The temperature inside the house would rise to 82 degrees. The technician said the parts were out of stock and the warranty company would not call another repair shop.
REIDSVILLE, NC – If you’ve lived in North Carolina for over a year, you know how hot and humid it can be in the summer. Some days it’s so humid it almost feels sticky when you walk around outside. Instant joy or quick relief from the heat once inside is often glorious.
To be away from 95 degrees and humidity, in a house with a temperature of around 72 degrees is special. Thomas Morton recalls a recent moment when he expected that breath of fresh air to comfort him on a hot day in North Carolina.
“We got home, and I walked inside, and immediately felt the dampness in the air,” Morton said.
What he thought was relief was hijacked by confusion. His house was not cool at all, in fact, it was rather warm.
“I turned the thermostat down and realized there was no air coming out of the vents,” Thomas said.
He quickly realized that one of the air conditioners in his house was not working. It looked like the system was on but no air was coming out.
Morton called the home warranty company and a technician was dispatched a few days later. The technician discovered that the system needed a new motor. So the part was ordered, but it would take about two weeks before it arrived.
Morton was a bit frustrated but realized that parts took weeks or even months to be delivered. He took a fan from the garage and installed an AC window unit in the bedroom until the main unit could be fixed.
After a few weeks, Morton received a call that the part had arrived, but it may not have been the right part. A technician showed up at the house a few days later and tried to see if it would work. Unfortunately, a circuit breaker and the main control board blew while he was making repairs.
“Nobody at the home warranty company knew anything about what was going on,” Morton said.
Morton said he tried to speak to a supervisor at the warranty company, but was never able to get connected. He said he kept calling and speaking with operators who could provide limited information and kept telling him they were doing everything they could.
By then it had been over four weeks without air and there was no immediate relief in sight. Morton had no timetable as to when the repairs would be made.
He called the service company and the warranty company several times over the next two weeks. He also contacted the BBB and the insurance commission seeking help.
“By then it had been six to seven weeks. I didn’t know who else to call,” Morton said.
He then remembered News 2 and emailed us asking for help. He documented the problem and provided us with the phone numbers for the home warranty company.
We immediately called the company and spoke with an executive about the issue. We relayed all the information and documentation provided and let them know that Morton had now been without air conditioning for almost eight weeks.
The warranty company was quick to respond after we reached out. We received a call the next day apologizing for the situation and letting us know that a technician would be home the next day.
The technician arrived and after a few hours of work, the device was repaired.
“If it wasn’t for you guys, no way I would have AC zero chance,” Morton said.
The air conditioning unit is now working well and the house is pleasant at 71 degrees.