Response from Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
We appreciate the opportunity to earn the Customer’s business and are surprised that there was such a difference in price. We install approximately 100 systems in existing homes (no new housing) each month and offer a great value at competitive prices. We did not do a very good job conveying that there is a huge difference in quality and value. Consumer Reports does not rate central heating and cooling systems because only a small percentage of how well a system functions is the equipment manufacturer. It is the installing company that determines how long a system lasts, how comfortable it will be, how quiet it will be, how safe it will be and how energy efficient it will be. So it is really impossible to compare 2 systems as “the same” because each company has their own staff of installers and installation methods. Our installers are highly trained, uniformed, drug free, felony free, backgrounds checked, wear photo identification and solely work in existing homes. We have 5 page proposals that detail all the scope of work including one full page of guarantees that we provide with every installation to assure 100% satisfaction or your money is happily refunded. Our new systems include two full years of scheduled maintenance to assure that it is operating as efficiently as possible. Over the 60 years our company has been in business, we have learned a lot of quality techniques that provide for a much better job that most of our competitors choose not to do. Some examples of these (which we outline in our proposal) include operating new furnaces in our warehouse before they are installed so no odor or blue smoke goes into your home. We install two condensate drains off of cooling coils in case the primary drain becomes plugged, water will not run down into the furnace and cause a costly repair. Also, we include a theft deterrent system for your air conditioner which homeowners greatly appreciate with the abundance of air conditioners being stolen. There are seven systems involved in every heating and cooling installation; line voltage electrical, low voltage electrical, air distribution (supply ductwork, return ductwork, supply registers, return air grilles), refrigerant piping, condensate piping, vent piping and gas piping. Many short cuts can be taken in each area which makes for a less than quality system that few homeowners can discern. Additionally, we take a permit out for each installation we perform and a city inspector will review the job to assure the homeowner it meets local safety codes. Many contractors evade the law and do not do this in order to save a few hundred dollars per job. Safety is more important to us than a few hundred dollars. Our customers really determine what their investment will be by how long they will be staying in their homes. For the short term homeowner, we have the lowest priced properly installed system- guaranteed. For the homeowner that has no plans to ever move, we offer geothermal systems that have a greater initial investment but the lowest possible utility bills. And there are at least 6 efficiency choices in between these two for the same capacity of system. Our process is to educate homeowners on the options that will be best for them based on the information they have provided to us. We offer systems much lower than $6,000 without sacrificing quality and safety, which we would never do.