R.G. from outside of Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
In doing work on the roof of my mom’s large condominium, they needed to move the air conditioners and my 86-year-old mother is the only resident out of maybe 50 units whose A/C was damaged. The contractors admit that they dropped materials in it and said they had fixed it earlier in the week but today, Saturday, it won’t cool. It is set at 75 and remains at 80. Who is responsible and how can I best advocate for my mom? The management company calls the contractor and the contractor claims that it isn’t his fault, it’s the unit’s. The unit is over 10 years old… BUT IT WORKED BEFORE THEY MOVED IT AND DROPPED STUFF IN IT! I appreciate your help.
Mister Condo replies:
R.G., I am sorry that your mother’s air conditioner was damaged. Most states require that a damaged product like an air conditioner be replaced at the market value at the time the damage occurred. My guess is that a 10-year-old air conditioner isn’t worth too much, regardless of how well it worked before it was damaged. Clearly, the blame lies with the roofing contractors who moved and damaged the unit. However, the real question here is liability and cost of replacement. You can continue to complain to anyone who will listen but unless you can prove the value of the air conditioner to be significant. I am afraid your best bet will be to simply purchase a new air conditioner. I am sorry I don’t have better news for you. Good luck!