Elderly man winds up with $19,000 HVAC system that he won't pay off until he's nearly 100 years old
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- Опубликовано: 13 дек 2021
- Most of us do not know much about our heating and air conditioning systems. So when they break, we usually have to rely on what the repairman tells us is wrong and what needs fixing or replacing. That's what a Goodlettsville man did. But he says that because he trusted the repairman, he was left with a huge bill that he probably won't ever be able to pay off.
I can't stand when the elderly get taken advantage of
Me either . I remember a transmission repair shop tried to take advantage of My Mom . They tried to say the car needed a tuneup . I replaced everything & the car ran perfectly & I spotted a plug wire off the spark plug & I put back on & no issue. You got to be careful. Yes there’s lots of con artists out trying to sell you something you may not need .
That HVAC company should be put out of business. There is a special place in hell for whoever was involved
i mean ruud is a good company. but whoever installed that unit (which was not ruud who installed it) needs to get fired.
Nexstar. I'm telling you avoid companies that follow the nexstar program.
I used to work for a company like this, I quit pretty quickly and intend on going into business for myself selling good quality but budget oriented units and tailoring a system to the customer's finances, getting them the best system they can afford without financing or with minimal financing
A 40 year customer. They should be ashamed of themselves. I'm glad they got exposed.
They deserved to be exposed! There reputation & credibility is shot . Who cares they did it to themselves! What they did that person was wrong & basically the company stolen money from them & selling something they may have never needed.
This is most companies now. Even the cheap shops are installing and telling people to fend for themselves if issues arise
They placed a lien on his home, crooks...
That 19K is absurd and so is the 13K. This is what the HVAC industry has become.
I’ve been in the industry for 24 years ,majority of the time as a master technician and the last 10 years doing sales.. I can assure you modern-day equipment is extremely expensive.. when I started in the mid 90s you could get a decent system installed for 4000.. you couldn’t even buy the equipment at cost today for 4000.. his equipment is a variable speed compressor system.. with a modulating air handler.. probably looking at 6000 at cost . Did he need that kind of system??? Hell no . That was idiotic on the company that services him . We are Trane dealer and they also have a model that’s very similar to that., XV20 system .even getting it at cost it’s not worth it to me.. total waist . Also as of last January, the government and epa change the SEER requirements to SEER2 for all manufactures.. prices went up 25 to 30% right off the bat for them to remanufacture and engineer to hit those new SEER 2 numbers, which in my opinion was not needed . That’s government regulations for you. The cost of it just gets passed to the customer.
Thank you for your informative response.
@@entreri76x Lies. You can. And I know where to get them at that price.
That’s very normal for a hvac replacement ….
My daughter paid 8,900.- 100 MBUH, cat. I, 2.5 ton, Heil.
He did sign it to get the machine installed. That man just needed a basic 13 seer single stage system not higher end. Car salesmen are coming into hvac now because of the money.
You can't install 13 seer anymore. 14.3 seer 2 is minimum. New seer2 equipment is extremely expensive. I am in this field and that price is not uncommon. Pretty much everything has doubled I the last few years if you haven't noticed.
The problem is freaking companies making sales part of your salary!!
They gave him a furnace and a heat pump and top tier items so the price isn’t all that bad. It’s the service agreement which is insane.
Seems like that's how they get you. Nice extras, ruthless terms.
Shame on Donalson Heat and Air for taking advantage of these seniors , I would advise using a different company.
Nashville-Air LLC doesn’t do folks like that
I just had the conversation with my father at 80 years old that he needs to run any big charges by me first.
Greener solutions of Stockton CA tried to scam my 80 year old mother with cognitive impairment a $20,000 replacement after coming to change the filter. Claiming the system was shot.
I’m a 35 year hvac guy and this is ridiculous. I’ve done work for multi millionaires and even them would not want such an expensive ac.
I have been doing HVAC/sheet metal mechanic for over 33 years and all for the same small family owned company.
Companies like this really piss me off.first the service tech is there to fix the problem and not to sell them a system.when service techs get commission on what they sell,not much repairs being done.this man is 90 years old and in no way if he did need a new system shouldn’t been high end as he is not going to live long another for the pay back in energy savings.
This is criminal! I’ve seen some installer’s say by LAW you have to do this. Then charge an arm and a leg. I usually show them out the door and get another opinion.
Canada that company would rent homeowners a water heater put a lien on their property for 12-15k dollars. They would rent HVAC systems also put liens on the property.
I have neighbors who were bamboozled into a paying for a new $22,000 HVAC system. This is for a 1400 sq. ft. house.
As a retiring HVAC company owner, this is absolute robbery. I will be exposing these type of crooks for a retirement job.
Shame on you, Donelson Air! You need to give these folks a full refund.
This is what happens when you employ salespeople. They will do anything to make an extra buck. $13k is still too high.
🎯👍💯 taking advantage of a elderly person is wrong. There’s special place for thieves! .
"Anything we tell him, he will accept it"
Well i guess they were right.
its really hurtful what they did to such an old ma, pure scammers, shame on them
Yeah they finessed him i dont even know what the 13k is about😂
That is sad someone charged him that much. That’s fkn robbery!!!
That is still a ridiculous price. They should have never sold this man that type of system. I would fire someone for some low down crap like that.
I have been doing commercial hvac-r and residential for over 25 years, and this just makes me mad. I wish I was his contractor. I would of most likely found the leak (if there even was a leak to begin with) and if it was fixable, I would of fixed it, if not I most likely would of just replaced whatever part that was leaking. Shame on that company. What goes around comes around. Hope they go out of business.
I think the legal system needs to get in to this situations, it's a scam with all this financing deals between the HVAC industry and the financing companies.
I would put more of the blame on the salesman, and I’m sure he’s 100% commission. For a top-tier Trane system, the equipment and materials could easily cost a company $12,000, so $19,000 with financing charges doesn’t seem that far-fetched. Also, I’m sure half of the monthly bill is now being saved on his utilities. At the end of the day, they should have shown him the total balance, and he should’ve been giving good, better best options. An additional $13,000 for a service contract Seems to me to be their unethical part.
Considering they put in a Ruud ultra series and probably get dealer pricing the whole thing probably cost them less than 10 grand, I'd have quoted them for a 16 SEER straight cool Heil and 90+ dual stage furnace, high efficiency but nowhere near 19 grand, not even 10 grand because it's not a variable speed unit or modulating furnace, just an old school system that uses technology we've had for 30 years now
That’s totally false.. lol. We are one of the largest Trane dealers in Virginia… maybe 6K total at cost, including controls.. we also offer interest, free financing, 24 months, 36 months, 48 months, 60 months.. the consumer should always ask about the terms on the financing and always make sure the vendor is offering 0%. Unfortunately, the customer got completely taken advantage of and was sold something he did not even need and it’s not even worth it.. in order for a system to hit a high seer rating like that at an operating level.. that required to replace the entire duct system in engineer the dock system with the correct static pressure to ensure the system runs at the advertised seer rating.. airflow is 50% of the equation.. the actual home also comes into play with the R-value of the house, along with windows, and how airtight it is.. he didn’t need anything more than 14 seer system based on the age of his home..
please also get them for making the employee salaries tied to sales quotas !! Is a crooked wordl !!!!
I love all of these comments from people that must be 100 yeats old. You have to buy seer2 equipment now and it cost way more. Btw adding gas to your system does not fix it - if you have to add gas, you have a leak. Pretty much everything has doubled in the last few years if case you have been living under a rock. And your lucky to get 10 years out of a new system. They dont make anything like they use too. Its not 1985 anymore!
That’s absurd! Ripping off a elderly person is just wrong . That company should be ashamed of themselves. I wouldn’t never deal with that company. & selling something he may have not needed ! That’s wrong . & dishonest. That’s pure theft & extortion.Shame on you Donaldson heating & Air.
Wow. He should of got a 2nd opinion. Also by the time he gets it paid off it would probably be time to replace it again. He got Rheemed on a Rheem system. At least they helped him in the end. Donaldson air only did because they did not want their reputation damaged by being on tv. So many let companies get away with taking advantage of the public. What this guy did was the right thing. I think he should of got a senior citizens discount at time of quote.
Put similar system in my house...tht install price is pretty fair for quality install..but old man only needs a $8-12k system single stage simple
Companies like that. Make the rest of us look bad.
You can’t just add refrigerant. It means there is a leak.
Even 13,000 dollars is crazy. This is bullshit that a company like this is taking advantage advantage of this elderly couple.
Hvac guy here, a full system for good equipment costs that all the time unfortunately, it's important to be upfront and honest to your customer though.
Never sign a contract you don't agree to, that company should have known better
Look at the bigger future. Your utility bill is cut in half so he’s basically paying for 13 year system. He got a look at the big picture if you’re gonna make a living in this industry if you do not see the big picture in this industry get out and go to Walmart.
A 1500 sq ft home does not need a top of the line ac system. The price for the ac unit plus boiler seems fair but to tag on a service plan that jacked the price up to $32,000 is outrageous. Taking advantage of an elderly gentlemen is heartless. How many others has this company taken advantage?
HVAC tech here ..$19k isn't that bad for that system you get rebates and tax credits aswell ... But the service plan is the catch. $300 a year 10 years is only $3000 for 10 years maintenance
That's abuse from elderly people and should be punished with a cancelation of their license a big fine and jail time so nobody on any business do this kind of atrocities to elderly people.
Maybe it’s possible that they knew buddy was t gonna have that many years and they just hooked him up good with a cheap ac in the long run he will only pay about $5000 god forbid I hope he live a long life
That’s sick. That price is the price of a commercial hvac system that system should’ve not been over $8k
yah maybe in 1985, its supply and demand the wages of skill trades men has gone up exponentially in the last decade because everyone wanted to have pretend jobs in offices where you do like 20 hours of actual work a week, now everyone is paying the price for that lifestyle, team leads on hvac crews expect 6 figure salaries
Right... about 8 to 10 grand for a unit
Price isn’t crazy just a shady salesman
That job shouldn’t of cost more than 7,000-10,000 for that high end system and that’s probably on the high side
When I have issues with my AC, I just try adding gas to see if that fixes the problem.
Adding gas does not fix the problem. If you have to add gas you have a leak.
Do you clean both coils as well change filters regularly
Don't be so easy when buying things !
An hvac system can cost this much. It's normal
The cost may be normal; however, they up-selled him on a premium unit he didn't need. A budget offering costing less would have been scrupulous in this case, but no, greed took over.
@@RabbitWatchShop crooks
@@kylemason5951 of the legal variety, yes lol
Mine cost me over $20,000💵💵💵
My boy..
Thats true but they charged him a service fee of 13k plus the 19k for the unit. Then they put a lien on his house if its not paid (Which we do not know if they removed because it said he just asked).
WHO DOES THIS?
I bought a new truck in 2000. I paid 16,000$ a similar truck now cost 50-70k. You baby boomers see any correlation here?
I’m sure they took advantage of the dude, but the reporters are fluffing this story a bit.
It wasn’t an AC, it was a duel fuel heat pump furnace combo, also has ten years of maintenance prices in, and the heat pump is an inverter nonetheless.
So even though they upsold the shit out of this old man, he did get what he paid for.
Everything else all depends on how the conversation with him went. Usually when I get older folks, I’ll ask them if they have any friends or family to be there with us during the present.
Maybe they asked and he declined, maybe they didn’t. No way to know.
When they presented, they more than likely had three or four options built. Maybe he wanted the higher tier.
Again I’ll do the same thing, but usually I’ll throw in what I would recommend, and it’s rarely a setup as crazy as that.
The Lien came from the finance company, not the hvac company. Finance companies suck no matter what.
I’m sure this was a greedy salesman, and that isn’t ok, but the news station is absolutely adding some fluff to make it worse than it is.
How do companies live with themselves how can you take advantage of anyone especially the elderly or disabled
Overselling people feels sneaky and shady. Not illegal, exactly, but unethical.
They are elderly folks did not need the cadillac
I always thought USA techs were honest...was I wrong.
Crooks. Most of USA are becoming crooks
They’re salesman, not techs
Up selling to old people has become the norm. It is called scamming the elderly. There was no real reason this guy needed the most expensive unit Reem makes. These units are one of the Best on the market but there are plenty of alternatives for a fraction of the price. So sad they took advantage of his ignorance. Shame.
Just don't pay... Let them put a lien on the property.... Who cares
$32,000 is a scam. HVAC systems at that time were $2,000. It takes a day to install. Scam
Look to smaller HVAC companies to prevent this type of shit.
this is ridiculous. the 10 year old system was most likely fine, probably just needed a little gas and it would be fine, they just wanted to sell a system HVAC systems should easily last at least 15-20-25 years absurd that they ripped this guy off!!
Why would it need a “little more gas”?
Your lucky to get 10 years out of an ac system now. I loved all of these experts comments.
@@BigJon-wb9jq yea it’s funny to ready thru. I’m a full time HVAC service technician, and the amount of people claiming “it needs Freon” is concerning. That is not at all how heating and cooling works
Always get multiplE bids
This makes me mad; so happy that these crooks are being exposed.
I feel bad for him, but ive served customers for over 20 yrs now. Even the sharpest elderly folk miss things when you talk to them. I feel as though its highly likely this stuff was explained to him and he just missed that part. Nothing wrong with that, its just the way things get with age. I refuse to believe the company would not refund him and replace things with cheaper alternatives, given his loyalty. Likely didnt even bother to ask, and just took it to the media. Not victim blaming, we all know these things happen with elderly folk.
That’s just a rip off! Call me brother Nashville-Air LLC
Actually the ac company broke the law,did not pull a permit,the inspector would not have passed inspection on that condenser ,it is a fire hazard ,too close to the structure.15 inch minimum.5000 dollar fine.
What mechanical code says that? I look at the code book everyday. That is not in it! Some manufacture specs say 6" clearance.
lol ... that's nothing ... my sister got take for $20,000+ just for two outside condensing units! They normally sell for $1000 - $1200 per unit so the total cost for the install should've be less than $3,000 at the most 😉
This is what happens when ignorant customers deal with SCAMMERS!
My personal A/C system that I just rebuilt was a 25 year old Carrier unit and it only cost me a little over $2,000 to rebuild it after the compressor finally burned out. I done all the work myself and converted over from R22 to R407C which was a simple process. I know the work was done correctly and I saved a ton of money (local companies quoted $8,000 - $9,000+)!
Also, anytime you hear the word "efficiency" your about to be SCAMMED with an overpriced, unreliable, electronic piece of junk so just walk away!
Lol. This elderly man definitely got taken advantage of, no doubt. But you sound like you don’t know what you’re talking about. High efficiency does not equal scam. Also, unless you hold a 608 universal cert, I would not go around broadcasting on the internet how you did your own AC installation. You’re asking for a fine and a court date if you’re not EPA certified.
Lol you don’t know what you’re talking about
Thats just business. Donald's AC did nothing wrong here.
😅😅😅 funny guy
@themrmoy40 if he bought a $60k car I don't think it would have made the news
I own an ac business he didn’t get taken advantage of the reporter is trying to make a case for the tv. That’s an average price for a new high efficiency system, especially during the Biden regime. A classic case of the ignorant buyer who didn’t care to look at the paperwork. He’s old so everybody feels sorry for him. I bet if it was a young first time homeowner if doubt it would make the news! Moral to the story. Read the paperwork before you sign it!! Shame on the new crew making a good business look bad.
Was his stupid choice.....