Problems right from the get go
Typically, we get two estimates for work to be done in our home. We like supporting local businesses and a neighbor used Royal Oak Heating and Cooling for her furnace, A/C install who gave the company a good rating. We decided to go with ROHC without getting another quote. Our experience started with our estimator Nathan. He spent a good amount of time looking at our current HVAC. We have a finished basement so our options were limited to two scenarios. He quoted our options which included a credit for our recently purchased preventative maintenance contract as well as a new humidifier at no charge. He also told my husband that he had to carve a large hole in the drywall and install an access door for the blower for the new furnace to pass inspection. When the installers arrived, they were held up by 2.5 hours due to the limited space that was available for the equipment. The lead installer told my husband at one point that the way they were going to put the equipment in would "probably pass inspection". Meanwhile, the other installer was draining the current A/C unit of coolant in our backyard. My husband told the lead installer that "probably" wasn't good enough and he was concerned that our current equipment was being de\-installed. The conversation got a bit heated at this point. Please note the lead installer did apologize. Let me also say that if I were the installer and had arrived at a job where the estimator didn't accurately sell the job, I would be quite upset as well. A Service Manager was called into the job and they figured out a way to install the job adequately. The access door wasn't needed after all for the blower due to the position of the furnace. As to the "free" humidifier..... The installer told us that Nathan had included a unit that had to be drained outside, which wasn't possible with our installation. They put the old humidifier back on the furnace after turning off the water to the house (which we weren't told about in advance). They had to move furniture to do this while my husband was always available during the job. Question is, why didn't they turn the water off at the humidifier? Was the valve broken? If so, did they replace it? Doesn't look like it. A few more items worth mentioning. Although they laid tarps to keep the floor clean we found screws and wire on the basement floor, screws in the driveway, wet cement around the floor and on top of the water heater. Also, the compressor is not level. We are going to address this with the Inspector to see if it matters. They raked the mulch away from the current compressor to de\-install, but didn't put it back around the new one. They also left a wire brush hanging near the furnace. Not sure what that is for. The good news is that the furnace is quieter than the previous one and the install placement in the basement looks nice and still provides some hanging storage like we had with the previous furnace. It would be hard for us to recommend ROHC based on our experience.