Total Air & Heat Co

"As always we are glad to get reviews from Customers. This work was performed over 1 year ago, April of 2013. To be honest I don't understand why someone would leave C feedback on something they are not sure about? We performed a tune-up, and installed a hard start kit for the compressor. Every a/c unit can benefit form a start assist kit if they don't already have one. This kit lowers the stress on the compressor when it tries to start. A compressor start is even more beneficial In Texas in the summer during hot afternoons when the power grid is maxed out and voltage drops making it even harder for a compressor to start. Last but not least...this customer's unit is running perfectly 1 year after her tune-up! Best Regards, Steve Lauten President"

"We are glad to have this feedback from this member! It allows us to discuss the massive challenge consumers face when trying to get bids for replacement HVAC systems, and comparing brands and companies. Lets begin by discussing brands of equipment. In this case we bid Trane...the top rated brand in the industry by Consumers! We've heard lots of stories over the years from competitors about recalls or issues. The truth is these other companies can't meet the requirements that Trane has to be a dealer, therefore they make stuff up to justify why they can't sell Trane! Our primary brands are Trane and Carrier which we feel offers the most benefits to our customers. Its too bad this member did not pick up the phone and ask us about what he was told by other contractors. However this is a common thing that happens. I would also like to point out we did offer the customer a $9,500 option which he did not mention, I'm not sure why? The equipment we sell comes with a 10 year parts warranty most of the time. However...labor is not included after the 1st year. Labor, refrigerant, refrigerant recovery are all expensive and no manufacturer covers these things without an extended warranty. We approach our customers like a doctor would...our job is to consult with you to help you make the best decision. We would not be doing our job if we did not put all the choices on the table...and let the customer decide. I would also like to point out that air conditioners come in a card board box and work as good as the company that installs it. My point...the initial investment is only part of the cost of owning an HVAC system. How long does the system last, how much does it cost to operate, and how many repairs are needed over the life of the system plus how comfortable is your home are all questions you need to consider before making a decision based on price. Theres no way to buy our $14,000 system for $9,500 and get the same job, we don't have that kind of profit in the job...its below our cost! My suggestion to all who read this...if the price is too good to be true you need to ask questions! We would be more than happy to review all competitive bids with our customers side by side. If somebody else has a better deal we will admit it, but keep in mmd we've been in business since 1957 and did it the right way with 3 generations of the same family owning and operating the business! Best Regards, Steve Lauten"

"We appreciate your comments regarding our technician and the fast service he provided you. In regards to our fees...Since 1957 We've always offered a diagnostic fee that includes the first 30 minutes of trouble shooting, plus it covers the travel time to get to the job. We don't charge a separate travel time like many other HVAC companies. Rarely do we go past 30 minutes to diagnose a problem, and when we do...we always advise the customer we are approaching 30 minutes. We're sorry that you were not informed of this in advance. We spend a lot of time training our CSR's about how to interact with our customers and explaining our fees. We will continue to train our employees and appreciate your feedback. Last but certainly not least...we charge a flat diagnostic fee to cover our normal service area, regardless of travel time we charge the same fee to everyone. What thats means to our customers is: you pay a flat rate diagnostic cost, including travel time, and you know in advance what that cost is going to be.in advance! Best Regards, Steve Lauten President"

"I totally agree with this is about principle and integrity...that's what we are Totally about. We can't control what others do, and in this case we are getting feedback for something that was not done by us. This review is totally incorrect and misrepresented. It's not possible for the furnace to be turned off and the air conditioner to work. It's controlled by a light switch that's easy to be mistaken for an attic light. I offered to get with this customer next week when I get back in town to help resolve the issue. Anybody could have turned this switch off, the cable repair guy, the pest control guy, or the customer themselves. However it was not us, like I said the air conditioning can't work if the furnace does not have power...that's where the airflow comes from, simply put it's not us! We run up against this problem fairly often, someone turns off the wrong switch, it's simply not possible to send a technician and a vehicle for free if we did not do anything wrong. We have no problem owning up to mistakes we make, but when we did not do it, we should be able to defend ourselves too! Sincerely, Steve Lauten President Total Air &Heat Co."

"We appreciate feedback from our customers. This customer faces an issue that many of our customers face...old plumbing and piping. The plumbing and piping in your home is like arteries....over time they build up plaque in them. This is what happened here. We flushed the drain line as part of a tune up, and within 4 hours the drain line backed up. We came back out and in order to flush the drain line again, and we had to cut the pipe. We did not charge for this. The only thing we charged for was 1st day tune-up and 2nd day we also cleaned his drain pan out too. Extended warranties from manufacturers does not cover preventative maintenance, they cover only repairs on the products they make. In this case the only issue was existing piping that's part of his plumbing. Thanks for being a loyal customer! Steve Lauten President Total Air & Heat Co."

"As always we appreciate feedback from customers. The comments about this project relate to drain piping which is part of the plumbing of the home. In this instance the piping was clogged bad enough we could not break loose the clog. This required a plumber because the clog was at the main plumbing and required a snake to break loose the clog. We agree that pipe did blow "stuff" all over the wall, and we did clean up the mess. Sometimes this is simply unavoidable when you try to break loose a clog. Best Regards Steve Lauten President Total Air & Heat Co."

"I talked to this customer about his systems. He has 2 systems and purchased 2 tune-ups. That aspect of the work went fine and his systems are still working fine. What his feedback does not say, and what needs to be said is: He has zoning systems with a total of 8 thermostats. These systems were not installed by us, and according tot he customer nothing has ever worked right. He was hoping the tune-ups would cover looking at these issues. Big Deal tune-ups are designed to simply get a system ready for cooling or heating and not advanced trouble shooting of zoning systems. We are scheduled to return to customers home with a Field Supervisor at no charge to give him options on how to fix the design flaws from the company who originally installed his systems. Steve Lauten President Total Air & Heat Co."