SANTA CLARITA CUSTOM AIR

Custom Air let politics get in the way of customer service and loyalty.

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Work in attic --- the original drain line was said to be kinked (it was not). The drain line was wrongly cut by the installation tech and at first re-attached in a stretched condition and being held in place with pieces of small gauge wire and daisy chained zip-ties. When called out on this -- the solution was to put in a double male adapter plug at the bottom --- where water was sure to collect and most likely leak again. I asked for a continuous drain line to be placed -- but this was going to require to much work and time, so the only alternative was to have a double male adapter/splice put in a different location on the drain tubing. The crew damaged a perfectly good drain (1-piece and continuous) line and now I have a 2-piece. At least they finally removed the small gauge wire and zip-ties.
Outside -- at first the installation tech thought it was ok to run electrical lines outside the fan unit and connect the wires together on top of the unit -- at first these were bare connectors and ran through the vent slats. When asked, they said it has to be this way, because the wires will hang down and be hit by the fan blades. I explained it was not this way before the motor was changed out and it will not be this way now.
The solution to the above, was to jam the wires and connectors (which were too big for the wire channel) into said wire channel and screw drill it together. Then they forced the cover back into place, creating even more stress on the metal --- intimately the metal sheared and the a/c unit was shaking violently.
When Santa Clarita Custom Air was called about this, I was 1st told it would be a week or so until someone could come out and look at this --- after arguing with the call taker, and it was pointed out this damage occurred from SCCA tech -- numerous times to add-- that a tech came out that afternoon and could not believe that work was performed this way on my ac. During his attempt to fix the problem, he also found that the motor shaft had been cut --- during the installation, there was no need to cut the shaft down in size and also during the time the crew was putting in the motor -- I never noticed or heard a saw being used. It is now a safe assumption that the tech put in a used motor and I was charged for a new motor. This is additionally supported by the fact that as soon as the tech built a temp fix for the broken cover and re-installed the motor with wire ran correctly -- the motor shorted out and was again replaced.
A new cover was to be ordered -- it was -- but it took 3 weeks and 4 phones call for the cover to be delivered. When the tech came out to install it -- the wrong part was ordered. After 3 more calls to the company that day -- suddenly the correct part was delivered within 45 minutes of the tech's notification of him having the wrong size. Of course, Santa Clarita Custom Air could not come back out that afternoon to fix what they had broken and wrongly ordered. So, now I have to spend another day (Tomorrow Tues the 5th) to see if the damage they cuased will finally be fixed.

They found a used part that got my furnace up and running. You might think that you really do not need a heater in So Cal, but where I live we have had snow.

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I contacted their office on a Friday at approximately 8:00 a.m. to get estimated pricing on the aforementioned repair. Receptionist passed me onto to Frank, who coincidentally ended up being my responding service technician. He informed me that there were several potential causes related to this issue (specific example given, replace motor capacitor, about $200.00) and that he couldn't provide a more precise cost without examining the system. I questioned him on their basic cost structure, and Frank informed me that their base service charge was $75.00, which included the trip out, diagnosis, and an estimate for repair. He further stated that additional time was billed at $100.00 per hour (not specifying whether this was and quot;actual timeand quot;, or an industry standard time to perform specific tasks, and I didn't ask), plus the cost of replacement parts (markup unknown).

The pricing sounded competitive and Frank sent me back to dispatch / reception to schedule the work.. The and quot;scheduler' initially posed a Monday morning service time, as the firm didn't typically work weekends. I told her that I would require more responsive service, as the system had been substandard or down for about two days. She was extremely responsive to my request, and after a brief inquiry stated they would work me in on Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 12 noon, and also told me that the technician would contact me when he was enroute.

Frank did call as indicated and arrived at 10:40 a.m.. Frank was extremely courteous / competent and pinpointed the cause just moments after arrival (defective dual run capacitor) and replaced the defective part from inventory on his truck. Upon replacement he conducted the aforementioned systems functions tests, confirming mitigation of the problem and restoration of efficient operation. The work was thorough and completed in about 30 - 40 minutes.

I guess the only beef that I have (if you can call it that) was the overall price. The actual problem was a slam dunk, and was probably the first thing Frank checked. The defect (dual capacitor) is a pretty common probable cause (as this was a specific failure that Frank mentioned) and was repaired in 30 minutes; the replacement part used has a wholesale cost well under $30.00, and should be carried on any competent service providers truck. Additionally as previously mentioned, Frank verbally estimated capacitor replacement at a canned cost of $200.00, parts and labor (sorry Frank, not trying to put you on the spot, you are very good at your job).

Overall I'm very pleased Custom Air's response time, with all work being completed 3 hours from my initial call, and I feel they really extended themselves to meet my immediate needs, even though I have had no previous relationship with this firm! This more than offsets the $60.00, I was lamenting earlier.

This was a pleasure. At every stage, they were concerned with keeping our house together. They never left us without heat. There was a defect in the unit they installed and when he learned about it, Mr. Lucas snapped into action, getting the manufacturer on the phone and getting things sorted out. They were not our cheapest bidder, but their bid, with its zoning and 2-stage equipment was obviously the best value. We couldn't be more pleased.

There was a charge for the estimate, but it was subtracted from the charge for the completed job. They explained the problem and were prompt in aquiring the part needed to complete the work. They also suggested an inexpensive, minor improvement to prevent future problems. The repairman conducted himself in a professional manner, even going beyond his duties to give me suggestions on fixing an unrelated dryer hose problem, which I was able to fix myself. Overall a flawless, drama-free experience. Half of the repair cost was for the replacement of the faulty part, making the work a bargain, in my opinion. Everything works great now...just what you're looking for in a service vendor. I will be using this company to perform "tune-ups" on the system from now on.

The service was excellent. When I called, they offered an appointment the next day. The serviceman was about 15 minutes late, but he called within the appointment window to let me know he was on his way. He confirmed the problem was the thermostat, explained the options for replacement and the price differences. While he was installing, he gave me the manual to read, and then went through the programming procedure with me, letting me try so I knew I could change it after he left. Before he left, he cleaned all smudge marks from the wall.

Scheduling the estimate was easy. Bob came and inspected our situation. He listened to my concerns and answered my (many) questions patiently. He came the next day with a written proposal. He recommended a bigger system, which I would prefer to do but just couldn't afford to do right now. He broke the proposal out into peices, with seperate prices so I could prioritize and choose to have the work done peicemeal as I could afford it. I agreed to have the ductwork replaced and he was able to have a crew come and do it the next day. They came exactly on time. They were very professional. They left no trace. Everything was clean.

Overall, all went great.

Very honest and I was happy with the service.

They offered to pull a permit before they even started (unlike others). All workers were very professional. Work was done with minimal mess and with total cooperation with the city inspector (who was a pain). The new attic access was created in a hallway, perfectly framed (not just molding to hold the "lid"). They worked for 3 or 4 days straight until it was finished; meaning they didn't run off to do other jobs in between like so many contractors do. The company had a selection of the best brands for the equipment available and had different filtering and vent types available. Excellent company, excellent attitude when unforeseen issues came up. Would recommend to anyone. Their price was not the lowest, but was comparable to others and worth it.