I never set out to be a Karen. It wasn’t a goal I wanted to hit. But after sweating through 92° indoor heat while being quoted another $1,800 for a part that already failed last year? Okay. Get me the scissors (and your manager), time for the inverted bob to go full Karen.
I love the smell of my body odor in the sweaty Texas mornings. I’m joking, of course. And yet, this is happening. Because my HVAC that I bought for my house in 2021 is dead. I’m being the squeakiest wheel that ever wheeled a squeak. But as I wait for reports and the internal go-ahead to escalate the fuckery, here I am. Blogging my pain into the ether.
Fix the slogan?
“Nothing can stop a Trane” says the company whose unit has been stopped twice in a year. The local dealer who sold it to me and has “maintained it” is, for the time being, on my shit list. The list grows daily. They have until Friday before I go to whatever the next defcon is.
Here’s what happened, in bullet points for brevity:
- Bought a brand new HVAC system for a cool $11k in order to stay cool while living in the house. Basics.
- Compressor failed in 2024 while under warranty. But the installers charged me $1,800 for labor to replace it. Rage one.
- In 2025, aka right now, the same compressor needs to be replaced again. And the same installer had the audacity to send an estimate for an additional $1800 to remove and replace the same compressor they already replaced last year. Rage two.
- In no uncertain yet restrained terms, I’ve told the installer to which afterlife locale I wish they would go. Hint: not the puffy cloudy one. I’ve also requested they send me every single shred of record and documentation they have on my unit and its service since 2021. Up to and including the names of the high school teachers of the technicians who worked on it.
- I have emailed Trane about five times and called twice. Disconnected the first time, put on hold the second.
- I have received one email confirmation from Trane. With no specifics on timelines, no case number or details on how my case will be handled. I’m not pleased.
FYI, the heat index is around “don’t touch it it’s lava.” It got up to 92 degrees in my house on Day One of this inferno of a saga. This is not ideal considering the money I have dropped to ensure this doesn’t happen.
I’m enraged. I’m hot. I’m not to be trifled with.
I want written documentation only. I won’t be talked down or reasoned with anymore. There was a chance of that, but that chance went out the window with the first $1,800 in 2024.
Escalating from Karen to Erin Brockovich…
I don’t even care that I am acting like “a Karen.” Frankly we need more pissed off people demanding better treatment. Even insisting people are “Karens” for speaking up throws a red flag for me. We’re conditioned to believe that standing up for ourselves makes us difficult. That “Karen” means entitled, irrational, or overreacting. Especially when paired with a short haircut.
“Karen” is often a woman who knows she’s being jerked around and toyed with. And she’s done.
That’s me. I had a feeling I was being taken for a ride in 2024 and I’m convinced of it now. Fortunately, I unknowingly gave away my final fuck sometime in the past few years. No idea who got it, but treasure it.
The lesson here is if you feel like raging out, you’re probably justified. Don’t worry about some twit labeling you a Karen for standing up for yourself. Because it got to 92 in my house and I’ve paid over $13k ensuring that wouldn’t happen. Yeah, I’m pissed. And yeah, the install company and manufacturer is going to hear about it and address it lest I escalate this to Erin Brokovich levels next.
If your AC’s been replaced under warranty and you’re being hit with repeat labor charges… do let me know. Google “Fraudulent HVAC” or “HVAC overcharging” and you’ll read a slew of articles about such things.