ReplyYou have every reason to feel the way you do.
If the contractor said they would make it right however you wanted, get the G50 installed.
You should have gotten what you paid for.
Regular Guest
ugh. I am just sick over this. I am feeling more and more like I have been scammed, yet it doesn't sound like there's much of a remedy for me?
They said to me that they intended to put the G50 in, but it wasn't immediately available so instead they installed the G40 (without telling me, of course). But it sounds like someone who sells this stuff would know that they are not close to equivalent???
Professional Member
You have every reason to feel the way you do.
If the contractor said they would make it right however you wanted, get the G50 installed.
You should have gotten what you paid for.
Professional Member*
the difference between surelight & conventional hot surface ignition alone makes the g50 one heck of a better furnace. lennox has had it for years. trane & others have now copied that technology, its pretty much state of the art.
i was born under a wandrin star.
Professional Member*
like has been said if you were told G50 then that is what you should get
the G40 os construction grade and has no thrills to it. It is a good product but is not a g50
The sure light is a better board and so is the ignitor. The insulation will add to the comfort and reliabilty of the unit being in a crawl space.
It will odd to the comfort because of the blower options
you shaould ask them to install what they promist
ar at least discount you because they didnt inform you of the down grade
Regular Guest
First off, thank you to everyone for your help. The internet is an amazing thing, and I hope to pass along my help to some other stranger somewhere else, to keep it all spinning.
HeyBob, I get the concept, certainly for a home builder the savings could be dramatic. But I guess I just don't understand the incentive for this guy, a residential contractor, to do it if the savings is small. Why bait and switch for a "few gallons of gas" on a sale that is a couple thousand? It seems like that is a recipe for disaster in the long term, and the guy has been in business a while.
I guess I just want to believe that it is an honest mistake, and don't want to screw someone for an honest mistake (if that is the case) by making him lose a lot of money over something that is not all that important to me (at least I think it isn't).
Professional Member*
You should be worried about it to a point. You should ask them to install what they told you they would. It may have been a honest mistake and they may not know all of the differences between the lines but there are differences. Print this thread and show it to them. Hey Bob has given you some great info and it would be good for another Lennox dealer to know it.
We have been a Lennox dealer for a short time and I didn't know all of the differences. I would never put in somthing other than quoted and if a mistake was made I would fix it.
Its not like its 0 degrees out and you needed to have heat the next day. They could have told you that they needed to order the Elite and put it in 2 weeks from now. Sounds fishy to me but we are only hearing one side of the story.
Good luck
Its a good Life!
Global Moderator
He may primarily be a new construction contractor and stocks G40's or maybe just has a lot of that stuff in stock and wants to get rid of it. I am almost afraid to ask, but what the heck are the first 5 digits of the S/N?Originally Posted by LurkerDan
I had to dig to find those differences, I don't sell low line equipment so I was suprised myself that there was that much difference between a G50 and a G40, he may not know himself and I have been a Lennox dealer for quite a while.
Last edited by HeyBob; 09-20-2007 at 11:34 PM. Reason: spelling
Regular Guest
According to the registration paperwork (not sure where to find it on the unit) the S/N is 5907G07260. And just for good measure, the model number (or at least I assume M/N means that) is G40UH-36A-070-15
Global Moderator
Those are good numbers. The serial number is current, built in 2007.
Professional Member
tell him you will settle for a 10 year parts and labor warranty at his cost. might be a good settlement for both fo you. also be sure and get your copy of the warranty contract. either one of the ignitor boards will cost 400 to 500 dollars out of warranty. you will have to replace it at least once during that 10 years probably.
Professional Member*
we have had lennox 25 yrs and i did not realize that much difference in the 2 units, we have never sold one of the G40's
for the difference in price i ASSumed the only difference was the blower insulation.
our main units are G61mpv and we use G50 for the low end.
still don't understand why warranties on dave-net are identical???
Regular Guest
Are you sure they are identical? On lennox.com (I assume dave-net is their professionals site), they look the same at first glance, but aren't.still don't understand why warranties on dave-net are identical???
G50: 5 year limited warranty on parts and controls
G40: 5 year limited warranty on covered components
looks the same, but slightly different.
Professional Member*
on dave-net they are IDENTICAL, both state 5 yr limited warranty on covered equipment and components.
warranty used to state right on it for the cheaper units it was 1 yr parts and 3 yrs on the ignition board.
not to long ago they went to 5 yr warranty but made no statement about the board??
hard to keep track of the legal mumbo jumbo......
like Bob we don't sell the low end units so i never kept close attention to the warranty.
did they leave you the paperwork for the heater? should have the warranty certificate in the package.
Last edited by t527ed; 09-21-2007 at 01:10 PM.
Regular Guest
Apologies for the long post. bolded the important parts.
I just spoke with the contractor. And I found the whole discussion very odd. First, he tried to say that there was no misunderstanding, that he always installs the G40 and that I was mistaken in my impression that I was getting the G50. Even though the only Lennox brochures he provided indicated the G50, he circled the G50 as the cheaper option for me, and in my discussions with his office person before the purchase I mentioned the G50, and after the purchase, she said they tried to get the G50 but it wasn't available so they went with the G40.
He actually claimed that the pricing to him was such that the G40 costs more than the G50 (that is hard to believe, and if it was true, why would you sell the G40?). He acknowledged that the board and ignitor was different but downplayed that, and said that both had 5 yr warranties across the board. He said the only real difference was the more insulated blower in the 50. I told him that I had spoken with a number of professionals, some of whom knew that the G50 was a much better unit off the bat, and some of whom discovered it after digging into it a bit.
He insisted that there was little difference between the units, and insisted that his "quote" price for the G40 was actually more expensive than the G50. He then asked me what would make me happy, and asked if he changed out the furnace would I be happy. I said that would be one solution, but I didn't know if that would be one that was acceptable to him. He said he would check with Lennox to see if they would take the furnace back, and call me back.
He called me back more agitated and combative, claiming that he is not changing the furnace out for me. That he sold me the G40, and that's what I got. He started to say that all of his paperwork says G40, until I reminded him that the quote he gave me did not say G40, but that he gave me promotional literature and circled the G50 as the basic single stage option.
He then said that yes, what I got is construction grade, but that’s what he sells as his low end. He asked me what he could do to make me happy. I told him that I would like some assurance that the warranties are the same, which should be very easy to give me if they indeed are, and I reminded him that I had received a quote from one professional indicating that the he sells the G50 for $250 more than the G40.
He got very agitated at that, saying that I’m asking him to change out the furnace and that I am asking for assurances that the warranty is the same (as if that would be hard to give if they were; my only conclusion to his reaction to that was that he knows they are not) and for money back for a furnace that actually costs him more money. I was trying to be very calm, because he was not. I basically said to him, you’re asking me what would make me satisfied with this situation, as if you might comply, but then react in such a way as to indicate that you’re not going to give me a thing. I told him that he was the one who originally offered to change out the furnace, that yes that choice would satisfy me, but I approached the conversation knowing that might not be a fair option to him.
he said “you want $250, fine, I’ll send you a check for $250, have a good weekend.” I said “ok” and he hung up.
The whole thing makes me feel very odd. And the really sad part of it is I have read that the single most important thing when buying a furnace is not the brand but a reputable contractor who will stand behind his product. Which is why I picked this guy, he was recommended by an acquaintance. But I'll be damned if I have him do any service.
Global Moderator
Another solution would be a 10 year Lennox CompleteCare extended warranty.
Last edited by HeyBob; 09-21-2007 at 05:53 PM.
Global Moderator
Just checked...........I am 99% sure a CompleteCare policy can be sold on a G40 Merit Series unit.
Any Lennox Dealer can service it!
Want me to sell ya one?
Global Moderator
Regular Guest
well, I'm certainly willing to consider it!
Professional Member*
How about asking him for his Territorial Manager's name and number. This should catch his attention and sooth his disposition.
Professional Member*
Outstanding information!Now, yet another thing to worry about getting right on my quotes. The G40 is what I use to compeate with other low end brands.
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