HVAC circles of hell (apologies Dante, sayonara Shipton’s)

A series of unfortunate events, or a case study in questionable business ethics?

Author

Jeffrey S. Racine

Published

January 2, 2025

File this post under the “fool me three times, shame on me” category.

Are High Pressure Sales Tactics the New Norm?

Some background may be in order:

  • Our home has three HVAC units (two furnaces and one A/C).
  • We purchased well-built, energy-efficient units designed to last.
  • We have our equipment serviced regularly, before problems arise.
  • We prefer to maintain serviceable equipment rather than prematurely dispose of it in a landfill.

After the HVAC units were installed, we took out a service contract with Shipton’s Heating and Cooling. We paid $340/year for two annual service and maintenance visits (winter furnace, summer A/C; we provided the replacement furnace humidifier pads and charcoal filters).

Unfortunately, Shipton’s recently threw a series of hardballs our way and, as a consequence, we decided to terminate our contract. And even though the last three service visits rank among the most unpleasant ever, we wondered whether each might simply be an unfortunate one-off event. In fact, we let three strikes in a row pass by before finally calling Shipton’s out. The strikes were:

  • Strike 1 - Replace your furnace collector box immediately at the cost of $472, it may be time to speak with a home comfort adviser… (immediate unnecessary repairs recommended?)
  • Strike 2 - We disabled your A/C and the owner will drop by to recommend a replacement unit at the cost of $17,396 (in the peak of summer, without consultation, with the system performing admirably; hijacking and ransom?)
  • Strike 3 - Authorize furnace repairs immediately at the cost of $2,112, or your natural gas supply will be cut off in 42 days, it may be time have a home comfort adviser… (in the dead of winter, without consultation, with the system performing admirably; high pressure sales tactics and blackmail?)

I penned this post to link to in online reviews, and each strike is described in more detail below for those who are interested. I would be curious to hear your thoughts, so feel free to email me if you are so inclined, particularly if you have had a similar experience.

Strike Two (Hijacking and Ransom?)

On June 11 2024, a technician (Stephen) was dispatched for the annual maintenance of the A/C unit.

When finished, with zero prior discussion, Steven said he had disabled the unit and arranged for the owner (Scott) to visit and go over replacement options. I was stunned, and told him the unit works fine. He said it needs refrigerant and could ice up and leak. I said that years ago we had Shipton’s install two automatic shut off devices to prevent leak damage (one in the drip pan, one in the condensate pump enclosure), which he admitted he was aware of. I told him to re-enable the A/C unit immediately. In the written summary Stephen provided after he re-enabled the unit, he wrote:

“Customer opted to continue running system despite chance of icing up, Scott to follow up. [] It may be time to have a home comfort adviser provide options on a more efficient system.”

We did not receive a follow up call from Scott, but the next day received a phone call to tell us that someone else (Daniel, a new sales rep) came to the house unannounced when we were not home, then left. Daniel’s visit was rescheduled for the following day, and on his second visit he told us that the unit was low on refrigerant, could not be recharged, and our only option was to replace it ASAP. I told Daniel how frustrated I was with the Shipton’s technician who disabled our perfectly functional unit in peak season without any prior discussion, and how frustrated I was with Shipton’s unannounced visits with no prior notification, but asked for a quote out of curiosity and weeks later received the following email:

“Hey Jeffrey, I spoke with Scott and we figured out more or less what needs to be done. The cost to replace the 3 ton air conditioner and the air handler unit is $15,395 plus HST.”

On July 3 2024 I replied to Daniel’s quote, writing:

“Would you kindly send the details for the quote you kindly provided? We were expecting more than a simple number, in particular the make/model of the A/C and air handler to be installed, cost of all other parts needed for the installation, and a breakdown of the $15,395 total into parts and labor, etc.”

Crickets… zero response to date.

So, should I chalk this visit up to “we hijacked your A/C unit by disabling it and are seeking ransom in the amount of the cost of replacement”?

P.S., the A/C unit continues to perform flawlessly, and another local HVAC company gave us the option to recharge the unit immediately or wait until the unit stops working and recharge it then (at a fraction of the $15,395 plus HST Shipton’s had quoted for a new unit).

Strike Three (High Pressure Sales Tactics and Blackmail?)

On December 18 2024 we had our annual furnace maintenance.

Before continuing, note that Shipton’s has maintained our systems for the past 20 years. Furthermore, during a maintenance visit in 2015, we were told that some furnace venting was no longer up to code but that we were grandfathered in and, legally, don’t have to keep up with evolving building codes (many homes are obviously in a similar situation). However, when this technician explained that some of the vent pipe material is no longer used because it is prone to cracking and could create a hazard, we had them replace it with their suggested material at our discretion.

At the end of the December 2024 visit, on his written summary, the technician (Josh) wrote:

“Immediate repair: collector box $470.25+HST, venting repair $1,399+HST [] It may be time to have a home comfort adviser provide options on a more efficient system [] Furnace 1 has mixed venting that is against code.”

Then, out of the blue and with zero prior discussion, the technician (Josh) hands my wife an official “Safety Violation Notice” (PDF scan of front page below) giving us 42 days to complete the repairs, which reads “If not corrected, the gas supply will be discontinued on DUE DATE and charges may apply”, asking for her signature on a document.

And have the repairs completed by whom, you might ask?

Before continuing, note that 1) is the same component that a different technician (Pete) reported last year (“they tell us to write something”) and that when the technician (Pete) was dispatched last year with the collector box to do the repair, he told us “I don’t know why I am here, replacing the collector box won’t fix the leak in the unit”. Note also that, for a previous furnace venting issue noted by the same company in 2015, we were told that we were grandfathered in.

I was out of the country and Josh had been told that I was called away unexpectedly to deal with a family matter. He saw that we were in the midst of renovations and that the house was full of trades calling on my wife for various decisions, yet he was pressuring her to sign a document on the spot (with the spectre of gas termination in the middle of winter hanging over her head). She told him that we would like some time to think about this and get a second opinion since she had her hands full at the moment. She pointed out that Shipton’s has been maintaining our systems for the past 20 years, and can this not simply wait until my return? Josh would not relent, insisting she sign the document.

Exasperated, my wife approached our contractor (who happened to be on site) and asked him to take time out of his day to go into the basement with Josh to review the issue. Apparently, the technician was willing to reason with a middle-aged male contractor but not with an older retired female (sexism, ageism, or both?). Furthermore, the infraction checked on the notice reads “B: The appliance and/or piping […] does not constitute an immediate hazard”, so there was absolutely no reason to deny us time to discuss this issue upon my return (or get a second opinion) before signing anything (the only other infraction on the notice is “A: The appliance and/or piping is unsafe”, which was not checked).

Of course, if the violation constituted an immediate life-threatening safety hazard (i.e., if the furnace “is unsafe”), I would probably be grateful, not upset. But “is unsafe” is not the case here. The “mixed venting that is against code” that “does not constitute an immediate hazard” did not magically appear out of thin air. Shipton’s has been maintaining this furnace for years, so every single technician servicing it has seen how it is vented. This raises a few questions:

  1. Is this a high pressure sales job, or a selfless move by Shipton’s motivated solely for our protection?
  2. Is it ethical for a company to both a) judge whether evolving HVAC codes warrant issuing safety violations when the infraction does not constitute an immediate hazard, and b) pressure customers to authorize them to complete the repairs?

Here is a scan of the cover page of the violation notice (the PDF is scrollable):

I sent an email to Shipton’s at 6 AM the day after this visit, while abroad dealing with a family situation:

“Greetings [],

After the third service visit in a row (specifically, scheduled maintenance last Fall, this Spring, and now this Fall) that were some of the most unpleasant experiences my wife or I have had with any company, ever, we are left with no choice but to terminate our longstanding relationship with your company.

Kindly cancel our service agreement, the automatic monthly withdrawals from our account, and also please send confirmation of so doing at your earliest convenience.

Thanks for your understanding, I look forward to receiving confirmation and we appreciate your timely attention to this unpleasant matter.”

Crickets… zero response as of the date of this post (does that rule out a selfless move by Shipton’s motivated solely for our protection?).

So, should I chalk this visit up to “pressuring, sexism and blackmail is our current business model”?

P.S., immediately after this visit by Shipton’s, we had the system independently inspected for safety by a HVAC company recommended by our contractor, and they did not issue a safety violation notice for what that is worth.

Epilogue

In retrospect, warning signs about dealing with this company had surfaced multiple times, and it is on us for not acting sooner. For example,

  • A few years ago a technician was dispatched by Shipton’s to perform routine maintenance. I asked how Shipton’s was treating them and they said they were going to work for another company. They added without any prompting that we have really good equipment and that Shipton’s advises their technicians to encourage clients to upgrade their equipment prematurely (which was one reason they were leaving as it did not sit well with them).
  • A former employee (not the one just mentioned) told us that Shipton’s uses high pressure sales tactics and financially rewards technicians who successfully generate sales during their visits.
  • A number of Shipton’s service summaries included the boilerplate text “have a home comfort adviser provide options on a more efficient system”. Is this a coincidence, or does this reflect one technician’s admission “they tell us to write something”, the something here being to encourage upgrading functioning, serviceable systems? As an aside, a standard furnace has an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) of 80%, while our furnaces are among the most efficient available having a 96% AFUE. Do “more efficient” furnaces even exist?

P.S., Any one of these strikes might be dismissed as some unfortunate one-off event. Do three in a row constitute a series of unfortunate events or, instead, a case study in questionable business ethics? I would be curious to hear your thoughts.

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