Kings Electric and Air Conditioning

They quoted us one thing on the phone the lady did and then when the guy got here he said yeah no. He was with one of the owners. He told it is this much money just for diagnosis and then from there you know then we charge you. The price did not match with what the woman told me. I did not have him do the work and said no thanks goodbye and then he wanted to charge me just for them coming out which I just I was willing to pay. That is not what I was quoted I talked to the woman on the phone and then she tries to get aggressive with me and then I said no thanks. They left without pay.

Mon 8/11/2014 7:25 am Coral Springs FL. We paid Kings Electrical Contractor $4,500 to replace a Rheem 5 ton air conditioner including permits around 5/14. Apparently he gets some additional cash from Florida Power and Light.

The a/c was off less than a day, and the work got completed after I'd guess about a month; i.e. he does the installation, and then time passes as Coral Springs inspects and certifies, a process I have absolutely no objection to, but it does take time. ... Kings' service was a little flaky; things like guy showing-up, leaving to get a tool and never coming back. But it all got finished.

I kind-of got the impression a 5-ton a/c might've been too small a job for them; if that's not the case, they should improve their service.

MAJOR COMPLAINT

Anyway that's not my major complaint, which follows.

1. Kings did *not* tell us that our 5-ton a/c was a little short for our apx. 3,700 sq. ft. place. My knowledge of these apparently-arcane matters is derived entirely from internet rumors; for instance http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-many-tons-do-I-need-to-cool-my-home-/10000000002054384/g.html suggests for our Florida "red" zone that I can get "5 tons" to cool "2401-3000 sf".

We were replacing the unit before the really hot season in Florida, because it was old-enough and who wants an old air conditioner to fall over in August? However, we only got here last year in August, at which time we couldn't really assess the air conditioning situation since what with ceaseless renovation the doors and windows were open half the time, so we didn't really have any idea how it would perform.

My advice to those in a comparable situation is, if you can, wait and live through at least one hot season with the system operating normally before making a/c decisions.

2. The square footage is "on the edge" for two units, which is apparently what you do for larger houses -- with, I assume, ridiculous additional complexity, annoyance, and expense.

3. In any event, we probably would've stuck with the 5 tons, for economic reasons at least. So far in our Florida August, with careful ceiling vent adjustment and manual thermostat setting -- i.e. to around 74 degrees instead of my actual desired target temperature of 78 -- the house hasn't gotten much above 81 degrees, and I'd be OK with 85 probably.

4. I suspect that Florida houses are often "snowbirded" so they're actually *not occupied* in the summer months, and maybe Kings silently made that assumption. We of course plan on *enjoying* the July and August heat.

CONCLUSION

Kings Electrical installed a new Rheem 5 ton unit competently. Their service could've been smoother (but was *far* from unacceptable).

They *did not*, with all their professional knowledge, inform us that 5 tons might be inadequate for the location.

jgo * owenlabs.org

The electrician replaced two of the light bulbs in about five minutes. The third was stuck and it took a few minutes to dislodge it. So maybe it took ten minutes to change all the bulbs. Then the electrician looked at the overhead light in my dining room. He checked the bulb and twisted the dimmer a few times. The light them came on but the dimmer must be damaged in some way because now the light will only turn fully on or fully off.
To my total amazement the electrician told me the charges were for Level 1 Diagnosis of Lights and that I owed $ 194.06
My regular electrician who was not available but who is highly praised by Angie's List would have charged me $100.00. A handyman would have charged $50.
If you want what in my opinion are rip-off prices THIS is the place to call. I would not use them again if my life depended upon it.
Please do not confuse this King's Electric with another similar sounding company on Angie's List. This place has paid Google a lot of money to be listed first under "Electricians" and their customers foot the bill.
AVOID!!!!!!!!!,

I would recommend them. The service was very prompt as they were responsive on a Saturday. The communication was very good from the office. John did the work and he did an amazing job. He was very prompt, courteous, and efficient.

King's Electrical Contractors provided electrical service at a condo I rent in Plantation.  Upon arrival at the condo, the service technician called to say that he needed to do a diagnostic service to determine why the lights were flickering and why the thermostat kept cycling on and off.  He called twenty minutes later to report that a breaker going to the microwave/lights circuit  was bad and needed replacement and that the thermostat needed replacement.   Even after the service, the thermostat continued to cycle on and off and the repairman came back and replaced the thermostat, stating it must have been a defective thermostat that he installed.  The problem continued.  The service technician returned to investigate further.  Upon a more thorough investigation, it was determined that I have a clogged drain in the AC unit and I need an AC repairman to fix this.  The problem was not a defective thermostat, yet I had to pay $200 for a thermostat I didn't need.  Had the problem been more thoroughly investigated (more than a 20 minute diagnosis), a proper dianosis could have been made. 
Instead of calling me and reporting the problem, as I requested, the information was relayed through my tenant.  The problem seems to be a defective diagnosis.  Had the repairman been more thoroughly trained, he would have seen that more than one problem could have existed and if the new thermostat didn't solve the problem, he could have reinstalled my old thermostat (which is simply a plug in thermostat) and investigated the problem in more detail.  As it is, I have an airconditioning repairman coming today to investigate whether or not I have a clogged drain, which is another bill added to the $625. already spent on this project. The office seemed annoyed that we complained when the problem wasn't solved and while they did send someone out to check on the problem, they never called me to offer an explanation of what the technician discovered on the last visit only talking to the tenant.  
 I'd caution you to be very careful of this company. I would not use them again and I do not recommend them.

It was somewhat good quality overall, however the electrician left a hole in the wall and I decided to add extra outlet support reinforcement after he left to support the weight of the fan.

Main purpose for having work done was to close a 25-year old electrical permit for the pool (running a missing ground wire). Fished and attached the ground wire but did not seal the ground lug as required by code with epoxy potting compound. The non-code sealer that was used was dumped on the bottom of the drained pool which required repainting the pool to hide the stain. Had to locate and apply the expensive potting compound myself as well as pay for a reinspection. The fixed price for the job was (in my opinion) well-padded ($800 for less than 3 hours of work with minimal parts) but I considered it worth it to get the job done right and get the permit closed. Unfortunately paying good money does not guarantee a clean and professional job (up to code) when it comes to contractors in Florida. Their add has been crossed out with a black marker in my phone book so I won't make the same mistake again.

King's receptionist was very pleasant, the appointment was set and the electrician came on time. He described the work he would do to locate the problem and quoted a price before the work started. In less than 1/2 hour he was finished and on his way out. The scope of work was extensive and complicated when it was described, but minuscule when actually performed. It turned out that a wire nut was loose where the fixture was secured at the ceiling. All the electrical connections were OK at the breaker box and the problem with the A/C was not something that his company could repair. It required an A/C technician.

Neat work, very responsive. When he (Adam) was able to do work without using a part, the price came in at UNDER quoted price. How often does that happen? Provided phone assistance to sprinkler contractor for wiring pump.

Although this would be average performance elsewhere, in South Florida, it is exemplary. He showed up on time, fixed the problem, covered his shoes so that the work was neatly done, and charged me a fair price.

unknown

THEY DID A GOOD JOB. THEY SHOWED UP ON TIME AND GOT THE JOB DONE FAIRLY QUICKLY. I FELT THAT THE PRICE FAIR. THEY WERE VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE. THEY WERE POLITE AND COURTEOUS. I HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS COMPANY.