Howard Air

They were professionals. They were really proud of what they do. The quality and the price were good. They were prompt and systematical.

I used them to install the heater and air conditioner 2 years ago. They were really very competent, fast and fair.

We found our experience with Howard Air to be very courteous and professional. We would not hesitate to use them again in the future.

I was very pleased. Last night we noticed the carpet was damp in the bedroom next to the AC closet. Discovered that the AC was leaking this a.m. Like most folks, we don't know much about HVAC, and feared that a leaking unit meant a serious outlay of $$$$. Not so. The service representative arrived within about 2 hours of our call and immediately diagnosed a clogged drain line, a relatively minor problem. I can't speak to the reasonableness of the repair charge. But I was very pleased with Howard Air's responsiveness and the technician's knowledge. In the past, I've dealt with technicians whose knowledge and honesty I wondered about. By contrast, I felt like the Howard Air technician was honest ... and knew what he was doing.

Joe, the comfort consultant (Sales), was very polite and answered all my questions and helped me figure out the best unit for my house. The installers were prompt, friendly and cleaned up everything when they were done. About a week after the unit was installed Tony came out and checked to make sure everything was functioning properly. He told me how to take care of the unit and anwered my questions. There was some technical questions I had as to the operation of the unit, so he set up an appt. with J.C. to come out. J.C. came out also checked the unit, which by the way was running just fine. The customer service and prompt attention I received was superior. I called the office a couple of times for info and received the same great customer service. I even received a return phone call asking if I received the info in the mail I wanted.

After install, the new motor caused a terrible vibration in the house. I called again, and David came back out on May 18th. He first added rubber pieces under the unit to dampen the problem, but that didn't help. He removed and reinstalled the fan blade, but that didn't fix the problem. It appeared the new motor had a driveshaft that was too long. He cut the shaft shorter with a reciprocating saw, reinstalled the fan blade, and fixed the problem. However, there was still a vibration. It took a few days to notice, but it was still there. I called on June 16th, and scheduled a follow-up for June 18th (although they offered to have someone there the next day, I didn't have availability). Two techs came out on the 18th- Wayne and Ryan. They observed the problem, and brought a new fan blade to install. After installing and verifying all was running properly, the problem was fixed. It appears that the old fan blade didn't mesh well with the new motor, which never vibrated. I guess sometimes when fixing one problem, another comes up! Good news was that they covered each additional visit and the new fan blade at no additional cost.

I returned from a trip on a Friday night to find that the AC unit was running and would not shut off from the thermostat. I called Howard AIr Saturday morning and the technician Patrick was at my house by 1 PM. Immediately diagnosed the problem, explained exactly what was to be done and how much it would cost, and showed me the defective connector when he finished, explaining exactly what this part did and how this one had failed. For weekend service I felt the charge was reasonable: it included the inspection that I was intending to have done soon. Remark: I had used Howard Air for one of my annual inspections but was not terribly impressed with the technician sent at that time. But when I had an emergency weekend repair I went back to A's list and decided to use Howard (the previous owner--and builder--of the house had used Howard Air). From now on I'll be using them for my annual HVAC inspection--in the Spring from now on.

He was on time, but we got to the property late because of a traffic tie-up. We called him to let him know, and he was kind enough to wait for us (about 15 minutes). He climbed up on the roof, inspected the system, and gave us an estimate of the cost to repair and clean up, test test the AC/Heat unit. The total cost was less than the estimate, and he was very efficient in work around our schedule, getting the job done and giving us a very reasonable cost to cleanup and repair the HVAC. I would absolutely recommend this company to others in Phoenix.

The repairmen thoroughly checked out the fan coil unit in my condo and determined that they could not do the job. They recommended Sunstate Mechanical Services and left without charging me for the service call. They were very polite and I was sorry that they were unable to perform the task.

Because of my rush AC replacement requirements, I didn't do my homework and wasn't informed enough not to get screwed . Now I know. Howard Air didn't perform a Manual J" calc or "engineering analysis". They used a "rule of thumb" of 1 ton/400 sq ft. I suspect they had a 3 1/2 ton unit they needed to "slam" on the next opportunity, and I was it. I had a couple of issues a couple of months later that should have flagged an immediate response (considering what I paid) to provide a warranty service call. I was trapped talking with their dispatcher who insisted they they had to charge me nearly $300 (maybe $250 or higher, I forget) just to come and look at the situation (even though it was associated with their installation). It took considerable time and anger to cut through to the service manager.. I will tell you that once I was in contact with their service manager, he was very, very helpful and took time to come out to work with the issue. Unfortunately, the issue (as I've come to understand) is associated with the fact that they did not perform a Manual J" calc or "engineering analysis". Also, their install guys only did 1/2 the duct sealing on the roof per the contract. It wasn't until I inspected their work that I "busted" them and they came back and finished. i.e. they did not have a supervisor oversee or return to insure that the job was completed correctly. That coupled with the fact that they are outrageously expensive (personally experienced by myself and confirmed by several individuals since) - has me writing this report to tell you: Do not use Howard Air. I suspect they (and others on Angies List) take the time to load up their customer reports with positive feedback. I certainly didn't receive the "A" experience and "A" pricing their profile asserts. Please see the HVAC load calculation advice/article (below) taken from the website: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Heating-Air-Conditioning-696/AC-capacity-home.htm This advice is exactly the same found all over the Internet. Article: -------- First, ignore rules of thumb for a/c sizing. They have gotten more contractors and homeowners into trouble than I can count. The only correct way to determine the size of a/c system for a home is to do a load calculation. They are also called a "Manual J" calc or "engineering analysis", but one must be done. If one was done correctly when your new system was designed, then the problems you are having related to performance are really related to installation or equipment failure. Based on the number of times you indicate that your contractor has had to deal with installation problems, I would guess he probably didn't do one - he probably used a rule of thumb. Based on your outdoor temp reaching 115, I would guess that the system is too small for your house for your area, but there are a lot of other factors besides square footage and tons of a/c.

They were very professional and courteous.

They were perfection! I have seldom had good experiences with contractors, but they were polite, honest and they did what they said they would. They gave me an honest price and I would highly recommend them.

Company is reputable and easy to work with. Sales rep, phone people, technicians and installers were all very professional.

They did a really good job. I was impressed enough to sign up for a yearly contract with them.

The guy got out there quickly. It cost about what I thought it would cost. He didn't pack anything else into the price. It didn't take him too long to fix and it worked just fine the rest of the summer. He was very professional.

Came right over. Very nice service. Explained the job to me. Gave coupon discount automatically. Also explained about future service needs.

We didn't actually use this company, so cannot comment on their service. This report is more about their salesperson, who quoted us over 14k for a new Trane XL1600 Dual Compressor A/C. Heating system for our home, charging for things we absolutely did not need. This was back in April 2005, and the next proposal we received days later (from the company we actually purchased from) for the same Trane XL1600 Dual Compressor AC/Heating system was for $7500! Both companies are service contractors for Home Depot. We expected some variation but almost double!?!?!

He told me what he was doing and did what he said. He was out on time and he was finished when he said he would be. He cleaned up his entire mess when he was done.

Very nice group of people on the phone.

Our tenant had an air conditioning unit that quit at 4:30PM on Friday(of course). I called Howard Air, they were out in a couple of hours and fixed it (roof mounted, blown fuses). Very quick, not terribly expensive considering it was an emergency call. I would highly recommend them.

I have used this company several time. They are very prompt and responsive. They are always on time, polite, and professional. I would recommend to others.

Arrived within three hours of initial call request. Tech noticed that my filter was very dirty, and he helped me to change it out. He then went on the roof to inspect the unit. After about 30 minutes, he came down and said that my compressor was shot and wouldn't work anymore. He offered to have a salesperson call me and talk about a new compressor (for around $2500), or a new unit entirely (for around $4000 before install). I told him I would have to talk it over with my wife. He then told me that he disconnected the unit because it was clear that it wouldn't work anymore. I asked him three times before if he would reconnect it. A second opinion from another company the following day showed that the compressor was working fine and simply needed a little maintenance. From this company, I feel like I paid $90 to have someone put in a filter (that I had on hand), and try to sell me un-needed items. It has been working fine since the company performing the second opinion serviced my A/C unit. Did not honor Angie's List discount.

Twelve years ago my original HVAC contractor never installed a microwave vent damper. My microwave oven therefore allowed too much outside air to enter the microwave oven and in turn into my kitchen. Howard Air came out to assess the situation, measure the vent opening, and see what might be the least intrusive option to correct the oversight by the original HVAC contractor. They were able to fit a vent door perfectly to the exterior of the microwave vent that sufficed to cut way down on the outside air leak leaking into my home. The technician, Bruce, was punctual, friendly, and fully explained why his solution was the best way to address the problem.

I told the girl on the phone that it had already been inspected. I told her that it was just dirty and needed cleaning. She said that they could do that. But when the man came out he said that he would have to inspect it again. I told him I didn't want that. He apologized for the miscommunication and gave me some good advice. He didn't even charge me for coming out, which I thought was nice. He was pleasant and honest.

They were on time, clean, neat and all work done according to plan. No complaints. Work is excellent. They are the best. Just a side note. I have also passed his name along to several of our clients. Advanced Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning.