CHANIN MECHANICAL LLC

After coming highly recommended from dear friends who are long time Miami Beach residents, we had Ryan over to do an evaluation for a new unit. He very expressly likes his work, is knowledgeable and, I do think, tries to be helpful. But some red flags came up early on and I've now seen them in other reviews here on Angie's List. First, as mentioned already, their contract is strangely worded and unclear at points, and when I asked a clarifying question I was met with a pretty defensive response by a clearly annoyed Ryan, who then aggressively read verbatim the unclear parts of the contract to me stating "he didn't know how to make it more clear." It felt like the twilight zone, as if I wasn't making sense. As the other review states here, I was able to come to an understanding; frankly I gave up, feeling badly that he felt so challenged, and I agreed to move forward because in the end, I sensed he felt strongly about keeping his word for his clients. There are 1-2 other instances as well, however to cut to the chase, the final straw was that after taking my deposit for thousands of dollars and procuring the permit for our new a/c, he called to schedule the installation. In the process, he had very rapid speech, aggressively told me he had everything ready (although he had NO information about how to get into our building - completing the COI, workers comp, receiving contact info, elevator reservation etc) and was pushy with his desires for a specific time and date. Then he started to explain something about the efficiency rating of the unit he was going to install, and when, again, I asked a clarifying question to understand if this was important (given that I'd signed a contract to purchase a unit with a higher efficiency rating), he went ballistic. Literally. He raised his voice to let me know he clearly picks and chooses his jobs, he does not have to work, he could retire very comfortably and he just doesn't have to deal with this "type of thing." I honestly don't know how I talked him off the ledge this time, but I was thinking about the thousands of dollars I'd given already, the fact that the unit was ready to be installed, we had a permit and the timing was right as we were under construction. So I talked him off the ledge. The next day, a young man named Jason called to tell me they weren't going to be able to install the a/c for us and that he was going to return our money. He had "no idea" why because Ryan was working with us, and Ryan was now out of town for a week. He had left this behind for Jason to call me and cancel. I'm so floored by this type of communication, the unbelievable lack of professionalism, and the plain inability and lack of desire to be diligent, thorough and straightforward. Its the strangest exchange I've ever had with anyone I've solicited to work in our home. The reason they don't have an F is because Ryan is knowledgeable and I learned a lot. Although he repeatedly told me about a University of Miami report detailing how duct cleaning is a waste of time and can actually harm your ducts, but when he finally sent it to me, it was an OPINION column from the local paper where the response was from an un-identified HVAC person (maybe)... and there was ZERO mention of the details he pointed out... I'm still waiting for the Miami article. Absolutely bizarre. There is no reason to call Chanin Mechanical LLC, ever.

Terrible. The attitude alone was terrible and they clearly have too much business to care.

It is a yearly flat payment. Have used them since 2013 when they installed after we moved into the house. They’re professional across the board. When they installed the units and everything. We have a 1920 house and the owner was very concerned about making sure it all fit with the architectural. They are very professional. They have some weird weekend rules that I don’t care for, but they’re punctual and polite. They’re reasonably on price. They are just a good contractor all around.

Working with Chanin was a great experience, and I've been actively recommending them to friends. Throughout the time with them -- Drew (the owner), his son, and his crew were there when they said they would be, worked when they said they would and finished on time (and on budget). I was initially concerned as their form contract is just that -- a rather one sided ridiculous thing that I'm guessing they or their attorney got off the web. For a deal this small, Drew didn't want to take it back to his attorney with my changes (as a former construction attorney, I really didn't want to sign it). In the end, having met with Drew a couple times, I could tell he was the type of businessman that takes pride in his work and would do what he could to make things right if things went wrong so I went ahead and signed -- very glad I did. When we needed to move up the schedule due to the impending arrival of our baby, Drew brought in the crew early, added extra bodies and got it done. We had a lot of contractors around the house, and Chanin was far and away the most professional (I'll be posting a review soon on how bad Alpha Windows was during this same time period) -- doing the small things like being polite to my family and keeping their workspace clean -- it was a real pleasure to work with them. Beyond that, dealing with his office staff was easy and always pleasant.
Drew clearly takes pride in his work -- beyond worrying about the right system to install, he was very concerned about making sure the duct work had minimal impact and didn't ruin the architecture of our 1925 house. He laid out and installed a great system (we ended up using his brother's company to do the soffits) and we couldn't be happier.
On a final note, because the system required additional wiring -- Drew gave us the pros and cons on a couple of local electricians, which turned out to be spot on. I've since come to rely on what I call and quot;Drews Listand quot; and have asked for his recommendations on contractors for everything from landscaping to blinds. Finding people with the same make it right work ethic as Chanin Mechanical is a blessing for someone who did not grow up in South Florida.

Great. Very prompt and professional. Gave some advice re: humidity problems in the house. Adjusted pre-set fan speed in the air handler to see if that would help (not really). Also could not resolve the and quot;rattleand quot; of the compressor unit, due to age and construction of the unit. But worth a try.

We've used more AC technicians since we've lived here than any other services, and usually without much satisfaction. Chanin performed well. They were recommended by a friend and we checked them out on Angie's. I can confidently recommend their services.

Here is my concern. The repairman must have known that a new compressor was needed on the second visit. Otherwise, how did the accounting office know that when I called? Yet he did not tell us we needed a new compressor, and instead made some adjustments that did not work.

We paid $375 for two unsuccessful repair visits plus the $150 for shipping and handling. If I had not complained, Chanin would have charged us again to replace the compressor.

After al this, the AC is working well so far and the owner did honor the warranty. Why not just be up front and do it right in the first place instead of charging us for two unsuccessful visits before installing the new compressor , plus the inconvenience of missing work on three different days to wait around for them complete the job?

Chanin was professional and responsive. They accomplished the work in a timely fashion with a minimum of dirt and interruption.

QUite well in all stages

My experience startyed when one of my A/C units stopped working after a power surge. I called at the end of the day for service and they sent a repairman out the next day in the morning. The service man arrived on time and began to diagnose the problem. I initially thought it might only be the thermistat but it turned out to be the electronic circuit board, electronic motor module as feel as the thermistat. The technician showed me the damaged equipment which made me very comfortable that I was not being sold anything I didn't need. He was in constant communication with his home office for support and even went so far as to research if they had a used motor at a reduced price if I wanted to go that route. He gave me an estimate before proceeding which I approved. Within a few hours, he finished his repairs and when I received the final bill in the mail, it was actually well below the agreed upon estimate! I think that's the first time I've ever been so pleasantly surprised. I would definately recommend Chanin Mechanical and will not hesitate to use them again