A little over a year ago, my sister Trisha replaced her home’s central cooling system.

• She was all excited about the SEER and Energy Star rating.

She was impressed with the manufacturer and the customer reviews. Trisha spent a fortune to get the latest features, including wifi connectivity and variable-speed operation. She was so certain that her monthly electric bill would be cut in half and her house would be the epitome of comfort. She claimed that this air conditioner would filter every particle of dust out of the air, and she’d rarely need to vacuum. To hear her talk, her family would never suffer another health problem because of the filtration provided by the air conditioner. When I asked her about the experience and any guarantees offered by the HVAC contractor who was handling the installation, she had no idea. Trisha had chosen the HVAC contractor from an advertisement in the local paper. She called them, got an estimate and scheduled an installation date. She didn’t take the time to check their rating with the Better Business Bureau or look up customer reviews. She didn’t know if the HVAC company was an authorized manufacturer’s dealer or if the technicians were NATE-certified, EPA-certified or even licensed and insured. Trisha went ahead and had the air conditioner installed. She had a lot of complaints with the HVAC company. They showed up late, made a mess of her home and took a long time to complete the job. They failed to explain the operation or features of the cooling system and didn’t help her with warranty registration.
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