Advantage Air Mechanical

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I have a maintenance contract with them. They were fine. They did their job. There was no muss, no fuss. It’s a triplex so it took a couple of hours.

They were the 3rd contractor contacted and the only one to come out they came out quickly told me the problem so they didn't have the part that it would have to be ordered and that their boss would call me sometime that day that day came and went I got no phone call, it's the next day and I still haven't received a phone call I've been without a AC for six days now in the middle of summer in Tucson I'm very disappointed in advantage air mechanical and 2-10 Home buyers warranty.

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Terribly - of the 5 service technicians sent to deal with this only the last one asked to see the inside air handler of our split system and it was only when a new company was sent (at our insistence) that the problem was properly diagnosed and fixed, although at an extra $190 (again not covered by our pricy warranty). We would not recommend this company to anyone - we could never talk to a supervisor and they were always too busy to deal with our problem adequately. The communication between the warranty company and this service provider was also terrible - they kept blaming each other for the lack of results and in the mean time we were without AC for almost a month when the temps were 100 degrees plus. We did not renew our home warranty so we can deal directly with contractors and dump the ones who give us a runaround in the future. As for Advantage Air Mechanical, the jingle that plays over and over while you wait on hold says "....the name you can trust" but don't be fooled, you can't.

One disclaimer to this review is that the service technicians who came out were all polite and seemed to be well intentioned but also seemed to be caught between the warranty company and their employer - one even told us that the warranty company will do anything not to spend too much on the repair and that his company made more money on the more service calls they have for a problem (paid for each one) and that it would have been less trouble for us if they just agreed to replace the AC totally to  begin with but that they would never to so. What a racket!

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Advantage Air Mechanical first came to my home on 5/28/2014 because my AC was not working... This was in response to a call I had my to American Home Shield my home warranty company...  They also came at least six more times over the course of the summer because my AC was not working... 

Although I did not have any problem with the service persons who came to my home - they were polite... I did have a huge problem with Advantage Air Mechanical processes and their lack of courtesy or professionalism. 

My issues...

I called Advantage Air Mechanical (AAM) every time I needed assistance even though according to American Home Shield they (Advantage Air Mechanical) would call me within 24=48 hours.  Had I not called AAM I am relatively certain I would have not heard from AAM.

Based on my experience AAM did not fully assess my unit each time they were at my home... They stopped looking at what I needed as soon as any issue was identified.   

AAM did not until the last couple of visits extend me a courtesy call to say they would be running later than the four hour window  of time they provided me for their arrival.

AAM had a huge $205.00 fee for disposing of the old compressor.  A fee that is not covered by my home warranty...  When advised I would be expected to pay this fee when they arrived to install the new one... I promptly hung up and called at least a  half dozen other AC companies in Tucson to inquire as to the cost of a new compressor, the per cost per pound of refrigerant and did they dispose of the old compressor and if so what was the fee.  NONE of the six+ companies I called charged a dime to dispose of the old compressor. As a matter of fact three of them explained that they recycle the refrigerant and compressors which usually added a few hundred dollars to their bottom line every year.    I have no doubt AAM imposed this fee because I subscribe to a home warranty and they were not getting the same money from me as someone who does not have a warranty. 

AAM chooses to work with the home warranty company so if they are unhappy with the Home Warranty policies AAM can choose to discontinue their relationship with the warranty company... NOT treat the customer who came to them by way of the home warranty like they were the wicked step child. 

I asked on at least four occasions for the service manager to give me a call and he/she never extended me the courtesy of the call. 

I would not recommend Advantage Air Mechanical to ANYONE. 

Installed the machine backwards, so all the wire hung out the front, they left before I could check the work. I called them back to do it right. I should have know things were going bad... 6 months later the heat never turned on, they installed the unit with a broken themocouple. No heat for over 30 days in the middle of winter! How are they in business? They have been to my house no less than 8 times to fix shoddy workmanship. I finally have heat, but they had to return because misrouted wires were severed by my ac...really? Now the repairman lied to me that he reconnected an overflow valve. Ifound the loose wires today. Still waiting to talk to the business owner, he doesn't care. He just wants my money, and probably will never fix my unit. Off to the register of contractors and better business bureau. Don't let this happen to you, hire someone else.

The repair, which ended up being no repair at all, took three house calls including what ended up being an incorrect relay replacement that was incorrectly wired.  The incorrect relay and wiring ended up running both the inside blower heating coils and cooling system at the very same time for the months of August and September.  This resulted in hundreds of extra dollars in my electric bill for these two months.  I corrected the problem in early October after calling a completely different HVAC service that found the incorrect relay and the incorrect wiring.  The most aggravating part of this is that I told the AAM tech on his last trip that I thought something was wrong and asked if it was possible that both the heat and cooling were running at the same time.  I asked him this because there was a smell in the air like the time the first time or two the heat comes on in the winter.  He told me no.

They fixed the part correctly the first time. Professional & friendly service tech. $600 to replace a $2 part & recharge the system. I get that recharging isn't cheap, but I just don't see ~$250 of labor for a < 1 hour visit. Still, given some of the lesser professional companies in this industry, I would likely call them back again if I had another problem.

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Technician installed thermostat and programmed the device based on the information we provided him, explaining each step he was undertaking to program the unit for maintaining the temperatures we desired for specific times throughout the day.

It was great. The technician who came over was on time and he did a great job. He showed me what I would need and I asked him how much. Then, he got a quote and he got back to me and gave it to me. Then, they sent a followup in the mail and that was very nice. The technician was checking my furnace and then he said that eventually the compressor is probably going to go and so then I asked him if he could fix it and he said yes. Then I said, "Well, how much would it be?" And then he gave me ten minutes and then he came back because he walked out to his car and he had to wait for a phone call back. He was very nice and when the compressor breaks, I will buy it from him. I just paid for the big deal price because I originally bought it from another company and then that company was actually in Phoenix and I live in Tucson and then I bought another one and those poeople never showed up and called. So, I just kept transferring and then I ended up with these people. The technician who came out was an older guy and I really liked him a lot. He was also right on time.

I was completely satisfied with them in every way. The AC is still working several months later.

it went great. the very nice man that did the service (cannot remember his name, sorry) checked my heating system and told me that it looked great, looked brand new and that there were no concerns. he was honest, fast, clean and very friendly.

First class service and installation. We had to replace a 4 year old AC in a new house. They got here and gave us a estimate the
same day we called. They even figured out why the old one broke so quickly. Funny because the company that put it in could find the problem and they wanted to charge lots of money.
 
They got our new system ordered and installed in 3 days. They even brought out some portable units just to help get us by.
If you need AC fixed or a new unit they are the only ones to call.

I had 3 companies out and they were the most honest and reliable.  They were the only company that was on time and thier customer service was great!  I will definitely recommend this company to others!

ucsThe technician showed up on time. He even called me to tell me he was on his way. The technician was very polite. He asked me questions about what was happening with the unit. After I told him what was happening he said, ?Sounds like it could be one of the sensors?? . He had an idea of what it could be without looking at the unit. The technician really knew what he was doing.
He cleaned the sensor and tested the unit. He even checked the smoke alarms which was a surprise to me. He was very thorough in checking the heater. He also checked the home for carbon monoxide.
I was very pleased with this company and its employees. I would recommend this company to anyone. Because of everything he checked I now feel safe about my parents running the heater this winter.

We had a fan problem in our attic, which prevented us from using our A/C. I just know that our house was super hot and the A/C was not working.
I called three different companies. Advantage Air Mechanical quoted me the best price. One company was booked for 2 weeks and their price was high, so I called Advantage Air Mechanical. They said they would do a price match guarantee but they quoted me a better price.
They sent someone the very next day, which was awesome because when it is 100 plus degrees outside the last thing you want to hear from the A/C guy is that they cannot come out for at least two weeks.  They diagnose the problem, the fan wheel needed replacing. Just in time because it was going to be103!
They were very professional on the phone, returned calls as promised, and their technicians were very polite and knowledgeable.
We HIGHLY RECOMMEND Advantage Air Mechanical. If we had waited for the other companies, we would still be sweating it hot in a house with an average temperature of well-passed 100 degrees. The price was below their  original estimate. I did not even have to ask for a price discount they just gave it to me.
Bottom Line:
Fast and  friendly service. I give this company 5 stars out of 5.
I will use them again.
Thanks Advantage Air Mechanical!!!

I obtained proposals from every Mitsubishi Diamond Dealer in town and I chose Advantage.  I?m glad I did.  (If you go with a Diamond Dealer you get a little longer warranty.)
First, their proposal was the second lowest, and that?s a big consideration when you?re installing a whole-house mini-split retrofit (which can be expected to have a higher initial installation cost than central heating and cooling).
Secondly, the individual who did the proposal, Nick, was clearly more competent and had better communications skills than any other contractor. 
Some particulars:  The rooftop outside units (two) were placed exactly where I wanted them.  They were mounted on angle iron stands, (not redwood blocks or plastic feet), very nicely built and painted by Advantage.  The linesets/power/condensate lines were elevated on ?unistrut?, not redwood blocks, which presents a much lower profile and neater appearance.  The power, coming out of the circuit breaker box, was concealed in Sealtite, as opposed to conduit, and run beneath the soffit siding at my request, resulting in a very neat appearance.  These appurtenances were neatly covered with galvanized steel lineset cover.   At my request, some linesets/power/condensate lines were placed on exterior walls, neatly skirting windows.  The inside units (several on interior walls) were placed where I wanted them.  Visible interior linesets/power/condensate lines were concealed behind walls or inside closets and covered with genuine Mitsubishi line hide covers.   At my request, the linesets/power/condensate lines for three of the units were run so as to meet at a central point and exit to the roof through a single penetration.  This required extra planning and effort and should be recognized. The old system was removed and hauled away and the old roof penetrations (for evaporative coolers) were sealed with metal covers.
Extra attention:
They placed a metal cover on an old roof penetration that had been covered with plywood ? even though it was not related to the installation.
On installation, one more condensate pump than was originally planned, was required.  In was provided at no extra charge.
One inside unit was originally installed uncomfortably close to the ceiling.  At my request, they moved it lower to provide
better air intake. 
They did their best to make my vision of the installation a reality. 
So as not to give the impression these guys walk on water, you should know there was one installation person (possibly
still in training) who, instead of thinking of ways to make my requests work, was quick to provide reasons why they wouldn?t. 
He was, fortunately, overrode by the senior installation person or by Nick in every instance.  This person also
installed the power in conduit which was improperly bent and sloppily done.     When I mentioned it, he explained he wasn?t an electrician and couldn?t make it look any better.  Nick resolved the problem by removing the conduit and replacing it with Sealtite. Looks great. 
Changing the height of the indoor unit required too much discussion.  There was some reluctance, but they were finally able to make it work.  This was an exception.  They addressed all other concerns I had on my initial request.
Retrofitting an entire house for mini-splits is a complex job that poses numerous challenges.  But it is, by far, the superior way to heat and cool your home.   We love the super efficiency of the units and our ability to control individual zones.  You need a conscientious contractor, however, who can overcome the challenges and who listens to what you have in mind and can
make it happen.  In Tucson, Advantage Air Mechanical is that contractor.

The problem was quickly determined. The rep had the right replacement motor with him and quickly installed it. Finished in less than 45 minutes.

Sears said they could no longer perform the maintenance because their ladders did not reach the roof and their workers were afraid to go up there.  This makes one wonder how they did the maintenance for the five years they were doing it as part of the installation cost?  Advantage Air laughed at that and said "We have ladders and have been doing this work for years."  The guy who did it seemed like he knew what he was doing and got here early in the window time period.  He expressed no concern about going on the roof and did it as a matter of routine.  
 Time will tell if he did a good job or the price was high or low and the quality was good.  That is why i left quality and price empty above.
I have confidence in Advantage Air's employee based on what I saw and heard but we will see.

My main complaint with AAM is that I believe they misled me about the availability of the replacement part. They said they had to order the part but when the technician unloaded the box it was in there was a label on it that said it was shipped in February, 2013. My repair job was in June, 2013. I believe it was in a parts store here and they told me they had to order it so my repairs could not be scheduled for 10 days. I think they were just backed up but for some reason didn't want to tell me that. Lastly, they charged $125 to dispose of the broken part. Another a/c contractor that I contacted charges $50 for the disposal. I think they gouged me to subsidize the low price AHS (American Home Shield) might be paying them to do the repair. I won't knowingly use AAM again. AAM is neither outstanding nor are they horribly bad.