Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Speaking as someone who is a perfectionist and extremely hard to please… I hired Acosta because after interviewing many companies they were the most reasonably priced with excellent reviews on Angie’s List. Acosta is also a well-established company with a proven history. I knew they would be around for a while. Acosta didn’t disappoint. Everyone I met from the company was professional, knowledgeable and genuinely cared about providing great service. They installed the unit in one day and kept the house clean for what was a messy job. Here are a few examples of how Acosta employees went above and beyond: There are two large rooms in my house that on average are 10 degrees warmer than the other the rooms in the summer. We’ve had 12 insulation and HVAC experts to the house to help us determine how to fix this and spent thousands of dollars with little success. We were determined to fix the problem but every new suggestion involved spending thousands more with no guarantee. Charlie (Acosta Comfort Specialist) and Brian (Acosta Insulation Manager) made a couple of inexpensive suggestions that we tried during installation. Amazingly their $200 suggestions worked and we now have an extra 1200 square feet of usable space in our home. Based on our interviews with other experts we honestly didn’t think this problem could be fixed and now it is. We signed our contract on Wednesday and Acosta couldn’t install the new unit until Friday. Brian drove an hour each way from his office to deliver two temporary air conditioning units so we could cool down some rooms. He even installed the temporary window unit for me. I unnecessarily panicked over something with the job before it began and when I called Charlie about it he immediately came to my house to make sure everything was ok. After we discussed the situation he told me Brian would also be coming by as well to make sure I was satisfied. I told him Brian coming by wasn’t necessary and that everything was fine but he insisted. Chad (the person who managed the installation) and his employees installed the air handler in a dormer in my attic. The temperature in the dormer was well over 110 degrees for most of the day. You never would have known this. They were nice, polite and extremely helpful even though the conditions were extreme/intolerable. I highly recommend hiring Acosta. I’m 100% sure I will hire them to replace my second HVAC unit when the time comes.

The service was great. Darren Hepton my service tech was great to work with. He was very professional and arrived on time and completed the job in a timely manner.

Tech (Andy B) called in advance of arriving and arrived as scheduled. Performed necessary checks and was very patient and thorough in explaining problem and options to correct as well as cost for each. Also spent time explaining why some options were more expensive than the others and the pros/cons of each. Felt he was trustworthy and not trying to sell me something I did not need or raise an unnecessary alarm or high pressure over the need for the repair.

Where to begin? Install occurred last March and several of the zones didn't work properly out of the gate. Acosta fixed them after 2 more tries. Generally speaking the people are responsive/friendly but as I would come to know this is a common theme - their ability to diagnose issues with the equipment they sell is limited and in my experience it usually takes them several attempts to get there. And sometimes friends, they do not get there at all. Second issue was the "smart" thermostat. One of them froze up after a month or so and they could not figure out what the issue was. After a few tries they swapped it out and it started working again. The Lennox iPhone app is poor so it's really not worth the extra money anyway. As I have learned these smart units don't allow them to diagnose any issues so there is no benefit there either. I haven't actually brought this last piece up to Acosta because we have had bigger fish to fry (see below). Steer clear of the smart thermostats they sell - they continuously lose connection and zoning/remote operation do not work when they lose connection. Do a search on the brand they offer and you will see this connection problem splashed all over message boards. I have a business class connection speed and Apple Airport modem so my tech/speed are top of the line. THE VIBRATION ISSUE PART 1. The new units all vibrate and Acosta has been out so many times trying to figure it out that I lost count. The lines coming in from the heat pump vibrate like crazy and that ran through the walls in my house. I had to decide whether to be cold or kept up all night by the noise. Ultimately i got one of those loud box fans and ran that all night - seemed to do the trick but Acosta did not mention that I would have to do this in their marketing materials. It doesn't happen all of the time but it kicks into some mode between 30 and 50 degrees that cause insane vibration mode to kick in. They put some muffler system on the refrigerant line a few days ago and that may have worked for the lines (jury still out...will report back) BUT.... THE VIBRATION ISSUE PART 2. The furnace also has an insane vibration mode. My office is above the furnace and when it kicks into insane vibration mode, it literally rattles the items on my desk. Remember those old electric football games? When I put my hand on the floor that is pretty much what it feels like. That is also the guest room so I got a free vibrating bed out of the deal but I did find out that not everyone likes that - that must be why those beds have an off switch. Anyway, Acosta has demonstrated absolutely no ability to recreate or diagnose the issue - I have spent hours filming my furnace over the past 6 months so plenty of evidence and they are not disputing the problem. They are just completely clueless on what to do about it. This is still going on 12 months after I spend 25000 on a new system. Now, to their credit they are still trying. They are responsive and Janelle in customer service is top notch....I email/talk/text her more than my wife so I am qualified to speak on this matter. Their techs are friendly but do not seem competent. Not sure about their relationship with Lennox as the manufacturer has not come out to view the amazing vibrating furnace. In short, there are better choices out there - I mean, this is supposed to be all these guys do. I will report back when this odyssey is over but this has been a miserable experience.

Everything went great as usual. Billy was my technician on this service call. He was courteous, professional and had a great personality. He showed up when he was scheduled, called ahead - he did his work and was on his way. I've used Acosta for many years, and see no reason to change.

I have graded them with a D because of my experience with the billing and administration. The tech was fine. THE BACKSTORY: This home was built in 1994 and the heating unit had been working fine until Sunday night at midnight when I (the home owner) became keenly aware we were losing warmth and discovered the gas was cutting off after five seconds (to be exact) it would then attempt to recycle and each time it would shut everything off. Googling the possible problems the term "Short cycling" was the action and the possible causes are not direct and identifiable. Bad airflow, cracked system, possible leaks of gas etc. This created safety concerns for my family. I elected to run the blower ON instead of Automatic. the next morning I called ACOSTA and they responded very punctually and arrived at ten am --Wow great response! THE PRO: The Engineer --Greg knew what he was doing and explained everything. The trained technician arrived on time and asked what the symptoms were and when I mentioned the system was cutting the gas off after exactly five seconds he stated he already knew the problem was a simple cleaning of the flame rectification sensor. Greg stated that he knew within our initial conversation at the door that a system that shuts off after five seconds is shutting down due to a bad signal to the main board from a sensor. He advised me of the cost of the service upon his assessment or diagnosis of the problem. It was my choice to proceed but this created a delusion because as a customer I did not know the simplicity of cleaning a sensor wire and this HVAC company was taking advantage of that fact. It literally took him 30 seconds to unscrew one sheet metal screw and wipe down the sensor; the only sensor in the box. In all fairness Greg further diagnosed the system and suggested the system was way past its normal life being 22 years old. The coil was changed and everything was working fine but Greg stated it is a matter of time before other component parts begin to fail. Good honest upright advice ---only at a cost that is gouging. It costs less to see a Medical Doctor than it does to fix a short cycling gas heating unit --lol! THE CON: I paid a diagnostic fee using Angie's List thinking I was in good hands and saving money. The company showed and tacked on a service charge (136.00) and included a "misc. supplies, environmental fee" of $6.00 as a 'general charge' which was explained to me by their billing representative. What direction is America headed in when a simple wipe down of a sensor requires $221 dollars? The sensor is literally installed with one sheet metal screw and the tech took all of thirty seconds to clean it. This service call gouged me as a consumer. The problem is the consumer is "not aware" of the simple aspect and the service company charges way to much money to accomplish this task. No matter how punctual and friendly the company reps are, it always comes back to the question "Did they treat the transaction fairly?" According to the Trade Practices Act 1974, Section 74 implies a non-excludable warranty into contracts for the supply of services by workshops to customers: that services will be carried out with due care and skill and that any components supplied in connection with those services will be reasonably fit for the purpose for which they are supplied. In this case the rep did not have to recover anything and did not use any miscellaneous supplies. I think the fact the buyer is unaware does not justify the high cost of the service fee and the tacked on misc. fee charge. The diagnostic fee should have been included in the service fee as with most service companies require the diagnostic fee and if they find something wrong it becomes part of the service fee and not a separate fee. When I called the next day to speak with the billing department they stated I would get a call back from a member of management. At that point I discovered they had not verified accurate information for my address and profile and I asked if they could provide a receipt via email back to me once the charges were processed. I did not have any problems with my requests and I would recommend this company to anyone who is desperate for HVAC services and has the deep pockets to afford them. Make sure you get Greg he is awesome. ACOSTA gets a thumbs up in reliability and service I just wish their pricing was not gouging the consumer. References: NSW Government Fair Trading (2015). Repairs and maintenance. Retrieved from http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/Consumers/Motor_vehicles/Repairs_and_maintenance.page

We have been using them for 24 years ( in our former house and this one) and would not change because they always do a great job. In our former house we bought 2 trane heating units and 2 trane airconditioning units to replace the original ones. What wver the problem or concern , Acosta was always very prompt. Today Darren Hepton was the service tech. He was very nice and worked quickly and efficiently. You can't go wrong with Acosta.

The salesman was friendly and quick when he came out to give me an estimate. I got 3 estimates from different providers and Acosta was on the low end of price plus a co-worker had recommended them so I decided to use them. The install guys were prompt and curtious, it only took them half a day to do the install. I would use them again.

The technician came at the promised time and proceeded to check my outdoor unit and then my indoor unit. He found a leak on both units after doing his search. He called the office to confirm what was covered under warranty and then proceeded to explain to me what he had found and my options. He also gave me a full written report and cost estimate.

What I liked the most was the confidence I had in the company from previous experience. What I liked the least was that the worker that came out was not confident or smarter. I'm not new to hiring people and I do evaluate confidence and maybe I'm a little tougher on that than the average person. The price is high, they are expensive.

Very well. Professional and respectful. All technicians were very concerned about doing the job well.

I want to thank ACOSTA for helping me. I complained about not being able to receive prompt service so they sent someone asap. I am thankful to have cool air for my husband who is recuperating from surgery. Thanks Acosta.

Arrived on time and installed complete system without any problems. At the end of the day, a representative stopped by to explain the system and answered all of our questions. We are very pleased with the service and the price.

Acosta installed my furnace several years ago and when there was a problem, they were terrific about service, ultimately getting the manufacturer to fulfill the warranty terms. I never had to hassle with this in any way. For semi-annual maintenance, their technicians are very punctual and professional. While some companies might charge less for systems or service, I also know that some charge more. I believe Acosta offers good value, and their dependability means a lot.

Great. Would highly recommend Acosta.

Fine. They're always great. They let us know if they're running late and the service person is always courteous. We trust them.

They were prompt. The heat was restored quickly. They were thorough. It took little time, therefore I thought it was a little high in price. They were courteous.

The HVAC unit broke in the home we have for our son in our back yard, the first time we had to turn the heat on this season. The wonderful staff at Acosta made it a priority to get out that day and evaluate the problem. Unfortunately, we needed to replace the 20 year old system. They came back out three days later with the new unit, thermostat, and duct work. Though the proposal called for reinforcing the existing duct work, when the crew was under the house they realized that it needed to be replaced. Despite the additional work, the crew still managed to complete the installation in one visit and without incurring an additional expense. Both the service crew and installation crew called ahead to let me know when they were arriving, and showed up on time. They cleaned up every bit of the old system and removed all the trash. They were pleasant and professional. I anticipate having to replace the unit in our house as well due to age sometime within the next year and my first and only call will be to Acosta Heating and Cooling. Thank you again for the great service.

The serviceman (Andy) arrived punctually, wore foot covers so as not to scratch or dirty our floors and did regular maintenance on our heating and cooling systems. We have had Acosta since around the year 1998 for two different houses and have always found their people to be courteous and professional. Aside from maintenance they have also done total replacements of a heat pump and an air conditioner. We have been so satisfied that we shall continue using them for the foreseeable future and recommend their services to anyone.

All of their technicians, and office personnel have been professional efficient, prompt, and responsive. We did have a previous heating and cooling company and they sold us an air conditioning system that was inappropriate for our home. We would highly recommend Acosta to everyone.

So far, so good. Would definitely recommend.

When our air conditioner quit working during a week of 90+ degree weather, I called 3 different companies to come to our home to diagnose and quote the job. Acosta Heating & Cooling was by far the most professional, thorough, punctual and cooperative of the three so choosing Acosta was a "no-brainer". Gregg is very knowledgeable and he clearly explained our options to help us decide on the best air conditioner for our needs. He answered all of our questions patiently and also discussed what the job entailed. Our installer, Tim, showed up bright and early and got right to work. He worked through the day to make sure that our AC would be up and running so our home would be cool & comfortable for that evening/night. Despite a couple of frustrating weather-related power outages, which delayed the installation process, Tim stayed to complete the job and we had a comfortable, cool home by dinner time! From start to finish, we are extremely satisfied with Acosta Hearing and Cooling and would recommend them highly!

Greg, the technician who typically does my work is very professional and helpful

The quote was comparable to several other provider's estimates. Acosta was the only provider to indicate the safest procedure for installation of the rooftop unit ( on a 4 story condo building) would be a crane rather than trying to use the trapdoor roof access using a flight of narrow metal stairs. The crew doing the installation were personable and professional, the crane worked quickly and perfectly and the whole installation procedure was completed within the time frame quoted.

Greg was responsive and helpful during the work scope and beat several other quotes I had already received. The crew showed up exactly when scheduled. They were kind and answered questions when I had them. The work rolled over into an extra day but they communicated well about that. The only reason I wouldn't put top notch across the board is after the main job was done there was a bit of lack of communication on wrapping things up. It wasn't clear what the next step was and then we had to call them a couple times to find out about the inspection. I also might have inspected a manager or someone to come inspect his crews work on a job of this size and to my knowledge that didn't happen. However, all in all I was pleased and would use them again. They are also processing our manufacturer rebate for us which is a nice service.