Fearless omitted facts

I have always felt that the Fearless Consumer column portrayed a fair and impartial view of consumer problems. However, in her November 25, 2004 column, "Taking the heat: The dark side of moonlighting," Barbara Nordin omitted several key facts that put my employer– who was not hired to do the installation– in a negative light.

For instance, the new heat pump was installed in exactly the same position as the old one. Rubber pads were used in this hanging installation, per standard practice, to cut down on noise and vibration.

The customer agreed to this installation but repeatedly complained of noise afterwards. The independent technician went out no less than six times, each time finding no noise , no vibrations, and no problems.

Moreover, state code does not require a drain line to be insulated. Nordin was informed of this by a representative at American Standard, but fails to mention this in her article.

Perhaps Nordin is so used to the consumer being correct that she cannot fathom a situation in which the consumer might be in the wrong.

Dana J. Smith
Service Dispatcher
Clyde E. Smith Inc.
Charlottesville

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