Poudre Valley Air

After reading the most recent (negative) review of Poudre Valley Air, it was with reluctance that I contacted them to diagnose a problem with my air conditioner. Unfortunately, it was a Saturday and several other more highly rated A/C vendors were closed. I scheduled a same-day visit and agreed to the $75 diagnostic fee. I received a call alerting me that the technician was on his way and he did arrive promptly as promised. With 15-20 minutes, I was advised that the capacitor had failed. Replacement cost:$344. The prior reviewer had posted about the online cost of the part being $60 or so.The cost at Amazon today is $62.99. Being a renter, I shared the proposed repair costs with my landlord who, reluctantly, agreed to proceed with the repair. After all, it was a Saturday and the weekend forecast was for continued unseasonably warm weather. Total cost out-the-door: $419. When I advised the technician that prior Angie's List reviews suggested that their approach seemed like gouging, he replied by saying that we were also paying for his time and expertise. Hmm. I really don't know what the margins are for this type of work but this seems much more costly than it should have been. Next time, I'd be willing to ride out a long, hot weekend in order to obtain the services of a different vendor rather than contact Poudre Valley Air. UPDATE: As a reality check, today (Monday) I contacted a highly rated vendor (FCH&A) and asked them to give me their estimate of the cost of this repair. FCH&A indicated that they recommend a diagnostic service ($65) as they would not warrant the overall functionality of a system without performing this service. If the diagnosis suggested replacement of a dual capacitor the total cost (parts and labor) of the repair would be between $130 and $200 (versus the $344 for Poudre Valley Air).

First there was the no show from the previous evening without a phone call. Ok they are human. All that accepted and aside it was annoying that they couldn't even call. This am they were apologetic and a service tech arrived very close to the requested time. The tech was not overly friendly but said he thought it was a bad cap. He had one on his truck. I asked the price: $312.00. Now I'm an electrical and software engineer by trade and I know electrolytic caps. I also know that even GIGANTIC ones don't cost $312. Now I know this is a "universal" model and supposedly of better quality. But still $312!? ALSO that was IN ADDITION to the $75 for the service call. Unfortunately I was in a bind so I paid their price. $412 for 20 minutes of work by the tech. After the pain of paying I went and searched for the part. I found the exact same part on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Turbo-200-Motor-RUN-Capacitor/dp/B007IKYT1G The price $59.59. So about $60 or so. Perhaps a little more from different vendors. Clearly PVA is gouging on this part and I paid it. Yes call me an idiot. But I was in a bind and needed to get it fixed before I had to travel. I was looking for a long term A/C support company. Unfortunately I've not found it in PVA. At this point people I would not trust them price-wise. Clearly they are willing to grab a little cash instead of build a loyal customer base.

This was our 2nd bid for our AC Unit in a rental home we have in Fort Collins. The 1st bid was from a company I've used 3 times before for maintenance for furnace and AC. 1st bidder told us we needed a new AC UNIT and it would cost $3500. We always get a 2nd opinion on BIG jobs and I am very glad we did! I found Poudre Valley Air on Angie's List and they were available to come out Monday which was great! Randy was our tech and he did a great job! He diagnosed our problem, got the parts, repaired it right that day. We did not need a whole new unit!!! (Thankfully!) Needless to say, we are switching our business to Poudre Valley Air. They solved our problem and saved us a large amount of $$$, too. I'm not naming the other company because I believe they are a good company; they just got a little over zealous. Having said this, ALWAYS GET A 2nd BID ON A MAJOR JOB!

It was in my 86 year old mother's house and I was going to have to be out of town during the work. I called them and explained the service required and they indicated that they had the type of thermostat that she wanted and would install it. The thermostat was one that had a remote sending unit so the room she was in would hold the desired temperature. When I came back from my business trip I found: 1) A cheap wall mount thermostat and 2) she had paid $600 to have it done.

Absolutely FIRST RATE!! The technician, Philip Vigil, was punctual, professional, courteous, informative, personable, and an exceptional representative of this first-rate company. We've used PV Air since we moved to Colorado 6 years ago and never had a single regret. Their annual plans are solid and well worth their cost. When the inevitable problems arise, they deal with them promptly, efficiently and effectively. I strongly recommend this company and commend the technician who serviced our A/C system today, Philip Vigil. Thanks!

The installation itself went okay, though,oddly, the installers did not seem to have that much familiarity with the product they were installing. It took several attmepts at drilling holes in our wall to get the backplate mounted properly (I have pictures of all the extra holes) and the main installer spent a good amount of time reading the instructions... Regardless, the guys did arrive on-time, in the morning, and got the unit up and running by mid-afternoon. The electrician, who was sub-contracted by PVA arrived as scheduled and got right to work. He was definitely the most professional worker of the three. It was not until after they had left that problems started happening: - we are a top-floor condo and the installers need attic access for several aspects of the install. No problem, except apparently no one told these guys that you could not walk on drywall. They did, and we now have several areas of damaged drywall. Some has been fixed; we are still waiting on the rest. I have no idea how professional trade specialists can be this sloppy. It just boggles the mind. To be clear, this was a $3500+ job we are talking about. - several weeks after the install, the unit stopped putting out cold air. A Friday night service call was required, and it was determined that our system was leaking. The tech-a very nice and competent guy-topped off the coolant and we scheduled a follow-up for a full diagnostic and repair. They had to postpone the original; followup, but when the unit again stopped putting out cold air we called them to have them put the appointment back on its original schedule, and the same tech came, with a helper, and fixed the leak. It has worked fine since. The floor plans of our condo is making it problematic to get air circulating through to the bedrooms, so we called to talk about options to get better cooling throughout the condo. Long story short: over a prolonged course of phone tag in which it became clear that communication between the sales guys and the home office was unreliable and frankly a waste of time, we actually just decided to give up on Poudre Valley Air. At this point we just want our drywall fixed and then, never to speak to these guys again. In and of themselves, the singular problems--the drywall, leaking, poor communication--could probably get by. But as an experience, what should have been relatively painless and pleasant interaction has become a freaking JOB. By the time the drywall is fixed, and painted, etc, our "simple" AC install will have necessitated SEVEN separate visits. We did not sign up for that.

They were professional and confident in their repairs. They were also very polite and wore booties so as not to track in dirt. They did the six month checkup without a hitch and have always been very efficient.

I bought a Traine, from the initial estimate to the installation it was a pleasure working with Poudre Valley Air. The gentlemen arrived on time. Were very professional and installed the unit where I asked. I barely knew they were working, they were quick and efficient and it has been a few months with no problems. They even took the time to explain the thermostat, which was here when I bought the house and didn't quite understand. They were a big help and I would highly recommend them if you are looking to have air conditioner installed.

Poudre Valley Air fit me in on short notice. The technicians were very professional and pleasant. They answered all my questions to my satisfaction. Rick is even doing the paperwork for a rebate.

Everyone at Poudre Valley Air were courteous and professional. The sales rep, Bernie showed on time and was very knowledgeable about HVAC in general, answering all of our questions quickly and honestly. The installers arrived on time and completed the installation as promised. The installers were friendly, courteous and professional. They know their business. I would recommend them to anyone wanting to upgrade or install a new HVAC system.

Rick, my HVAC tech, ran a bit late but the job they did was worth the wait. Very friendly and knowledgeable, explaining what was happening from start to finish.

They ordered the coil for the A/C and we were told 4-6 weeks. But they went ahead and found a coil and were able to install 8 days after diagnoses. The day of service they were late arriving but had called to let me know. It is a business that can give them surprises and add unexpected time to any call--I wouldn't want them to leave in the middle of my job either. They came and stayed until 8:30 pm to get the job done. Both servicemen were polite and they cleaned any of their mess so that you wouldn't know that they were there--EXCEPT for lovely cool air again. The initial serviceman was also very friendly & professional as was the salesman who explained a what we needed and ordered the parts, even finding one sooner than expected.

A special thanks goes to Will for his patience and to Nichole for her clear and thoughtful communication with us. And of course a big pats on the back to Rick and Kyle our installers (or more correctly as they should be called ?technicians?!). Not only did Rick and Kyle lay down protection for our carpets they took extra care to make sure all my questions were addressed and that I understood each phase of the install. On top of that they finished a few hours earlier than planned (a real plus nowadays!). I noticed during the installation that the new unit required PVC for venting instead of the old tin pipe through the roof. Rick explained in detail how this new piping would be run and showed me exactly what was planned for this phase of the retro-fit. I could not help but thinking that they certainly could have used a flex pipe or something similar I probably would have not noticed the difference however they planned out the route(s) of the new PVC both return and exhaust air and diligently made some 20 bends and turns of elbow type fittings of the PVC to make the installation run look not only extremely professional but also functional and blended into the existing framework. So thanks again for allowing us this opportunity to become part of the Poudre Valley Air family. The professionalism of your staff shall not soon be forgotten. If I can ever be of assistance or offer a testimonial please feel free to contact me at (970) 493-9109. Clearly this has been the most positive experience I have every had with a contractor - it is with pleasure and pride in YOUR workmanship that I provide this reference! Bill Mael

The technicians were awesome. They were on time, courteous and answered all my questions. I have had issues with my AC for the past three years and this is the first company that told me what they were going to do, told me how much it would cost and completed the work without surprises. I will definitely recommend and use them in the future.

Technicians had some problems installing humidifier, but eventually completed the installation. One technician that came out was a smart a** know it all. Tried to bill us and when we refused he had invoice mailed to us. After calling the compay, we were told to ignore billling, as work was under warranty. Would not want to deal with this guy again. The other techs that came out to install and fix problem, were extremely professional, punctual and very cordial and helpful.

We have been PVA customer for many years. The staff is courteous, prompt & professional.

Went very well they installers worked exotically & were through fal about protecting my house from dirt on from hitting walls.

All work was done on schedule and with no surprises. Very professional estimator and installers. Very happy with the work performed.

Very responsive from quote to installation. One of the water heaters were leaking during quote and they did a temporary bypass to help out. Committed to work very helpful in explaining what and why no sell up.

I was given an estimate that included all costs. On the day the work was done, they successfully replaced the furnace and installed the heat pump, staying late to finish the job.

We had Poudre Valley Air install a new furnace and air conditioner on April 19, 2010. They did a superb job! They also moved some of the duct work. The air filter is unbelievable and makes such a difference in the air quality of the house. The humidifier works like a charm. Our upstairs is now the same temperature as the downstairs. The upstairs was previously cold in the winter and warm in the summer. I would highly recommend Poudre Valley Air. Their service technicians are always polite and efficient.

Our furnace stopped working completely on a Friday, evening, and I called to schedule an appointment, anticipating a Monday meeting..The rep asked me what my issue was, and when she heard that my furnace was completely dead, offered to have a sales associate come up first thing on Saturday morning, I informed her that we did have heaters, and could probably wait till Monday for a meeting, but she said it would be no problem whatsoever to have someone meet with me, if I wished. The meeting with the salesman went very well. I was expecting the worse, since another company said that I was looking at around $3000. The salesman was very helpful, did not try to sell me a unit that was too large, or one that would not recoup it's cost in utilities. He was very low pressure, and answered all of my questions. He even loaned me an additional space heater. The service was scheduled at around four, and the technicians were prompt. They respected my house, putting down drop cloths, and wearing shoe protectors. My house proved to be very challenging, since the furnace was old and very large, and the new one quite a bit smaller. There was a lot of sheet metal fabrication needed to accommodate the new unit They were very professional throughout the entire ordeal,which impressed me, since I probably would have been tearing my hair out. They were on the job for several hours to make sure the job was done right. They also answered all of my questions, taking time to answer in detail. The finished product looked good, and the unit is working great.

excellent, professionsl service

The salesman came to my house to assess my needs. He did not try to oversell or hard sell. There were a few payment options available to make it as painless as possible. The install began on time and ended up taking longer than expected but the two guys doing it stayed until it was done. A manager followed up after the installation to see if I was satisfied with the product and the overall experience. I am indeed satisfied with their product, work and personnel. I would - and often do - recommend PVA.

It was horrible!!!!!! Follow- Up: I did receive the price difference between the two furnaces back, but no bill of sale agreement, which I had requested. The whole fiasco was just a nightmare, and I would never trust Poudre Valley Air again.