HVAC repair recommendation?

[carcrazy67]

Another vote for Justin Woodlief! He has done quite a bit of work for me over the years!

[ncjoy]

Comfort Wizards came out on a weekend when AC went out.
The service (Harvey?) was great; we got a service contract
and the technician went out of his way to criticize the brand
we'd purchased only a few years ago. He said we might get another
year of use. Funny that the repair man a week before said
after the repair, the system would last at least 8-10 more years.
He was haphazard. Not pleased.

We're cancelling the service contract for this year.

[gazania]

I find ARS a bit spotty in terms of service ... and dangerous.

In the beginning, most technicians were pretty good. They kept trying to sell me extra goodies, but I kept refusing. I worked retail. I understand that companies push their workers to peddle this stuff.

However, when the technician came out to check my furnace last year, he claimed all sorts of serious problems, and declared I would have to replace both furnaces in my house IMMEDIATELY. This was a surprise to me! It would cost me several thousand to replace them. I do not have several thousand to spare right now, and would prefer to stay out of more debt, thank you. I've got enough of that as it is.

Something told me to call another company. Good thing.

This new technician told me that my furnaces were old, yes, and MIGHT have to be replaced within a few years or so, but right then and there, at that moment, they were just fine, except for a couple of things .... one very dangerous ....

The ARS guy did indeed find that a part needed to be replaced, but it WAS replaceable without ditching the whole system. It cost about $350 to fix it. And oh .... the ARS guy also forgot to re-connect everything when he finished. He missed a crucial part. Had I put the furnace on, we would have had a nice dose of carbon monoxide throughout the house.

As far as I was concerned, it was $350 well spent. And as far as I'm concerned, I will never use ARS again. That was sheer negligence.

On a more minor note ....

For years, ARS tried to sell me on getting special filters. The competitor told me that yes, when the time came to get a new furnace, he would recommend them. But on an older furnace ... no. It would be a waste of money. I do not have hundreds of dollars to waste. Had I fallen for the repeated sales pitches, I would have.

I bought a new AC unit for my upstairs through ARS, and will never buy one through them again. Problems from the start. I could see after ten years ... but after one? Two? I should NOT be crossing my fingers when I turn the AC on!

I still maintain that most ARS technicians are very efficient, very skilled. But if you get the few who aren't ... it could be expensive, and even hazardous. I plan to try the competitor for at least a year (I won't recommend it yet, since I would need to see how different technicians work within the company. It might be just like ARS.) But most reviews seem to rate the company highly. I'll see for myself this year.

[sacredgrooves]

I am not a fan of large service companies in nearly any field of home repair. They routinely attempt upselling while usually lacking the knowledge to fully explain the benefits (or detriments), and you tend to get "techs in training" working on your equipment. You will almost always come out better using a smaller, local firm with an involved owner.

[zinner]

I just used Rural Heating and Plumbing. I got other quotes and they were the best price. I needed a coil and fan motor replaced, it was a good chunk of change.

[rociovrojas]

I use Justin Woodlief also. My furnace stopped working last month during those really cold days we had, he insisted on coming over that very evening. A very caring guy!

[Daytrepper]

Mechanical HVAC Services....been out twice, once after lightning hit, damaged some electronics, second time lost a sensor during the winter, very prompt, fixed it right, not out of the park price wise either.