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When a company places you in harm's way, is it simply projecting incompetence, or does it have more sinister intentions.
In march of this year, I was researching a replacement air conditioner. I filtered my search by features, price and brand, and ordered what seemed to be the best fit for my needs.
After a month of shipping and handling the air conditioner, which is produced by an U.S. company, the air conditioner was dollied into my kitchen. The following day, I noticed the air conditioner box sporting a large warning, informing all, that installation of this air conditioner, anywhere in the state of California, will result in penalties and/or imprisonment. I live in southern California. Stuned but willing to give the retailer the benefit of the doubt, I reached out to local HVAC businesses and home construction contractors to find out what this means to me. They were as confused as I. I then contacted the retailer of the air conditioner, a number of times, explaining to them their mistake and asking to return the air conditioner. I was informed by the retailer that they would be happy to correct their mistake after charging me a $400 dollar fee.
Unwilling to bend to extortion, I then contacted the Refrigerant Management Program For the California Air Resource Board (CARB), who were the creators of the warning, to get facts verified. The California Air Resource Board upheld the warning prohibiting the import of the type of air conditioner that was delivered by AJ Madison. Again I contacted AJ Madison asking them to correct their mistake and again AJ Madison refused to take back the air conditioner.
Unable to resolve this, you would think, simple matter, I turned to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). F.Y. I, unbelievably, the BBB rates AJ Madison as being excellent.
AJ Madison replied to the BBB with empty promises to resolve the mistake and pick up the illegal unit for free but did nothing. AJ Madison never sent me a notice of return, nor had I been contacted by AJ Madison's transportation company informing me of a scheduled pick up. Meaning that no return order was ever sent. They also lied to the BBB about not being able to reach me.
Unable to get this illegal air conditioner returned and remove my $1,300 dollars out of the pockets of AJ Madison, I turned to the Attorney General. I mailed all of my correspondence with the retailer, CARB and BBB to the Attorney General's (AG) office. AJ Madison's response to notification from the AG office was to deny all responsibility and blame me, the customer. They said that I was at fault for them sending the illegal air conditioner. AJ Madison stated to the AG that I was at fault, because I used the AJ Madison website. AJ Madison argued that I should not have followed the instructions on the AJ Madison web site. They argued that if I spoke to a live person on the phone, instead of using their website, the live person would have steered me away from purchasing the illegal air conditioner. But that was simply another lie. I contacted AJ Madison after their response. On April 26, I asked AJ Medison “what is the California legal equivalent to the air conditioner that you sent me”. An AJ Madison representative responded with “I have reached out to Frierich for assistance, I am seeking their help”. May 1, AJ Madison sent me and answer. This exchange would support the fact that, when I ordered the air conditioner March 5, no one at AJ Madison would have taken any action in preventing sale and shipping of an illegal air conditioner.
The illegal air conditioner was finally picked up May 3rd and my money returned June 16th.
Never trust a company that puts you at legal risk and then blames you for their mistake. Avoid AJ Madison and find a retailer that actually knows their products and respects their customers. Don't let incompetence or deceit cost you time, money, or peace of mind. Stick to businesses that take responsibility and provide straightforward service. Prioritize your safety and satisfaction over any brand loyalty.