Trumbull Mechanical Services

It was terrible working with TMS.  I would never use them again nor would I recommend them to my worst enemy.  If you're looking for an emergency service, they are the absolute worst people to call.  They service DC, MD, and VA and have one on-call technician.  So truly, nothing is considered an emergency with them.  
It took 4-5 times to come out and fix an broken part.  Not only did they never call when they said they would, I would always have to chase them down to schedule appointments despite being told they would call me first thing in the morning.  I tried giving the benefit of the doubt a few times, but just lost hope after awhile.  As of this review, it's been two weeks+ since I was told someone would come out and follow up.  I'm not calling them because I don't think it would do my family any good to have them work on our units.  I have a warranty with them, and would rather pay someone else to do the work instead of trusting them to accomplish anything correctly.  

Overall, finding an HVAC company that we like and can trust has been difficult.  We are very pleased to have found TMS and will continue to use them for any of our future HVAC needs.
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Everything went great.  This is actually the second unit upgrade I have been thru with Scooter and TMS.
After using other HVAC companies over the years, a friend recommended TMS to me in 2011.  One of their repair techs, Dan Carr, is outstanding and helped us out each time he came out to get our crappy contractor-grade Goodman units working.  We had problems with both our downstairs and upstairs zones each season (2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013).  Dan recommended we consider a replacement unit for our downstairs and suggested a dual-fuel setup to lower our propane costs (which are ridiculous in our area.)
So based on that recommendation, in mid 2013 we purchased a new 3 Ton Trane XR13 heat pump for the outside and a new Trane coil to be added to the old air handler inside.  We have been exceptionally happy with the downstairs unit and the dual-fuel option reduced our propane costs from 1000 gal per year to 550 gal per year.
When our upstairs unit started to give us trouble in early 2014, we decided to go with TMS again to replace that unit with a 3 Ton Trane XR13 heat pump outside and Trane multi-speed air handler in the attic.

Technician arrived and was at our home for about 2 hours. After inspecting unit tech said he had never seen anything like it. Claimed to have a call in to the company that made the unit, said he wasnt sure which part needed to be ordered so he needed their advice. Collected service call fee.  Now this is Friday and we have no heat. Normally I would expect that with winter temperature in the 20's a business would consider this a high priorty. Well Monday morning WE contacted TMS and was told that they would need to find out status and call us back. Well at the end of the day, after hours of course, we received a message requesting a call back.  When we did they were closed. Called Tuesday morning and was told the the part that was needed was on BACK ORDER for 10 days! No alternative was given, we would have to wait for another 10 days. We brought in electric heaters to keep the house warm. After hanging up we searched on the internet,found a supplier that was willing to overnight the part for us. We ordered part. Called TMS back, there responce, Well, if we did'nt purchase the part, we will not install it. Asked to speak with the owner, were told She was not available.
Needless to say we contaced another company do finish there job. They showed up the very next day, part arrived on time. Thank you Scardina Home Services for your outstanding professionalism and responsiveness. Shame on TMS for lack of.

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incompetent - estimate was half the actual cost. Scooter said he made an error. Came out and installed a humidifier. Let water drip and sit all over my hardwood floor. Ruined a new bathroom vanity. took months for Scooter to show up to replace the bottom of the vanity (really they should have replaced the entire vanity). He did a horrid job. The company is inept and unresponsive. I would never ever use them again.

TMS, Inc. and the salesperson I dealt with (Scooter aka Austin) was recommended highly by my beautician and her husband who had heat pump replacements in the previous two years.  Please keep in mind that PEPCO was and probably still is offering up to a $500 rebate on heat pump replacements when the company doing the work is on their "preferred list."  TMS, Inc. was not on Pepco's list, but I decided to obtain a quote anyway.  However TMS, Inc. was offering  0% financing for up to three years, just like some of the other contractor's on Pepco's list. 
Scooter, came out approximately 5 days before 10/31/12 (when the interest free financing was going to end), sent me an estimate the same day via email for $6,900.00 for the XLi heat pump/air handler and $5,600.00 for XL13.  I spent a couple of days reviewing the differences in the two systems (not too much other than the purported higher efficiency of the XLi & the covering of the outdoor unit), and the fact that I would not be eligible for the up to $500.00 rebate from Pepco because TMS, Inc. was not listed as one of Pepco's participating contractors.   In the end, I decided to go with TMS, Inc., not because of the price (I thought it was a little steep), but only because of I was referred by someone I trusted and the fact that Scooter seemed to be very knowledgeable about what he was doing, not trying to sell me anything I didn't need, assured me that he would be there the day of installation, and also assured me that his guys could get the heat pump in the extremely, extremely, tight space behind my deck even if it meant taking some of the boards off the deck!  Also, when I called Scooter back & basically tried to negotiate since I would lose out on the opportunity to receive a $500.00 credit from Pepco, he stated that he would decrease the price to $6,700.00 and I would still be able to apply for the 0% financing. 
So on Friday 11/9/12, I received a phone call from Scooter approximately 7 a.m. that he would not be able to make it because he had a sports injury the night before.....ugggh!  However, he assured me that his guys he was sending out knew what they were doing and to call him with any questions.  The two installers arrived timely @ 8am and got right to work.  They did have to call another guy in to assist them with lifting the heat pump up and very meticulously placing it down in the cramped spot where the former, and much smaller Ducane Heat Pump, resided.  I watched all three carefully handle this enormous piece of equipment and gently place it in the proper spot....and no damage done to my deck or siding:).  The guys finished up around 2p.m.  Before they left however, I asked them to show me how to access the air handler to change the filter.  This was not an easy task, however; it took one of the installers several minutes before he could open up the air hander (please note there is a PVC piping in front of the door you have to pull down).  And I thought to myself, "Oh, no..If he's having problems with this and he installed it, what am I supposed to do."  Another red flag was a few contradictory statements from what Scooter shared with me prior to the installation and what one of the installers said when he was attempting to show me how to access the air filter:  I remember Scooter telling me that it is useless to purchase the more pricier air filters that you don't have to chane until 90 days because it's better just to purchase the cheap ones and change monthly.  However the installer, stated to get the filters that you change every 90 days.  Yes, it may seem like minor contradictory statements, however I must pay attention to the small details in my business dealings with people since I'm a single female. 
After the installation on 11/9/12, I didn't hear anything from Scooter or TMS, Inc. for that matter.  No follow-up call, thank you letter in the mail, nothing.  Also, the only paperwork I received on the day of installation was the Touch Screen Comfort Control Manual, no paperwork manual on the Heat Pump or Air Handler itself.  I finally contacted Scooter myself approximately 2.5 weeks after the installation and informed him that (1)  I did not receive any other manuals with the exception of the touch screen manual; and (2)  I need to know how to access the air filter since the installer seemed to have problems initially, though he was finally able to access it.  Scooter stated that he could come by early on a day before I went to work, but he would have to call me.  Approximately 2-3 days later, there was a manilla envelope on my doorstep with the Trane Limited Warranty Registration AND a copy of the Comfort Control Manual which, as I previously stated, I already had! 
And, as of 12/31/12, I still have not heard anything from TMS, Inc. or Scooter regarding a "thank you for your business,"  a follow-up call regarding whether or not I was able to access my filter for replacement, or if I had any questions regarding my new heat pump's operation (since I don't have any manuals).  I just emailed Scooter last night to let him know that I've tried to access the filter but was unable to and would like for him to come out and see how the installers set up the equipment since he wasn't able to make it during the initial installation.  As of this evening, 12/31/12, I'm patiently waiting for him to respond. 
So the moral of the story is:
(1)  While I believe TMS, Inc. is a decent company and the installation for the heat pump/air handler in my home was a good experience, their follow-up is horrible, at least it was for me. And, for the amount of the job ($6,700.00) I do not feel like a valued customer.  I can't say with certainty that I will not use them in the future, but I will say that I will not refer them to someone else.
(2)  I went ahead and decided to spend the extra money, with full knowledge that I could have received a $500.00 rebate from Pepco if I would have signed a contract with another company, however TMS, Inc. was a referral from some close friends and I based my decision on trust (won't do that again).
(3)  I have no way to prove this, but I feel as if I would have been treated differently I there was a male person involved with me during this transaction and/or if I lived in another neighborhood outside of Prince George's County....hmmm

Fast forward to Friday January 11, 2013--still no word from Scooter of TMS, therefore I called him and was given an excuse that he had been meaning to call me.  He apologized profusely stating that there was a lot growth in the business.  We set a date for him to come and address my concerns, specifically not being able to access the filter.  He assured me that he would come out in week on Friday January 18, 2013.  However, Friday came and someone from TMS did appear, however it was not Scooter.  Actually Scooter emailed that morning stating that he would not be able to come (I didn't get the email until later), but was sending his best technician.  The technician arrived promptly and assessed the problem....and yes he could not open the door to where the air filter was housed either!!! Therefore, he had to rebuild the PVC piping around the door.  Also, he explained to me that there was something leaking that needed to be fixed immediately.  He called the original installers and had them come out to my house within 1.5 hours to correct the work, which they did.  That Friday January 18, 2013, was the last time I encountered someone from TMS.  I am very disapointed that they did not have the decency to give me a courtesy call to see how everything was after spending $6700 and the lack of follow-up with my initial concern about problems with the installation.  Maybe their larger contracts get more attention, but I was treated

I came home from work on Friday and noticed the house was getting warm so I called TMS.  The service technician called and said he could be out by noon on Saturday.  He arrived at 10:10am on Saturday as promised and informed us that it could either be fixed quickly or a new compressor would be needed, which would take 2-3 days.  Lady Luck smiled on us and we only needed a starter capacitor which he had on the truck. We have a service contract with them so labor is covered and we only had to pay for the part.

I think they are good. I have never had any problems with them.

THE COMPANY PROVIDED GOOD SERVICE, WITH QUALITY PEOPLE. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING. THEY TOOK TIME TO LISTEN AND EXPLAINED WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

I WOULD NOT USE FOR SERVICE. THEY DID THE INSTALLATION WRONG IN THE BEGINNING AND WE HAD MAJOR WATER DAMAGE DUE TO FAULTY INSTALLATION. IT WAS AN ERROR ON THEIR PART.