Complaint Review: Generalaire - Novi Michigan
- Generalaire 43800 Grand River Ave. Novi, Michigan USA
- Phone: (866) 476-5101
- Web: http://www.generalfilters.com/
- Category: Appliances
Generalaire General Filters Inc. Poor quality motor, misleading advertising and product description. Novi Michigan
*Author of original report: Installation is not the issue
*UPDATE Employee: Still Hoping to Assist TedZ
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This company uses a fan motor in a humidifier made in Mexico. The front plate of the motor is held onto the motor case with four flimsy clips. When i received the unit the fan would not turn as two of the clips came off in transit. There was no damage to the box. They offered to replace the motor if i sent it back which is ok if you can tolerate the delay and a huge hole in your duct work which would have to be blocked with tape or metal. That alone would have been fine EXCEPT in the list of "ADDITIONAL ITEMS THAT MAY BE NECESSARY" that they provide they neglect to mention that the unit discharges a lot of water and requires a length of drain hose to carry the water to a pail or a condensate pump. They do not mention the discharge in any way in the instructions. You are left to deal with it yourself. The fact is if folks knew there was a discharge water issue, they likely would opt for some other type of unit. We would have. Many of them have pans that fill and when the float is satisfied the water shuts off. A much better design.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 12/30/2013 10:57 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/generalaire/novi-michigan-48375/generalaire-general-filters-inc-poor-quality-motor-misleading-advertising-and-product-d-1111640. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content
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#2 Author of original report
Installation is not the issue
AUTHOR: TedZ - ()
SUBMITTED: Thursday, January 02, 2014
First, i am a licensed contractor. The unit has a substandard motor plain and simple. The cover of this motor can easily come off during shipment as it is not securely held in. Once it comes off its alignment is compromised. There is no mention of a required drain line in the instructions, no mention of size even oif it were described, and no mention of a condensate pump that is required in most installation unless you are lucky enough to have a floor drain near the furnace's supply plenum. Condensate pumps run 50 or 60 dollars in addition to the humidifier. If Generalaire stood behind its products it would have sent me a motor. I could have photographed the damaged motor but instead they insisted i get the motor to them for repair. The problem with that is we would be without humidification in a temperature world of continuous below zero temps and RH's of under 10. Hard on one's health. As i explained to Generalaire, i made a temporary repair on the motor with clips on one side and epoxy on the other as the cover alignment had to be different due to shipping damage. The box was not damaged, the motor is so flimsy that, as explained, it is subject to damage easily. The clips were loose in the humidifier when it was received. I asked Generalaire for the price on a new motor and they told me $129.00. I bought a new motor with the part number matching the Generalaire one for $46.00 to be delivered in 1 to 2 weeks. The motor i repaired is noisy so it was easier to be safe with a new purchased motor than fool around arguing with Generalaire. They know that the Mexican motor they supply is susceptable to exactly the circumstances i describe, could have sent me a new motor and i would have returned the damaged one but their tech folks sandbagged me, hence the Ripoff report. If you are smart you will stay away from the Generalaire series 1000 huminifiers in my opinion.

#1 UPDATE Employee
Still Hoping to Assist TedZ
AUTHOR: General Filters - ()
SUBMITTED: Thursday, January 02, 2014
We have been made aware of the complaint on Ripoff Report.com submitted by TedZ. We stand behind our products 100% and regret that TedZ had a frustrating experience with one of our most reliable model humidifiers. However, we take issue with a claim that we “rip off” customers with misleading statements and advertising, and wish to respond. We kindly submit:
- General Filters recommends that all our residential, whole house indoor air quality products be installed by a licensed contractor for safe, proper installation and long-lasting operation.
- We offer our products to licensed contractors via authorized wholesalers/distributors throughout the USA and Canada. This unit was not purchased from an authorized wholesaler but rather from an unauthorized website.
- Authorized dealers can (and do) provide immediate replacement parts or units in the rare event there are any issues with the product. Apparently the online source from which he purchased his unit was not very helpful to him.
- We offer telephone Technical Support to address questions and issues and we stand behind our products 100%. TedZ contacted our Tech Support team twice regarding his concerns. During these calls and subsequent emails we earnestly attempted to assist him. TedZ advised that he had originally wired the unit incorrectly and then disassembled and modified the unit, both of which could not only adversely affect performance but would also void the warranty.
- Despite the fact that the unit was incorrectly wired, dissembled, and modified, and despite the fact that the unit was not purchased through an authorized wholesaler (all of which voided the warranty) General Filters offered to review the motor (to see if it was faulty). TedZ was told that he would be reimbursed for the cost of a new motor if the parts were found to be faulty. He declined our offer.
- In addition, whole house flow-through humidifiers require access to either drains or condensate pumps, which is commonly known by all licensed contractors.
- There are no “clips” retaining any part of the Elite 1000 humidifier motor or chassis to the cover. The motor is retained to the chassis with four nylon-insert anti-vibration screws, and the chassis is fastened to the cover with four screws.
- Lastly, the fan motor is made by a company that specializes in fractional horsepower motors and that has an international manufacturing and engineering footprint. The motors used in our units just happen to be made in their Mexico facility. All of their facilities use the same manufacturing and quality systems, whether the plants are in the U.S. or Mexico.
We offer a wide variety of products to satisfy unique needs of consumers and the size of their homes. Product quality is of top concern. We have made every attempt to assist TedZ, but he has declined further support. We continue to offer our support to him and will make every effort to rectify the situation if he desires.


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