[sadie44]

A/C not working. Chuck Farrell sent tech and replaced bad capacitor. System was still under warranty but tech said would take 5 days to fill out the paperwork and get authorization and part. Within an hour system quit again and tech came out. After checking, finally found a "fried" gecko on the defrost board (right next to the capacitor). Did a "wire around" so we would have AC and would do paperwork to get the board under warranty. Why coverage under warranty now? Also was going to charge another $75 for the second service call. Also never checked the inside unit, coolant etc.
Called Mike Lebanz who came right over and replaced the board UNDER WARRANTY and did a full maintenance check, Coolant was down 2# from the required 7#. He charged me $75 for the service call, $100 for the refrigerant, and $40 for half of the maintenance check-up. He spent over 2 hours that day and came back a week later to do the other half of the maintenance (cleaned the entire unit inside-mold on wires, coils etc-another 2 hours and charged me the balance of his maintenance fee of $69.
I called Farrells and talked to Chuck who told me the gecko had been there. I also told him the tech did not use the warranty coverage and did not check out the system inside. He said the gecko got in after the first service call (not true) and said he docked the tech 1 hour (??). He made no offer of any kind to fix the $143 they charged me. Will definitely never use them again. Will call Mike Lebanz at Good Guys 352-805-0035..

[retiredguy123]

A lot of what you said sounds strange. If the system is under warranty, and Chuck Farrell is an authorized dealer, it shouldn't take 5 days to get authorization to fix it. Anytime you have a unit under warranty, you should only call an authorized dealer. I think that Chuck Farrell is a dealer for American Standard, which is also called Trane. Also, if the refrigerant was low, it sounds like you have a leak, which is a much more serious problem. I would suggest that you go to the manufacturer's website and find an authorized dealer who can give your system a thorough inspection, verify that the compressor was not damaged by the low refrigerant level, and have it repaired under the warranty. Good luck.

[EdFNJ]

Sorry to hear that but In the 3+ years I have been here in T.V. that was the first negative thing I heard about that guy. Everything else has been plaudits. I guess errors happen even to the best.

[rustyp]

Originally Posted by EdFNJ

Sorry to hear that but In the 3+ years I have been here in T.V. that was the first negative thing I heard about that guy. Everything else has been plaudits. I guess errors happen even to the best.

I endorse this post. Chuck Farrell is my guy for years. Honest as the day is long. I once told him to replace my unit and he responded why nothing wrong with this one. Unfortunately I understand he is not taking on any new customers but honoring his existing base.

[tuccillo]

There is a good possibility that you have a refrigerant leak. Did they check the coils with a refrigerant sensor to look for a leak?

Originally Posted by sadie44

A/C not working. Chuck Farrell sent tech and replaced bad capacitor. System was still under warranty but tech said would take 5 days to fill out the paperwork and get authorization and part. Within an hour system quit again and tech came out. After checking, finally found a "fried" gecko on the defrost board (right next to the capacitor). Did a "wire around" so we would have AC and would do paperwork to get the board under warranty. Why coverage under warranty now? Also was going to charge another $75 for the second service call. Also never checked the inside unit, coolant etc.
Called Mike Lebanz who came right over and replaced the board UNDER WARRANTY and did a full maintenance check, Coolant was down 2# from the required 7#. He charged me $75 for the service call, $100 for the refrigerant, and $40 for half of the maintenance check-up. He spent over 2 hours that day and came back a week later to do the other half of the maintenance (cleaned the entire unit inside-mold on wires, coils etc-another 2 hours and charged me the balance of his maintenance fee of $69.
I called Farrells and talked to Chuck who told me the gecko had been there. I also told him the tech did not use the warranty coverage and did not check out the system inside. He said the gecko got in after the first service call (not true) and said he docked the tech 1 hour (??). He made no offer of any kind to fix the $143 they charged me. Will definitely never use them again. Will call Mike Lebanz at Good Guys 352-805-0035..

[sadie44]

Mike Lebanz checked for leaks . NONE. And he replaced board under warranty!

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

A lot of what you said sounds strange. If the system is under warranty, and Chuck Farrell is an authorized dealer, it shouldn't take 5 days to get authorization to fix it. Anytime you have a unit under warranty, you should only call an authorized dealer. I think that Chuck Farrell is a dealer for American Standard, which is also called Trane. Also, if the refrigerant was low, it sounds like you have a leak, which is a much more serious problem. I would suggest that you go to the manufacturer's website and find an authorized dealer who can give your system a thorough inspection, verify that the compressor was not damaged by the low refrigerant level, and have it repaired under the warranty. Good luck.

[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by rustyp

I endorse this post. Chuck Farrell is my guy for years. Honest as the day is long. I once told him to replace my unit and he responded why nothing wrong with this one. Unfortunately I understand he is not taking on any new customers but honoring his existing base.

Ditto here, long established reputation of honesty in this area (worked in this area long before retirement) and we've been told same thing, don't need new unit yet. That negative post about a gecko does not make a lot of sense, but who knows ? Can't understand why it was a major problem if warranted ?

[Villageswimmer]

Originally Posted by rustyp

I endorse this post. Chuck Farrell is my guy for years. Honest as the day is long. I once told him to replace my unit and he responded why nothing wrong with this one. Unfortunately I understand he is not taking on any new customers but honoring his existing base.

+1. Farrell has been great for us.

[JGVillages]

Originally Posted by Villageswimmer

+1. Farrell has been great for us.

Farrell installed a new HVAC fo me about 4 years ago. Beat 4 other quotes by $900-$1500. 6 months ago had a Freon leak which turned out to be in the line under the house. He re-ran the line through the attic and again beat another quote by $250. He’s been great for us too!

[Florida Fan]

Anything is possible, but I think something is missing from this story. Chuck Farrell has been excellent for us.

[n8xwb]

I too am surprised....have used Chuck more than
once and he has always been honest and reasonable.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by sadie44

Mike Lebanz checked for leaks . NONE. And he replaced board under warranty!

Very confusing. You said that the system holds 7 pounds of refrigerant, and that he added 2 pounds. So, the refrigerant level was about 30 percent low. That means you either have a leak or it was never filled properly by the original installer. Refrigerant doesn't just disappear.

[tophcfa]

We have been using Chuck and have been very happy with his service since we bought our home almost 6 years ago. I plan on having them back in June for our annual service.

[Ecuadog]

Chuck Farrell has been my guy going on 9 years now. I'm a happy camper.

[jswirs]

Originally Posted by JGVillages

Farrell installed a new HVAC fo me about 4 years ago. Beat 4 other quotes by $900-$1500. 6 months ago had a Freon leak which turned out to be in the line under the house. He re-ran the line through the attic and again beat another quote by $250. He’s been great for us too!

Chuck beat other bids for replacing my HVAC by about 20%, AND he installed more efficient equipment. Great company!