 80 degree day!
THE HORROR.
Well, after reading all of your amazing advice (thank you to everyone who chimed in here and on Facebook- you all should read the comments on the last post, because there are some great tips in there that I will definitely use in the future), Dennis called the company back on Wednesday and again insisted that they send someone out immediately. Once again, they asked to send out the original technician. Once again, Dennis said it would have to be someone else.
When I brought the kids home from school, the owner of the company was in my driveway. He was very nice and apologized for the trouble. He checked the unit and quickly got it up and running again– He explained that the purple and blue wires had been crossed accidentally. I acted like I knew what he was talking about. But all I was thinking was–
AIR! WE HAVE AIR!
Before he left, he asked me why we didn’t want the original technician to come out again. I told him the whole story and he admitted that other customers had complained about the guy, including the owner’s own mother! However, he had an explanation for the technician’s off-putting behavior:
“He’s from Georgia.”
Bless his heart.
The owner promised never to send him out to our house again, gave me a heartfelt pitch to continue doing business with them, and was on his way. Problem solved!
I’m sure the fact that Dennis had begun answering his cell phone as “Investigative Reporter Dennis Ferrier” whenever the company called had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with it!
P.S. We are never getting a “preventative maintenance plan” EVER, EVER AGAIN.
Image via danxoneil/Flickr
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Congratulations on having your air working. Wires “accidentally” crossed? Riiiight!
LOVE THIS!
“I’m sure the fact that Dennis had begun answering his cell phone as “Investigative Reporter Dennis Ferrier” whenever the company called had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with it!”
I’m not happy that we were without air for THREE DAYS because of the crossed wires– but for now, I’m just glad we have a/c again!
Congratulations! As one who lived for 20 years in a lower flat – unairconditioned, with no option to put in window units – I felt your pain. Had to laugh at how obsequious the owner was – I’m sure Dennis’ phone greeting had a bit to do with that!
He said, “I’d have been out here that same night to fix the problem if I’d known!” If he’d known WHAT?! I didn’t ask!
So the owner’s OWN MOTHER complained about this guy and yet he still works there? Unbelievable! Shame on that owner.
BUT – an annual maintenance contract can be wise to have for major things like HVAC. We had a weird problem with our heater a few years ago where it wouldn’t SHUT OFF and the house would feel so nice and uncommonly cozy in the dead of winter and we’d realize “Damn no wonder, it’s 75 degrees in here.” Anyway, it took MANY MANY service calls for them to fix it and was quite complex and cost us NOTHING. They stuck with it until it was fixed. (It was some sort of circuit board in the heater.)
Also, our annual a/c maintenance contract gives us a yearly check and they have found evidence of mice chewing the wires and instructed us on what to do so that when it does get hot out, the A/C will work and not need a service call.
So I really don’t think the service contracts are bad in themselves. I just think you had a bad apple with that guy.
Just my opinion.
Glad it worked out.
I love your kind of plan– Ours was just two visits– one in spring, one in fall– for $179. It doesn’t even seem like a good deal now that I’m looking at it, particularly if they want us to buy something that isn’t broken.
Georgia? Oh, well then, that’s totally understandable! Honestly, I would think Georgians would be super ethical and very sweet. Unless you are talking about people from the nation of Georgia rather than the state of Georgia. In that case, I completely see the owner’s point of view. Everyone knows that THOSE Georgians are horrible people. Just kidding!
Ha! He didn’t know that I’m FROM Georgia. I also thought it was hilarious because Georgia is ONE STATE AWAY! It wasn’t like “He’s from up north,” or “He’s from California.” It was “He’s from a place that’s 2 1/2 hours away.” LOL