Universal Mechanical Service Co Inc

Rhett was very nice, professional, informational and efficient. He definitely knows what he's doing. I was happy to get my furnace "tuned up" because whenever I turned it on, it spewed smelly, oily/sooty air into the basement and up into the main floor of the house. However, I was sorely disappointed when the "service" was to only give me diagnostics. Yes, there are cracks developing in the heat exchanger, and yes, the furnace I had installed about 9-10 years ago was oversize for my house. But no, I can't afford to get a new furnace now, just get this one working. But he did no work on the furnace other than giving me a new air filter, and suggesting I call the company back this Fall to get a new furnace. Right after he left, on a Friday, the furnace stopped working. He came out 4 days later, diagnosed the problem (after ruling out an empty oil tank) as a plugged oil filter. He recommended I replace it myself since if he did it it could be $100 or so (or a few hundred!), whereas online I could get the whole part (not just the filter) for under $20. I didn't do that then since Summer was arriving. Before now, I've had my oil company, Ballard Oil, send out technicians to tune up my furnace, and the charge is usually around $130 - 140. And they DO the work: clean the nozzles, change out the oil filter (a $3.90 parts charge), adjust the fuel/air ratio, check the oil feed lines both inside and out, etc. Their "diagnostics" are one and the same with their "tune-up." So for the Universal Mechanical Service's "$99 value" coupon, I got diagnostics, advice to replace the furnace, and a new air filter. For a little more than double the "$59 deal," I could have had my furnace fixed and running. I wasted my money, $59 for a new air filter. DEC. 4, 2012: RESPONSE TO U.M.S.C. RESPONSE ON NOV 21, 2012: My oil furnace does NOT have a cracked heat exchanger! What was pointed out to me as "cracked" were merely the standard seams where the bricks come together to line the exchanger. Rhett does NOT know about oil furnaces, it turns out. Ballard Oil sent technicians out today, Arlie and Matt, and within 35 minutes had my furnace up and running well. It took under 5 minutes to undo the oil filter canister and replace the filter. At the end, Arlie showed me the "draft" test that would indicate a cracked heat exchanger. He put a gauge in the exhaust line to the chimney when the fan was on, then again when the fan was turned off. The gauge read virtually identically. If the heat exchanger was truly cracked, the two readings would have been very different, meaning the toxic air from inside the furnace would not be properly exhausted unless the fan was on. This was the final test. (BTW, my furnace is a top-of-the-line ThermoPride, installed apx. 2000 - 2003. Heat exchangers are supposed to last about 20 years or so, per my cursory online research.) For six months now I've stressed about having to replace the heat exchanger or get a new furnace, per Rhett's suggestion, in addition to using only space heaters and the oven so far this fall for heat. It was all needless. Again, for double the price of the $59 coupon for a furnace "TUNE UP," I could have had a well-working furnace. In fact, my total bill today was only $102.30. I changed my overall rating to "F."

I made an appointment they came on time and serviced the furnace, all went well.

I called them many times and it was very difficult to make an appointment. The only possibility was then way too late for me.

The company made it easy to put the Big Deal to use. Was easy to schedule and the scheduler was professional. Technician Rhett was a little late arriving (vendors usually underestimate the drive time to my house), but called to let me know. He was so quick and efficient at the job that he still finished before the hour I had mentally set aside for his visit was up, so no real issue for me. Rhett helped educate me about our aging (22 years) furnace. It is starting to have ignition problems and he explained what I could do to help it when it seems to be interminably clicking trying to start, and gave me a ball park figure on what a new ignition system would cost. Also gave me a heads up that in May 2013 new furnace efficiency regulations go into effect, so we might be able to get a better price on a closeout model that isn't quite up to the new requirements as that date approaches.

On time and very good. Cleaned up after himself. Kept me aware of what needed doing.

The service man arrived on time, and we went to the basement. He opened up the furnace, and started checking the inside. He told me there was a crack in my heat exchanger, which could cause a leak of carbon monoxide in the house. He said that the crack had been there for a long time, and the person who was servicing my furnace must have just ignored it. That upset me, as the same person had been taking care of it for several years (he often pointed out the condition of burners, etc.). He then cleaned the electronic air cleaner filters, put it all back together again, and left.

Quick and thorough. Person was pleasant, explained a couple of things and was on his way. Pretty much the service I expected.

I think they did great and answered all my questions.

Great! He noticed other things that we should take care of, and we were able to address them on our own. He was great!

While doing the maintenance he found a minor issue that made a big difference on the heat output in my home. He resolved that with no extra charge. It improved my heating, made my home more comfortable, and saved me energy. I am extremely please with the service received.

Service person came and spent time explaining what was going on in each fireplace, incl. some carbon monoxice leakage. All are now cleaned and fixed, and tenant couldn't be happier!!

I do not have the exact dates of service or the exact dollar amount but I can sum up a quick experience or lack there of with this company. My heater was shutting off. I called for someone to inspect and let me know what was up as soon as possible. The repairman figured out what was going on - heater was overheating due to really crappy install job when we remodeled (that company has gone out of business) - had to come back a second time the same day because the "temp" fix wasn't working. I was willing to spend whatever it took to create a working heating system in our home. The repairman created a temporary fix and said he would have someone call us to have a more in depth look at how we could redo our system using the expensive HE furnace that we bought and putting in a new cold air return, ductwork etc. Quite a bit of time elapsed (weeks/months) when I called back to set an appt with someone who could actually help us. A repairman/salesman came back looked at furnace and the ductwork that we had added with the furnace 1.5 years prior. Said he would get back to us with a bid. Never heard from him or this company again. Needless to say, I'm on Angie's List to find someone to fix my situation. I would not recommend this company for heating needs.

The service was great. I think they were a little overwhelmed with the amount of deals they sold, because it did take them a couple of weeks to schedule the service. However, when they did get here, they did a great job. They seemed to do good work, and they honored the coupon.

They were great! I interviewed 3 Angie List "A" rated companies and Universal Mechanical by far was the most professional. Having been in the service business for the past 30 years I know what customer service is and Universal met and exceeded my expectations. They clearly know their job and how to perform. Definitely would use them again and will refer them to others.

The scheduling and service call were very professional the scheduling was easy and the technican showed up right on-time. However, the service was a scam. The only thing the technican did was spray off my filters with a hose and inspected the unit for $79, not worth the money in my opinion. If I needed actual work done I would hire them again but I won't ever pay for a tune-up again. Angie's list should make it clear from the start that not all furnaces need a tune-up.

He came in and done what was describe above in one hour and he did an excellent job. Will certain use him again in the future.

It went better than I could have imagined. See above

It was an excellent expereince, they were late, but called in advance. They were very professional, and even gave me additional information for future work that was not related to these services..

Mr. Rhett called before he came, arrived on time and went right to work. He completed the job promptly and cleaned up. He is a friendly, helpful and knowledgeable young man.

They agreed to honor Angie's list 10% discount coupon when I first requested their services. They fixed a problem then billed me the full price. When I asked them to correct it they said the coupon was for service. I said yes, I'm paying you for your service, they then said NO, we did a "repair" not a 'service". Very unhappy that they did not honor the original agreement and burned an Angie's list customer!

The sales experience was good too, I felt like I was offered a range of equipment and pricing options and after looking at the size of my house and discussing my choices while never feeling any pressure from the salesman, but feeling like he was educating me along the way. I made a decision, we set up the appt. for the install and from there the process was seamless, the installer was on time or communicating if they were running behind, they were neat and tidy, they cleaned up everything behind them, and took time to go over the new thermostat with me. The office was really friendly and efficient in setting up appt.s and taking care of the payment.

Imagine calling two well-known companies and having them tell you that replacement parts are not available for your furnace, that you need to replace it--and it's cold in your house. Now imagine calling United Mechanical Service and having them send out a nice guy who fixes your old electric furnace quickly, with a part from his truck, just a couple of hours after you called. Not only did the nice guy put on shoe covers before entering our modest and messy (but no shoes allowed) house, but he also told me a lot about how my furnace and thermostat work. I love that there was no attempt at up-sell!

Thought it was great - I haven't had a run down of how to properly maintain a furnace for the long run and the technician gave me a great overview of potential issues and things that I should be doing a regular basis. No real upsell on anything just a "keep us in mind in the future" type of thing. Great to work with and highly recommend.

Used an Angie's List Big-Deal coupon. The UMS technician, Rhett, was on-time, thorough, and only noted one item for future maintenance. I am hiring them again for this year's annual inspection and replace the igniter noted on last year's inspection.

we were selling the house.. can't remember details.