On august 6, 2014 I had my furnace installed by Moore Russell heating and cooling. This was a furnace replacement program contracted out by Costco Canada. The technician, Dave, explained the procedure and stated it was necessary to install an exhaust and intake vent pipes through my bathroom ceiling wall and in doing so, he would need to create a hole in my bathroom ceiling. That night, as a result of Dave's forgetfulness to turn on the pilot switch on my hot water tank, I was left without hot water and I had to call the company after hours to receive help. Dave stated he lived an hour away and felt it was inconvenient to come to my Vancouver resident as it was now 2330 hour at night and instead gave me directions over the phone to reignite the pilot switch.
In regards to the ceiling hole, Dave explained it was his company policy to use only a vent cover as none of their technicians will do drywall repairs. I then explained to ROB, (customer service rep and the initial point of contact who sold me the Costco Lennox furnace) that a vent cover was not satisfactory as it would leave moisture problems in my ceiling insulation and possible mold or affect the electrical (lights and exhaust fan) components in my ceiling. He requested proof of evidence and so, I provided pictures and measurements of the size of the hole (8"x 5.5"). Rob then deferred me to his company manager to solve my problem.
Serge was the company district manager and called me a full 1 week after the installation job. This was after I phoned and wrote an extensive email letter addressed to both ROB and Serge explaining how a vent cover would only leave moisture or mold problems. Serge again, emphasized that it was his company policy only to use vent covers and agreed to find a drywall finisher for me. He also suggested that I could find my own drywall finisher but stated he preferred to use his own connections to save money. After nearly two weeks later, I received a phone call from the drywall finisher and this was only after I persistently called Serge and repeatedly inquired when he would be able to find me a dry wall finisher.
In the end, on august 18, the drywall finisher patched the drywall, but insisted that Serge said he would not cover the painting of my ceiling wall. In the end, I sent a follow up email to Moore Russell addressed to both Rob and Serge and explained that a drywall patch is not water proof and is still permeable to moisture without proper bathroom paint. I even offered to paint it myself, but only asked that the company reimburse me for my supplies ( a paint brush, roller and the matching paint). As of yet, I haven't heard a reply back from Moore Russell after 48 hours when I left voice mail on Serge's cell phone and again when I wrote an email addressed to their company. So, after all of this, they only did a half completed remedial job of patching my ceiling without painting it and by refusing to paint it, they still left it moisture prone to mold.
A copy of this letter will be sent to various parties whom I believe will be an advocate of consumer protection. As I have purchased this through Costco Canada, they will be provided a formal written complaint and also Jim Moore, the owner and operator of Moore Russell.
Costco Canada, Better Business Bureau, Yellow pages review, homestars review, Google review and other relevant online reviews or social media will also be updated based on my experience with Moore Russell.
As a result of this experience, i'm advising other people who may be contemplating installing a furnace to stay away from Moore Russell heating and cooling. They will find ways to negate their duties and have very poor customer service follow up and communication.
Anthony from Vancouver
- Approximate cost of services:
- $5,500.00
- Company Response
Hi Anthony, I'm really sorry to hear that your experience with Moore & Russell wasn't to your expectation. As discussed previously, our installer described the work that needed to be done before starting any of the work. Our installer clearly described the extent of the work and advised that we would need to cut some holes. We also explained that we could cover the holes with return air grills and make the work clean. You expressed that you were concerned with mold forming so we agreed to pay for the expense of completing the dry wall repair. You called to confirm you were okay with the repair. I was extremely surprised to find out that you would like us to paint the area as well.
If we hadn't explained the installation prior to the start of the project , I would agree with you, but you were fully notified of the work that needed to be done.
Again we do apologize if that wasn't what you understood.
The Moore & Russell team.