Exterior Water Service Line Coverage
$7.95/mo
$23.85/qtr
$95.40/yr
The HVAC unit in Barry’s South Dakota home was making an odd noise – something reminiscent of a gerbil on a wheel. He thought that wasn’t right, and when he noticed that it was only blowing cold air, not warm, he was sure of it.
“There were some issues with it not blowing hot and only blowing cold,” Barry said.
He’d enrolled in several emergency service plans from HomeServe to help protect various home systems from unexpected wear-and-tear repairs after he received a notice about the program through his utility, Montana-Dakota Utilities.
““I’m still thanking MDU for introducing us to HomeServe,” he said of the program.
“They thought that if we had tried to run it one more time, it was going up in smoke.”
He had a previous repair that saved him nearly $400 to repair a leaky toilet, so he knew he only needed to make a phone call to HomeServe’s Chattanooga, Tennessee-based operations center to schedule a local, licensed and qualified technician to come to his home and assess his HVAC unit.
“They thought that if we had tried to run it one more time, it was going up in smoke.”
HomeServe dispatched Glenn Foltz of Foltz and Sons Electric, Heating and Cooling to evaluate his furnace, and Glenn had bad news for Barry: His heat exchanger was beyond repair, and he needed a new furnace, which would cost $5,600.
“One of the (technicians) said it was about this close to burning up,” Barry said, noting the furnace had been a fire hazard and he and his family had no idea. “They thought that if we had tried to run it one more time, it was going up in smoke.”
“I kidded with Glenn and said, ‘well, the winters are getting milder, and I can’t afford to buy a sweatband for a hummingbird.’ He’s got a good sense of humor, he’s a good person.”
Although replacing the entire furnace wasn’t covered by his repair plan, Glenn was familiar with the HomeServe Cares Foundation, which provides pro bono home repairs for qualifying homeowners, so he made an appeal on Barry’s behalf. Shortly afterwards, the Foundation approved the application.
“I didn’t expect to be in this position at my age,” Barry said, “but reality hits and you deal with it – or you don’t. Glenn came along and made a suggestion, and it came to fruition. You don’t see that much anymore.”
Barry was relieved that the entire cost was covered by HomeServe through the HomeServe Cares Foundation, and he didn’t have to dip into his avian athletic wear budget. Glenn and his team got to work quickly to swap the malfunctioning furnace for a new one.
“It happened so quickly that I didn’t even get to the point where I was feeling sorry for myself,” he said.
Glenn and his crew were tidy, efficient and communicated clearly with Barry.
“I was very impressed,” Barry said. “He, his son and his helper worked hand-in-glove together. I thought they did a great job. I’m 73 years old, and I’ve seen a lot of people do things and leave it worse than when they started, but Glenn cleaned up as he went and already had things done before I even thought to ask.”
Published July 23, 2024