Air conditioners are relatively simple mechanical devices. A pump compresses a refrigerant (Freon was once the most common one used), passes it through a nozzle which cools a refrigerant that is then passed through a radiator to cool the air in a room. (I hope I got the process correct here.) Waste heat from the warmed refrigerant is passed through an external radiator to the outside of the building. With the exception of the refrigerant being changed over the years to protect the environment, the principle used in today's machines is the same as that used several generations ago.
What has changed is the electronic circuitry controlling the units. It has grown much more complex, so that it can maintain a constant temperature as desired, turn the machine on and off at selected times without operator intervention, and conserve energy which was wasted in older air conditioner design. In the case of my two new air conditioners, the manufacturer has implemented a Wi-Fi interface, so that one can control the unit from one's own cell phone. By today's standards, this is not rocket science. But it is something that Friedrich as gotten wrong. Both of my units have faulty Wi-Fi connectivity which has not yet been corrected by a manufacturer supplied firmware update.
As of the time this entry was written, all I have is a case number and some nice words from tech support. No fix has yet been shipped. And I expect that the manufacturer does not care much about quality control, as it rushed to send these units to distributors (and on to retail customers) before it verified that the product was ready to ship.
So here is the second letter I sent to the CEO of Friedrich:
Dear Mr. Campbell,
This is the second time I’ve taken the time to write you due
to support issues I’ve had with my Friedrich Wallmaster Air Conditioner. Unfortunately, when my second new unit
arrived, it has the same Wi-Fi issue as the first unit – I cannot use the
Friedrich Connect app on my phone to control either AC unit.
On Friday (7/9), I was able to reach the same polite
gentleman who assisted me on the prior Tuesday (7/6). This fellow told me that he was a
little backed up, and that he couldn’t get the case number established that day
– but he gave me one (20536) on Friday.
However, he wasn’t able to send me the firmware update at that time to
allow me to get my Wi-Fi connectivity problem fixed.
On Saturday (7/10), my second AC was delivered and installed
in my bedroom. I then tried to connect my phone with it to no avail. When I checked the unit’s firmware, it was at
the same level as its sibling in the living room, thus explaining why it also
had connectivity problems.
Case number: 20536
Living Room Unit: Bedroom Unit:
Model: WCT16A30A Model: WCT12A10A
Firmware: 1.02 Firmware: 1.02
As of today, I have not received the help I need to get the Wi-Fi functions of my Wallmaster units working properly. The last time I was in contact with this person at tech support, he noted that it would take 3 days to receive a tracking number. There was no mention on when I would receive the fix that I need to use all the features of my air conditioner. When I contacted him again on Tuesday (7/20), he still had no idea when I could get my AC’s Wi-Fi fixed.
I would appreciate any and all help you (or your office) can give me to get this issue resolved promptly.So far, I have had no success with Friedrich. Soon, I plan to let the people who sold me my air conditioners know what is going on so that they can be aware of potential problems in the units they sell. Additionally, since they have more influence as distributors than I have as a customer, maybe they can get the word out to the people at Friedrich who can get things done. Who knows?
I only wonder when I'll have this issue resolved....
