Harvey W Hottel Inc

They scheduled the repair at a convenient time; called before the plumber arrived and he arrived within the scheduled window; did the repair promptly and efficiently. The plumber was friendly and left the place as he found it.

Whenever there is a problem, they are here to fix it and very responsive. They usually send over really nice individuals. The price is fair market value.

They never returned her or my calls.

Very well. They worked with me and my General Contractor to phase their installation at appropriate times. Showed up when they said they would. No whining! Did a great job!

They are very reliable and do quality service.

12/4/08 Eric looked at my hot water heater took some measurement and indicated he would make some calls and get back with me on a replacement price. Eric called the next day with an estimate of $2200. I approved the order and scheduled the install on 12/22. Eric was unable to perform the job due to an emergency and a two man replacement crew took one look at the current unit and indicated that they had the wrong hot water heater. Leslie called to apologize and discount the price to $1760 and rescheduled for 12/24. Mike showed up on time with a different hot water heater, but it too was the wrong size. He indicated he would investigate and get back to me. On 1/6 I called Mike for a status and he explained that my current brand has been discontinued and will explore my option. Later that day received a call from Don who scheduled to look at my set-up on 1/7. He did not show and I called and spoke with Leslie who indicated she canceled the appointment because she did not hear from me, but would reschedule a time when Don could look at the unit. Don never did look at the unit, but on 1/12 Leslie called and advised they have located the correct hot water heater and because of the discontinued model they need to retro-fit and re-pipe. Thus making Eric's original estimate incorrect, stating they usually price this type of replacement at $3500, but she will discount it to $2950 for me.

The Harvey Hottel company bailed us out after another firm (see my other post) left us high and dry at 4 pm, after promising a new hot water heater by noon. Not only was Harvey Hottel able to respond to my plea for help, and actually deliver and install a hot water heater before 10 pm the same day, their dispatcher/concierge Christine, could not have been more helpful. She even gave me her cell phone number in case something came up after she left for work. The plumbers from Harvey Hottel arrived when we had been told they would, were polite and skilled, especially the lead plumber, Mason, and had the job done within 2 1/2 hours, including replacing a valve in the cold water line. No fuss, no muss, no bother. Although we had to pay overtime, and thus this was the most expensive hot water heater ever purchased by us, it was WELL worth the price to not have to go without hot water one more day. We are thrilled, and will refer all of our plumbing and HVAC business to them in the future.

Mike did absolutely meticulous work. He is excellent with teaching the customer. He did a lot of checking and double checking. He is very neat, clean, courteous, meticulous and punctual.

The tech was professional and clearly knew what he was doing. He was quick to point out that the age of the system was 15 years old, and they we should probably be careful about how much we spent on repairing it. Soooo.... he then suggested that we quote out a new system. The tech was VERY through with explaining his recommendations, etc. However, I also got several other quotes for a complete system replacement. The Harvey Hottel quote was MUCH higher (thousands of dollars for EXACTLY the same system).

I originally called the company to diagnose my "no hot water" problem. The existing water heater had been problematical since the house was built, six years ago. Hottel's technician arrived in a timely fashion and started checking out the unit. It was apparent to me it would need replacement. A technician from another company had stripped the threads on the control valve fitting, rendering it beyond hope. It was my decision to replace the water heater (I was glad to see it go). Hottel's technician located a unit in stock and arranged for the installation to be accomplished the next day by another crew. The following day the crew arrived on time and started removing the old water heater before discovering that the new unit was the wrong type for my venting arrangement. They located a compatible unit about 35 miles away, got in their truck and drove off to get it. They returned and installed the correct unit, even bringing my humidifier water connection up to current code. They were courteous, and cleaned up in satisfactory manner. My only complaint, and it is a very small one, is that they placed their tools, soldering gear, etc. on top of my lumber stack in my basement. I did not say anything to them when I saw it, since any damage to the lumber had already been done. They could not have known that the lumber was a very expensive species I was using for a woodworking project. I was rough lumber and did not look special. However, I did not consider that they would put their oily tools anywhere but on the concrete floor. I was pleased with the project. I thought it was somewhat pricey for the labor and materials, but my goal was to get hot water and I chose not to get competitive pricing. I wanted it done fast and Hottel delivered. I believe the quality of the work is more important than the minor savings generally achieved by researching the cost.

After my initial glowing report on August 28, 2007, my subsequent experiences with the A/C portion of this company require that I give them a failing grade. We've had two other companies come in to check on our system since the house doesn't cool when the temperatures are in the 90's or above. The first company rebutted Harvey Hottel's claim, and told us that the air exchanger we had been told would soon need replacing, was in fact in good shape and should last 5-10 more years. Unfortunately that company doesn't provide full A/C service in DC. The second company came in and was able to find and repair a duct leak that three Harvey Hottel service people claimed could not be found or reached. Based on my experience, Harvey Hottel is not interested in - or capable of - doing basic jobs in older residential homes unless your budget starts at $25-30,000, which is the number their lead service person in DC started his estimate. Each time they've come out and had to go up in the attic where the air exchanger is, it's been apparent that this is not a group willing or able to handle any but perhaps the easiest jobs. Unfortunate since they provide "service" in a city with a large proportion of older homes that were built long before A/C was either standard, or available. Our maintenance contract expires soon, and we will not be renewing with Harvey Hottel under any circumstances.

The technician arrived within promised time frame. He righted my listing, outdoor unit fine and performed maintenance and cleaning. He gave sensible advice on cause of last summer's leaks and a good method of filtering that is better than what existed before. Pushed (maybe a little too much) for automatic shutoff.

Harvey W. Hottel Inc. actually was so prompt and on time that they had to nudge us to get moving on our plans. They were ready and willing to install the new heat pump before we were. This company is very professional and responsive. I can't remember the exact amount we paid but I know it was a fair price.

Our guy was on time, and after I showed him what needed to be done, got right down to work. At one point he told me that he wasn't sure if he'd be able to fix the valve in our old shower, and that they wouldn't be able to find parts for them because they're so old. In the end, he wound up fixing the one that I knew was leaking, and the other which I hadn't even noticed was also leaking. Additionally, when I went to inspect his work, I found that he had replaced an entire section of galvanized pipe, and not just the area that was corroded. It's little touches like that, doing a thorough job above and beyond what was asked for, that really pushed me to give them a high rating. Someone else may have done what was easy, and not what was necessary.

There were two of them, one in training, the other a senior technician. They took their time going over everything and running tests to make sure that the heating and cooling systems were working well. They confirmed the bad news our home inspector had given us that the attic air handler needs to be replaced, but also confirmed that the rest of the systems were fine. There was no charge since we also signed up for a service contract, and this qualified as our first check. This was the hottest day of the year (and for the date for several decades) and we discovered the limitations of the air handler that night when the temperature stuck at 75. My wife had me call them thinking that something was wrong. The same senior tech came back at 10:30 and confirmed that while the compressor was working well, that the age of our air handler and the lack of return ducts (70 year old house), combined with the extreme heat, meant that we had reached the limit of our current cooling capacity.

During the June 2007 heat wave our townhome A/C began to fail. I called Cropp Metcalfe and they diagnosed a freon leak and recharged our system for $400. This lasted a day an a half. I called them out again and they said its likely the leak was in the interior housing and that my best bet would be to replace the whole system because fixing interior leaks was not a certainty and could cost me $600. I got two full replacement quotes; one from Cropp and one from Hottel. Hottel was $1000 cheaper than Cropp so I went with them. The sales rep. was very friendly and informative. He provided a good range of options and was not sales. He did make an error in evaluating our system need, that the Cropp sales rep. helped me catch and which Hottel fixed in their quote. The workers showed up right on time at 8am and work was done by 2pm. They were polite and took care with their work. I was disappointed that Hottel could not come out a few days earlier than they did since it was a heat wave.

The installation took several days and was quite complex. The team is experienced and spent extra time double-checking the specifications for the system and its many components. They did a neat job, covering the carpets. They cleaned up very well. The installation required a mechanical permit and WSSC permit with the attendant inspections, and Harvey Hottel walked us through the process. Although there were a very few minor adjustments that had to be made to the installation after it was completed, the company sent a competent crew until we (and the WSSC inspector) were totally satisfied. Both inspectors commented on how neatly and elegantly the system was installed. All systems work perfectly.

Process was very agreeable from start to finish. Best price of the 3 bids we got, largest range of equipment offered. Installers were courteous and efficient, performed the work right on schedule. We had a few issues after installation with the condensation pump not operating properly, but the company sent a technician within two hours, twice, and he eventually solved the problem. One of the best things about this company is that they answer their own phone, it's not an answering service where you need to wait for them to call you back.

My notes had the appointment windows scheduled with the scheduler between 1 and 4 pm. Vernon arrived early at 12:15 pm. Not a problem since I was home, but he might have been waiting had I been out. Vernon examined the toilet and determined the flapper valve needed to be replaced. He had the tools and parts with him to fix the problem. The entire visit took less than 30 minutes.

Matt arrived within the time window provided by the scheduler. He was very polite, professional and competent. Once I showed him where everything was, he examined the system. After looking at both the interior and exterior portions of the system, he came back and reported his findings and what needed to be done, with a complete estimate of the costs. Once I approved the work, he completed the work in short order, the entire visit took approximately 45 minutes from start to finish. Him fixing the blockage before it became a water damage problem saved me a lot of expense down the road. He had the tools and parts with him without having to return to the shop for anything. Matt also provided valuable input on some home improvement ideas I bounced off him regarding updating the hot water heater to a tankless model and replacing the air conditioning.

My kitchen faucet was leaking on a Friday morn, and afraid I would be stuck all weekend, I called Hottel early. They sent a technician by 9:30 to repair the faucet. The job took approximately 10 minutes. He explained to me what was wrong and what and why he was repairing.

Work is by contract. Fast service if you have a contract with them. Really knowledgeable technicians who explain everything really well. Do not remember contract cost.

My heat pump in a 20 year year old building was not functioning correctly. Harvey Hottel has been out three times and added freon three times. The first time, it lasted for over six months. The second time, I'm not sure it was done correctly because it lasted ten days. The third time, it lasted one day. At nearly $300 for each freon recharge, I would have preferred if they fixed the leak.

The person I spoke with there said it would cost $104 to have a technician examine the existing furnace and develop an estimate for the work. I asked if the $104 would be credited against the cost of the installation if I agreed to use their services. She said it would not. I have never heard of a company that charges prospective clients for the privilege of obtaining an estimate. One wonders how they get any non-emergency business.

As far as I can tell at this point, the system is now fully functional. We had some bumps in the road with regard to details of installing humidification system and duct work. The guys in the field didn't always communicate effectively with their bosses and didn't always know what design and quality criteria they were supposed to be working to. However, the boss knows his stuff and was always committed to getting the job done correctly. When concerns were brought to his attention, he made no excuses and focused on correcting the problems. In general, the workers had a very professional attitude - very customer-focused. They did some minor collateral damage which was or will be corrected.