AREA HEATING & COOLING INC

I contacted Area Heating and Cooling after our AC stopped functioning on 6/22/21 Due to the hot weather and high demand, they were unable to schedule an appointment until 6/28/21. The technician confirmed that the blower motor and capacitor were shorted out and needed to be replaced. He also provided a verbal estimate of $1,100 to complete the work which seemed somewhat steep to me not knowing what the repairs entitled. I was charged $160.20 for that first Service call and was left without AC on that day when the outside temperature went up to a blistering 114° which was the hottest day ever recorded in Vancouver, WA. Another Technician came to perform the repairs on 7/2/21. Replacing the blower motor and capacitor involved removing 6 screws of the blower cabinet cover, 4 screws of the blower motor assembly, 3 screws from the motor bracket, 1 nut on the blower motor collar to remove the motor from the blower housing; another screw on the strap to remove the capacitor, removing the wires from the capacitor and motor and putting everything back together in reverse order with the new motor and capacitor. The verbal estimate ended up being $1184.70 with tax for which I paid and received the invoice 2 days later. Since Area Heating and Cooling never provided me with a written estimate of the repair, I was not able to look up the parts beforehand and left only to accept the verbal estimate, but what can you do when you can’t find someone else to make the repairs. High heat, high demand so..? High prices? Hoping to find some justification on the invoice for the high cost but the invoice only listed: Non stock blower motor repair $800.00 and non stock capacitor repair $300.00. First of all, it’s not a repair but a replacement. Second, The first Technician on 6/28/21 replaced the capacitor which he had in his truck but since the motor was dead, he removed it. How could this be “Non Stock” if it’s in the truck? I looked up the manufacturer website on line and was able to find reference numbers for the parts that had been replaced and found a motor between $150.00 and $264.00, the capacitor is available from $15.00 to $30.00. Apparently there is a markup for labor but a 300% to 530% for the motor and between 1,000% and 2,000% markup for the capacitor. This is robbery! I am not planning on contesting the cost with Area Heating and Cooling but the least I can do is post this review to warn potential customers of how this company conducts business.

Overall went pretty smoothly. Area Heating and Cooling replaced our 21 year old Trane air handler and AC unit with a new Trane higher efficiency unit. They also created a zoned system to split the upstairs and downstairs controls. Out of three bids, they were in the middle. All in all, they did a good job installing. They really took time to make sure the air handler and AC unit install looked good. However, the employee who bid the job was not really involved during the installation, which made communication a little more difficult (i.e., it was often indirect). Also, I would highly recommend either having a home inspector take before and after pictures of your attic and crawl space or do so yourself. It seems like the installers were much more interested in doing quality work in the spaces we could easily see, but did not take pride in the "unseen" work. I ended up spending quite a bit of time myself under our home fixing insulation problems which I'm fairly confident was a result of shoddy workmanship. With that said, I assume that it's pretty much par for the course for most contractors. I would not hesitate to use Area Heating and Cooling again. Would just be a little more careful and make sure they understand that my expectations regarding quality are the same regardless of location.

They are very good and responsive during emergencies. They give good advice and are very knowledgeable. We would highly recommend them and will use them again.

The tech was on time, seemed very knowledgeable and professional. No problems.

They diagnosed the problem quickly and were able to replace the capacitor. We were up and running in 20minutes.

It didn't cost me anything because it's still under warranty. I'll give them, well it's kind of hard to say because I've had more service than I thought I should have. They're always real punctual I'll probably give them probably a high grade for their service and then a little lower for the reliability of equipment but you know it was just that dealer. Like I said it didn't cost me anything it was still under warranty. Well, two people came out because they had to come back, they came out then they had to order the part, a different guy came and put that in.

It was just a thermostat issue, which he fixed in no time.

Very unprofessional with their telephone ettiquet. Ended up using another company based on a recommendation from one of my kids.

The technician did warn me that my system was getting older, and I should be thinking about replacing it. So he was just giving me a fair warning. I would give them an A all the way down. I do remember that he advised me that my system was getting older, because that system is 19 years old at this point, and your expected to get 15-20 years out of them. I just think they are an excellent company.

They have taken care of my equipment for the past 16 years. They are very reliable. They come when they say they are going to come. They are doing what they say they are going to do. They are very responsive. My heat went out with it was 31 degrees here, and they brought me a heater to try and keep my house above 50 degrees. They are doing a really good job. We are not finished yet because there are some thing going on, but they have been very responsive. They are just excellent. I don't think you could ask for anything more. I wanted a trained system, because that's a quality system, and they are a trained dealer. They are a good company, but I went another direction to verify that. I talked to a number of different customers of theirs that had the same experience I had. I knew the product that I wanted. So that limited me in what I could use, because I wanted a trained system, and needed a trained provider. One night I got home and my furnace wouldn't come home. I think I saw icicle's hanging from our kitchen. I called them at 7am in the morning and left a voicemail, and they were out here at 9am with a heater in hand to help with that, and we started making a plan. They diagnosed what the problem was.

They do a really good job! They’re just all around excellent work.

They always do really good; they're really good.

I haven't had any trouble and it seems sized very well for my home. They've been really good about helping me get all my vents adjusted correctly for maximum efficiency.

I had been a long time customer of Area Heating. I had purchased 2 full heat pump systems and many service calls... but no more. I am very disappointed and upset at how I was treated. My "old" system was 12 years old (not really very old). I had a service call in January for my heat pump icing up. They came out and could find no problem. That was $180. Last week I noticed the breaker to the heat pump was flipped and heating was with the expensive electric heater. I called Area Heating they came out and told me the compressor was shorted out. Someone else would give call me with a price. That was another $180. 24 hours later still no call. I called Area Heating and talked with Cindy (service manager) and I complained about the charges and lack of communication. Basically I was told tough and the charges stood. They were unwilling to make any accomodation... And still no pricing for a repair. 4 hours later I had another HVAC company in my home and I bought a new system to be installed in 2 days. Beware of Area Heating and their lack of customer service. I will never do business with them again.

They started and finished work like they said they would We are very happy with the installation

We moved into a two-story home last year. It had one heater/AC unit for the entire home, and during the summer the second story tended to get very hot because (a) the thermostat was downstairs, (b) hot air from downstairs flowed upstairs, and (c) the second story was not a full story, but a half-story surrounded by attic that tended to collect hot air. Area Heating and two other vendors examined and bid on the job. The bids were similar in content: Add baffles to separate the upstairs/downstairs air, put in an additional thermostat upstairs, and use a computer to decide which floor (first, second, or both) needed air at any given time. All three vendors were high-scorers on Angie's List, but Area Heating's bid was substantially lower than the other two. The gentleman from Area pulled out a computer during his site visit, pulled the standard rezoning work off a menu, and handed me a bid. The other two bidders went away and emailed bids (that were very high) to me later. I think (but don't know) that they were "pricing the neighborhood", and that Area Heating's same-bid-for-all caught them unawares. The installers were quite good. They checked system anomalies with their boss, and came up with good solutions. The system works quite well. We now have two livable floors in the house. I wouldn't hesitate to use Area Heating again. One minor issue: they couldn't squeeze us into their schedule within a month. Quality work brings lots of customers, I guess.

Tech arrived on time and completed tune up in a timely manor.

Eleven year old home had the HVAC fresh air 8" ducting hooked to the roof vent. Lots of greasy dirt on roof and lots of dirty furnace air filters. Area Heating replaced entire flex duct. Installed screened vent in side of house above garage ceiling. Vent sealed and caulked, all piping and ducting properly supported. All debris removed. All work done in a professional manner. Furnace filter checked and install debris removed from it. Service tips given to owner on best practices of maintaining the heating & cooling system. When having vents cleaned; remember supply, exhaust, fresh air, dryer, stove vents.

The short story Very happy with the whole process. I am very glad that Mike suggested the system we have as it makes our split level home comfortable no matter what level you happen to be on. The long story We called for a consultation and Mike showed up and reviewed our concerns and property. We talked about using the old ductwork, but I was concerned it would not be as flexible as a ductless system. Mike confirmed my thoughts and presented an excellent plan with options. We worked through those options and came up with a system. The estimate was presented and a timeline, which was much sooner than I expected. Apparently, I was ahead of the curve and a bit lucky on my timing. I'll take that. Work day approached and the crew showed up on time. As it turned out, I had to be away for the second day of work and I had to leave some verbal instruction for the next day. They totally nailed the install and handled the small issues we discussed the day before beautifully. In 2 days time we went from sweltering levels to perfect comfort. I love the Mitsubishi units and how slowly the meter is turning outside. Very happy with the whole experience. Pictures https://www.flickr.com/gp/44441397@N03/27X7XZ

Robert, the technician was very punctual. He called me 45 minutes prior to his arrival and arrived ahead of time. Although he is relatively new to this area, he was very professional and knowledgeable and provided the service within one hour. He changed all my filters and answered all my questions. I will definitely use them again in the future. Normally, Sarkinen Plumbing provided this service but are no longer and referred me to Area Cooling and Heating.

Unfortunately my almost three year old Trane HVAC system stopped producing AC last Friday (I use it April through October as my energy star home is so tight that it's about 15 degrees warmer inside than out and I don't like opening windows due to allergies and living in a one level home; security). I have a variable speed furnace and heat pump that is used for heat except for rare days when it is super cold; and AC. I choose area to install the system during my new home build as opposed to the builder's sub who did not offer Trane (chose for my previous home and very happy). Area had someone out the same day to diagnose the problem and managed to order the part (which ended up being in the furnace) so that it would be delivered the next Monday; then installed the following day. Fortunately everything was covered under my 10 year zero deductible parts/labor warranty. They also put in more refrigerant to replace all that had leaked out so that the three days were bearable given the unseasonably warm weather (work from home). They went so above and beyond which is why I have recommended them to friends who recently bought older homes which need their systems replaced!!!

Our 20 year old heat pump was on its last leg, so we contacted Area (as well as various other providers). I left a message for Area and my phone call was promptly returned and I was scheduled for an estimate. The estimate occurred promptly and on a day that nicely fit my schedule. A sales coordinator arrived on time and inspected the existing unit and layout of my home. The various options for a new heat pump were clearly explained to me and the estimate arrived on the date promised. The pricing was competitive with other providers, and was among the lowest of the bids we received. The sales coordinator followed up with me on an agreed-upon date, but did not try to pressure me into going with Area. Rather, he made himself available for further questions. I appreciated that I was not given a "hard sell." While I felt very comfortable going with Area, in the end it came down to pricing. My family elected to go with the company that had the lowest bid for the product we were looking for.

It has all been great. They are capable and reasonable.

Still waiting on a call for a refund.

I was told by the office staff that it would be $99.00 plus cost of repairs. I agreed. I called on Monday and they came out on Thursday. The technician came out and hooked up a monitoring system to my heat pump. He said I was extremely low on Freon, which meant I had a leak somewhere and that I would need to replace both the heat pump and the furnace. He said he could look for leaks but that could run in the thousands of dollars, and even if he found the leak he might not be able to get any replacement parts. He fastened up the back of the heat pump and we walked back to his van. This diagnosis took about 5 minutes. He asked me if I wanted to use check or credit card to pay for their service. I responded credit card and went into the house to get it. The technician swiped my credit card through the reader and then handed it back to me. After he swiped my credit card he said he was just going to have the office staff bill me. He said it was going to be $99.00 for the trip charge, and $69.00 for his diagnostic fee. I told him the office had told me it would be only $99.00. He said they were wrong and he would counsel them. The total cost came to $180.94. He never gave me a copy of anything even though he used my credit card. Then he told me the sales staff would call me in a couple of hours to set up an appointment to discuss a new system. I waited inside the house all day and they never called. The next day the sales staff called and when I asked when he was available, he told me the office staff made all appointments. I am not sure why he called me. However, he hung up and called back in about 10 minutes and made an appointment for the next week. In the mean time, the more I thought about it, the madder I became. It was obvious the office staff doesn't talk to the technicians; the technicians don't talk to the sales staff; and it became painfully obvious they have no formal procedures, and I was paying twice what they had told me it would cost. I felt totally uncomfortable working with this company. Nothing they said was correct. I just received the invoice in the mail and it states "nobody home to pay". Another lie. I was with him the entire time except for running into the house for my VISA. I hope this company did this just to avoid the VISA fee, and not for ID theft. I will be updating this review if I encounter ID theft. I do not recommend this company.