
All Star Heating & Cooling
About us
All Star Heating & Cooling Inc. is a family owned and operated air conditioning and heating company located in central Florida. At All Star we believe that the most important aspect of our business is our people. We exist to serve the people of this great state by keeping our customers comfortable in any weather and insuring that the air they breath is clean and safe. We accept credit card payments, check payments, cash payments, and we also offer financing options with approved credit. All of our technicians are trustworthy and highly skilled in our trade. We have developed a reputation for honesty and outstanding service. We look forward to continuing our tradition of putting people first and exceeding our customers expectations at every opportunity.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Duct redesign/changeout, IAQ (indoor air quality), Residential AC & Heat replacements and repairs., Residential service, and installation. Duct Cleaning (Rotobrush Brush Beast), insulation, sales
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
---|---|---|
80% | ||
4% | ||
0% | ||
0% | ||
16% |
He quoted me over $1500 to come in and place a UV light inside my unit. Â It seemed like a lot for a unit that was less than a year old, but I could see that there was mold so I agreed to schedule. Â He gave me a service agreement to sign and told me he wanted to put in the service agreement that HE was the only one allowed to come into my home and service the unit. Â I thought this was strange, but I acted like I needed to speak to my husband and that I would look at it later.Â
 I eventually scheduled, but the day before they were supposed to come out I decided to contact a mold specialist and have them come out and look at the unit.
The mold specialist came out and low and behold he said I didn't have a mold problem. Â What the technician pointed out to me was not mold and that mold doesn't grow on metal, that the first place that mold would grow within the unit was on the stickers (since mold eats paper) and that the mold on the dry wall was not the scary black mold but was just mold from the humidity, it was relatively harmless and that I just needed to get water and vinegar and clean it up, which I did and now there is none left.
I was so upset that this company tried to literally scam me. Â They tried to take advantage of me and I will tell anyone reading this to run as far from these people as humanly possible. Â I have already contacted the BBB to discuss the shady tactics that this company uses to try to get money from people. Â When my technician opened his notebook to get out an estimate form, I could see several already filed out, all with the same "mold" problem. Â And if you do your homework you will see the UV lights are not even recommended for AC units - google it. Â I'm glad I followed my instincts, saved me over $1500! Update 9.29.16 : All Star Heating and Cooling has begun to call me again. This time they are claiming that I signed a service agreement which clearly if you read my review above I did not. They said I paid for it already but could not tell me how I paid, that a manager would need to call me back. They have called me daily for over a week. The owner above in his response failed to understand that I was lied to and there was NO MOLD in my AC unit. Their technician flat out lied to me. There are many reputable companies doing business out there, this one is not.
"We are very sorry that you had a bad experience with our company. In light of your bad experience we would be happy to refund the 35.00 that you paid for your yearly maintenance. UV lights are an effective way to prevent growth inside of your air handler and are designed for that purpose. Two studies point to the effectiveness of UV light in killing mold and bacteria, one in hospitals and the other in a commercial HVAC system. [hyperlink removed] In 2012, Researchers at Duke University Medical Center used ultraviolet radiation (UV-C) to nearly eliminate drug-resistant bacteria in 50 hospital rooms, reducing the number of bacteria by more than 97%. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC93076/: In this commercial office building, and after 4 months of operation, “the fungal levels following UV operation were significantly lower than the levels in control AHUs (air handler units).” This information can be found by simply googling ultraviolet lights in ac systems. Benifits include; *Control mold and bacteria *Reduce colds and flus – germs are not re-circulated by HVAC system *Reduce smells / odors *Remove VOCs *Are more effective in humid climates than dry climates *Reduces clogging in condensate drain lines by preventing algae growth. *Maintain a cleaner coil, improving cooling efficiency and reducing electricity costs. At All Star Heating & Cooling Inc. we take indoor air quality seriously. It is important to us that our customers have the highest quality of indoor air. UV lights are an effective solution to kill and prevent growth.The effectiveness of germicidal UV's has been recognized by the U. S. General Services Administration Office of the Chief Architect and incorporated in the Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings as follows: "Ultraviolet light (C band) emitters/lamps shall be incorporated downstream of all cooling coils and above all drain pans to control airborne and surface microbial growth and transfer. Applied fixtures/lamps must be specifically manufactured for this purpose." As you can see, this is no scam, this is science. Health officials are warning about a dangerous bacteria that may be growing inside the units. http://www.newschannel10.com/story/23077785/dangerous-bacteria-in-air-conditions-may-make-you-sick. As we stated before, we would be happy to send a full refund for any services that you are not satisfied with. If you would like to discuss this matter further please feel free to contact me (Benjamin Hill) directly at 727-597-9683. Again we do apologize that your experience was not an All Star experience and we hope to have the opportunity to exceed your expectations in the future."
The system soon broke down again in August. Different techs came out, glanced at the unit & said I needed a whole new a/c system ? My unit was only 5 years old. I asked if they could just add more Freon & he insisted he couldn't do that - it was illegal, they have to use Puron. Well, then why did they add Freon just months earlier?!! I?d been sweltering for days & I felt like I was pressured into making an immediate decision. They said if I agreed immediately to the purchase they?d be out the next day. I went with the purchase. When they got here for the installation, I asked them to make sure the blue uv light was transferred from the old to the new unit. I got a blank stare clearly indicating they had no idea what I was talking about! I made it clear that there better be one in the new unit before the installation was completed. That was a system I?d already paid for that I never would?ve know was missing! To add to that, these ?professionals? didn?t know what breaker to turn off to be able to complete the installation so they just shut them all down. I had to reset all the clocks & lost an email I was working on.
I also found out after calling other a/c companies that anyone else would charge $2000 less than they did. They also attached a contract onto the new a/c purchase that ?included? 2 6 months checkups. During the first ?checkup? I was told my system was a mess, dirty & needed a complete overhaul! I was treated like a child & chastised for something that occurred years before on the old unit. When I got upset & questioned him, he started yelling back at me & was incredibly rude. Far from professional. This unit was only 6 months old at that point; there was no way it needed that kind of service! To top it off, they tried to have me pay through the same credit card financing program for the whole install! I realized this and insisted the tech make sure I had a 0% rate this time. I?m still paying off the original repair!!
They also didn?t give me a serial # of the air handler so could take advantage of a rebate & told me to register online with the manufacture online myself. When I looked in the attic to find out what that serial number was, I noticed there was no drainage to drain pan but there was condensation forming & dripping onto the floor which could?ve caused the attic floor to crash through the ceiling! It was also obvious that this condensation was an indication that drain pipe was clogged. This is not only what caused the problem with the unit after the original repair ? I very likely didn?t need a whole new a/c at all!! They also apparently pulled a truss out of my attic without letting me know. I found it in my garage later & almost threw it away! I had a county building inspector come out to make sure our permits were in order for all the work that had been. He was shocked that there were so many ? 11 ? violations, incorrectly placed equipment, etc. Even more fun is that BEFORE the inspector even showed up the All Star service manager came by & found that wrong gauge wires were connected the breaker - which could?ve cause a major fire. This company had to come back out & resolve all these issues, including moving the airhandler. The service manager was also surprised at the number of violations, but covered by saying he was surprised the inspector came out so early because he ?knew it wasn?t ready?. There was no other appointment for them to come & take care of these things they ?knew? weren?t done. All these repairs are taking hours at a time, weeks are going by & I was without air which was my problem in the first place!!
Sept 20th, the a/c was set on 79 & temp was 79. I smelled something burning. I thought at first it was an electrical fire. I felt the air coming through the a/c vents & it was very hot. I checked the thermostat & it still showed that the a/c was running. However, that smell became recognizable ? It was the smell of the heater ? or heat strip ? coming on for the first time after a summer of disuse & dust collection. It just switched automatically from a/c to heat on its own! We still don?t know why this happened, but the company insists it?s my fault. When I called to report the problem, they said they?d charge me for a check on the system ? even though I had the aforementioned service contract. I left the system off for several hours. I turned the a/c back on hours later & it did work. I spoke with a different service manager the next day who confirmed they should not have tried to charge me for emergency service. She also said I could?ve gotten a rebate on my new a/c purchase but I came to realize I wasn?t even given that option because it would involve too much paperwork for them.
I had to let other people know about this. Do not hire these predatory people!!! They are nothing but liars & crooks.
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