After "Krone" article

Heat pump failure: manufacturer now showing goodwill

He is getting a new device today. Mario Vorhauser from Dorfbeuern with the three-year-old, broken heat pump.(Bild: zVg, Krone KREATIV)

There was a great response to the "Krone" article about the trouble a man from Flachgau had with a heat pump. His story is not an isolated case. Readers report similar experiences with different manufacturers. In the Flachgau case, Vaillant provided a new appliance.  

"It happened to us this year too. The company refused to repair anything, we even had to buy a new appliance." "The manufacturer of our heat pump is no longer contactable. There is only one service company in Austria!" These were the reactions triggered by Wednesday's "Krone" article. Mario Vorhauser from Dorfbeuern spoke from the soul of many with his story.

In his case, there is now a solution. "We're getting a new appliance free of charge on Thursday. At last we no longer have to heat with electricity," says the relieved owner of a heat pump. Its compressor, which was only three years old, had broken down. Vorhauser demanded a new one at Vaillant's expense - and heard nothing more from the company for three weeks.

The company has now apologized and has also promised to refund the outstanding amount. The reason given for the poor customer service was that "there were still unresolved issues to be clarified internally." The company remained silent on the question of whether its compressors should be broken after just a fifth of their normal service life. According to a spokesperson, their products are extensively tested for durability. Vaillant also informed the defensive customer that this was a voluntary goodwill gesture. The solution was considered to be very good.

Mario Vorhauser has to pay the installation costs for the new compressor himself. He says: "If I treated customers like that, I wouldn't have any more customers."