North Star Inc

PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY AS THEY DO NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR WORKMANSHIP OR PARTS!!! NORTH STAR HVAC ORDERED AND INSTALLED A DEFECTIVE DEFROST BOARD & SENSOR 2/1/23 - I PAID 2 HOURS LABOR $250 + TRAVEL CHARGE ADDITIONAL $125 PLUS PARTS & SHIPPING = $493.92. DEFROST BOARD WAS DEFECTIVE, NORTH STAR INSTALLED A SECOND BOARD 2/27/23 AND CHARGED ADDITIONAL 2 HOURS LABOR-$250 TO REINSTALL A NEW DEFROST BOARD. I WAS CHARGED LABOR TWICE TO RECEIVE A WORKING DEFROST BOARD. WHEN I ASKED TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE ORIGINAL LABOR - NORTH STAR STATED I, THE CUSTOMER, WOULD HAVE TO WRITE TO THE MANUFACTURER OF THE DEFECTIVE DEFROST BOARD TO REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT. WHEN I QUESTIONED THE CHARGE, THE LADY GOT NASTY...

I have had a maintenance agreement with North Star for 15 years. One December, 30th 2017, I made my first emergency call, to North Star. With that said, this is how the service call proceeded. Douglas the technician was professional, Knowledgeable and determined the problem. He did manage to get the system working for about any hour. I was informed I need a LP conversion kit. The company didn’t stock the kit and I was told it would take at least 5 days to obtain the kit. So, I agreed to the terms. The next day (December 31st) I became concerned about my pipes freezing. I started searching for another company to fix the problem. I did find a company that stocked the LP Conversion Kit. They came out and fix the problem. On January 2nd 2018, I called North Star, informed them the HVAC system has been fixed. I was then told, there would be a service charged. I explained, I have a maintenance agreement, with the company. She then said, I need to check to verify the charge. I then received two missed calls from an unknown number. Then, I received text messages from a North Star employee, “Thanks for the cell back. My guy checked the heat. It came on. It’s a spring cleaning and check up and a fall heat check up. So we need to be paid. You should get the money from who ever installed it. There is a old saying cheaper is not always better. Give me a call”. The next message, said “Make sure you share your quality new install and you would call me back and we went out at 11pm on a Saturday night when it was freezing to fix a poor install job by unqualified people”. On January 5th 2018, I received an invoice in the mail from North Star for a labor charge and travel time, in the amount of $184.50. This is a review of the people I came in contact with the company, more so then the company. Out of the 15 years, I used the company. I have never experience this kind of service. But, I have never needed them on an emergency bases either.

Neatly and efficiently

I have a maintenance contract with them and they come out twice a year. Any thing that needs fixed is extra. I've been using them for about 15 years. I think I've only ever run into one person that I considered to be not customer service, they shouldn't have been dealing with people. Maybe they just were having a bad day that day. All except for that one guy, they are friendly. They work with me and they give you discounts. They send you a notice that if you renew your contract within a certain day - usually every year I forget and I miss the deadline, but they still give me a discount. Just they are great at working with their customers.

unknown

They come out twice. Anything that needs to be fixed is charged separately. I've been using them for about 15 years and I think I've only run into one person who I'd consider to be "not customer service". I haven't shopped around. I wouldn't want to say they are average, because I don't want to give information that I don't know. I really can't say. I only had one bad person and maybe they were just having a bad day that day. They are good. They are friendly, they work with me, they give me discounts. They send you notices. They just work with their customers.

The people are fine.  The people who work there are good people.  The place is reasonable.  They get the job done.  It's not an A+ job, but it's mainly the people and the price!

unknown

Let me preface that my home was built in 1998 and the builder used "duct board" for the heating and air-conditioning duct and returns, which unfortunately I had no knowledge of until this year. The main supply to the furnace was not sealed nor attached properly to the furnace wall. The original HVAC contractor also inappropriately installed a humidifier within the duct board main supply. The existing duct board became rancid with dirt on the inside due to improper installation. North Star technicians removed existing duct, replaced certain existing boots, used existing registers/grilles wherever possible. They removed humidifier and redesigned duct work layout and installed new supply and return duct using galvanized steel main supply trunk and foil-faced flex leads, sealed and with insulation to code. Included dampers for all supply leads. They also replaced my dryer vent with metal duct which has tremendously improved clothes drying time! I am extremely pleased North Star! Contract manager, Tom, visited on-site almost daily to oversee proper installation and to consult with the install supervisor (main technician, Al). The work ethic of the main technician Al is to be commended; he was a most methodical, knowledgeable, and steady worker who did not slack off whatsoever on the job. Sales Associate Shelly, also visited during the installation period to assure customer satisfaction. Although the house air flow has greatly improved, when outside temperatures above 80 degrees and humidity prevail outside, we still experience a feeling of 'too much wet cold air'. Please note however that our inside air handler and outside heat pump were installed by another local company in 2011. North Star did explain to us that the sizes of these units do not match, lending to improperly conditioned air, i.e., not removing enough moisture from the air. North Star did install two vents and a return to their original installation to help balance the inequity of these units. Shelly, our sales person, has stated she will discuss with Contract Manager Tom and see what can further be done to help.

We learned from another service contractor (on an emergency call to our home last year) that our furnace needed to be replaced. During the summer we got proposals from several companies, and found North Star's to be most reasonable, the sales rep (Shelley) most professional and informative about the various options.  Once we made our decision and contracted, they were available to install the system on relatively short notice. The technicians were courteous and efficient.  
We have worked with North Star on several projects in the last few years and have nothing but good things to say about them.

unknown

They usually come at least once a year to our house. They definitely send somebody else quickly. They have off hours call and a few of customer there before they get precedent. They will look out your situation and give you a couple of options to pick for out of self. They were very good.

Have used this company for the past several years for spring and fall heating and AC maintenance. They are very professional, on time, and the contract cost is the best I have found.

UPDATE: However, North Star has fabricated their report immensely. First off, they DID NOT check to see if the drain line was clear on their visit of April 24,2013. I know this because I was watching the man the whole time they were here. A second service man they sent out, Scotty, discovered the drain was clogged after we had the flood. Second,I DID NOT request them to use the cracked plastic drain pan to save money. We expected a professional install job which we did not get from North Star. They never advised us that the plastic drain pan was cracked during the original install or when they were here on April 24,2013. The first tech, Jim, DID NOT pour anything down the drain nor did he go outside to check if it was running free. I know this because I was there the whole time he was in the attic doing the so called service. I was advised, buy a good source, that Mr. Jarvis fired a number of his original installers from the time period of when our install was done on 6/4/2004 due to their incompetence on many jobs. Mr Jarvis is wrong in saying we did not service our air conditioner in those nine years. We did so every year by another company because the other companies rates were more reasonable. Also, Mr Jarvis never addressed the issue of the air handler not being at the right height or pitch that THEY installed originally, nor did he address the hole, and other damage, that was caused in our ceiling by their allowing the flood from NOT checking the drain during the original service on April 24,2013. That hole was made larger by HIS service man putting his foot through the ceiling while vacuuming the water out of the secondary pan on the "third" visit after the flood. While North Star is manufacturing all of the excuses and blame on us, they never addressed the fact that they dropped the ball on the service by NOT mentioning the drain pan was cracked, NOT checking the drain for any clogs and Not suggesting the wet switch "option" to us at any time as to eliminate any chance of the problem they caused. A wet switch would have eliminated the problem had we been offered one. In addition, we did not run the air conditioner after their supposed service on April 24,2013 until almost three weeks later as there was no need to due to the weather. It's very sad that North Star will not man up and take responsibility for their mistakes or consider doing good will towards their customers when they have done wrong. It's just good business to do so. We will no longer use North Star and will make sure that everyone knows their business practices. As they say, good news travels fast but, BAD news travels faster.

Work was performed correctly at a fair price

On Friday January 19, we noticed an unusual plastic smell in the house and shortly after that the thermostat on the gas furnace switched off. We have a service contract with North Star, and called late in the morning, and a technician was able to come to the house before the end of the day. We paid $99 for the service call and travel to diagnose the problem.
The tech had performed the Fall service on the furnace and was familiar with the system, and diagnosed the problem as a clogged secondary heat exchanger. He had seen this problem before on other Carrier furnaces, and called back to his office and determined the failed unit was covered by Carrier parts recall. They put in an order for the replacement part that day. The part arrived on the 22nd, and the tech had heat restored that day and also replaced burners in the furnace which after 10 years needed replacement. The cost for this was $390, based on an hourly rate and additional cost for the burners which weren't under warranty.
We have been using North Star for one year on recommendation from neighbors, and have been impressed with the quality of their work, responsiveness and the courtesy and knowledge of their technicians. Dealing with maintenance and repairs on expensive HVAC systems is stressful, especially in the Winter, and it has been good to find a local company that we can trust.

I called them on Friday and they came out on Monday. I got estimates for $800 and they only charged me $300. They were really good and their price was great. The woman that came out was very nice. I didn't fell like they were trying to rip me off.

They are very professional and are on time. When they say they are going to be there they come. They did one repair last year and they did very well.

I have used them several times. They are really responsive. They work with the customer to get the repair done in a way that it will work within their budget.

We called them and they came out within a few hours. Within an hour they had diagnoses the issue, replaced a part and helped ensure the unit was working correctly before they departed. We have used them several times, and they have always been prompt and professional. We have called them on holidays--last time was New Year's Day and within an hour a technician had called and come out to the house. They are easy to work with, especially since this house is our vacation home and sometimes we need to work with them remotely.