Bickel's Heating & Cooling

Mr. Bickel was a nice enough guy, but he is older and apparently not up to speed on the latest advancements in furnace technology. I wanted a two-stage furnace and either he was unfamiliar with them or simply did not know how to order one. We went back and forth until he had to ask me for a model number. I gave him a model number of 2-stage furnace so he ordered it without realizing that it was too big for my house. He installed it and from day one, i realized that it was not going to work. It was loud and it would turn on for 5 minutes and then turn off, only to repeat the cycle 10 minutes later. It was so powerful that it sent out a burst of hot air that quickly heated the area where the thermostat was and did not have time to dissipate through out the house. I called and told him I wanted a smaller furnace. I told him that it should of been his job to find me a two-stage furnace that was appropriately sized for my house and not rely on the customer to make that determination. I admit that I should have done a little more research and figured out what the model numbers meant in terms of size, but I am dissappointed that he did not even question me on the size of the unit I had suggested. I specifically told him that I wanted a unit that is on the small side as we do not heat our house very much and live in a warm climate (San Luis Obispo). Anyway, he exchanged the unit but charged me for the reinstallation. If you want a simple one stage cheap furnace, Dave is certainly competent and reasonably priced for that.

Excellent.  See above.