Thanks to a collaborative campaign between Bennett Sheet Metal and Lennox Industries, Mabel Kelly will have a reliable heating system in her home this winter.
Kelly was having some major issues with her heat pump last winter.
“The heat pump wasn’t running properly, so I called a company that I had Googled, and they were very unhelpful,” said Mabel’s daughter, Marlene. “When they came they wouldn’t let us watch what they were doing, they didn’t tell us what they did, they just sent invoices and said we needed a new heat pump. So they went ahead and ordered one without telling us what kind or anything, then they sent us one big invoice with one price on it. I asked for a more detailed invoice, telling us how much of the cost was labour, and what brand of heat pump it was… but they were really quite belligerent, and then they ghosted us. So we ended up being without heat for about two weeks.”
That’s when Bennett Sheet Metal first got involved.
“When she called us, my husband, Terry, who owns the company, realized very quickly that the work she received a quote for was not what needed to be done,” said Shawna Logan. “So we looked at what needed to be done, free of charge - because she had already been charged for a quote (by the other company). When we found out what the issue was, we were able to do sort of a stop-gap fix on it, but knew that she was going to need to have new heating equipment installed (eventually).”
The situation was rectified, and Mable and Marlene thought that would be the end of it.
Little did they know, plans were in the works for a more sustainable solution.
Cue the Lennox Industries Feel The Love program.
Lennox Industries introduced the Feel The Love Program in 2009, and in 2021, Lennox and it partners, such as Bennett Sheet Metal, installed a total of 130 HVAC units in 37 states and five provinces.
“Each Feel The Love recipient is an unsung hero who may be going through hardship, facing adversity or in need of community support,” explains a Lennox Industries press release. “Recipients were nominated by their neighbors, friends and family members as a way of bringing hope and support to homes across North America.”
Shawna said she and Terry knew Mabel was a perfect nominee.
“The way that she had been treated by the other company, being a senior citizen, on limited income, feeling that she had not received fair treatment, Terry wanted to nominate her for the program, because it was something he had heard about at a conference,” said Shawna, who is the Feel The Love campaign manager for Bennett Sheet Metal.
“One day, out of the blue, Shawna phoned and said that Terry had nominated my mom for the Feel The Love Program,” said Marlene. “It was a complete surprise.”
On Friday, Oct. 15, as part of the Feel The Love Program, Bennett Sheet Metal installed a new furnace and thermostat.
“It’s amazing,” said Marlene after the installation. “We didn’t even realize how bad it was until it got fixed. So right now, we are hot! We actually had to turn down the heat, because now the heat pump and the furnace are communicating properly. It’s been a big improvement.
“We feel so blessed. It makes us feel that there is still love in the world.”
Shawna said getting involved in the Feel The Love Program was an ideal way for Bennett Sheet Metal to celebrate a milestone.
“It’s our 60th anniversary this year so we felt it was a perfect fit,” she said, adding that the company is planning to make local nominations every year.
“Absolutely. We really love the way the program is run and being able to help out where we can felt really good,” she said. “Finding the right nominee is a big part of the work involved in Feel The Love, and we knew we had a good nominee (this year), but we are hoping to get the word out so we can have good nominations for next year, because we don’t always run into them.”
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terry.farrell@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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