McCrea Heating & Air Conditioning Services of MD

I called McCrea on Sauturday morning because my AC unit went out. The office said they will dispatch a technician and if I don't hear back from the technician withiln 1 1/2 hours to call them back. Well, a technician called me within the time frame specified by the dispatcher. We discussed my problem and he said it sounds like I have a bad compressor because the circuit breaker trips immediately. He said he had a few calls ahead of me but he'd be by to see me later that evening. Well, I never heard back from the technician. So the next day (Sunday) I called the office. I explained what happened and the dispatcher said she'd contact the technician and gave me the same routine about calling back if I don't hear back from the tech in the alotted time. Well, the same technician called me and in the alotted time as required by the company, but when I asked him what happened, why didn't he show up as he said he would on Saturday he said he never said he would stop by to look at my AC unit, that he said he'd see if he could make it. That was a bold face lie. So instead of going back and forth about what he said and didn't do, I asked when would he be by to check out my unit. He said he couldn't give a specific time. I said you can't give me an approximation? He said no. I then asked would it be today and he said he doesn't know. I asked him how can he not know if he would be able to see me when I only had a few people ahead of me yesterday. I said it would appear that I would be high on his list and a number 1 priority. He then said he's constantly getting new tickets in all the time. I then said, so you're telling me that I'm getting bumbed for other customers? He said no, I didn't say that. I said I'm obviously getting bumbed and knocked down the pecking order if you're telling me that you don't know when you can get to me because you're constantly getting new service tickets. I said getting new service tickets shouldn't delay providing service to me when I should be ahead of those new service tickets. I said the only way you're getting delayed in providing me service if there are other customers that jump in front of me. He then said if elderly people call in that he has to take care of them first... Ok, now he's saying I'm getting bumbed for the elderly when previously he said I wasn't getting bumbed. We went back and forth after that and I finally just ended the conversation and just waited for service. Of course the tech never showed, so I called the company back later when the technician didn't show and a couple of times in the next 2 days. Again, I went through the same crap about how they would dispatch a tech and if he didn't call within a certain time to call them back yada yada yada. Of course it was the same BS. Bottom line is that It's been approximately 3 weeks and I haven't heard from McCrea again. I have a 71 year old father living with me, but due to my AC unit being out, he stayed with my sister. I also have a dog, a wife and a young daughter, so how in the h*** do McCrea bumb me for the elderly when you don't know my situation and never asked? Fortunately, I had someone else fix my AC unit.

The two technicians were prompt, professional, and completed the job ahead of schedule. They cleaned up after themselves and left our home in exactly the same condition as when they arrived. Both were extremely knowledgable and helpful in explaining the features of the new system! We received bids from several other HVAC companies, but McCrea was definitely the best. We are extremely pleased with their level of service and value, and we'll definitely use them again!

I like them and I am very comfortable using them.

Brian and Mark, the two service/installers were on-time, efficient and polite. They cleaned up everything and made sure I understood how everything worked and how to maintain the system. I am hoping that I will have another 20 years of good service from my Carrier Heat Pump

It all went great. I highly recommend them.

They have three offices and the one I use is out of Temple Hills, Maryland. I have used them for a while now and I have always had good experience with them. We had to wait several days for them to come out.

I can't speak highly enough of my dealings with the McCrea organization over the years. While this York installation has been very reliable, everything ages (a fact of which I'm constantly reminded every time I'm forced to look in a mirror.............), and McCrea's folks have been extraordinary in their "care and feeding" of the unit. This particular job was somewhat costly, but such is life. It was certainly less expensive than replacing the entire system, and at no time have the McCrea personnel suggested doing that. They've consistently been open, honest, and eager to do a hands-on "show and tell" explanation of any issues. If and when the day comes that they recommend a new system, I'll give it serous consideration, and if I agree with their conclusions, I won't hesitate to have them do the replacement install. UPDATE: July 22, 2011 At 5:30pm on a 105-degree day (7/22/11), the house a/c unit died. I did my best to narrow down the problem, then called the McCrea emergency number. Knowing full well that all a/c repair people were overwhelmed because of the extreme heat situation, I could only hope to hear back from the McCrea technician on duty. At 10pm, an exhausted Mr. Wilcox (who has done inspections and other work here) called me back. There was no way he could come out right away (he still had a night's worth of work facing him), but we discussed the possible problem and he reached a "gut feeling" diagnosis of a bad capacitor in the outdoor compressor/condenser unit. He said he'd make every effort to get here the following day, Saturday, and would bring a couple of replacement capacitors with him. He arrived at 4pm, and after carefully checking the various other components, circuits, etc., replaced the fried capacitor. Then blessed coolness happened. Mr. Wilcox checked a few other things, declared the system well again, and after accepting my check (for a mercifully reasonable $356 including parts and labor) and a very cold Pepsi-to-go, moved on to his next challenge in the 100-degree heat. Yet another reason (as if I needed one) to "stick" with McCrea.

I have a contract with them. I pay them for both my air conditioner and the heating system at the end of the year. The quality of their work is pretty good. I haven't had any problems with their responsiveness. They are punctual, as they come pretty much on time. They are professional too. I would continue to use their services in the future too.

I have had a maintenance agreement with them for the past twelve years. They come out semi-annually to check the heating and air conditioning units. I have had a good experience with them.

They are just wonderful. They have come at a moments notice. They have come in the middle of the night to fix things. If you have a maintenance agreement, they will come. When they say they are coming, they come. Even though it s a big operation, there s a personal touch. We ve been using them forever. We went with them because we know of their incredible responsiveness.

Received quotes from five different companies for Carrier (3), York (1), and Kenmore (1) systems. Quotes ranged from $7,800 to $16,000. McCrea's proposal for a top-of-the-line Carrier system, though not the lowest quoted price, included a $1,000 Carrier rebate which brought my net price down to $7,200. Salesperson (Mark Walker) was great and a pleasure to work with. Knowledgeable and thorough. Installers were great with work done quickly and professionally with minimal bother to the household. Time spent from start to finish was 5 hours.

I liked that they did a good job. I was happy that they worked me into their schedule. It didn't take them long to do the work. They offered us good advice.

All of the service technicians I encountered were extremely professional. The technician who did the service check (Joe Tran) was especially helpful. He was able to easily solve a problem that a contractor with another company told me was impossible to solve.

They are fine. They had two guys. They were nice guys. They were professional and on time. They seemed to know what they were doing. They did the job in one day.

Guys arrived a little late (we were told 7-8am arrival and they showed up around 8:45am) but they were friendly and nice. The estimator hadn't discussed the particulars of the job with them, which I found surprising. I would have gone over the plan with them regardless, but it did seem like a dropped step on their part since the job was a bit different than usual - it involved cutting through our basement ceiling to run the lines to the new location outside. Overall, though, they were diligent about getting the job done and took time to explain anything I asked about. They also cleaned up after they were done and reattached part of the ceiling they had taken out. The main drawback - they showed up without the proper UV light and filter for the job. Both were listed correctly in the contract, but they were given the incorrect parts at the warehouse. I noticed the opening for the filter was too small and asked about it. They did answer directly regarding the issue, had noticed themselves and were trying to rectify it, but still, they came to the job without 2 essential components. They were able to get the HVAC up and running without the parts (works excellently, by the way) and are to come back to install the missing parts. I was supposed to get a call the following day regarding a new appt for them to come finish the install, but never received it. On the 2nd day out I called them myself to check and was told we were temporarily on the schedule for a few days later, but the customer service rep was going to check with her supervisor and call me back to confirm whether that was the actual day they were coming out or not. I am still positive about the experience, but we will see how it goes....

I had no problems with them. Their prices are reasonable. They were dependable and the quality of work was satisfactory.

Mark Walker came out for the estimate and was very professional and honest about what we needed and didn't try to sell us something we didn't need (which was not the case with other companies). George and Scott (I believe) installed the unit. They arrived at my house by 8:10 a.m. They were finished by 1:30 p.m. George was the lead and the one I spoke to the most, but both men were very professional and courteous. They did encounter some complications with the duct work but found a solution without complaining and didn't try to charge extra. They made sure that my wood floors were covered with cloth as not to damage them. And they vacuumed and cleaned up everything before they left. They answered every question I had and explained the unit and the new thermostat in detail. They tested everything out and said they would be back when it got warmer to fully charge the air conditioner.

After waiting about a month for the appointment, the serviceman came out and filled one of the compressors with coolant and called his job done. When asked if he was going to inspect any of the interior equipment he said he "didn't have to" and left. When I called customer service, they confirmed that there were two orders and that the serviceman did not complete his job. I was told I would get a call back from their service manager which never happened. By the way, McCrea "serviced" the unit 12 months earlier.

On the day of the appointment I received a call from their office asking if I still needed the appointment and after saying yes letting me know that the technician could not be out to my home until somewhere between 3-5pm. At 4:15pm the technician calls and ask me again if I still need the appt. and after saying yes again he tells me he should be out in 30-40 minutes. Once he finally arrived I asked if he had a ladder to get on the roof and he looked very frustrated as according to him, they don't do service on roof units. Since he knew I had been waiting all day he went ahead and completed the service, but not before calling the office to make sure the appt. setters knew that they made an error. The job was performed quickly. It's a pretty new unit (7 years). It was a good price, but he did not offer good advice on maintenance. Actually saying that nothing I do is going to keep it from going out if it's ready to go. Maybe he was ready to go home.

When I did have an emergency & called them on a Saturday morning, their on-call rep told me that he could only come within an hour of our conversation. When I explained that I was at work & would only be available after 4 pm, I was told that the on-call rep would "probably" not be available then.

Air conditioning compressor unit not working. They charged $200 to replace a part. When the unit would not turn back on the next day, they gave an estimate of $2400 for a new compressor unit. I got someone else to do it the same day for half that price. I asked McCrea for a credit on the $200 part but never heard from them again. They are overpriced and not any better quality for the money.

John was informative and provided information about the systems performance and problems. I had to wait 3 weeks to get an appointment because it was routine servicing.

Unfortunately, we've had nothing but trouble on a new Carrier heating and air system installed by McCrea in 2001. Thank goodness we purchased an extended warranty and so far, with no cost to use, McCrea has replaced a compressor, fan unit and condenser. Although the unit is a piece of junk and we would never recommend Carrier to anyone, McCrea has handled all of the work efficiently without any delays or excuses. The technicians are knowledgeable, friendly, and on time. And most importantly, they stand behind their product, no matter how bad it is, and the work they perform.

OVERALL, WE HAD A VERY POSITIVE EXPERIENCE. THE MCCREA EMPLOYEE WAS VERY EFFICIENT, AND RESOURCEFUL. HE WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM, AND THEN OFFER RECOMMENDATIONS TO US SO THAT WE COULD PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE TO OUR HEATER.

THEY HAVE BEEN RELIABLE ON SERVICE CALLS AND HAVE REPLACED EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT WITHOUT GIVING US A HASSLE OF ANY SORT. THEY ARE ALWAYS ON TIME AND CALL BEFORE THEY COME TO THE HOUSE.