Compare Heating & Air Conditioning

Compare HVAC had checked our A/C unit a few months earlier in January and February when they installed a new furnace. At that time they said unit was in good condition and should continue for many years. We appreciated their honesty and not just try to sell me a new unit. Unfortunately, a few months later, on the first hot day, the unit was not blowing cold air. By evening it was colder outside (65°F) than it was in the house (79°F). Compare responded quickly and sent a service technician on the first business day who diagnosed a bad fuse and tightened the loose wires on the time delay board. They charged us a service call fee of $59 plus $30.00 for 2 new fuses, and $31.00 for labor. The unit was working when the technician left. However the next day it was not working. Called Compare back and was told we needed a new time delay board that they needed to order the part and they would call us back. 3 weeks later still no back. So we called them (not calling back is a common problem). The receptionist said they had the part and gave assurance this would fix the problem. However, as our furnace issue took them 13 visits to resolve, we called the manufacturer in an effort to avoid a repeat of the furnace experience. In response to our concerns, the company discussed our situation with Compare's technician. The problem was caused by a device Compare had installed on our new furnace to communicate with the A/C unit. By removing the device they had installed a few months ago, they were able to solve the problem of the non working a/c unit.

It took Compare 13 visits to resolve the problem. Compare technician, Dustin, made 4 visits before determining that the furnace needed to be replaced. After each visit Dustin claimed to have found the problem and either fixed it or needed to order a part. When the unit stopped working after the 4th visit, we called the office again. We became frustrated when we were told Dustin's report said the furnace needed to be replaced when in fact Dustin had left us to believe the problem was resolved. A month later it took Compare 2 days to install a new Carrier Infinity 96 furnace and an additional 7 visits to get it working properly and as described. To be fair the owner, Mark, offered to squeeze us in as we had NO heat and temperatures were dropping to the 40's and below inside the house. We didn't want problems with a rushed job so opted for their first available appointment which was in January. The people are polite and seem honest, but they are overwhelmed. Mark's sister Jane runs the office but she doesn't call back as the technicians promise to schedule subsequent visits to complete the job. You need to call back to determine if a needed part has been received and to schedule an appointment if you want to get the job done. One time I called when they did not show up on time only to find out that the technician was going to another job. Fortunately Jane made him turn around and handle my job first. Don't wait too long before calling if they don't show up on time as the technician may then be unable to do your job that day. In that case he showed up an hour late. The owner Mark seems honest, but is not as familiar with the product as he sounded. He advised elevating the unit at an additional cost of just over $600 would greatly reduce the noise of the working unit -- but despite elevation the new unit was just as noisy as our previous unit. He recommended new vents would greatly reduce the noise. When the technician came to install a new vent we compared the noise with the new vent and the existing vent. Even the technician agreed there was no difference in noise level. Mark incorrectly told us a Carrier programmable thermostat would not let us adjust the fan speed so the unit would not be so noisy... but the Carrier thermostat operating instructions available on the Carrier website say otherwise. In the end Mark authorized replacement of our existing programmable Honeywell smart thermostat (which he recommended, provided, and installed earlier that year) with the programmable Carrier Thermostat at no additional charge. They try to leave the work area clean, but don't have the right equipment to do a proper job. They vacuum the debris with a vacuum hose but need a brush attachment or broom to get all the debris. They left dirty hand prints on walls and the window frame. We felt the subsequent 7 visits to get the new furnace working properly could have been avoided. At one visit the problem was a piece of card board they had left blocking one of the pipes. In another visit they found that the technician did not install the drain pipe at the proper angle causing the fluid to flow back into the the unit instead of draining out properly. The excuse given was the "technician who performed the installation was new to the job". If they are using inexperienced people, they need to properly train them and supervise their work. To add insult to injury, in one of the last visits Dustin came back and he kept emphasizing how "the company lost money on our job and how we got such a great deal". He fails to appreciate the lost wages and wasted time, weeks of living without heat and frustration we incurred. By the time they had finished our job, it was March. But Dustin is just one person in the company. I raised the overall experience to a B because I'm hoping this is just a one-off experience. In the end, we do have a furnace that is working as promised. The company is family owned and we feel the people are sincere. They did not charge service calls for the multiple visits. We have used the company in the past and they did an excellent job in the past, although the technician at the time, Terry, is no longer with the company. Follow-up: When we learned we needed to replace our furnace, we asked Mark if we should also replace the air conditioning unit as both had been installed at the same time. Mark assured us the technicians confirmed the a/c was in good working order and it should run well for a number of years. However last month when we turned on the a/c for the first time this season it did not work. Dustin was here again and thought he fixed the problem, but the next day it was not working. We will file another review for this next experience when it has been completed.

unknown

Incredible honesty with the owner of the company. Competitive price. Decent work. Very knowledgeable. Spent a great deal of time on me with the phone. Made me feel very comfortable dealing with them. Very realistic bid.

I called Compare because we had used them before and they gave us great service, and this time was no different! The woman who answered the phone was polite and suggested a few trouble shooting ideas, but we determined that we needed a technician. Terry arrived within the hour and quickly determined the problem and had our furnace operating again in less than 45 mins. Compare is always the best in coming up with quick and inexpensive fixes. And they truly do care about providing the best service. Terry was polite and professional (I also appreciated that he put on shoe gloves before entering my house). I highly recommend that you call Compare Heating and Air first.

Terry arrived at 2:15 for an appointment scheduled for the 1-3 time window. First thing, he crawled under the house to examine the duct that had separated at a joint. He did a simple temporary patch with tape, and promised an estimate for a proper repair. He checked out the electronic air filter, then spent a lot of time with the air conditioner. He found that it was 3 lb. low on Freon, and filled it up ($140), saying these things aren't designed to run even 1 lb. low. He did an extensive cleaning job on the radiator and fan of the air conditioner, and then said "It's now like you have a new air conditioner."

We got three bids to replace both the old furnace and the A/C. Compare was the lowest bid. One always worries about the low bid, but in our case the quality of the work indicates that they were also the BEST bid. Our two workers, Joe and Spencer, were professional, thorough, and pleasant to be around. I would be happy to have them come back, although I don’t think I will need them for a while!

The problem was obvious- a melted circuit board. The technician, I think his name was Terry, was very knowledgeable. He informed us that based on our serial number it was an 18 or 19 year old unit and the heat exchanger was still under manufacturer's warranty. He was very familiar with the model. The part he had to order came from back east. It arrived in 2 days. It would have come a day earlier if he had been able to place the order in the morning, but we had an afternoon appointment because we couldn't get off work earlier. He replaced the part and educated us about the unit and the differences with the newer units. The furnace has been running fine since the repair. We plan to have them perform the seasonal maintenance on our furnace and a/c.