REIDSVILLE, N.C. — If you’ve lived in North Carolina for more than a year, you know how hot and humid it can get in the Summer. Some days it is so humid it almost feels sticky as you walk around outside. The instant joy or rapid relief from the heat once inside is often glorious.
Stepping away from 95 degrees and humidity, into a home with a temperature around 72 degree is special. Thomas Morton remembers a recent moment he was expecting that blast of cool to comfort him on a hot North Carolina day.
“We got home, and I walked inside, and I immediately feel the humidity in the air,” Morton said.
What he thought would be relief was hijacked by confusion. His home didn’t feel cool at all, in fact, it was rather hot.
“I turned the thermostat down and then realized no air was coming from the vents,” Thomas said.
He quickly realized one of the AC units in his home was not working. It appeared the system was on but no air was coming out.
Morton called the home warranty company, and a technician was sent out a few days later. The tech discovered the system needed a new motor, so the part was ordered but would take about two weeks before it would arrive.
Morton was a bit frustrated but understood that parts are taking several weeks or even months before being delivered. He grabbed a fan from the garage and put an ac window unit in the bedroom until the main unit could be repaired.
After a couple of weeks, Morton received a call that the part came in, but it may not be the right part. A technician showed up at the house a few days later and tried to see if it would work. Unfortunately, a breaker and the main control board blew out when he was making the repairs.
“Nobody at the home warranty company knew anything about what was going on,” Morton said.
Morton said he tried to speak with a supervisor from the warranty company but was never able to be connected. He said he continued to call and speak with operators who could provide limited information and continued to tell him they were doing all they could.
By now, it had been more than 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 in the next couple of weeks. He also reached out to the BBB and the insurance commission looking for help.
“At that point, it had been six to seven weeks. I didn’t know who else to call,” Morton said.
He then remembered News 2 and sent us an email asking for help. He documented the issue and provided us with 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 Morton had now been without AC for almost eight weeks.
The warranty company was quick to react after we reached out. We received a call the next day apologizing for the situation and letting us know a technician would be at the home the following day.
The technician arrived and after a few hours of work, the unit was repaired.
“If it weren’t for you guys, zero chance I would have AC zero chance,” Morton said.
The air conditioning unit is now working well and the home is a pleasant 71 degrees.