Service Champions Heating & Air Conditioning

The service was excellent.  All pricing and options were explained clearly.  The work was done quickly and competently.  I especially like that he does background checks on all of his service employees.  I found them to be friendly, capable and trustworthy. 
I had my air conditioner replaced about 10 years ago and it had never cooled the entire house properly and rusted out from the bottom requiring replacement.  Kevin, the owner, explained the reason, solved the problem and now I need to wear a sweater in the house if I keep the air conditioner on too long.  I couldn't be happier!!

Great and friendly service, really took the time to explain and show me about my system and where I may want to improve in the future. Knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with!

unknown

unknown

I had actually called in to schedule an appointment for air duct cleaning. The rep that answered the phone said that they would actually start with a furnace tune up which would cost $88 and then inspect air duct and provide an estimate. Anytime anyone tries to sell me something that wasn't something that I had called in for makes me question their intent. When I said I would call back she offered a $10 discount if I scheduled the appt. same day. I hung up but called back as I thought I needed a furnace tune-up anyways. The rep recognized me and gave me the $10 discount. Appointment was set up for next day - which I was thrilled with as I originially was thinking could be a few days so it was nice that they were able to schedule me quickly. Michael was the technician that came in. He arrived within the 2hour window that was given. They actually called me to let me know that he would arrive within 30 to 45 min ... So the advance notice call was very nice and I always appreciate that. Michael was very professional and courteous. He asked me a lot of questions to understand the situation and if there were any issues and things that I wanted him to address or assess. During that initial conversation with Michael I learnt that they do not do air duct cleaning. This was extremely disappointing as that was the main reason I had called them in the first place. He was very apologetic about it. But obviously it was not his fault and the rep that helped with the appt. should have disclosed that at that time. I almost wanted to turn him away but went ahead and had him do the furnace tune up. He inspected the vents for proper temps, the filters and even cleaned one of them. He took pictures of the work that he did on the furnace and explained all the work that he performed. At the end he also called the office to get me a contact number of a company that actually does air duct cleaning ... Turns out they used to do the cleaning at some point in the past but don't anymore. So it really was a mixed experience ... I may or may not hire them again. I will probably try some one else when there is a need next time and then make a decision. The work actually was good and I have no doubt about Michael and his work and actually he is the reason I gave an overall rating of B and not C or even a D. So hopefully the phone call with the rep was just a one off occurrence and not a trend.

unknown

unknown

unknown

unknown

unknown

unknown

.

The service was performed a while ago so I don't remember the exact date. However I do remember that the provider was very good and I appreciated their servic.

WARNING:  Do NOT call these people unless you want high service rates and a constant sales pitch throughout the visit. Their serviceman tried to sell me a maintenance contract BEFORE he'd even seen my furnace. He handed me a printed price list with rates. Whenever he found anything questionable during the servicing, he'd quote me some very high price but say that the service contract had discounted rates. For one part, a capacitor, he quoted $246 for changing it. I know a new capacitor costs around $10, so he either has exoribtant rates or it's gouging. You decide. To top it off, today's mail brought a "thank you" card enclosing a $50 gift card for further services. As if...

unknown

unknown

Jake from Service Champions arrived on time.  He explained what he was doing during the entire process.  He checked my heating and air conditioning unit.  He found a small problem in my heater which could have led to larger issues and expense.  I was very impressed with his knowledge and professionalism.  He found a problem with my a/c unit which I will have Service Champions come in the Spring to repair.  I feel as though my heating system is ready for the winter and I am confident of the service provided by Jake.

unknown

They respond well and get the work done.

unknown

unknown

unknown

.

unknown

I have used SC before and always found them to be very professional, very pleasant, and they were people that you would enjoy being around.  Tyler was our technician this time, and he was very good also.  After the inspection was complete, he walked me through what he found along with his recommendation.  The inspection cost was $88, but he also found a defective run capacitor which he replaced for $246.  That is the part that is outrageous.  I did not realize at the time of his visit that this is an exorbitant price for these devices.  A few days after he left, I started researching this.  It turns out that these parts run about $10 almost anywhere online, including Amazon, RepairClinic, etc. And they only take about 5 minutes to replace, so it is obvious that $246 is a total overcharge without merit.  I don't blame Tyler for this.  I'm sure that he was just following company policy.  In fact I actually tested the old capacitor and it was indeed way out of spec, so it did need to be replaced, but not at this price!  Knowing what I know now, I would have thanked Tyler for the info, and replaced the part myself!
I am aware that businesses need to mark up prices a bit because of overhead, and if SC had charged me say $50 to $75, I would not be objecting.  But almost anyone would agree that $246 is way out of line.  I checked with other HVAC companies, and although they all had a modest mark-up, none were this high.
My recommendation to the owner would be to rethink his policy on capacitor markups.  Because of this experience, I would never consider buying a new HVAC system from him.  He may make a few bucks here, but it could be costing him the really big bucks when new systems are ordered.
I would still consider using SC for service calls, because I do like the experience of their service techs.  But if any significant expense were involved, I'll get a second opinion next time.  Lesson learned the hard way, I'm afraid...