A & E Heating & Air Conditioning

In 2010, I had a home humidifier and a new HVAC unit installed by A&E at my home, and they replaced some duct work in the process. I used them for service and never had any issues. In late January of this year during the cold temperatures, we found excessive humidity and condensation on our insulation and sheathing in the crawlspace, as well as the subloor, in the area where the humidifier and duct work was installed. The duct work is horizontally oriented, and the humidifier was installed on a "boot" above the air flow so that there would be sufficient elevation for water drainage from the humidifier to the drain tube. However, this method caused steam to build in the "boot" and very little humidity was getting into the air flow. (I contacted the city inspector, and was told that the installation was not proper and that the inspector who passed it must have missed it.) This was causing the humidifier to run constantly, and in extreme cold temperatures, it created a pot of boiling hot water in the crawl space while the outdoor temps were below freezing. Over time this condensation caused some mold under the crawlspace, although not excessive to the point of replacing wood work. I tried contacting A&E for a couple of weeks to get the owner to come take a look. The owner was having some understandable personal emergencies and it took a couple of weeks to get someone out to look at the issue. Tim Hiles came out and took a look at the humidifier and the duct work. He was very honest with me and stated that the duct work they installed was not done in a very efficient way, and the humidifier was also the type that probably should not be in a crawl space like mine. He stated correctly that the distribution box and all downstream duct work was the original builder's work, and that A&E had only replaced the duct work between the unit and the distribution box. Tim was extremely professional and very understanding with our frustrations with the situation and the time it took to get it looked at. He listened carefully to my story and he did not dodge responsibility in any manner. I spoke to Tim today, and they are going above and beyond what I thought they would as far as making it right. They are not only replacing the duct work which they had installed, they are also replacing all the other original duct work in the crawl space as well as the distribution box at NO CHARGE. They are also going to install the new duct work in a more energy efficient manner and will give me more room in the right areas of my crawl space. They are also working around my time line of getting the mold remediated and replacing insulation during the process of replacing the duct work. Although the work has not been done yet, I am beyond impressed with the way they have handled the situation once they evaluated it. I was told that Ronnie Walters stands by his work as owner of A&E, and their willingness to help make this right has shown me that they do indeed stand by their work.

After some time, he went to his van and with a meter in hand he came to my door, putting on shoe covers before entering. He bent down by one vent, then moved quickly to another vent in my living room, and then went to a third vent in the kitchen. I asked him what he was doing and he said testing for carbon monoxide. At the kitchen vent, where he had his back turned to me, his meter beeped. He then tossed the meter and it slid on my kitchen counter when he said, "See, it registers 30." I said, "Is 30 normal?", "I don't know what 30 means." He said normal was 0, and I was lucky I didn't die in my sleep from Carbon Monoxide(CO) leaking in the house. He was going to have to condemn my unit as he didn't want to take any responsibility for it not being safe. I asked him why CO was leaking into my house, and he led me back outside to pointing to an area above the three gas holes and said there is a cracked heat exchanger. When I asked him how he could tell, he said I couldn't see it because it was all internal. He said to watch the color of the gas going into the 3 holes as he lifted a protecting cover. He said the gas color should be burning blue, not the orange/red "blow-back" that it was burning. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE WORK on Kevin C.'s work order: He wrote,"Unit was not operational When I arrived testing of the unit confirmed that there is a cracked heat exchanger was notified that the system has a refrideant leak Higley reccomend replaceing unit get dangerous co readinging in the house. turned system off and informed the Home owner not to run system" ITEM OR PART DESCRIPTION: He wrote, "Will be in touch when I find out accurate prices on heat exchanger and to discuss the best method to the repair or replace the system." INSTEAD OF ACCEPTING A&E (Kevin C's) REVIEW OF MY SYSTEM, A FRIEND RECOMMENDED I GET A SECOND OPINION. THE RESULTS OF THE SECOND OPINION ARE BELOW: 1. Upon arrival the technician removed all of the panels of the entire system. He pointed out to me that the heat exchanger was not cracked on my 8 year old Trane All-in-one system. He wanted to rule this out first of all, because it is a common problem with the Trane systems of this age. He told me that no one had ever removed all the panels of the system before. 2. When he by-passed the system, I asked him if CO could be leaking into the house because of the orange/red glow of the gas blowback. He said there was no way possible that CO was leaking into my house, he would guarantee it. He showed me that upon removal or lifting of the protective cover, that the color of the flame would initially be orange/red until the air flow stabalized, and then it would burn blue again. 3. After 2.5 hours of diagnosing my system issue, the technician, of the second opinion company, left my heat running in working order. FORTUNATELY, I DID NOT LISTEN TO THIS A&E TECHNICIAN AND I HAD HEAT ON THIS PAST COLD WEEKEND and WILL HAVE SAVED $7,000 On A New Unit!!!

We've used A&E for our heating and air conditioning repairs for nearly 15 years. They are honest, and thorough. They've been to our home servicing our 22+ year old systems several times over the years and each technician gives an honest and thorough check of both systems. We have 2 heating/ac units, one upstairs and one downstairs. Both units are 22+ yrs old and are limping along thanks to care from A&E. They needed replaced 2 years ago, truthfully. A&E lets us know exactly what needs fixing and they're fast every time. We'll be replacing one furnace/ac unit next month and it will be A&E who will get our business!

We agreed on the items, price and work schedule. They came on time and while they took longer than anticipated, they completed the work the same day, late in the evening. The big problem was that they switched the heat pump on us and never told us they were providing one with less capacity. I was on site during the installation and accidentally looked at the shipping carton and it was then I noticed that they had supplied a different and lower capacity heat pump (same manufacturer) than contracted for. The technicians said that they were installing what they had been told to install. It was hot in the summer and we needed the air conditioning to function. Therefore, we let them complete the work. It was only when I went to the office to pay the bill and complained about the switch in equipment that they acknowledged the change and agreed to a price reduction. Their technicians are good and they are punctual, but you must carefully check that what they promise is what they will install.

They called the day before to confirm the appointment time and called 15 minutes prior to the appointment. The repairman was very courteous and introduced himself. He reviewed the work order completed by the previous repairman and then he went promptly to work. He did the job until he was completed. When he was completed, the repairman reviewed what he had done and presented me with the bill that was exactly the same amount as the estimate. I have had A&E do several jobs on my house and I have always been satisfied with their work.

On the busiest day of the year my usual service company could not fit me in. A & E made sure I got the work done today. Their telephone representative was very receptive to my problem and kept me informed on the expected arrival of the service tech who was excellent and repaired the problem in a very short time.

Went very well; punctual and professional. Wore shoe covers before entering house.

It was good and we enjoyed their service. They tried a cheaper fix to save us money, however it only lasted a few days, but they were quick to follow up when the initial service didn't fix the problem.

The crew from A&E were very punctual and had all the needed supplies and equipment delivered at the start of the job on the first day. This was easily a two-day job, given that all the ductwork (crawl space and attic) was being replaced, in addition to the outside A/C unit and the furnace (located in the crawl space). They worked very hard and efficiently through the entire job, and were always courteous and careful when having to go in and out of the house to perform the work. The installation went very smoothly, and all the work was performed with utmost professionalism. Our 34-year old furnace and ductwork was definitely ready to be replaced, and our system upgrade is fantastic. I am so glad we decided to go with A&E to do the job. I would certainly hire them again. I highly recommed their services to anyone.

It he crew was punctual and efficient. They had all the warranty and rebate information. All was completed within the one day.

We called them on Sunday and they got back to us bright and early on Monday morning at 9 am. They squeezed us in on that day to service it. They were very good. They were very professional and very thorough. We would certainly recommend them.

Couldn't have asked for better service. We got a quick call back after leaving a message and the service provider arrived promptly. Oscar was courteous, knowledgeable and extremely professional. Almost a week later, the water in our crawl space is about gone and the system is running smoothly.

The technician was very knowledgeable and completed a thorough job. His advice was spot on and overall experience from the work perspective was excellent. The only complaint I have was their practice of charging visitation fee of $95.00 even if we are paying of the service is not acceptable. Any comparable business who sends out technicians will not charge a separate diagnostics fee if you accept their quote for the repairs so I was very confused and concerned that A&E uses this practice. So in my case the issue was a bad Thermostat, so the Technician quoted me $195.00 to replace the Thermostat and another $95.00 as diagnostics charge. So a total of $290 was quoted just to change the Thermostat. I had to call their Manager to protest/complain and finally got this $95.00 was removed. This is not a common or a good practice and that needs to stop. Other than this issue, the quality of work and deliverable was excellent. I will definitely recommend them and use their services myself again, but be sure to discuss this $95.00 add-on ahead of time.

After checking the compressor, the technician advised that he found the condenser's dual run capacitor to be underperforming. He stated that he could not determine exactly how much longer it might last but offered that it could be anywhere from 24 hrs. to 6 months. He offered to replace the part then, during the maintenance visit, and, noted that if A & E returned to replace the part at a later date I would be billed for a service call. He quoted me a price of $191.00 but offered a 10% discount, bringing the charges down to $171.91. I opted to replace the part and paid the bill with a check. The bill itemized ' 1 dual run capacitor for condenser @ &171.91'. There was no itemization for labor or service call. (The tech had the part in the truck and needed 10 minutes to switch out the part.) Later that day I was advised (by someone who had also recently replaced the same part) that its cost was approximately $15.00 - $20.00. I researched the part on the internet and could not find one priced higher than $30.00. I called A & E and explained the situation. It was an unpleasant call. I was informed that I was, indeed, charged for a service call (in spite of the fact that the technician found the problem during a routine maintenance check). I was also informed that the diagnosis of the problem (again, part of the maintenance check) as well as the price of the part, were included. After mentioning my pricing of the part, the bi-annual agreement, the fact that no labor or service charge had been itemized on the bill, and, Angie's List, it was agreed that I would write a check for $50.00 (for the part;) and that my first check would be destroyed. (Note: I had stopped payment on the first check. I do not know if that had come to the attention of A & E at the time of this phone call.) In the end, I will not enter in another maintenance agreement with A & E, nor can I recommend them. I definitely felt as if I'd been 'had'.

Very smoothly. Excellent follow up. Excellent customer service. House is a rental and I am OOT so very helpful that I could pay over the phone.

Very professional, family-operated business. Technician was punctual, knowledgeable and organized. I could tell that it was important to him for our unit to be fixed correctly and efficiently. One slight issue I had was with receiving a return call, but it was straightened out and handled nicely. I would definitely recommend A & E!

When we decided to replace our old HVAC system on the 2nd floor of our house we consulted Angi's List and arranged for 3 different companies to come out to give us a quote. Even though all were rated highly (that is another story) we knew almost immediately who we would hire for the job. All 3 companies came in, discussed our needs and provided numerous options. All 3 companies were fairly close in price. However, my husband knows enough about HVAC systems to be able to critically evaluate the information given to him and A & E did a much better job customizing a system to meet our exact needs and concerns. It was obvious from the suggestions they made, that they really knew their business. When we contracted A&E to do the work all pre-work was done in a timely and efficient manner. The office staff was extremely friendly and professional. On the day of installation the team arrived on time, were VERY polite and worked well into the evening to get the job done. Now I understand any of these companies would have installed a working HVAC unit. It is their business. However, it is the customer facing interactions that makes one company stand out from all the others. A&E is a small family run company and their reputation is very important to their success. They did an excellent job, were very professional and I would recommend them to others.

We scheduled a time for the quote and Mr. Walters arrived punctually. He made his recommendations without any of the sales pressure that had made us wary of calling in a bigger company.

The guy who came was pretty good; his name of Tim and he did a nice job. I am satisfied with them and their price was pretty low.

The representative was prompt, courteous, and professional. He provided me more information than any other company, and I felt I could trust him. I did not award to the contract to this company because I gave it to my current service provider, but I was pleased with the estimate process.

Tim came out later that day and made sure diagnosis was correct, replaced part on unit quickly and at quote. Tim was informative, knowledgeable, polite and we felt very honest. Also wore his booties when he came in the house which pleased the lady of the house. Would highly recommend this local company that appears to be more concerned about providing honest, high quality service than other area providers (note: this first company that grossly overcharged is also an Angies A lister)....

Ron Walters came out and looked at the job a gave me several options and explained why. After we selected our options he gave me a written quote and that was the price we paid. They were spot on for when they said they would start. Even though it was a big job it only took two days to pull out our old system and duct work and the end of second day we had heat back in the house. I could not have ask for a better effort because they worked late to get the job done. A&E was very professional with their teamwork, I haven't seen much in today's world. Professionals that didn't wait for orders they knew what to do and did it. The only hitch came when the county inspector came by and said they had to change something in the wiring, even though what they had done had met code before. No other problems occurred, in fact one inspector of the gas line said that he knew with A&E doing the job it would be done right. It gave me confidence in the entire job. After a year we had a failure for the outdoor sensor for the Honeywell thermostat and A&E came the next day and fixed it at no charge. In summary, they did the job right the first time, fast and with quality.

This is rental property that I do not personally manage. My management company call A&E most of the time and we are pleased with their price and the fact the fix it the 1st time. If a unit is replaced it is done without a problem.

Excellent job during estimate explaining pros and cons of various options.

Professionalism throughout the process of getting options and quotes on a new heat pump system through installation to final inspection. The estimator was quick and thorough, heard and understood my objectives, suggested two options that were right on target, asked if he could write them up and then dictated them from his truck in my driveway. Within 20 minutes I had clear, detailed, typed proposals in my inbox. The net price to me after coupons and rebates was $500 less than those of proposals by two other large companies. The installation crew was prompt, very professional, answered questions clearly, gave me a good briefing on the system's operation and maintenance, automatically slipped on shoe covers when coming inside, and cleaned up thoroughly. The crew leader even asked me to walk around with him to make sure everything was OK (that's never happened before). The office handled the power company rebate for me and gave guidance and documentation for the tax credit, and arranged for the county inspection, which we passed with flying colors (the inspector even said "you got a good company"). The whole experience can be symbolized by the owner's response when I asked him when he would expect payment. He said, "When we are finished and you are happy." The new system is keeping the house much more comfortable. It breathes easily and keeps temperatures consistent throughout the house. I very much wish I had done this long ago and cannot imagine anyone doing a better job..