Hi MJ,
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us. We’re truly sorry to hear about the common(C) wire issue.
Although Nest Learning Thermostat is designed to operate well without a common(C) wire in most cases as long as the system wires can deliver enough power to the thermostat, there are a few cases where you still need a common(C) wire for your system to be compatible. It's very unfortunate to know that this cost you so much until you found out. In such cases, we recommend contacting a local Nest pro as they are more experienced. But we're glad the problem is solved, and you finally enjoy your Nest thermostat.
Nest Learning Thermostat is a smart thermostat that learns from your AC preferences, but you have the option to turn off its learning functionalities, and use it as a programmable thermostat. You can follow the steps below to turn off the Auto-Schedule feature:
With the Nest app:
- Open the Nest app, and select your Nest thermostat.
- Select Settings, and then Auto-Schedule.
- Tap the switch to turn it off.
On your thermostat:
- Press the ring and choose Settings, and select Nest Sense, and then Auto-Schedule, and then Off.
We recommend clearing the existing schedules by following this sequence: Settings > Reset > Schedule > Reset > Turn the ring in the displayed direction.
After performing all of the steps above, you may create manual schedules again like you prefer.
We appreciate your feedback as we work hard to improve our products and services. In case you need further assistance, feel free to contact us here: https://support.google.com/googlenest/contactflow