Regarding: Paul Auerbach, Total Green LLC 290 Larkin Drive, Suite 103-242 Monroe, NY 10950 On August 9, 2013 I signed a contract with Paul Auerbach of TOTAL-GREEN GEO-THERMAL SPECIALISTS to install a Geo-Thermal Heating and A/C System in a house I am building. On that day I gave him a deposit for $28,000. According to the contact, work was to begin on or about August 23, 2013 and be completed by December 1, 2013. The completion date has passed but the work has not begun. In addition to taking my $28,000 deposit, I am now incurring overrun charges with other contractors who have been held up by Paul Auerbach and Total Green. Do you know how I can contact him? He's not returning calls

Posted By Paul Auerbach on 02 Mar 2009 05:44 PM
... 

We are Total Green, a geothermal designer and installer - specializing in DX technology. In the last 12 months we've successfully installed 44 Total Green Geothermal Heating and Cooling systems in NY and Connecticut in both commercial and residential properties. I invite anyone to visit our website www.TotalGreenUS.com and see what we do and how we do it.

We pride ourselves in being very knowledgeable about energy management - how the structure utilizes energy. We size our systems properly, work only with approved HVAC sub-contractors and have a large body of clients that are enjoying their Total Green geothermal systems and reaping the savings that geothermal promises.

With the new tax credits we expect a host of "geothermal cowboys" to come along trying to take advantage of the demand - To that I can only say "Caveat Emptor." Let the buyer beware. If you're considering geothermal, be certain to do your due diligence and check references. A good installer will have at least least 10 or 15 systems they can point to and a few clients they'll allow you to speak with...

Go Geo.

Paul Auerbach
Principal & system designer
Total Green LLC
[email protected]

From earlier in this thread.

Best regards,

Bill

We contracted with Paul Auerbach of Total Green, LLC to install a geo-thermal HVAC system in our new home. He asked for a deposit of $28,000 which we gave him. After that he disappeared and never showed up for the job. His contract called for Arbitration which we completed and were awarded our money back. However he has no personal assets and even his house is in his wife's name. A few days later he filed for bankruptcy. Clearly this guy knows what he's doing. PLEASE DON'T TO BUSINESS WITH PAUL AUERBACH under any company name.

Sorry to hear of your troubles.

A long time geo dealer/advocate/manufacturer once said to me (when I asked about DX systems):
the road to bankruptcy is paved with the bones of DX dealers.
I went on to train in two different DX brands, but both began to have trouble and I ceased marketing them. Perhaps I'm lucky I didn't get to sell a bunch.
Of course there's a very high profile water source guy who's been accused of running off with peoples money on this forum as well. Maybe it's people and not the technology.

Posted By joe.ami on 22 Dec 2014 09:44 AM
......Maybe it's people and not the technology.

Sad but true

I'm curious if you'd share here, to learn from, how a customer should be treated when it turns out what was installed just doesn't work.

What did you do with the 'less than a bunch' customers?  How did you make them 'whole' / satisfied?

Thanks.

Best regards,

Bill

Rip it all out and do it right. Whatever it takes, whatever it costs. But one should not be there in the 1st place. In addition, customers sometimes are trying to take advantage of some situations as well, just to get more out of it than what was discussed.

Bill, I've only had to replace 2 units along the way. Both were at no cost to the client. Both were WTA. At other homes I have paid for blower door tests and infrared evaluation when the system did not perform as I expected. I have also paid for attic insulation and air sealing to get a system to deliver what I promised. In spite of manual J load calcs, if a code minimum builder doesn't insulate correctly or do at least a modest amount of sealing you can be way off on design.

The tough part for me is that as I evolve and learn from the Doc Jensers, John Mannings and Ed Lohrenzs of the world, I find myself wanting to go to old clients and re write history by up dating designs. Unfortunately that is not practical. They have good working systems, they could simply be better.

The technology emerges, as much as the design. We are piping w-w load sides very different compared to 2 years ago, thanks to d/c inverter driven pumps. That does not mean I would go back to 3 years past customers and rip everything out. They are still super happy. If someone has a 3 year old car, he is not getting a new one from the dealer just because that one is better/ more efficient. But if there is something wrong with a newly installed system, we do everything to ensure it works as promissed.