Disappointing Service

[GretaSigne]

In April of this year, our three year old Trane air conditioner (purchased from DeSantis Air Conditioning and Heating) started making a loud grating and pulsating noise. We called DeSantis for our annual maintenance service and the young man checked it and said that it was quite normal for the air conditioner to sound like that! His service report does not indicate that he ever checked the coolant. The noise continued for several weeks and we placed a call to Frank DeSantis. We got no response. We called Trane directly and they recommended a different company. We got another service and the young man found that the coolant was extremely low and he had to put in two pounds. The noise is somewhat better but is still there. We wrote an email outlining everything to Frank DeSantis and still got no response of any kind. My husband called the company and tried to reach Frank DeSantis once again, explained the situation to the woman who answered she just argued with him until he hung up in disgust.

[Stu from NYC]

Well thats a business to avoid doing business with

[retiredguy123]

If your refrigerant was low, it could have damaged your compressor. That is the most expensive part in your system, but it should have at least a 5 year warranty. I would call Chuck Farrell, 352-753-9497, or another reputable HVAC contractor. If the compressor is defective, you should be able to have it replaced under warranty.

[Jima64]

always nice when a company avoids responding to a call, or complaint call in a positive and nice way. just added thenm to my do not use list.

[John_W]

In April of this year, our three year old Trane air conditioner (purchased from DeSantis Air Conditioning and Heating) started making a loud grating and pulsating noise.

On Facebook Villages Talk there's a thread that has been going on for a couple of week asking who do you use for your A/C. Desantis has quite a few replies, along with Munn's and Chuck Farrell, who I use. I copied and pasted your reply onto that thread, that will also reach a few more people.

[Number 10 GI]

Somebody needs to check for a leak or leaks in your system. Did the guy that filled the system check for a leak? Two pounds of coolant is significant.

[iht2209]

That’s the way business operates in the villages

[Bridget Staunton]

Thank you Sir for trying to protect others. Good neighbor

[RRman77 retired]

We had a similar problem, poor service, and no call backs. We notified Citizens against crime, and all of a sudden the owner of said company was very co-operative. Companies in TV that do not perform well, need to be reported.

[banjobob]

Any owner of a small business should take special attention to complaints, and of course a lot of people are never satisfied,short a total no cost repair.

[Floridafoodie]

We haven't had a good experience with them either. We got a new system(Trane) from them a few years ago and the thermostat has never really worked- the temperature it shows is not accurate. Workers have been out twice and claim it is accurate- there is no problem. Right now, for example, our system thermostat reads 87 but our other two thermometers in the same place say 81 and 80, which I'm sure is more accurate.

[J1ceasar]

The thermostat is cheap to replace Yourself . if you are not satisfied just go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy one there are under $100 easily and you can do it yourself the wires are all color coded. The only other suggestion I have is maybe your thermostat was put in the wrong place in the house close to the kitchen

[timcarnicom]

Your first mistake was buying a Trane unit. They are not the company or quality they used to be. I'd stay away from any company that sells them. I bought a new Rheem unit 4 years ago and haven't had any problems with it whatsoever.

[retiredguy123]

The thermostat is cheap to replace Yourself . if you are not satisfied just go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy one there are under $100 easily and you can do it yourself the wires are all color coded. The only other suggestion I have is maybe your thermostat was put in the wrong place in the house close to the kitchen
If you replace the thermostat, pull the old one away from the wall and take a photo of the colored wires before you disconnect them. It can save you a huge headache when you connect the new one.

[oldtimes]

We called Trane directly and they recommended a different company.

I have to question a poster who's first post on the forum is giving a bad review to a company that has had very good reviews in the past. I thought this was against forum rules.

We have used them and were very satisfied.

[MandoMan]

The thermostat is cheap to replace Yourself . if you are not satisfied just go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy one there are under $100 easily and you can do it yourself the wires are all color coded. The only other suggestion I have is maybe your thermostat was put in the wrong place in the house close to the kitchen

Careful with that. I’m very good with home repairs, but when I tried to replace my thermostat with a different sort, I ended up shorting something out, and having it fixed cost me over $300. If it’s an exact match, no problem, but there were a lot of wires.

[Cheiro]

I have had personal business with DeSantis; I would NOT recommend them and suggest you avoid them at all cost.

[theruizs]

That’s the way business operates in the villages
Some businesses perhaps, but not all by any means. We have used Munns since we moved here in 2012 and they have been great. There are many reputable and reliable vendors in TV. There is also plenty of comments and reviews you can access on this site as well as nextdoor.

[theruizs]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[mauricelindsay78]

Our compressor on Carrier AC unit failed after 7 years. Part was guaranteed for 10 years. SunKool charged $75. for the diagnostic call and $606. for labor to install new one. It took less than 2 hours to install which is over $300 per hour for labor. When I questioned labor cost was told “sorry, that is our standard charge to install a new compressor “.

[wisbad1]

That’s the way business operates in the villages
I have Sun Kool, never had problems.

[Scorpyo]

That’s the way business operates in the villages

Munn's replaced a capacitor on my unit. Charged me extra for a Sunday visit - I didn't mind. Charged me an hour for the work - Again I didn't mind. What they charged me for the capacitor I did mind. I checked the price on-line and bought another just in case. Munn's marked it up almost 1,000%.

[Daddymac]

Our compressor on Carrier AC unit failed after 7 years. Part was guaranteed for 10 years. SunKool charged $75. for the diagnostic call and $606. for labor to install new one. It took less than 2 hours to install which is over $300 per hour for labor. When I questioned labor cost was told “sorry, that is our standard charge to install a new compressor “.

M & S is the same way.. parts were still under warranty, It took 10 mins to install... The Bill. $300.00. :ohdear::faint: :ohdear:
:boxing2::boxing2:

[RonGee]

I'm sorry and surprised to read your story. I have had DeSantis for 8 years with service to start and eventually replacing my unit.( it was 14 years old) I experienced and continue to enjoy quick answers to my questions and excellent service. I have always been able to communicate with Frank. Something must be going on.

[Red Rose]

The bad review was after the homeowner called DeSantis several times. The homeowner absolutely did the right thing. DeSantis should have reacted immediately to this serious problem. That's what you expect from customer service. Not blatant disregard.

[riley2011]

Maybe you just got lucky!

[rmd2]

The thermostat is cheap to replace Yourself . if you are not satisfied just go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy one there are under $100 easily and you can do it yourself the wires are all color coded. The only other suggestion I have is maybe your thermostat was put in the wrong place in the house close to the kitchen

I wish I had done that. I had a new thermostat replaced by De Santis recently and it cost me over $300 for the thermostat and installation. A few hours later when it got dark I found out I had no electric to 2 of my bedrooms (there were no storms). They came back out and reset the fuse box but said it had nothing to do with my thermostat install and that was another $85.

[worahm]

All AC's and heat pumps are designed with a low refrigerant pressure sensor. If the refrigerant is low, the sensor will turn the compressor off to prevent compressor damage. If the compressor in your unit was running, it is probably NOT low on refrigerant. It is possible, not likely the sensor is defective and failed to shut the unit down. If the sensor is defective, the service tech should have been able to determine that and replace it.

[Skip]

I have had personal business with DeSantis; I would NOT recommend them and suggest you avoid them at all cost.

I have had the same problem with DeSantis.
Not a good company.

Skip

[coastalnh]

We have had fantastic service with DeSantis. They installed our A/C a coouple of years ago and have maintained it (regular yearly maintenance) since. Our Trane is a little louder than other makes, but still not offensive. It works well for our house.

[Baywayric]

Our compressor on Carrier AC unit failed after 7 years. Part was guaranteed for 10 years. SunKool charged $75. for the diagnostic call and $606. for labor to install new one. It took less than 2 hours to install which is over $300 per hour for labor. When I questioned labor cost was told “sorry, that is our standard charge to install a new compressor “.

SunKool is a top notch company. Their “sin” here seems to be not providing you with the installation details. The compressor is the heart of your system, and to replace it requires several steps requiring expensive equipment. Not only is this not a DIY job, it is illegal to do so because of the refrigerant handling requirements. HVAC systems are HIGH pressure and before compressor service must be de-pressurized and all the refrigerant removed. The system then needs to be purged (usually with Nitrogen) to remove any impurities in the lines. Then they install the new compressor and recharge the system with NEW refrigerant. A full load is not inexpensive. Sadly, $606 is not unreasonable.

[Doro22]

We use Chuck Farrell also. Excellent service!

[Curtisbwp]

in april of this year, our three year old trane air conditioner (purchased from desantis air conditioning and heating) started making a loud grating and pulsating noise. We called desantis for our annual maintenance service and the young man checked it and said that it was quite normal for the air conditioner to sound like that! His service report does not indicate that he ever checked the coolant. The noise continued for several weeks and we placed a call to frank desantis. We got no response. We called trane directly and they recommended a different company. We got another service and the young man found that the coolant was extremely low and he had to put in two pounds. The noise is somewhat better but is still there. We wrote an email outlining everything to frank desantis and still got no response of any kind. My husband called the company and tried to reach frank desantis once again, explained the situation to the woman who answered she just argueda with him until he hung up in disgust.

me too

[KMcgee]

I always purchase a 10 year parts and labor contract from Carrier for my A/C unit, covers both inside and outside components. Cost was in the area of $900. Provides me with security that I will not see a large bill for 10 years and will easily pay for itself if a major component of the system fails. In two of my homes the coil in the air handler failed and required replacement. This is a big job zero cost to me. Also as I did not stay in those homes for ten years I pro-rated the contract and sold it to the new owners.