Mary M.
07/08/2021 12:00:00 SA
UPDATE 8/2/21- - - Today Tarpy, AT THEIR OWN COST, replaced my A/C unit with a better unit with correctly coated coil. Matt & Dawson worked tirelessly for over 6 hours on our condo roof - thank you guys!!
Scott the Service Manager came to check why our tankless water heater was leaking that they installed 3 years ago. Last Saturday one of their plumbers, Anthony, replaced piping we thought may be the problem - Anthony was great. But leak still happened, so Scott came to check it out. In our condo set-up, bathroom sink drain line mixes with A/C & Tankless water heater condensation drain lines; it clogged causing other condensation lines to have nowhere to empty except out the tank. Scott worked hard trying to figure out what was going on & made good suggestions to avoid this issue again in a few years - thanks, Scott!!
Scott was also upfront and apologized that he was the one that quoted me the wrong original A/C unit that should have had the coated coil. I told him I appreciated him telling me that- but especially appreciated Tarpy making it 100% right after 3 years by installing the correct unit, at no cost to me. That is doing the right thing.
Epecially BIG KUDOS to Ken, Tarpy's newer Administrative-Operations Manager who contacted me originally about wanting to do anything to make it right - and by golly - he DID!!!! Thank you so much, Ken, for the numerous calls, keeping your word, always following up, being professional and so pleasant to work with!!! You are a gem!
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ORIGINAL REVIEW - - - Any HVAC contractor who knows their stuff will tell you if you live within 5 miles of salt water, you should have an A/C unit with a coated coil to help it last longer so the salt air doesn't corrode the unit quickly. WE LIVE TWO BLOCKS FROM SAN DIEGO BAY AND TARPY SAID NOTHING ABOUT THIS AND INSTALLED A NON-COATED UNIT.
We found out 2yrs after the fact our $11,000 downtown San Diego condo new air conditioner installation by Tarpy. As you can see by the price, we weren't trying to go cheap (we got the more expensive model of the two offered us) - so another few hundred or a thousand dollars to get a coated coil version to last as long as possible would have been something we would have opted for HAD WE BEEN ADVISED....BUT NO!!!! They never said a word - completely irresponsible for a contractor we paid a ton of money to and trusted to sell us the right equipment for our location.
They work in the greater San Diego area - they should know units close to ocean water should have a coated coil!! NO EXCUSES!!! Last year, our son-in-law asked if ours was coated, as he is in the commercial end of HVAC, and I wasn't sure as it wasn't noted on our paperwork. So I emailed Tarpy, asked if they could look up whether it was or not - I RECEIVED THE BIGGEST RUN AROUND!!!! I NEVER GOT AN ANSWER.
I would write and get replies like - I sent your question to the manager - or We are really busy, they will be in touch - or just no answer at all. The final straw was the reply that they have been really busy with new customers and installs and it would be a bit before they got to me. I WAS AN EXISTING CUSTOMER, I HAD HAD THEM DO ANNUAL A/C INSPECTIONS (also on my furnace) - AND I WASN'T AS IMPORTANT AS THEIR NEW SALES CUSTOMERS!!! So, keeping a current customer happy is not a priority to them??!!?? BAD BUSINESS!!!
It was very telling that they kept evading giving me an answer, since they realized they sold me the wrong type of unit. So I hired a different company to come out and do an inspection/preventive maintenance on our unit and they were awesome. But before I had them come out, I asked what type of coil they would suggest if we needed a new one and they said because of our location to salt water that it SHOULD BE A COATED COIL UNIT....[duh]!!!!!
They did an inspection and said the coil was already showing signs of wear (after just two years!!!) and they took photos and cleaned up what they could and wrapped some exposed cables. BOTTOM LINE...we paid a boatload of money to have this unit installed and now we will have to have a new unit put in within 5-10 years, versus a correctly coated unit that could have lasted us up to 20 years.
Why were we not sold a coated coil unit? Lots of cities are within 5 miles of the ocean - should Tarpy not work on places that close if they don't know who should have a coated coil and who shouldn't??? IF THEY DON'T RECOMMEND A COATED COIL - SHOW THEM THE DOOR AND FIND A CONTRACTOR THAT KNOWS THEIR STUFF - FOR US, THAT WAS *NOT* TARPY!!!!
They never had the guts to admit they were wrong, I tried for weeks & weeks just to talk to someone and get an answer, but I was given the first class run around. They were cowards and wouldn't be honest and talk with me. It's way too late for me now, but not for you.