SCHWANTES HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING

Routine installation. The team worked throughout the day.

They did a very complete and professional job. From the point of an estimate to the walk-through once completed, everything was top notch! The unit has been in for 2 weeks and with the hot weather it performs as advertise, maybe even better because it is so incredibly quiet.

I think their price was average. I have not had any problems to deal with them as far as customer service. The only thing I had that I did not care for was that they said they would do a walk-through when they were done and I never saw them after it was installed and that was that. They did not do the walk-through they said they would do.

They gave me a service window between 8 am and noon and the technician was here by 8:15 am. Did a thorough job of working on the furnace and gave me a full report on various ohms and amps and the CO reading - all of this detailed info was also on the invoice that was emailed to me.

There was no pressure from the start getting a quote. The technicians arrived on time and worked until the job was complete. The job was professional, neat and clean. I am very pleased with the product and the quality of the installation. I was treated very well from start to finish.

The sales representative that came to the house was prompt, courteous and knowledgable. Was prepared to give estimate, rebate information and answer all questions I had. The installation team of two arrived promptly when expected, did an awesome job with both removal and installation and also gave me a tutorial before leaving on how to operate new thermostat and answered all questions I had. They did all the cleanup and missed nothing. A first class experience from start to finish.

He did a good job. He figured it out. It turned out to be kind of a small issue.

Scott, the salesperson we worked with, was very patient with all of our questions and we never felt that he was trying to sell us more than we wanted. In fact, he talked us back from a higher end model at one point and did a great job making us feel comfortable with our purchase. We have an older home and went with high efficiency units, which really forces the installers to get creative to make everything fit. Brian, Pat, and Mike spent a couple of days cutting out the old unit and working the new one into place. The installation team was great, they answered my questions and walked me through what they were going to do and took the time to understand my preferences. They had to remove a portion of wall at one point and worked in a pretty confined space to change out the furnace. Most of the mechanical room was finished out and they were able to figure out how to get the exhaust tubing up above the ceiling and allowed me to avoid any drywall repair work. They also ended up needing to bring several items that went to the hot water tank up to code. We have had a couple of questions after installation and they have been prompt and courteous in their responses.

This was the first time I have used their services. I chose them for the job based on their estimate and ratings on Angie’s List. After providing the estimate, they were able come out within a few days to complete the work. They completed the job in one day and cleaned up well. It went well and they provided great service!

I spent $140.00 to have him blow through a hose coming out of the furnace. Have a nice day. Then, Monday (3 days later) I got to pay $75 more to have him tell me that I now need a coil. The $800.00 coil is under warranty so I only have to pay $1400.00 to have it installed! REALLY?!?!? Now, lets add the hourly charge to watch him sit in his van, smoking and talking on the phone, because its raining... DON'T USE SCHWANTES!!! They will take you for a very disrespectful ride!

The machine broke almost immediately. The people at Schwantes were so rude we hired a different company to fix it. They tried twice to fix it with only marginal success. This summer it has not worked at all. We called Schwantes and they refuse to honor the warranty saying we shouldn't have hired another company to fix the air conditioner. We called Trane corporate and they affirmed we have the right to use any licensed service people to fix our unit under the warranty. They claim they can't force Schwantes to honor the warranty. BEWARE!!!

Called to fix A/C that was running but would not Cool at all. First thing he said when she saw the Furnace, "Boy that's an Old One!" Second thing, put gauge on Coolant Line, saw low - almost no pressure. He then said, "You have a leak. I can try to find it but, it will probably be minimum of $1,500.00 and there is no guarantee that I will be able to find and fix the leak. This is real old I can give you a quote on replacing A/C. Better yet you should replace both A/C and Furnace to get the best efficiency". Sat in truck, hand wrote up a $4,500.00 quote for new A/C. $9,000.00 for both A/C - Furnace. In the end I paid $90.00 to get a quote for new systems. Either that or pay possibly $1,500.00 minimum for Service with no guarantee. Call Swchante Heating and Air for Service if you want a quote on new Unit. If you want service probably try someone else. (The Furnace, A/C is 15 yrs old, put in when house was built. Not that old. And we live in a very shaded / cool place so A/C doesn't get used over 30 days a year. Have had it serviced since, person pulled out a leak sensor and asked if the previous guy checked. "Nope, He never pulled out one of those." He said, Boy, you got a good one that just wanted to sell you new systems.)

All personnel exhibited high professional standards with warm support.

We moved into our 6 year old home and thought it would be a good idea to have the furnace tuned. A tech came out and cleaned the furnace. Not two weeks later and the blower motor failed (a burning smell was in the house). I was told the cost for replacement was $700. They did wave the diagnostic fee. I called and was told the markup on their parts is 100%. I said the part was half the price on Amazon. Not much you can do when it will be 18 below. Captive audience. Also, they did not do a good job of cleaning out the furnace.

We have used Schwantes in the past, and were glad we had a local company to call in case of problems with our heating and cooling system . . . .Til we had the below experience: On Wednesday, January 29th, we were experiencing intermittent cold air coming through our heat vents. My husband called Schwantes and talked to someone on the emergency/after-hours number, who indicated that what was happening may mean a new furnance and if we can make it through the night, coming the morning would be best, especially if it mean a furnace replacement. So first thing on the 30th, I called Schwantes because at that point only cold air was coming out of the vents, it sounded like there was water in the furance, and the temp in the house had dropped more than 10 degrees. Schwantes was quick to call back and schedule an appointment. The gentleman who came out cleared the drain line and dried out the motor that had gotten wet as a result of the drain tube from the furance being plugged. We were glad that it seemed like a quick fix and didn't need to buy a new furnace. Eight days later (February 7th), the same symptoms that presented themselves on the 29th and 30th started again around 6:30pm. This time I called the after-hours number and spoke with another employee of Schwantes. He was clearly annoyed to receive a call. I explained that just a week earlier we had the company out to fix our furnace and that the same problem was happening. I told him that I recognized it was a Friday night, and was wondering if there was something I could do to keep the furnace working until morning so he didn't have to come out on a frigid Friday night. Although still clearly irritated, he began to explain that I could use a shop vac on the tube and how to do it and at that point his phone began to cut out (I was on a land line, and he on a cell phone). Because his phone was cutting out, I was unable to get the information I needed to understand what I should do - and I had some questions I wanted to ask to make sure I did it correctly and not cause damage. Our phones eventually got disconnected. Thinking he would call me back (which I would expect anyone in a service business to do after getting disconnected, and especially given we had no heat on a frigid night) so I waited a bit. After 10 minutes, I called back and left a voicemail requesting a call back so that I could make sure I had the information I needed to work on the furnace myself. In the meantime, I began to search online for any information that seemed similar to what the person at Schwantes was trying to describe to me. Knowing that the predictions were for temps to be the teens or single digits overnight, I knew something had to be done, especially since I have small children. So my research continued and I happened upon YouTube (yes, YouTube). I watched a 3 minute video by a furnace company states away from me on a way to possibly fix my furnace - the video started out with the shop vac technique that the Schwantes person had started to describe, but I didn't have a shopvac. The video went on to describe an alternative fix (a flushing technique) if I didn't have a shop vac. After waiting another 10 minutes for a call back from Schwantes, I decided I had to do something to get the furnace working. I rewatched the video on YouTube and found the pieces of the furnace that were most similar to what was being described and got to work. After working on the furnace for 40 minutes (with the help of my parents), I was able to clear the drain tube myself. And STILL had no call back from Schwantes (It had now been more than an hour since I called). I repeated the process that was described in the video (several times I used the flushing technique because the back up would start up again after a few minutes). After several hours and following the YouTube process five times, I was confident we would have heat through the night. I did not receive a call back that Friday night (2/7), or Saturday, or even since. I debated about posting anything about this or contacting the company - I am a busy person (we all are), so I thought I would just let this go . . . but after further contemplation, I decided that the way this was handled IS JUST WRONG especially knowing how cold it was that weekend (or frankly that it is winter at all and we had no heat). Each person I tell this story to is floored, and I am quick to share the name of the company so that they can avoid using Schwantes.

They made the appointment on the first call, showed up on time and did a thorough service. I will use them again.

I felt the tech was maybe under a heavy workload based on the season but did an excellent job.

Within a couple of months of installment of a Trane XV95 plus an air conditioner, I notice a very dark rusty spot as round as a golf ball on the floor; on the other side of the Trane Furnace, I see oozing pinkish rusty water trickling and pooling on the floor. A service person comes out and opens it up, and it is full of water. A hose inside is very poorly connected and leaking. Seems a really big deal that should not have been over looked on their part. The mess makes me sick to see in this new expensive Tranes XV95 furnace with rust inside. Schwantes Heating and air conditioning reassures me though that this is "no big deal" and all parts and service is covered for 10 years. Still... I find those words not very comforting. This expensive furnace needs to last longer than that. They ask "is the furnace still working"? Well yes, it seems to be in the short time we have had it? Still... those words are not very reassuring. The service person did not clean up the rust inside or outside, so several months later, I have them out again to check to see if the problem was fixed ? The furnace is now one year old with rust. So... they say "what is a little rust". I don't know really the extent of the water damage or rust? I took pictures this time when the service person opens it up on 11/25/13 and hope that this is "no big deal" after all like they say and clean up the mess on the floor hoping the hose will hold.

The sales rep came out and explained the equipment available, advised us on the best choice for our situation, also gave price ranges and any rebates. The system and price was agreed upon and a date set for installation. The installers arrived on the agreed date and time. They put down drop clothes on traffic areas and wore shoe covers when necessary. The installation was carried out in a timely manner and we were instructed on the operation of the new system. The two installers were very polite and left the work area very neat and clean. The system has been working flawlessly.

These guys were great. A/C went down during the hottest stretch of the year. I called early on Monday morning and their tech arrived that afternoon as promised. He quickly found the problem, replaced the part with one he had in his truck and had the system back up in under an hour. I couldn't be more impressed with the service.

Asked for bids from 3 companies. Schwantes bid was slightly lower and we had worked with them before on replacement of our furnace the previous year. The only hiccup in the whole process was a mixup on the availability of the water heater. The sales person thought that the water heater we wanted was a stocked item, but it was not. He called the evening before the planned installation and let me know that the water heater we wanted would not be available for another week. He checked to see if we could keep the planned installation appointment by seeing if I would accept one of the water heaters they had in stock. I let him know that I wanted the water heater they had quoted. We changed installation appointment to a week later when the water heater would be available. The actual installation of the water heater and the ERV went smoothly and the installers were great. I would work with Schwantes again.

We were losing heat throughout the day. Checked the furnace and noticed it the blower was running, but the unit was not throwing any heat. The service technician came, checked the furnace, and said the heat exchanger had a hole in it and the safety wires were melted. He said this is probably due to using propane for a heat source, because propane burns hotter. The service technician and a helper replaced the furnace, rerouted the ventilation, and changed some of the metal work/duct work around the furnace. The high-efficiency furnace we had installed works great, and it is very quiet. On follow up, a sales representative went through the system. When it came to pricing, we had been told there was a $300 discount. However, after we lined up the service, we were told the $300 only applied to LP, not to Propane as we were old. We based our decision about using this vendor in part on this discount. This seemed misleading. However, we received a different $100 rebate from Xcel Energy. When we went to pay the bill, we learned the warranty provided was only valid if we used this company to perform maintenance each year. This seemed misleading. Our thermostat was replaced, however, the sales rep said he could not show us how to use the thermostat. The service technician eft a huge box of PVC elbows behind. It was still here after reminding the sales rep once and the office twice. After 4 months, the PVC elbows went to someone who could use them.

I needed helped as of Monday a.m. showed up that afternoon. excellent. was supposed to call before arrival as I needed/wanted to be there - forgot to do so untl he arrived. seemed quite efficient. found very clogged coils on the outside ac unit which I was not aware of how to access myself ( I am quite handy). measured pressure in the system and needed about 1 # 6 oz of refrigerant.....then he started talking about $1200 to change the outside coils, and similar $$ for the inside coils yadda yadda, However, this is a high end TRane system that is maybe 8/9 yrs old.(which I purchased from them and they installed) I have a dual house A/C system that is 23 yrs old and another AC system for another part of the building he worked on that is older and have never heard of a need for such an expensive repair . he did not push it, but I had a feeling that perhaps he was trying to sell me something I did not necessarily need. He did also mention the "stop leak" product which they have had good success with , especially with smaller leaks....which is what he installed. it was $100 to torch off the outside coils which took about 20/30 minutes semed rather high, since I was also charged a $90 trip inspection charge which also took only about 15 minutes (we are less than a mile from their office).. Wade was his name and nice enough fellow so thuis my overall rather good B rating.

Everything went smooth and explained the functions of the units.

They are very punctual, efficient and courteous.