We are fortunate enough to get quite literally hundreds of calls per week coming through our call center. One of the best things about getting that frequency of calls is that we get to know what customers are the most confused by, and what questions are most common. Here are a few questions we get all the time, and we believe can be addressed in the article format that follows.
I just had a company give me a quote on an air conditioner that sounds way too good to be true. Can you check it out and let me know if it is legit?
If you are in the market for a new HVAC system, it seems like the moment you merely think “HVAC” you will start getting ads for them on your social media accounts, directly to your mailbox, and the phone will start to ring. This can be due to you filling out a card that somehow put you on a list, from simply doing a Google search, or visiting a specific website. One thing that is sure to happen is the deals will start flying at you. This can be very confusing because you will see some ads/deals that are from reputable companies which have pricing that is within roughly 10% of each other, then you will see wild outliers that seem too good to be true. When you see deals like these, you may want to explore, but do so with caution.
The first thing you will want to check out with a deal that seems too good to be true is the company itself. Check websites like Angie’s List, Better Business Bureau, and Google to make sure that the company has a number of reviews that would signal that they have the experience necessary to complete your job. Once you have determined they have a good amount of reviews, take the time to read some of the most recent ones. These reviews are actual experiences from people who have worked with the company you are thinking about trusting a huge home expenditure to, so take the time to check them out.
If you check the company out and they seem legit, it is time to make sure the product in the offer is of the quality you are expecting. There are some amazing HVAC manufacturers out there that create innovative, quality products. However, there are also plenty of no-name brands that specialize in creating a brand name only to close that business and reopen under a different name in roughly the same amount of time warranty issues would be coming up on the first units sold. It is unfortunate to see people purchase an HVAC unit from a no-name company and keep the paper warranty only to get a “this number has been disconnected” message when they try to call just a few short years later.
If you have a deal that seems too good to be true, we are not saying that you shouldn’t explore it, but proceed with caution and do your homework.
I found a great deal online for an HVAC unit, can we get a quote for installation only?
This call is one that we get frequently, and the answer is always the same. We do not install HVAC units purchased online, and neither do most other reputable dealers. The reason for this is two-fold. The first issue that can arise is that if or when a problem presents itself with the unit purchased online; it is rare that the warranty is honored by the online dealer. One of the main reasons for this warranty issue is that the online dealer will blame the installation company to avoid having to take on the warranty expenditure. This cannot happen when you are dealing with a single company. If you purchase an HVAC unit from We Care Plumbing, Heating, & Air and there is an issue, there can’t be finger-pointing. We are the dealer and installer so there is no back and forth, we simply handle it.
Another thing that people fail to realize about online purchases is that the manufacturer will not honor a warranty request from an online purchase as it is illegal to ship HVAC equipment for direct purchase to a homeowner. To be a legitimate purchase, the homeowner would need to have a state license and EPA card. Because permits, city licenses, and state licenses are all required by the state or local jurisdiction, there are a ton of other headaches that can come from online HVAC purchases.
The other issue with online purchases of HVAC units is that they are almost never a fit for the home they are supposed to go in. Part of any HVAC purchase should include a trained HVAC professional coming out to your home and going through a comprehensive checklist to make sure you are getting the proper unit for your specific home. Contrary to popular belief YOU CANNOT SIZE AN HVAC UNIT BY SQUARE FOOTAGE ALONE. We cannot stress that last point enough. If you were to purchase an HVAC unit online or over the phone, the likelihood of it being a good fit for your home is slim at best. We Care Plumbing, Heating, & Air and most other reputable dealers do not want to tarnish their reputation by installing HVAC units that simply won’t work well for the homeowner, and for that reason, most dealers will not install online orders.
We hope these frequently asked questions have been helpful, and as always, please feel free to contact us with any plumbing, heating, air, or solar questions you may have.