Complaint Review: First American Home Buyers Protection Corporation - Mansfield Texas

I purchased my home mid-September 2012.  At the time of purchase, the AC unit had its regular maintenance performed as it was not cooling properly.  This resolved the issue.

This month, June 2013, I noticed my AC unit wasn't keeping the house very cool.  (I usually run it around 77-78 degrees so obviously not a lot of stress on the unit.)  I called several AC companies to get quotes on having it maintenanced/inspected. All started cleaning around $79 dollars.  One was as low as $50.  During one of the conversations, the tech told me that the unit may be low on freon and if that was the case, it would mean there was a leak somewhere in the unit.  He said he could add additional freon but it was only a temporary fix.  That the additional freon would put stress on the unit and reduce its lifespan.  

Shortly after making the calls, I phoned the warranty company.  It was my first time since owning the home that I have ever called.  I was expecting something similar to my previous warranty companies.  You call, they come out, you pay the service fee, they fix whatever is broken, and that's the end of it.

That is not how this warranty company operates.  I called and was told I'd have to pay the $60 service fee.  I was fine with that.  But then the technician shows up the next day.  He says my unit is filthy with this look on his face like it'd never been cleaned before, which I know is not true.  He says it will cost me $150 to have it cleaned.  I laughed and asked him if he was serious.  I told him that's twice what everyone else charges.  He just shrugged his shoulders and said it was his company's fee.  I said, "So that's on top of the $60?"  "Yes, ma'm."  What?!?

He then tells me that the unit is just a little low on freon.  I told him what the tech said that I spoke with before and he said he couldn't tell if there was a leak if he didn't clean the unit first.  I said I wanted the freon knowing perfectly well what that cost as well.  He tells me he didn't bring any with him and goes to get it.  When he comes back, he said his company would lower the cleaning fee to $100.  Isn't that convenient?  By this time, I was so upset, I told him just to clean it.

While he was gone, I called the warranty company and spoke with a supervisor.  She was anything but helpful.  She said I should have had the AC unit maintenanced.  I told her that in any contract, regular maintenance on an AC unit is once a year so in no way had I broken this contract.  She said it should be done whenever it's needed.  I told her it was cleaned 9 months ago!  (Most of the months between September and June are winter months so it's not as if the unit was even being used!)  She kept saying, "Well, that's almost a year."  No, it's not.  

I explained how much the tech wanted to clean the unit and that it was double what everyone else charges.  Her argument was that it was a chemical clean.  Finally, I said I was going to the BBB about the warranty company's horrible service.  Her response was that she was sure the BBB would like to hear how my AC unit needs to be cleaned.

I have never had this kind of experience with a warranty company.  At my previous home I had AC issues.  I called the warranty company I had at the time and they sent someone out.  I paid the one time service fee, he cleaned the unit, and he left.  He didn't try to tack on any extra charges, he wasn't rude, and he knew what he was doing.

We will see what the technician says regarding my unit, but considering it wasn't cooling under 80 for 3 days, I do not believe for one second that it was simply because the unit was dirty.