Archive for the ‘Consumer protection’ Category
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
These days, it is hard to trust anyone at their word. With all of the scam and fraud warnings we encounter everyday it is too easy to get taken advantage of when you need to have work performed in your home. Taking a contractor at his word could turn into big losses down the line. Many homeowners find this out the hard way. They sign a piece of paper without ever really reading it through and the project begins. Within days the problems start up and the homeowner has nothing to back up the contractors verbal promises. The homeowner ends up with a much lighter wallet and little to show for it. Don’t let this become your remodeling or HVAC repair horror story and call Four Seasons!
A Contract You can Understand
Complex contracts are difficult to understand and seem to hide crucial facts from the homeowner. When you need something repaired, you often don’t even think to read every detail of the papers that you sign. All you want is to get the problem taken care of as quickly as possible. Contractors know this and the less scrupulous ones will use it to their advantage. At Four Seasons, we are as upfront as possible with each and every one of our customers. We are not looking to take your money and run. All we want to do is provide you with a reliable source for the services you need to have performed. That is why we always outline and discuss everything with you before you sign a contract. By keeping you in the loop, we establish a trusting relationship. (more…)
Tags: Chicago, Consumer protection, contractors, contracts, Countryside, Crete, Four Seasons, fraud, furnace repair, home repair, Home Services, honesty, HVAC repair, IL, Lindenhurst, professionalism, remodeling, scam
Posted in Air conditioning, Consumer protection, Heating, Home Services, Informational, Quality, customer service | Comments Off
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
When you buy a car, it usually doesn’t come with much of a warranty. If you buy it new you may have coverage for a few years but there isn’t a return policy. If the car is used, you often take it as it is. For such a large purchase, you’d think you would get a little more protection. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and most large purchases are like this, unless of course you are buying a furnace from Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning. Part of our promise to our customers is that when you buy one of our furnaces it is guaranteed not to be a lemon. We make this promise and then we back it up.
The No Lemon Guarantee
The No Lemon Guarantee states that if your furnace’s heat exchanger fails within 25 years of the installation we will replace the entire system for free. The heat exchanger is the core of your furnace, and a crack or break in this part would normally be the death of your system. However, if your system is from Four Seasons, we will replace the unit completely in this event as long as the unit was installed within 25 years of the breakage. The average furnace only lasts about 20 to 25 years, so you are basically protected for the life of the unit. (more…)
Tags: 100% satisfaction, Chicago, Four Seasons, free estimate, Furnace, heat exchanger, Heating, home comfort specialist, HVAC contractors, IL, installation, investment, Lemont, Lisle, no lemon guarantee, parts and labor, Skokie, warranty coverage
Posted in Consumer protection, Furnace, Furnace Repair, Heating, Quality | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011
We recently got a letter from a customer that we thought may convince some of the skeptics out there that Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning and Home Services is a truly honest and hard working contracting company. It was written by a customer that was sick and tired of getting the run around from other contractors. When they blew him off, Four Seasons stepped in and got the job done. This customer’s experience isn’t much different that what all of our customers discover when they use Four Seasons for their home repair, HVAC, and home improvement projects.
Four Seasons to the Rescue!
Like so many other customers in the Chicagoland area, this man had experiences some water damage in his basement. After putting a Band-Aid on the problem for years, he finally realized that mold was beginning to set up shop in his basement. This was a problem that couldn’t be mopped up. After having a family member attempt to remove the portion of the basement wall that was contaminated, this customer found that he had an even bigger problem on his hands than he though and that he needed professional help. Trying to get help from two independent contractors was useless. They blew him off, and after having Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning out to repair a broken hot water tank, he found Four Seasons Home Services. (more…)
Tags: Cary, Chicagoland, contractors, customer testimonial, Four Seasons, Glendale Heights, home improvement, home repair, HVAC repair, HVAC services, IL, technicians, the run around
Posted in Consumer protection, Home Improvement and Repair, Home Services, Informational, Quality, customer service | Comments Off
Friday, October 21st, 2011
When your home experiences major plumbing problems, the number one thing on your mind is getting it fixed and getting it fixed now. In all of the confusion and the rush to get the work completed, you may not take the necessary steps to find a reliable and honest contractor. You may be tempted to simply call the first company you come across of the one with the lowest advertized services. However, not doing a thorough background assessment of your plumbing contractor could land you in the middle of scam, and the result is usually incomplete repairs and lost money.
Two Crucial Mistakes
The Cook Country State’s Attorney’s Office recently filed suit against one such plumbing contractor in the Chicagoland area. A local woman, who also happened to be a senior citizen, put her trust in the wrong plumbing contractor and as a result, she lost $2,500 that she is now trying to recover with the help of the State’s Attorney’s Office. This consumer made two key mistakes that you can avoid by simply knowing what to look out for from an illegitimate contractor. (more…)
Tags: cash, Chicago, Consumer protection, Four Seasons, fraud prevention, Gurnee, Home Services, IL, licensing number, Oakbrook Terrace, plumbing repair, Plumbing Services, save money, scam prevention
Posted in Consumer protection, Home Services, Informational, Plumbing Services, Tips and Suggestions, customer service | Comments Off
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
With the slow turn around of the economy, it seem like the home repair and HVAC industries have been attracting more and more scam artists to the business. Every year like clockwork, ads go out from all sorts of companies offering amazingly low prices for their various services. The unsuspecting homeowner is just looking for a good deal, and the next thing they know, they are being taken for all they are worth. Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning works tirelessly to prove that we are a trustworthy and honest company, but keeping you informed about the scams we are seeing other homeowners fall into, is just one way can help you see the difference between a company that has your best interests at heart and a company that just wants to get your money and run.
Distraction and Deception
Be careful who you let in your home. Many of these scammers aren’t even bothering to pretend to do any work. They often work in groups of two. While one serviceman distracts the homeowner with a long conversation about the services they offer, the other performs an “inspection.” While you are paying attention to the conversation, the other serviceman is rifling through your belongings and taking anything that they can shove into their bags or their pockets. Hundreds of homeowners have lost valuables this way, and we don’t want you to be one of them this winter! (more…)
Tags: BBB, Chicago, Consumer protection, Four Seasons, fraud, guaranteed work, honest, IL, Matteson, money, scam, Summit, trustworthy, University Park
Posted in Consumer protection, Informational, Quality, customer service | Comments Off
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
At Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning we always kick off the start of a new season with a discount! Right now the calls are flooding in for yearly furnace and boiler maintenance checks, so we decided that homeowners could benefit most right now from a discount of their clean and check. This service, which normally runs for $129.95 is currently being offered for the low price of $89.95 with the coupon that can be found on this site or perhaps even in your mailbox. That is a $40 discount on a service that is worth every single penny of the original asking price.
Undercutting by Our Competition
If you were to sift through the Sunday discount papers you would probably find at least a few companies that are offering a service that is similar to the one you will find advertized by Four Seasons. Some may offer a discount that is close to the same price we offer, but you will find some that offer a price that is drastically lower than the one we are giving out. Your first impulse may be to discard Four Seasons and call this no name company just because their price is lower, but we would ask you to stop and think about this for one moment before calling. Consider the quality of the service you will be getting, and consider the likelihood that this discount may be a scam in disguise. (more…)
Tags: Bedford Park, Boiler, Bridgeview, Chicago, cleaning, discount, Four Seasons, Furnace, Heating, honest, IL, reliable, satisfaction guaranteed, Savings, scam, undercutting, Worth
Posted in Consumer protection, Furnace, Heating, Sale, Savings, maintenance | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
Over the years, we have heard some crazy stories from our technicians about what they have encountered on their service calls. You could not imagine the number of things that they have found inside air conditioners or the number of outlandish stories that you would have to have seen for yourself in order to believe. From families of squirrels to air conditioners that have been run over by cars, we had seen it all until we sent one of our servicemen to a home that had an air conditioner with a hunting arrow protruding from its side.
Damaged Beyond Repair
The flustered call from the customer was enough to tell us that the air conditioner wasn’t working, but it was difficult to figure out much else. The customer was hot, panicked, and expecting the worst. Our serviceman arrived and sure enough, there was a large hunting arrow lodged inside the system. Upon inspection, it was found that the unit was completely void of Freon and air from the atmosphere had entered the system. During the time that the unit was loosing Freon, the condenser continued to run until about 20 or so minutes later, it burnt out. At this point the system wasn’t salvageable, and this customer needed a new unit. (more…)
Tags: air conditioner, air conditioner cages, animals, Chicago, custom, damage, Four Seasons, Hammond, IL, IN, Munster, nature, protection, save money, summer, theives
Posted in Air Conditioner Repair, Air conditioning, Consumer protection, Home Services, Informational | Comments Off
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning offers a variety of services that help homeowners care for both their HVAC system and their home. In the process or repairing, replacing, and cleaning the HVAC units across the Chicagoland area, we make an extensive effort to educate our customers. We have realized over the years that the average homeowner is basically clueless when it comes to caring for their furnace and air conditioner. This makes our job more difficult and leaves the homeowner confused and sometimes even frustrated. How are you going to trust someone to care for a unit that you don’t know two things about? Being educated about the care of your HVAC system and home will give you the confidence needed to know the difference between those that are just looking to scam you into a costly repair and those that truly have your best interests at heart.
Dedication to Education
Here at Four Seasons, we don’t sell, clean, or repair a unit without guiding the homeowner through each step with a caring and knowledgeable hand. Our technicians and salesmen dedicate extra time at every call to make sure that the homeowner truly understands what service they are paying for. When you know what is going on during a service, you gain confidence in the technician and the company that you have hired. (more…)
Tags: air conditioner, Chicago, cleaning, Consumer protection, customer education, customer service, Four Seasons, Furnace, Huntley, IL, install, Prairie View, repair, Richton Park, sales, scam prevention, service
Posted in Consumer protection, Informational, Quality, customer service | Comments Off
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
Some people will try anything to protect their air conditioner besides actually buying an air conditioner cage. Our technicians have seen everything from heavy chains and padlocks to air conditioner disguises. The only problem is that many of these “techniques” are just for show. They don’t offer any real protection, and if a thief were to use even the slightest bit of force, they would still be able to uproot the unit from the home. Instead, invest a little money with Four Seasons and have us install a/c protection that you can truly trust.
Real A/C Protection
Experienced air conditioner thieves are efficient and knowledgeable about air conditioner protection systems. They can tell the frauds from those that would actually make stealing the air conditioner difficult. Your bulky chains may deter a less experienced thief, but those that are determined will not be stopped. Also, it is important to keep in mind that you air conditioner is going to need adequate air flow. A makeshift fence around the air conditioner could cut off airflow and leave you with a broken down air conditioner. (more…)
Tags: air conditioner, air conditioner cage, air flow, Chicago, Cooling, Four Seasons, fully enclosed, Glenview, Hillside, investment, protection, security, thief
Posted in Air conditioning, Consumer protection, Home Services, Informational | Comments Off
Monday, July 18th, 2011
Everyday at Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning we take hundreds of calls from customers that are looking for everything from air conditioning repairs to yearly maintenance checks to home repairs and duct cleanings. Each of these customers is putting their trust and their home in the hands of someone else because the job they need performed requires a professional. Unfortunately, there are many so called “professionals” out there that take advantage of the vulnerability of their customers. It is because of these less scrupulous companies that Four Seasons makes it a part of our mission to be above reproach when it comes to our services and repairs. One way that we prove this again and again is through our dedication to accurate diagnosis and repair of all heating and cooling equipment we work on in the Chicagoland area.
Our Technician Training Process
How do we ensure this quality of work? Well, we begin with the technician selection process. Whenever a new technician is hired, there is a training process of at least two months in house before they are ever allowed to step foot in a customer’s home. Next, we pair up our new technician’s with one of our senior servicemen to work as a helper. The time-tested senior technician will help us evaluate how our new recruit performs when in a customer’s home. Only after we are sure a technician will adhere to our standards do we allow them to run service calls unaided. (more…)
Tags: accuracy, Bensenville, Chicago, Consumer protection, customer service, dedication, Elmhurst, Four Seasons, guarantee, heating and cooling repair, IL, mission statement, trust, Willowbrook
Posted in Consumer protection, Quality, customer service | Comments Off
