My parents are in their 70-80's and live by themselves in a newer Laurelwood neighbourhood in Waterloo. Last November 2019, their furnace blower fan was making a rattling sound. I took a look and it appeared that it was a bad bearing. I have an engineering background and would have normally fixed it myself but a family member was in the hospital that I was helping so asked my parents to call a furnace company to get it repaired. I looked online and thought cost would be around $2000. So my parents got it repaired in December 2019 and didn't say anything to me (knowing that I was busy helping at the hospital).
Then in February 2020 while I was visiting, I saw the invoice from Aire One KW for $10,000.50! Looking closer, it appeared that Aire One KW replaced the ENTIRE furnace AND also replaced their water softener and air conditioning unit! When I asked my parents what happened and they said that they thought it was odd as well but they said that Aire One said something about everything working together and that everything needed to be changed... any my parents TRUSTED them. Note that besides the blower fan rattle, everything else was working fine and the house was newer as well.
When I called Aire One about this around March, they just said things like "isn't it worth it for the peace of mind that your parents have new items?"... I also asked what was wrong with the water softener and air conditioning unit and they said, it's impossible to test the air conditioning unit in December when temps are cold outside and asked me how I knew that it wasn't broken... They offered to refund the money and remove the new furnace, water softener and air conditioner unit but can't put the old ones back since they were already thrown out (tell me if that offer makes any sense). Since conversation wasn't going anywhere, I asked that they talk to their superior and ask them to get back to me. A few days later they called back and offered a free bag of salt for the water softener. I was very angry but needed to let it go because it was making me a not a nice person to be around. I'm choosing to write this review now just as a warning to others.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $10,000.00
- Company Response
Jen and Dave,
Thank you for reaching out to us. We apologize that you feel as though the company has taken advantage of your parents. The units in the home were nearing 25 years and our team members prioritize safety, comfort and the overall well being of our customers. We are sorry that that is not how it came across.
As you had accepted our attempts to make amends, with the 2 free tune ups, filter and bag of salt, we had thought the matter had been rectified. Our offer still stands to provide a full refund for the items, should you want to move onto another company for your HVAC needs. We would love the opportunity to rectify this matter with you, as your satisfaction is important to us, so please give us a call at 519-569-8200 and ask for Krista. We look forward to hearing from you.