First Call Heating & Cooling

We’ve always had good experiences with First Call for our yearly maintenance and haven’t had problems with our system. The woman who scheduled our appointment was very nice. Chester, our technician, is always helpful, efficient and friendly. Thanks Again!

First Call came to service our malfunctioning heat pump. The technician quickly diagnosed two issues, one being a capacitor that had failed. Note here that the technician diagnosed the capacitor failure from only a visual inspection, NOT a test with his multimeter, as would be expected. The resulting bill was $140 for the service call and a whopping $248 for the capacitor. A capacitor of that sort is a ubiquitous item, and many with the same specs can be bought for less (often far less) that $30 at retail. I later found the exact capacitor used for our repair at $60-65, delivered, from online retailers. Charging a customer $248, for a component that cost the service company no more than (probably far less than) $40, wholesale, is outrageous. I emailed and called to voice my objection, but received no answer. Be forewarned--with First Call Heating & Cooling, any parts used in your service or repair will be shockingly overpriced. Update: First Call later provided the cost to replace the high-pressure switch in the discharge line of our heat pump. Total cost was over $900. Online repair cost estimators (such as heatpumppriceguides.com) place the typical cost of this repair at $90-250, total. Cost of switch is $25-50, and 1-2 hours of labor. First Call repair cost exceeds the typical cost of this repair by $700, or more.

Amy, the person that does provides quotes and schedule your appointment is great, no problems there. The technician Dave is Ok,a little grumpy but got the job done. Problem started when her found that the ignitor needed to be replaced. Her said the part would cost around $200 which I felt it was expensive but I authorized him to go ahead and replace it. After her left I searched a little and found out that that part costs around $40 - $50. I honestly feel I was fooled. I was already paying $340 for the service and it took Dave maybe extra 5 minutes to replaced the igniter. Final bill: $520. Sent an email expressing the overpriced part but Ryan Ruff responded with a very intransigent message trying to convince me that charging 4 or 5 times for a part is OK. I guess that's their philosophy and they think it's alright to take advantage of people that don't know regular prices for furnace parts. I definitely don't recommend them.

First Call was the heating oil supplier when I bought my house 15 years ago. Our 50-60 furnace was on its way out. Possibly affecting our health. From discussing a gas conversion to the actual conversion yesterday, I have nothing but to give them high marks. Everyone (even office staff on the phone) was so friendly, understanding, and willing to give explanations for any questions. Because this was an immediate change, they paid for the gas company charge for this. They covered the extra cost of an upgraded thermostat for the one they were going to use that didn’t work with our wiring setup. The loan is zero interest with a major national bank. I was able to choose the loan length.

First Call Heating and Cooling purchased Eastside Heating and Cooling in the beginning of 2018. I called the number for Eastside and was redirected to First Call. I explained my central AC unit was no longer cooling my home. They were responsive and came out within 24 hours of my call. I have to say that is the only thing about the service call that was remotely close to a good experience. The technician came, evaluated my unit, and found that the system was low on refrigerant. First call charges 109.00 for diagnostic, and 120.00 for the first lb of R410a. They then charge an additional 90.00 for each lb after the first. The tech put 3 lbs in my system and left. The whole service call took about 30-45 minutes. My cost was 410.00. This is where my problems with First Call begin. 2 days later, my system completely stopped functioning. I called First Call back out to my residence, and the tech returned. He re-evaluated my system, and this time he found an 'obvious' refrigerant leak, and all the refrigerant he recharged my system with plus more leaked out of my system. What I don't understand is how he missed the leak the first time. The tech left me with a quote to replace my Evaporator coil "under warranty" which was 1500.00 for the repair. I called and took issue with the fact that they were not willing to work with costs related to refrigerant that they pumped into my system that didn't even last 2 days. At this point I decided I needed a second opinion. So I made a call to another HVAC contractor, who quoted me 800.00 for a warranty replacement, and 1500.00 for replacement of the coil outside of warranty. After the second quote, I thought that there might be some appetite on the side of First Call to match a competitors quote. They were not interested in working with me at all. Not only were they unwilling to compete with another HVAC contractor, the manager of the service department felt that I needed an education. The service manager I spoke with felt he needed educate me in how to operate his business. He informed me that he needed to pay his employees. He also apparently needs to offer benefits to those employees. I am well aware of how to run a business. A business definitely need to pay their employees, while offering medical, dental, and retirement benefits. The thing I want to remind you, is that you have to have customers to pay employees, and offer them those wonderful benefits. I learned this from my undergraduate degree in business. I also want to thank you for showing me how you treat your customers, because I will be sure to share my experience with all my friends and family. They will know who not to call first.

Installation went well, They did a good work and cleaned up after themselves.

Received a quote from Matt on July 3, 2018 followed by a date and time to start installations. Luke, the First Call technician, notified us the afternoon before when he would arrive. He arrived on time, accessed the systems, and went to work. Work was completed sooner than I expected. His fabrication and installation was superb. After the installation was completed he verified the HVAC system was working, and then showed how the new air filter worked along with maintenance tips. He cleaned up after his work, and then answered any questions I had. Everyone was very pleasant and professional. I would highly recommend First Call Heating and Cooling for any HVAC work.

The job went smoothly. They were in and out in the scheduled time. This was a large job that required bringing my new gas line all around the house, doing new electrical for the furnace, and new lines for the air conditioner. They did a very professional job and finished all the areas nicely. They also cleaned up after themselves. I was very pleased with the finish work they did.

It went well from start to finish. The bidder, Steve, wrote out a detailed, thorough proposal. Clearly he has decades of experience and knows what he's doing. We chose First Call because they sell Trane equipment, which is highly rated by Consumer Reports, plus they are the only HVAC contractor we found in Portland that offers a 5 year labor warranty if you hire them to perform annual maintenance (at a reasonable cost). It had been more than 15 years since our last duct cleaning, and our grubby furnace was 36 years old. With little time to spare, First Call scheduled the duct cleaning a few days before the new equipment was installed so we could start fresh. Duct cleaners Chris and Harold did a meticulous job and took care to contain this messy work. The HVAC installers, Abel, Victor, Alex and Chester, answered questions and were clearly invested in what they were doing. They were prompt and efficient and cleaned up the site when they were done. They vented the high efficiency pump for condensation to the laundry tub instead of outside (as other bidders proposed to do, where it would be likely to freeze in the coldest weather and shut down the furnace). Once the old furnace was removed, it became apparent that the gas line to the water heater needed rerouting, which Steve had not included in the original bid. He had that problem taken care of without asking for more $$ because, as he said, "It's the right thing to do." Under the skilled direction of Steve and crew leader Abel, the job was completed on time, and we got an introduction to our new equipment. When the thermostat malfunctioned shortly thereafter, First Call dispatched a service guy to the house who had it up and running within hours. We would not hesitate to recommend First Call Heating and Cooling. The work was top notch and the price was competitive.

Very well! Jason M. was the Technician who showed up to do the work, and I couldn't have asked for a better guy. He was knowledgeable, informative, efficient and friendly. He also saved me some money, by suggesting that I hold off on the AC tune-up until spring. What more can you hope for? I've been a customer with First Call for about 15 years now, and I can't imagine ever going anywhere else due to their consistently excellent service like this.

The technician was very professional and courteous. He always called ahead about 1/2 hour before arrival, was always on time, and completed the work within or sooner than the estimated time frame. Before the service we could smell exhaust and we were having head aches. We researched the best HVAC services for our Train unit through Angie's List and decided on First Call Heating and Cooling to set up the appointments for Diagnosis and service. The technician was very knowledgeable on Train HVAC systems and soon completed the diagnosis to discover the heat exchanger has holes in it exposed our house to raw exhaust. (This should have been caught by our previous HVAC service.) Because of danger to carbon monoxide, the technician declared our HVAC system inoperable, turned off the gas, and immediately ordered the part. Estimated arrival of the part was 7 to 10 days and the repair was scheduled on the 11th day. Estimated time frame for repair was 4 to 6 hours. Repair, check of the system, cleaning of AC coils, and cleaning of the electronic air filter was completed in about 3 1/2 hours. Also, the technician would thoroughly answer any questions regarding our HVAC unit. As a result of excellent service from First Call Heating and Cooling, we decided to contract them for yearly maintenance, and will be calling them for any repairs.

We always had an excellent service.

Everything went great! Got right to work and cleaned up all the mess.

In June of 2016 we used First Call Heating and Cooling to install an air conditioner and additional duct work in our home. Matt Cobb was great to work with, gave us a discount due to my prior military service, and was very prompt with estimates. We were very happy with the sales process, and the unit until this past week. In September of 2017 (15 months after initial install) we noticed wet carpet on the floor in our basement living room and thought that one of our children had spilled water on the carpet. We wiped it up and didn’t think anything of it. The next day we knew something was wrong because the carpet was absolutely saturated. We looked at the furnace room and noticed that water was dripping consistently out of the furnace and we had a stream of water running from the furnace to a three room corner (2 bedrooms and the living room). We called First Call to come out and have a look at it. Brian, one of their service techs came out and looked at the the furnace and the damage. He told us "I've never seen a unit like this leak this badly before, and definitely not after only a year." I breathed a sigh of relief thinking that this would be a warranty issue and they would stand behind their product. He looked through the documents that they gave us, and when he couldn't find what he was looking for went back down to the furnace room. He found a paper on the side of the furnace that stated the unit should be checked yearly by a certified technician. He pointed that out to us and said "you should have had it checked in June, we aren't liable." We went back and forth, and he told us to call his manager. Funny thing was, he told us he couldn’t unclog the drain because he did not have the necessary equipment with him. We were told to just get some pipe cleaners and jam them down there, it would take care of the problem. I asked him if that would be bad for the pump to just push the gunk to it, and he told me he couldn’t think of why that would be a problem… We called and left a message with his manager Paul and then called Matt, our initial salesman, to see what he thought. He indicated that he had a similar unit and he didn't have to start cleaning out the drain until it was nearly 10 years old. He also stated that he had never told us, and didn't think it was necessary to have a technician come out and check the unit yearly. Every 2-3 years is fine unless we were to notice something was wrong. We again breathed a sigh of relief thinking they would stand behind their product. We then get a call from Paul the manager. Paul told us that they don't recommend the units be examined yearly. Similar to Mike, they push for every 2-3 years unless there is a problem. He then told us he would meet with Brian and Mike and they would come up with a plan. This morning we called Mike to check on the status. He informed us it was our fault due to not clearing the condensate drain, and they were not going to cover it. There’s nothing they can do. We should have had a technician come out at the 1 year mark to inspect the unit. “You can take it further up the chain if you want, but there’s nothing I can do.” We now have 3 rooms of rotten carpet and sheetrock that will have to be replaced due to our ignorance and their negligence. We are first time home owners, and were never shown that it was necessary to check the condensate drain. It is a quick process, and anyone can do it. But, we were not told it was something to keep an eye on when we had them install the unit, and it was not mentioned in the homeowners paperwork that we were given after the install. The products these guys sell are good, but don’t expect them to give you all the details you may need in order to keep it running smoothly, or stand behind their install after they’ve received payment. All three of the guys we talked to told us that we should not have expected this problem, but there wasn't anything they were willing to do to make it right, and unless it is made right we will not be using First Call Heating and Cooling for any of our future needs.

It's a Father son operation and they take a lot of pride in their work. I was very pleased.

The price was good and I did a fair amount of shopping. Father son operation and they take a lot of pride in their work. I was very pleased. They came to look at the until about a day or so after I called. They showed up about 10 minutes early or so. Very pride orientated operation. I've given there name out to a couple of neighbors. I don't get anything for that I was just very pleased with them.

The salesperson was very engaging, informative and easy to talk with. We were provided with a written quote the same day the salesperson came to our house. The Office person was friendly & responsive. Service Tech's were very professional, knowledgeable & efficient. The heat pump's motor is very quiet, such a difference from our previous one. We had a little problem with the programming of the thermostat. The service tech was quick to respond & the problem was cleared up with ease the very next day. We are very pleased with this purchase & the service we've been provided to date. We highly recommend this vendor for your home HVAC needs. Note: Approximate cost/value of service below. We were able to take advantage of gracious discounts so actual price paid was less.

I have a contract with them. I pay per year. I have been with them for a long time, so I just went with the maintenance contract. I just like them.

What a pleasant way to spend money. Robert, Wired 4 Sound, was a pleasure and a professional. His expertise in the "Nest World" was very evident. He was well versed in the functions and was great at making them clear and understandable. His manner was easy going, friendly, and encouraging. He was always asking for questions, and eager to answer. We would encourage anyone wanting Nest to contact Robert for exceptional and friendly service. If we ever have any other home automation ideas, we would not hesitate to contact him.

It's a very old furnace. It's an oil burner that we're talking about converting to a gas furnace, and we talked to them about it and they gave us what looked like a pretty good estimate. The person who came out knew what he was talking about. He had all the facts at his fingertips. He went through and looked at the situation, where our furnace was, how much room there was, all those sorts of things, looked at the duct work. Although my wife at the time was not really happy about the idea of converting to gas, he convinced me it was the right thing to do. He knew what he was talking about. We will probably have them do that work. We just had to put it off for a while because of other work that kind of depleted the money.

They've been maintaining that furnace for us since we moved into this house, at least fourteen years ago. We don't have an air conditioner. That's one of the things we're talking about getting. They're responsive. They're very good at keeping the furnace going. It's a pretty old furnace and it takes some maintenance to keep going. Their oil delivery service is very good. Basically every experience we've had there they've been good, so that's why I stay.

I would not recommend this company for any work on your furnace. I had great luck with Specialty Heating & Cooling for over 2 years until this past winter. I have an older oil furnace. Until recently, we had a mutually respected relationship of service and payment during that time. However, last winter 16/17 they responded to a service call. The technician was unsure of the problem and told us he would have to send out a different technician with more expertise the following day. He mentioned the issue could cost anywhere from 250-900 dollars. The following morning I called the service operator to let them know the location of a key for entry and also to advise the technician to call me before he did any work. I wanted to know if this issue was going to cost 250 or 900 dollars. I wanted to be able to make a decision on what my options were moving forward. I relayed this information to the service operator on the phone before I headed out to work at 9 am. Around noon I had yet to hear from the service technician. I called the service operator and she informed me he had already done the work. I told her how could he of without talking to me first. She informed me that everyone was busy and sometimes they forget. I asked her how much it came to and she told me 900 dollars. No phone call, no options and no choice. I know my furnace is old. I had already been in contact with the gas company to get a gas line and eventually a new furnace. If the issue with my furnace was going to cost me 900 dollars I would of put the service off and used the money toward the cost of a new gas furnace. My house is small with a wood fireplace and I have space heaters. I have gotten by without the oil furnace for months at a time before. After numerous phone calls back and forth with the service manager I was finally able to talk with Paul the service manager. He told me often times his workers just do the work without consulting the client. He also told me that he agreed with me that the work should of been cleared verbally with me before he did the work. As a mediation he asked me what I thought I should pay. I told him I would get back to him. The following day I sent an email saying I would pay close to half. Or he could just come and take the parts out he put in. I never heard back from him. I tried calling 2 times and never got a returned phone call. Over the past two years I have spent close to 2.5k in oil deliveries and service fees. Paid in full each time. For a company not to consult the client before work is crime as far as I am concerned. I have complaints filed with the better business bureau and will continue to tell people not to use this company.

We just had a new Central Air Conditioner installed by Joe G. and Jose. They arrived on time, were very professional and were extremely knowledgeable. They both were very personable and answered all of our questions. The left our house spotless, overall an excellent experience.

I've been very very satisfied with them.

I've been very very satisfied with them. Annual service agreement $300 for the year. That covered everything they've done. They are excellent. I got them off Angie's List. They come about every 6 months.