Horne Heating and Air Conditioning

Horne was fantastic! We have had a lot of trouble with contractors in the past, so we did our homework before picking Horne. We started in September 2008 with a list of about 12 potential contractors from Angie's List and other sources, quickly narrowed it down to 5 who came out to spec the job, and finally to two (see our other reports for the runner up - also a fine choice - and was the contractor that had been servicing our old system). Horne did our installation in November 2008 (one week for the upstairs system, one week for the downstairs system, and a couple days of a third week for finishing details - including replacing 4 bathroom fans with their ductwork out through the roof/wall, and installing 1 attic fan to keep the attic cooler in summer). We had to replace everything, ducts included, after only 9 years in our home (we are original owners) due to shoddy construction practices by our builder (Toll Brothers). Their HVAC installer (Andy Lewis) didn't insulate the boots that connect the ducts to the vents, which allowed water to condense on the inside of the boots, which allowed mold to grow in the boots, then spread to the vents, then spread to the HVAC equipment itself. So, instead of getting 15 years out of a system and then only having to replace the units, we had to replace units, ducts, everything after only 9 years. Adrian was Horne's salesman/system designer who worked with us to determine the exact equipment and duct layout we needed - he was incredibly responsive and patient (and worked well with my wife - a lot of contractors don't seem to respect women - no one at Horne had that problem). Not wanting to repeat the mold problem, Adrian worked with us to find duct material (EverClean by Owens Corning) that is pre-treated for mold and mildew resistance and much more durable (and more expensive) than standard ducts which Horne installed. Donnie was Horne's installation supervisor, who was absolutely essential to the success of our job. We moved vents and completely redesigned the duct system to be more efficient and to minimize its impact on our ability to build out our currently unfinished basement (resulting in a much better duct layout than the builder of our home left us with). Donnie managed to get a new secondary return into a wall between two rooms in an area that no other contractor thought possible. He also fit a vent under our kitchen wall oven by venting it through the kick plate so that we could get rid of a nearby floor vent that was poorly located. He also was able to add a low level wall vent in a bathroom so we could relocate the existing vent away from the toilet (it worked great in the winter, but in the summer, the old vent made that toilet pretty chilly!). Our new systems work great. Temperatures are much more consistent, and the operational cost savings are significant. This was not a cheap job, but we didn't want a 'cheap' job (we had that before). We are thoroughly pleased.

We had estimates from three companies-Horne's salesman Brad had the best in home presentation and analysis of our needs. Their estimate was not the lowest but in line with the others. He followed up with phone calls and returned mine in a timely manner, and sweetened the deal with a no cost extended warranty (yearly maintenance contract required, so not really no cost). Decision was made to use their company and they could have started the next day but we scheduled it 4 days later. Crew showed up early and most of the work went very quickly, units were installed and ready to start up in about 5 hours (Heat pump and gas furnace). Unfortunately the start up had some glitches and the techs had to call their boss out to troubleshoot which took another 3 hrs or so, but everything up and running by 6pm. All their work was cleaned up and I was given a thorough run thru of the new systems. All in all a very pleasant experience and I plan on using them again when I need to replace our upstairs system.

I got them from Angie's List. They are very good. They are punctual. They do what they say they are going to do, and they do not mind answering your questions. The price shown is for the contract.

They are very responsive and quick to fit us into their schedule. They were eager to find the answer to our problem quickly.

Spent one day taking out old duct work and two days installing new duct work. Had to make several modifications based on unexpected rafter locations (no change in price). Kept us informed of progress and fixed AC drain blockage at no charge. Sent their own inspector two days later to ensure satisfaction and collect final payment. Have used them for two years and plan to continue their use.

Very well. Technician performed the work in a timely manner. Identified duct work in crawl space that needed to be secured and offered to do the work on the spot which I did authorize. Indicated that 1 furnace needed to be replaced (original system in home >17 yrs old) and made arrangement for owner to contact me and provide a quote for system replacement.

We have a service agreement with Horne and they always call to remind us to do our seasonal tune-ups. They called this summer and were able to give us an appointment right away. The technician showed up on time and was very thorough. He even wore shoe covers in our house when he went to check the unit in the attic. We have been very pleased with the heating and a/c service that we've received from Horne.

Their service wonderful. They were very personable they took time to talk to us and explain things to us. They came back two or three times after just to make sure we were happy and everything was running fine.

It went just fine. He arrived when they were going to. They used to have coupons from AL for heating and a/c that they got rid of them and I don't really think that that was a very smart idea with the economy.

Poorly; filled up A/C with Freon and was significantly overcharged for Freon. Representative did not know to repair clogged drain lines based on excessive dripping of overflow lines. We have attempted to contact Horne 2 times for an explanation of charges and poor service and have not received any response. The Horne representative had said he was giving us a deal on the freon. Horne charges were compared to 3 other Angie's List companies. Their Freon charges were almost double 2 of the companies and significantly higher than the 3rd. We were lucky we asked another A/C company about the excessive dripping of the drain lines since the pans could have overflowed causing water damage to our home.

We've used them twice. It was the same guy both times and he was great. Very friendly and personable. He cleaned out all of the pipes from the heater.

The first unit was serviced just fine. They did miss a plugged drain on the other unit which required them to come back another day to complete the work. They were able to repair the problem upon the second visit.

When I discovered the pee *in* the duct and found I couldn't clean it all myself, I checked Angie's List for the companies with the best ratings. I called Horne and they scheduled someone to come out and take a look that same week. Next, they scheduled a tech to come out and replace the duct and service the A/C unit the following week. Unfortunately, they had overestimated the size of our crawlspace so they had to send another tech a week later to run the duct. All in all, I'd rate the experience as excellent (can you imagine what it is like to have urine-scented air blowing in the house EVERY time the a/c comes on? I am very relieved to have that fixed now!). Both techs were knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and God bless the young man who slithered in my crawl space to run the new duct! Will definitely use Horne in the future.

They were able to dispatch one of their technicians the next day. They called right before they came and were extremely punctual. They performed a leak test which they charged $284 which was excessive. The technician did a hard sell on getting us to order new coils for the unit which the estimate on was extremely high. The estimate he gave us on the coil replacement was between $1,600-$3,000. He wanted to put in the order that day to get the coils in to install. While the service was fine for nearly $800 he inspected 2 AC units, performed the leak test, and refilled some freon in the unit that was leaking. What's further is that they did not detail the cost of the leak test until after the technician performed the service. The technician was at our house for a little over an hour and a half. My husband called and spoke with the service manager (Don) at Horne the same day (literally 3 hours after) the service was performed to let him know that the cost was excessive. He agreed to the leak test charge and half of the service call charges from our credit card. After about two weeks we checked our credit card statement to ensure the appropriate charges had been removed. They had not. My husband contacted Horne again and got a very different story. They had not removed the charges and now were not willing to. Don actually needed to get approval from the owner and he did not agree to it. There was no mention of the approval process during his initial conversation. Until we called no one from Horne called to let us know that they were not willing to remove some of the charges from the bill. It is an unfortunate incident. While we were satisfied with the attention and the work we were disappointed that Horne did not refund part of the charges as they told us they would. If he needed to get approval he should have told us that when we called. We were fine with the service they provided but would not use them again given the extremely high cost and not following through on their commitment to take care of some of the charges.

Overall they bent over backwards to complete the job. By them coming out and telling me what the problem was, and having to order the parts, three days was a reasonable time frame. They also called me 30 minutes before coming out. They were on time and very professional.

Horne comes out in the spring and in the fall to service our air conditioning and heating units. The technician arrived during the time frame scheduled, was very respectful of my home and the fact that I was working out of my home. He cleaned and serviced the units and spent additional time discussing replacement options for my units. We will definitely have them provide an estimate when we actually do replace the units. We have had a service agreement with them for several years.

The installation went smoothly. It took 3 days and the installers made sure we were not without AC on any night. They covered their pathways with cloth and wore shoe covers whenever they needed to be in the main part of the house. They were always polite and very professional. Ronnie, the sales person was thorough, answering all questions and helping us get the best price.

Excellent - responded to our problem quickly, polite and professional, quickly fixed.

I thought they did a good job. Their price was kind of high. Other than that I think they did a good job. However, I'm going to use another company to get a comparison for the information they gave me and then I'll decide on who I'll use.

I called Horne when my furnace quit working. A tech named Jason arrived and told me my furnace needed an igniter. I ended up paying him about $150.00. As soon as he left, it quit working again. I was told that it was now after hours and would be an additional $110.00 to re-evaluate the problem. I was told if the problem was the igniter, the $110 would be waved. When the second tech showed up, he told me it was an electrical problem and we needed an electrician. I also had to pay him the $110.00. He also indicated that the first tech should have figured this out. I called their office and talked to the service manager and he promised to give all of my money back except for the initial $80. I have yet to receive any money and it's been a couple weeks...

Were very responsive and courteous.

Second opinions are given at no cost (thank you). They would have replaced the unit for just labor and were very pleasant on the phone. They did send someone out quickly to look at the furnace block. He did a thorough job and determined that it did not need replacing. He saw no cracks from the outside.

Brad did an excellent job. He also did work that he wasn't even hired to do without charging.

They have lived up to their contract. They have been prompt and show up on time for their appointments. The approximate cost listed is for a year of a service contract which covers the two visits and I feel is well worth it. They are good solid firm to work with.

They perform two inspections for me, one for the heating and the other for the air conditioning. They were a little expensive but you get what you pay for and they don't try to sell me what I don't need. I will continue to use them.