Valley A/C repairs delayed
Unprecedented parts shortages brought on by factories shutting down during the pandemic are delaying Valley air-conditioning repairs.
Unprecedented shortages are delaying air-conditioning repairs across Maricopa County during a recordbreaking heat wave, forcing residents to pay for hotels, crash with friends and family or risk their health by staying in indoor temperatures above 90 degrees.
Long wait times for HVAC repairs can be dangerous as Arizona’s summers become hotter and heat-related illnesses and deaths increase. At least 494 people died of heat-related causes last year.
A current parts shortage is driven by factories shutting down during the pandemic, prices for materials rising due to tariffs and changes to product lines, said Mike Donley, president of Phoenixbased Donley A/C & Plumbing. Unfilled jobs have also impacted local companies, he said.
Although Donley’s business so far has been able to respond quickly to emergency repairs and find parts by searching among multiple suppliers, it’s been difficult, he said.
“We’re getting to everybody as fast as we can . ... We take it very seriously,” Donley said. “Everybody in the industry is underwater right now. Everybody has more business than they can handle.”
A battle to meet demand
The Arizona Registrar of Contractors, which licenses HVAC companies, recently urged patience when dealing with delays.
“From new home builds and pools to installing air conditioning units, both residential and commercial contractors alike have been struggling to get materials and find enough workers to fulfill existing contracts and start new ones,” state agency officials said.
Other factors causing lags include an uptick in homeowners seeking renovations during the pandemic and extreme weather such as Texas’ February ice storms disrupting supply chains, according to Associated General Contractors of America.
‘A crazy 10 days’
A streak of excessive heat, including a record-breaking 118-degree day in
Phoenix last week, has wreaked havoc on air conditioners across the Valley.
Businesses in the industry are averaging one to three days to make an initial assessment, Donley said.
His employees are working 10- to 12hour shifts outdoors in the heat to keep up with service calls, he said.
“We’re going as hard as we can while trying to be safe,” Donley said. “It’s been a crazy 10 days.”
Customers should be aware that specialty parts and high efficiency units may take longer to order, he said.
However, calling around to different companies looking for quicker service is probably a waste of time, Donley said, at least during the current heat spell, when every company is backed up.
If residents must shop around, they should call with a detailed description of the part they’re looking for, including the model and serial number of the A/C unit or part, rather than scheduling a visit, Donley said.
“That would save lots of time for everybody,” he said.
Home warranty woes
Homeowners say they’re also battling home warranty companies dragging their feet when it comes to authorizing repairs.
Ann Bonnett, 78, pays $700 a year for coverage from American Home Shield but has gone without a functioning cooling system at her Surprise home for more than a week, she said.
Bonnett’s partner, Dan Blicharz, an 89-year-old Korean War veteran, has medical conditions that put him at elevated risk for hyperthermia, she said.
An HVAC technician identified the problem with the air conditioner a day after Bonnett called American Home Shield for service, she said. (Seeing how tired the technician was, Bonnett gave him a bottle of water, a brownie and a generous tip.)
But American Home Shield took six days to authorize the repair, told Bonnett it had been authorized before it was and could not provide an estimated time for acquiring parts and finishing the job, Bonnett said.
“It’s just the perfect run-around,” she said. “It is really infuriating.”
Bonnett and Blicharz stayed one night in a hotel, but their pets made it inconvenient to stay, she said.
American Home Shield told Bonnett on Monday she could hire a licensed repair company herself and receive a $1,200 reimbursement. But the check won’t go out until Thursday.
American Home Shield said it takes pride in providing quality service and valuable protection to its customers.
“If we fail to meet these expectations, we work to do the right thing to ensure the situation is properly resolved,” the company said in a statement. “We sincerely apologize for the delay in resolving Ms. Bonnett’s service claim . ... We deeply value our relationship with Ms. Bonnett and look forward to serving her in the future.”
Cooling problems across the Valley
Other consumers echoed Bonnett’s exasperation waiting for home warranty companies to handle air-conditioning complaints.
One couple told The Arizona Republic they had to spend hundreds of dollars to stay in a hotel. A Queen Creek family was worried about their disabled daughter after their rental home cooled to only 95 degrees using emergency portable A/C units.
Residents at The Cortesian Apartments in Scottsdale reported problems with their air conditioning as well.
“We’ve had intermittent air conditioning issues over the past few weeks and while the system is back online, we recognize we need to make additional repairs,” a manager at the apartment complex said in an email to The Republic. “Temporary chillers were installed last week to provide an alternate source of cooling while we make permanent repairs. In the meantime we are working with residents on an individual basis to provide accommodations.”
Doctor: Don’t tough it out
People should plan to stay with friends or family or go somewhere safe instead of trying to tough it out with a broken air conditioner, said Natasha Bhuyan, a primary-care physician and regional medical director at One Medical in Phoenix.
Children and older people are at the highest risk of heat-related illness and death, she said.
“The bottom line is, delays in these extreme heat circumstances can be deadly, especially to our seniors,” Bhuyan said. “We can’t think about air conditioners in Arizona as a measure of comfort. A/Cs are truly our survival.
They are not a luxury. They are really a mechanism for us to live in a desert.”
Anyone needing a cool place to go during the day can visit locations across Maricopa County that provide free water and air conditioning. The locations include libraries, fire stations, charities and other organizations.
The hours may be limited. Find a map by clicking “Heat Relief Stations” at www.heataz.org.
What to do if your air conditioning goes out
1. Stay hydrated.
2. Find somewhere cool to go during the day. A map of cooling centers in Maricopa County open during the daytime is available at www.heataz.org. Click on “Heat Relief Stations” and then click on the map. Select the yellow and red dots to find an exact address and hours. Some locations are pet-friendly. Other options include coffee shops, shopping malls and other public indoor places.
3. Find somewhere cool to sleep. Ask family and friends to stay with them temporarily or book a hotel if you can. Buy a portable air conditioner or swamp cooler if necessary.
4. Find a place for your pet. Local animal shelters and rescue groups can help you find a temporary home if you can’t take your pet with you to a cool place. Go to pethousinghelpaz.org.
5. Talk with your HVAC company about solutions. You may have to agree to a temporary fix or buy a lower-efficiency unit in stock to get service faster. If you want to shop around, call with a detailed description of the part you’re looking for, including the model and serial number, rather than scheduling a full technician visit.
6. Talk with your warranty company about solutions. Your policy may allow you to find a licensed contractor yourself and get reimbursed.
7. Talk with your landlord about solutions. Notify your landlord in writing as soon as your air conditioning stops working. If your landlord is responsible, they should work with you to find a solution, even if it’s putting you up in a hotel, typically within 48 hours. If your landlord does not take action, typically within five days, you have options:
Go to a hotel. You can deduct each day of rent during this time, and your landlord may be required to pay a portion of your housing bill.
Hire a licensed HVAC contractor yourself. You can deduct the repair costs from rent, up to $299.99 or half a month’s rent, whichever is more.
Terminate the lease. You can move without paying a penalty.
Go to court. You can seek injunctive relief to make the landlord correct the breach or sue the landlord for damages.
File a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office at www.azag.gov/complaints/consumer.
Keep written proof. Although you are not always required to give written notice to your landlord, it is best to notify them in writing every step of the way and keep proof, such as through an email read receipt, certified mail or process server. You also must keep copies of all receipts and documents, including those you receive from the hotel, HVAC company and landlord.
More help for renters
Read the Community Legal Services handbook on tenant rights at www.clsaz.org. Scroll down, click on “Housing,” scroll down and click on “Arizona Landlord / Tenant Act.” Follow the steps on pages 14-19 and 43-49 for airconditioning repairs. You can also apply for free legal representation if you meet certain income requirements.
Read the Arizona Legal Center’s guide to tenants’ air-conditioning rights or apply for free or low-cost legal help at https://arizonalegalcenter.org.
Read the Arizona Judicial Branch’s guide to air-conditioning disputes at www.azcourts.gov/legalinfohub. Click on Legal Info Sheets” and “Air Conditioning (A/C) Issues.”
Get free landlord-tenant advice from the city of Phoenix (even if you aren’t a resident of the city) at 602-5344444 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. They also have forms that you can use to demand that the landlord fix your air conditioning.
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