No one showed her how to operate the new air conditioner or offered to help set up the manufacturer’s warranty
A little over a year ago, my neighbor decided to replace the central air conditioner in her home. She told me all about the manufacturer of the cooling unit she chose and the very high SEER rating. She was really impressed by all of the state-of-the-art features the air conditioner included. She was paying a very high price for adaptable speed technology, zone control, dehumidification control and all sorts of amazing options. She was convinced that the savings on her monthly energy bills would quickly recover the investment and that her house would be perfectly comfortable. I asked her about the background of the HVAC company who was taking care of the sizing and installation. I wondered if they were factory authorized, licensed and insured. She had very little information. My neighbor had found the name of the company when she googled contractors in our local area. She didn’t bother to read customer reviews or check their rating with the Better Business Bureau. She wasn’t sure if the technicians were NATE- or EPA-certified or even if the company provided any type of satisfaction guarantee. I didn’t bother to ask her if she’d made sure that they followed proper protocols when calculating the size of the new air conditioner. Once the cooling system was installed and running, my neighbor had a whole bunch of complaints about the HVAC company. The project had gotten delayed several times, and then they weren’t respectful of her home. The technicians created a mess inside and outside. No one showed her how to operate the new air conditioner or offered to help set up the manufacturer’s warranty. They did such a poor job with the sizing and installation procedures that the system created unpleasant temperature swings, made a ton of noise and seemed to run constantly. Her energy bills were actually higher than before.