Cristina Henry

Review of Vernon Heating & Air Condition...

I cancelled my annual service membership with Vern...

I cancelled my annual service membership with Vernon after their technician refused to go on the roof to replace the HVAC exhaust vent cap (damaged by squirrels). After declining service, he asked me to pay him a service fee for coming to my house, and then called his boss when I refused to pay. I purchased a membership plan in July 2020, and there has been no correspondence from Vernon until I needed help replacing the exhaust vent cap. The technician said HVAC exhaust vent caps are not part of the HVAC system (false) and to call a roofing company. I was very clear about the purpose of the appointment, and I even inquired about the cost of vent caps over the phone. I also inquired about the cost of duct cleaning, and whether or not they did duct cleaning. Vernon never said they did not replace HVAC exhaust vent caps; otherwise I would have cancelled the appointment and called someone else. The technician indicated his only purpose for the appointment was to provide an estimate for duct cleaning ($800 for one HVAC system and no appointments available until late January). I found this statement conflicting because the first statement from the technician when he walked into my house was, "What problem are you having today?". I had a big problem. Squirrels broke into the HVAC exhaust vent on the roof and caused the vent pipe to clog up which caused the water heater to backdraft and burn up, releasing toxic gases and soot into my home. Another company, a plumber, replaced the water heater and inspected/cleaned out the flue pipe. There were additional plumbing issues detected, and I had to call the plumber to negotiate the price of fixing these additional issues; however I accidentally called Vernon instead of the plumber. When I refused to pay Vernon the service fee after they refused to replace the exhaust vent cap, the technician's boss asked me if I was the same person that called them, confusing them with a plumber. I said yes, and this person responded, "Are you sure you're not confused now?" I'm sure I'm not confused. I'm sure I called the wrong HVAC company to service my home.