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Good Samaritan repair company fixes elderly man's AC free of charge

Posted at 8:32 PM, Jun 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-29 13:59:13-04

An 84-year-old man suffered without air conditioning for nearly a week as the Las Vegas valley still baked in broiling heat. 

“I was living off of fans,” David Vagnoni said.

The only relief, if you can call them that, were fans, blasting from the floor and whirring from the ceiling.

"I don't know at what point I should go get a hotel room," he said.

Vagnoni’s air conditioner had broken down at his home near Spencer Street and Hacienda Avenue.

“I think I saw it as high as 96,” Vagnoni said. The heat was almost unbearable, “Especially at night when you’re trying to sleep.”

Vagnoni called four different repair companies. They all told him the same them thing.

“You can’t fix that unit. You got to replace it,” Vagnoni said.

The price to replace the entire unit was through the roof.

“The lowest was $7,300. The highest, I think, is [$8,500].”

Vagnoni is 84, retired and living on a fixed income. “I was going to take his proposal and go to the bank and try and get a loan,” he said.

But one good Samaritan company is doing it for free.

Josh Anderson, a technician with Aire Serv Heating and Air Conditioning, called the manufacturer and found  out there was hope after all.

“This thing’s only 7 years old. It kind of didn’t sit right with me,” Anderson said. “Found out that it not only had a 10-year parts warranty. It had a labor warranty as well.”

Anderson said even if the unit wasn’t under warranty, the fix should have been quick, easy and cheap.

“This was a $20 part.”

Aire Serv fixed the unit, completely free of charge.

“People want to take advantage of the elderly ,” Anderson said. “Nobody needs to be in that kind of heat, period, especially kids, the elderly.”

“It’s unbelievable. It’s Christmas in June,” said Vagnoni. “Tonight, I can get a good night’s sleep after a week instead of perspiring.”

Anderson said it took 15 minutes to fix the part. All it needed was a little legwork and a couple of phone calls.

Vagnoni said he doesn't believe the other companies were trying to rip him off. He just thinks they didn't try hard enough to find the cheap and easy solution.