A family’s air conditioner is under warranty, and the same part has broken four times. And what both the repairman and manufacturer are telling them has left them heated. It’s tonight’s Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Meryl is so lucky to still be able to sit on the porch with her mother.
Meryl Leaman: “She’s going to be 96. I’m thankful every day.”
Dortha Moore: “I will be old enough to vote.”
Dortha jokes about her age, but why she has to sit outside on a 90-degree day with fans blowing doesn’t amuse her.
Dortha Moore: “It’s actually cooler out here on the porch than it is in the house.”
That’s because two weeks ago,their air conditioner broke — for the fourth time.
Meryl Leaman: “It’s the same issue every time: the evaporator coil. There’s oil inside, no freon, just leaked everywhere.”
An AC person repairs the coil again and again, and then it leaks again. He has now given up.
Meryl Leaman: “And he said to me, ‘This can’t be fixed.’”
Then more bad news.
Meryl Leaman: “They’re now telling me that the coil is no longer readily available and would have to be built.”
No one has any idea how long that will take, leaving them in a house where the thermostat hits 92 degrees in the daytime.
Dortha Moore: “I have neuropathy, and the heat is making them worse. They’re swelling real bad.”
Since the unit is under warranty, Meryl called the manufacturer and asked for a replacement air conditioner. She said they said, ‘No. Wait for the replacement coil,’ irritating her.
Meryl Leaman: “This needs to get resolved sooner than later, so you’ll hear from me every day.”
There is another option, but buying another $8,000 unit is impossible for Meryl.
Meryl Leaman: “I’m actually out of work right now, and she’s on Social Security.”
They did get a portable air conditioner for the kitchen so Dortha can sleep in a chair. But that only lowered the temperature to 84 degrees in that room.
Meryl Leaman: “She even said last night that she can’t do this much longer. It’s just really taking its toll on her.”
Dortha can’t stand it, Kiana isn’t happy, and their failure to get a replacement air conditioner has them all steaming.
Meryl Leaman: “It’s frustrating, and it’s annoying. They don’t want to listen to me. So that’s why I’m reaching out to Help Me Howard.”
Well, Howard, does the warranty require the company to replace the unit?
Howard Finkelstein: “It’s actually complicated. A warranty for a product like an air conditioner requires repairs if it breaks down. If it cannot be repaired again and again, it has to be replaced, but the law doesn’t specifically say how many attempts they get to repair it before they have to replace it.”
I contacted the AC company corporate office. A Trane rep told me: “We escalated this to our Residential HVAC Customer Relations team.”
After a few more emails back and forth, good news.
A representative wrote to Meryl: “In special consideration of your situation, as a one-time goodwill gesture, Trane will provide a replacement unit at no cost.”
Dortha Moore: “Well, I was happy that they were going to replace it.”
Meryl Leaman: “I was surprised, because they had initially told me they weren’t going to.”
Nice of Trane to do that, since they could have kept trying to repair the air conditioner. But now, no more sweating for Meryl and her mother.
Meryl Leaman: “I am so glad that I called you, and so thankful for Channel 7 and Help Me Howard for getting this done.”
‘Cause it’s not healthy to live in a 90-degree home.
Now, when it comes to a warranty, read it, because you wanna know what you are facing if something goes wrong. In this case, things turned out alright.
Is the heat on you? Tired of things being frosty? Don’t get hot about it. Chill and let us cool things off.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
Source:: News Miami – Fox News
About Author
