Vanguard Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.

On January 16, 2024, during one of the coldest days of the year, my heating system malfunctioned, leaving me in a freezing home. In my distress, I reached out to Vanguard Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., where I spoke with Dawn, their representative. She was initially quite helpful and promptly scheduled a technician to come to my house at around 2:00 pm. The technician, Al, arrived on time but appeared to be experiencing some physical discomfort, possibly due to back issues. He moved slowly and even brought his own step stool to sit on during the service call. I had specifically mentioned to Dawn that my heating unit was a unique one, utilizing a reverse electrical heater pump. This type of system is different from a conventional heating system, as it also functions as an air conditioner when needed. However, it became evident that Al might not have been well-versed in this specialized system. He asked for the location of the unit's off switch and the position of the boards inside the unit, which raised concerns about his familiarity with the equipment. To assist him, I explained what I knew about the unit and showed him a similar one we had in our home. During the service call, Al spent a considerable amount of time on the phone, discussing the issue with someone else. This, combined with his slow movements and questions about the unit's basics, led me to question the efficiency of the service. Furthermore, the charges amounted to $45 for every 15 minutes, which raised my concerns about the cost. I eventually expressed my apprehension to Al, explaining that I couldn't afford to pay for his time spent sitting idle. He continued to move slowly, going up and down the stairs multiple times and checking the outdoor unit. He determined that the "outdoor unit was running with a condenser fail" and turned off the breaker. He assured me that the heater would gradually start working, raising the temperature by about a degree per hour. However, the actual results were far from satisfactory. According to Al, his thermometer showed an increase from 60 to 61 degrees Fahrenheit, but the temperature in the house, according to the thermostat, actually dropped from 60 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Upon completing the service call, Al presented me with a bill totaling $379. This included a service call fee of $68, a diagnostic charge of $127, and a labor charge of $184. Unfortunately, he couldn't provide a clear diagnosis or solution to the problem. After receiving payment, he left promptly without discussing the issue further. Feeling unsatisfied with the service and results, I immediately contacted Dawn, who assured me that the owner, Gary, would call me. I received a call from Gary two hours later, during which time the thermostat showed a further drop to 57 degrees Fahrenheit instead of an increase. Frustrated and in dire need of warmth for my family, I resorted to purchasing additional heaters from Home Depot. However, I decided to seek a second opinion and called another heating and cooling company. Their technician discovered a burnt cable and identified several other compromised components within the system. He also pointed out that the screws to access the coil compartment had not been opened in years, making it impossible for Al to inspect the coil. While this was happening, Dawn informed me that Gary was on his way to my house, but I had lost trust in Vanguard Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. and declined Gary's visit. In hindsight, I wish Vanguard had been upfront about their expertise with this type of equipment. I would have preferred seeking assistance from a more knowledgeable professional rather than spending a significant amount of money without any improvement in the heating conditions. The contrast in findings between the two companies further highlights my dissatisfaction with Vanguard's service.

Been doing business with Gary and his team for almost 20 years, beginning with Amana furnace install in 2001. Annual furnace/AC clean/check thereafter and repairs when necessary. Always professional, responsive and nice. Prices are fair. Replaced 20+ year old Lennox central air conditioning in 2016. In 2020, Amana furnace displayed slight crack in secondary heat exchanger during annual inspection. With the heat exchanger warranted for life, a replacement furnace is being installed with no charge for the product (understandably, service labor for the install is our responsibility).

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Went well very professional and got the right kind installed

Good, professional.

Excellent. All work was done per schedule. Ran into one issue following the installation when the AC did not work first time used this year. Vanguard came out right away, determined they'd connected one AC wire incorrectly during the furnace install, admitted their mistake and fixed it right away without charge. Have been using Vanguard for 15 years and Gary (owner) has always given me fair prices for repairs and new equipment, and stood behind his work. Gary always performs the proper calculations to determine the cooling/heating unit size required for your property and will not sell you more than you need.

unknown

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Just moved into the house and I wanted to verify the heating and air conditioning were OK. The house inspector warned me that although the furnace was old it appeared to be in good shape, but as it was winter time the A/C was not tested. Also the inspector showed me that the electronic air cleaner was not operating and basically there was no air filter in the system.
Lastly, the garage had it's own heater, which again turned on but we didn't know if we could trust it.
Also, all winter long we had a distrust of the thermostat. It would indicate the house was at 58 while another thermometer confirmed we were at a toasty 72.
We had scheduled an 8:00 to 9:00 am start time. They showed up around 8:15.
- The thermostat was replaced.
- The furnace was taken apart and really cleaned out because of all the dust. They even removed the fan motor from the blades to get at everything.
- The electricity to the air cleaner was killed off and the the metal "filters" were replaced with a giant media filter that I'll just have to change once a year. This was because we decided it wasn't worth it to fix the electronic filter.
- It was discovered that the air conditioner's A coil was just just kind of hanging in the middle of the chamber and they fabricated a pan to direct air through the coil.
- They connected all kinds of testers to various components and confirmed the furnace was running fine.
- Same thing with the compressor outside, although old it was in good shape.
- The furnace in the garage was also thoroughly checked out and it's operation was explained to me.
They worked constantly from 8:15 to about 11:30. Left the basement probably cleaner than it was before they started. The bill including a new thermostat, the medial filter and sheet metal for fixing the A coil was just about $600.

Vanguard never returned my phone call seeking a quotation on the installation of a whole house Aprilaire humidifier!

Initial Visit - 6/3/10: Vangard scheduled to service the air conditioner and determine why it was turning off and then back on immediately. Charged $177.25 for total visit (35 for the call / 88.65 for diagnostic charge / 53.60 for labor). Told circuit board needed to be replaced because it was short-cycling. Was told that we would be contacted by Vanguard in 1 week to schedule the repair once the part was received. Follow up call #1 and #2 - week of 6/21/10: Husband called Vangard twice since several weeks passed and Vangard never called to schedule repair. At that time, we asked if it was normal for a circuit board to need replacement after 27 months since Vanguard had replaced it at that time. Provided background that 27 months ago, Vangard determined that water short-circuited board and that is why it needed replacement. Asked if they determined why it needed to be replaced again. Asked if they felt that water was causing the problem. Was told that technician would get back to us with answer and schedule repair. Follow up call #3 - 6/29: Husband called Vanguard since technician never called back with answer. Vangard's First Returned Call - 6/30: Technician left message indicating that he would call back on 7/1 with an answer. Follow up call #4 - 7/1: Husband called Vangard again since technician never called back. Vangard's Second Returned Call - 7/1: Technician indicated that he would look into our history regarding the bad circuit board needing replacement after 27 months on Friday. (Note: this is three weeks after initial request, four follow up calls and still no answer.) Escalation to management - 7/1: Wife called and requested a manager and was connected to Dawn. Provided background and was told that Dawn was familiar with the case. Dawn implied that we were the cause of the delay because we reported water hitting the circuit board. I explained that this was not the case and that Vangard previously indicated this caused us to replace the board 27 months ago. I explained that we were simply wondering why it would need to be replaced again so quickly and if they had determined the cause. I also expressed my frustration in needing to call Vangard so many times to schedule a repair and asked Dawn if she agreed if this was a problem. Her response was that her understanding was that we still had working air conditioning. (As if that makes it acceptable to be unresponsive to a paying customer for weeks!) I asked her if she also understood that Vangard diagnosed a problem a month ago and it still needed to be fixed before it stopped working. Her question left me wondering if we need to wait for the air conditioner to break down entirely before Vangard took us seriously? At that point, she promised to get back to me later in the day. Dawn called back later in they day to assure me that the technician would call the next day. Vangard's explanation - 7/2: Technician called and spoke with Wife. He explained that there was really no way to know what caused the circuit board to fail so quickly, but that they part was in and they could fix it. I asked why they hadn't called earlier to schedule the repair and I was told that it was because Husband asked why the board needed to be replaced so quickly. TRANSLATION: it took Vangard four weeks to provide a non-explanation and indicate that they would finally like to schedule the repair for close to $400.

I found them via word of mouth. They are a big company that has been around the chicago area since 1979. They seemed to be very knowledgeable and skilled with their work. I thought the quality of the work was very good and I'd use them again in the future if needed.