ARS / Rescue Rooter Boston

We bought an Angie's List deal for an AC Tune Up. When the serviceman checked our outside compressor unit he noticed that the fan was not working, and the control panel had no power so he could not complete the tune up. I was told I would receive a call with a quote for the parts. After one week, I called the office, and was told they would get back to me. It has now been over two weeks, and I still have not gotten a call back. I had another company come out, and they found a loose wire that was the problem and fixed our system in 20 minutes. The service of a full tune up was never actually completed.

My air conditioning stopped working on day 6 of a heat wave. Needless to say I needed someone to come out asap. Jim arrived within the hour and determined that my thermostat was the issue. He replaced it and we are cool again. I don't feel like I got taken with the price either. Would highly recommend ARS.

The ARS representative quoted the job at over $10,000, saying I needed my whole system replaced. Luckily they were the first of 4 quotes. All of the quotes minus the ARS quote were within a few hundred dollars of each other. The job was done by another company for $3,850 (note, the house was already equipped with the duck work), and the system is fine.

This is the second or third time that I've had occasion to call on ARS. They are consistently professional, punctual and courteous. I will continue to use them for my HVAC and plumbing needs.

They were punctual, clean, and did a great job.

We used the Angie’s List $99 tune-up coupon and scheduled ARS to come for a tune up on 7/12/2016. The technician told us that the AC unit is really old and recommended a full replacement of a new unit. We told him that it has been running well and we are happy with it. Then he told us that the capacitors were rusted and recommended us to change it. We still refused, as it is still running fine. He checked everything and cleaned up and said that machine is running well. It cooled off the house right away. On his way out, he reminded me that the capacitor could fail any time. I asked him if I will call for service when the capacitor fail, what will the charge be. He told me that I will need to pay $225 plus $135 service charge. I thought about it and told him to replace it that day to save on the service charge later. He replaced the capacitor in less than 20 minutes. After he left, we heard the AC was making strange noises. I had to go out for the afternoon, so I turned it off. At evening time, I turned on the AC and heard the same strange noises, which was created by the uneven turning of the fan. During the first 5 minutes, the vent is blowing cool air, then it just blow air without cooling. We turnrf off the unit and waited and turned on again, still the same. The temperature in the house was not dropping. On 7/13/2016, I called ARS and requested the technician to come back and check the AC. On 7/14/2016, he came back and checked the unit. He told me that the condenser fan motor failed. He said in order to replace the fan motor, I will need to replace the blades as well. He quoted me $870 for the fan motor and $130 for the blades. Total $1,000. He said that the motor ran overheated and burned. At this point, I have done some research. Based on my AC unit model, it called for the 45/5 MFD-370V dual capacitor. However, based on the invoice, he changed to the 40/5 MFD-440V dual capacitor on 7/12/2016. Based on the research, there is a lot of debate on whether you can replace a 370V capacitor with a 440V capacitor. There is no conclusion on whether it could cause problem. Due to the wrong voltage and the motor failed immediately, in my opinion, this is more than a mere co-incident. I called the customer service line on 7/14/2016 afternoon and talked to the Service Manager. I told him up front that I am recording the conversation and obtained his consent. According to Massachusetts law, I can legally record a phone conversation after obtaining mutual consent. I barely finished describing what happened, he started talking and claiming they did not cause the motor to overheat and it was merely a co-incident. He tried to convince me that I do not understand the mechanics of the capacitor and the motor. He initially told me that he can refund the cost of the capacitor and not responsible for my failed motor. I did not agree. I merely wanted the AC unit be restored to where it used to be – in the ARS language cited below, “make it right.” He then continued to talk down on me. Finally, I have to tell him that we were not getting anywhere with this call. I will have to seek help by filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Affairs, Massachusetts Licensing Board, and write a bad review on Angie’s List. He finally stopped chanting and said he will replace the motor, but not the blades. I told him the technician told me that he had to replace the blades in order to replace the motor. He said that he will get it done. See, this is another proof that they tried to up sell you with things you do not have to replace. Here is the quote from the “Exceptional Service Guarantee” language from the ARS website: “If you are dissatisfied with our work for any reason, we’ll make every effort to meet your expectations, or refund your money per the ARS®/Rescue Rooter® Exceptional Service Guarantee.* You approve an estimate before any work is done, and, if you are dissatisfied with our work for any reason, we’ll make every effort to meet your expectations. *For installation of new HVAC and Plumbing equipment in your home, in addition to any manufacturer’s warranty on equipment and parts, we will guarantee your satisfaction for the first year following installation. If, for any reason, you are not satisfied within one (1) year of the date of original invoice, we will either make it right or remove the equipment and cheerfully refund 100% of your money. *For HVAC, Plumbing and Scour Jet® Drain service work performed in your home, in addition to any manufacturer’s warranty on parts, we will warrant our workmanship for the first (1) year following our initial service. If you are not satisfied within one (1) year of the date of original invoice, we will either make it right or cheerfully refund 100% of your money. *For Sewer Replacement performed for your home, in addition to any manufacturer’s warranty on materials, we will warrant our workmanship for up to ten (10) years following the date of the original invoice. Furthermore, if you are not satisfied with our workmanship within one (1) year of the date of original invoice, we will either make it right or cheerfully refund 100% of your money.” Based on the above guarantee, I can choose between “either make it right or cheerfully refund 100% of your money.” I chose to have it make right, but it actually took threats to filing complaints with BBB to “get it right.” I wonder where the guarantee went. I thought they might need to put it down as a fine print, which says, unless you threaten us, you will not “get it right.” As of today, I am waiting for them to order the motor, while the Massachusetts temperature is at the 90 F…I wonder if they turn off the service manager's AC in the office for a week, how will he feel? I will update my review once they fix the motor and get it to run and cool off the house again. Also I will monitor it for one year from the date of service to see if I am satisfied.

But the guy from ARS told us the AC didn't have any problem and we trusted what he said. Until one day, we have another company to come and recheck the AC.At that time, we know that the refrigerant level for that unit is very low and there was the leaking problem. I was very disappointed about ARS . It wasted our time and money and let us continue to tolerate the hot temperature without knowing what's going on with our AC.

Came on time, identified the problem. The tune up required repair also, We were happy with the service.

Very professional and friendly crew. Totally attentive to our needs. I couldn't have asked for any better.

It turned out very good, I have no complaints. They did a good job. I paid additional for parts, but it was very reasonable. I would use them again in the future.

I think it turned out very good; no complaints. They did a good job. I just bought it online and used it. I paid additional for some parts, but it was still very reasonable.

He did a good job. I wasn't totally happy with him. I would probably use him again in future.

The person that did the work was very helpful in explaining exactly what was wrong. There were several things that needed to be fixed but I didn't want to get them all done at once due to the cost. He advised me on what were the most important fixes, that should be done right away and those that could wait

I am very impressed with ARS and Efrain. I was called when the technician was on his way and he arrived shortly thereafter. After a brief explaination of what he was going to do and suggestions for other services offered, Efrain performed a complete and thorough inspection of my A/C system. My home is about 6 years old so I was expecting some potential problems but none showed up during the inspection. I was advised of some potential problems "down the road" but at no time was I pressured to have additional work done. (Here in my 55 and older community, I have a saying that we are "the reddest, juciest and lowest hanging apples on the tree just waiting to be picked" but at no time did I feel that I was being prepared for a sales pitch for unnesessary work or other expensive options from Efrian at ARS. I wish ALL the companies I have hired to do work in my home had this level of integrity!!!!) This is my second experience with ARS and they certainly are on my "will call" list when I have need of a trustworthy company!

The initial contact with this company was positive. The sales representative (Taze Picard) met with my wife and me on a Saturday, took a quick look at our current HVAC systems, and gave us some recommendations. The quote was received in a timely manner and was very competitive. I followed up by wanting references and information about the extended labor warranty offered by Lennox. Initially, I requested to see a system in operation. When I realized this request was difficult to fulfill, I asked for at least three references to contact. ARS was neither able to provide references nor the information regarding the extended warranty. I followed up many times, over several weeks. I finally sent an email message to James Papasodero, who seems to be the manager of the Boston area shop. He responded by saying he would look into the matter. After sending him the communications I had with both Taze Picard and Melissa Everson, I heard nothing back from James. These HVAC upgrades are a major investment and should be taken seriously. Buyer...beware and do your diligence.

The initial contact with this company was positive. The sales representative (Taze Picard) met with my wife and me on a Saturday, took a quick look at our current HVAC systems, and gave us some recommendations. The quote was received in a timely manner and was very competitive. I followed up by wanting references and information about the extended labor warranty offered by Lennox. Initially, I requested to see a system in operation. When I realized this request was difficult to fulfill, I asked for at least three references to contact. ARS was neither able to provide references nor the information regarding the extended warranty. I followed up many times, over several weeks. I finally sent an email message to James Papasodero, who seems to be the manager of the Boston area shop. He responded by saying he would look into the matter. After sending him the communications I had with both Taze Picard and Melissa Everson, I heard nothing back from James. These HVAC upgrades are a major investment and should be taken seriously. Buyer...beware and do your diligence.

straight forward, informative.

This was just an annual check and tune-up to my central air unit. Jim really did a detailed inspection and also cleaned the drain line to ensure there would be no back ups when the hot humid weather hits. I explained to him last year that it had clogged and water ran down the outside of the unit. He told me he would make sure that didn't happen this year. He also discovered that the high voltage relay (I think that's what it was) was faulty. I explained to me what it does and how much it would cost to replace it. I thought it was a fair price and gave him the go ahead to replace it. I'm so glad I had this annual check of my system performed, if not, it would have not worked when the hot weather arrives. I was very impressed with Jim. I felt like he truly cared about the service he was providing and did an outstanding job. He is a tremendous asset to ARS. I will try to ask for him by name next year!

Purchased big deal for A/C tune-up. I've used ARS since 2008, where they replaced my furnace. Since then, just about each year annually, they've tuned-up both my furnace and A/C. Additionally, they've replaced parts in the past where required. The technician, Dave Smith, was very knowledgeable, highly professional and very nicely personable. Dave explained the A/C unit was 21 years old, and these annual tune-ups have likely extended the life of the unit, however, he identified many problems with he unit, they may lead to it's demise The day the unit was tuned-up, it was only 40 degrees, therefore the fan intake was partially blocked to create heat within the externally based compressor. . Dave clearly explained each of these issues to me, along with the effects: 1) General worn parts overtime resulted in a higher than expected draw of electric load on both the fan and the compressor (likely resulting in more electric usage) 2) Worn parts resulting in more noise from the compressor 3) leaking fan motor oil as well as rust on bolts and fan 4) drop of water in gas line (though fully charged), could have been weather related (it was 40 degrees on the day of the tune-up) 5) cost of replacing coolant has gone up significantly in 2016, since it's no longer being produced 6) the replacement cost, as well as the inability to using federal tax incentive programs and rebates due to the furnace manufacturer no longer posting efficiency information for the furnace unit (since the A/C uses the furnaces blower). 7) The approximate cost of a replacement A/C unit and coils (that sit in the furnace blower housing) , along with associated warranties, warranty extensions, and rebates. 8) the risk associated with buying a used A/C unit, without prior knowledge of the units quality and de-installation. As demonstrated, after checking the unit inside and out, Dave took the time to answer all of my questions, making me feel like a valued customer. I greatly appreciate the value of the services performed.

They came out on short notice, Cindy was very helpful at the home office. Justin explained the situation and make a quick part replacement - he was great! We have heat again.

He gave me a very high estimate and quote. I didn't have any work done with him. He just came to look and diagnose what the problem was and that was it. They gave me a very high price to replace the units and I wasn't satisfied with that so I never called them back. They came out right away. They didn't charge me anything extra. I can't say he didn't do their job. I wasn't happy with their price. He's a technician and he seem to know what he was doing. I will not use him again because the pricing is too much.

Service was excellent. Service man arrived on time, was courteous, patient, efficient and effective. Everything was checked out and maintenance service provided as needed - that day. Very courteous and professional.

Contacted this company to convert an existing hot water system to a forced hot air/AC system. Salesman did show up on-time, BUT was terrible. Within the first 5 minutes he told me that our second floor would never get cool during the summers. When asked why, he stated that he's putting in a one zone system and because the second floor gets more sun that it'll be much warmer up there. Well no kidding...when I asked about running a second zone, I was told it was a waste of money (News flash...not if it's the right way to do the system it's not). Sales rep spent more time telling us about how many houses he's flipped than he spent on coming up with a system that would have worked in our house. The best part is that he never even bothered to give us a quote, If you have no interest doing the job then don't waste your time or mine by making the appointment.

We cannot say enough good things about ARS. They came to look at our system (which needed service) and suddenly that crazy noise it made started... they had never heard it and we were going nuts with it. They went WAY above and beyond the call of duty to fix it (which they did). We liked them so much that we bought a whole service contract with them.

Went very well. All my questions were answered and I felt the sevice was well worth the money.