The HVAC service provider I contract with to do the yearly maintenance on my A/C is overcharging me because I “hacked” my A/C. I kid you not!
The service guy came today because the A/C blows cold on heat setting. He asked me to turn the A/C on to demonstrate the problem. I couldn’t find the remote, so I pulled out my Flipper with the Mitsubishi A/C Remote app - which works fine and which I regularly do when I can’t be bothered to go get the remote on the wall when I’m on the couch. The thing turned on, blew cold, so the man set to work.
2 hours later, he comes back with a circuit board telling me he had to change the control unit. Okay fine. And now I get a bill from his company showing a surcharge for extra service work due to unexpected “damage to the electronics caused by an unauthorized piece of equipment”.
What the actual f…
Needless to say, I’ll be contracting another company next year.
If OP is in the US (possibly Canada too), then the contractor would simply put a lien on their property and be done with it. This means the OP could not sell or refinance their house, and if they die, their estate has to pay the lien before it goes to their family. That’s my basic understanding; there is likely more complex nuances to it than what I’ve said.
It would be better for OP to pay up, read their service agreement, and if possible take the contractor to small claims court instead of expecting it the other way around.
I don’t think maintenance companies can do this? I thought it was only for contracted renovation work (stuff that requires a permit)