ARS / Rescue Rooter Austin

I called them to find out why no one came for appointment and they said they don't set appointments for a specific time. They rescheduled the appointment for a different window of time and still did not show up. They did not even call!

Out of state family was visiting (two adults and two children under ages of 10). It was a scorching August afternoon--minutes before 5:00 p.m. Suddenly the AC went completely out. Our visiting relatives, from cool California were already suffering from Texas heat. (Plus young son was running a temperature). My husband & sons thought AC thermostat needed replacing, so they drove for miles to nearest home improvement store to buy new one. Once installed, still nothing--- not even the fan came on. I called ARS switchboard. They had many people needing help, but in 2 hours repairman "Bunny" drove up. Quickly he diagnosed the problem & then solved it: system has an automatic shut off that goes into action when water is not draining. Buildup of algae kept it from draining (triple digit days and humidity caused algae). Repairs involved Bunny crawling up in our attic (an oven) to reach the source of algae. Bunny also checked rest of AC's vital signs (and suggested we return the new thermostat to the home improvement store). He then stayed, making certain it was up & running properly.

One Sunday morning our A/C unit started making a loud noise like a lawn mower and failed to produce cold air. We called ARS and requested a tech to come out. We understood that it was a Sunday & they were busy, and we accepted the "overtime service fee" of $119.95. The person on the phone seemed a little annoyed and unfriendly. The service tech showed up at 5:30pm. He was hot & irritable, but he was also unfriendly. He diagnosed the problem as a shorted compressor. When I asked him to speak with our home warranty company he became very upset and frustrated. He complained that it was going to take forever. He spoke with the lady and then told us to call ARS on Monday morning. We called and were met once again with a very unfriendly and unprofessional dispatcher. He claimed that the tech would call us later. We called back 4 hours later and spoke to another unfriendly and unprofessional dispatcher who said she didn't know anything about our claim. She said the tech would call us later. Eventually our home warranty company reached the tech. They said that the price we were being quoted was way too high, so they referred us to another service company. The people at this other company were so friendly and professional, we went ahead and fired ARS just based on their attitudes.

Scheduled inspection was not completed as requested.

The technician was very professional. He figured out some filters that we didn't need and that we did. He did a very thorough job. He put in all new filters. He also gave us very helpful advice on what we could do ourselves.

The fellow told us that the part wasn't an unusual one to have to replace. It was really great. We called on the weekend, and they said they could come on out.

The appliance repair man was supposed to come at the same time as another repair man, but he did not show up for about an hour after the other repair man. Once he did show up, he fixed the problem very quickly. He diagnosed the problem very quickly and was professional.

They did some things for me at no additional charge. The sales person was great, keeping me informed and answering all my questions. They were very good at getting the job done and offering good service. Because they did good work for me on this job, I used them again for appliance repair and plumbing work because I am familiar with them now and they offer discounts to returning customers.

They checked out the issue and went over some possible causes. They gave an estimate for the plumbing issue and to replace the faucets. They were good and I was happy with them. They took time to spend with me on this issue.

I have no complaints. The dispatcher was friendly and professional (so much so that it was obvious that she was reading from a script, but that's fine with me) and she said that she could have someone on site that afternoon. Sure enough, the technician arrived within just a few hours of my call. He was also friendly and professional. Since it was such an easy problem to fix (a blown fuse) I kind of feel like he was kind of "killing time" to justify the $100 fee he charged, but at the same time he did provide a valuable service and gave my tenant pointers on how to keep it from happening again.

This is the second time I've called ARS after getting an initial diagnostic and quote from another (well known, well advertised, family owned) HVAC contractor. Both times ARS has correctly diagnosed the problem and had substantially underbid the competition. This time, ARS found the leak in the evaporator coil and concluded that it could be repaired (loose connector) while the competitors diagnosis required the entire evaporator coil ($1500 to $2000) be replaced. Floyd, the ARS tech, also noticed that fittings/connectors at the compressor unit were improperly left (by the same competitor) after their earlier visit, and after getting them squared away, he examined our second compressor unit to see if it had been left in the same state. The end result is that ARS saved me from a repair that was going to cost over a thousand dollars and take a couple days just to get parts.

Great. The service technician was very nice and thorough. He checked the blower/motor in the furnaces first, then the attic to see how the ducts were laid out and then outside to the A/C units. He also taught me how to do some things to keep my A/C running smoothly. I was very impressed.

This last experience I had was very bad. They were scheduled to come out between 1-5 on Wed. About 5pm they called to say they could not do the work in rain, but it was not raining at our home. They called about an hour after they were scheduled, they showed up and did the work.

The service technician performed a thorough check of the entire system and demonstrated that everything was working properly and within spec. Apparently the system is just not powerful enough for the tough cooling load during those hot summer afternoons.

It went well. Did not take him long.

The heater pilot light would light but it wouldn't ignite to start the heater. Talked with the dispatcher and within an hour there was a serviceman at our door. This was at 6:30 p.m. He was very cordial. He worked on the heater for about an hour then called someone for advice. He did not have the part that was needed in the truck so would come back the next day. Asked us when the best time was to accommodate our schedule. The next day dispatcher called to let us know that he was running behind and would not be at our home until an hour later. When he did arrive, again very courteous and pleasant. Got the job done and it's working beautifully now. We're warm!

They found that the door to the a/c unit was not on correctly.

Work was done quickly and at a competitive price.

Upon arrival, the plumber stated the inoperable toilet was a "builder's grade, from Mexico" and probably would not last much longer. I could have him repair it for around $200 or, his recommendation was to pull it out and have it replaced with one he could sell me for $400 (this was the lowest priced toilet he could offer me). I opted to NOT have him fix it and my husband fixed it with a toilet repair kit from a hardware store for $20. It has worked fine since then. The other toilet was repaired by him and one week later, was again inoperable (wouldn't flush). My 11 year old son removed the top off the tank and discovered that the plumber hadn't put the chain tight enough so the tank would not flush. He tightened the chain and now it's fine.

Their serviceman showed up ON TIME, did the work, explained everything to me, answered all my questions, and charged me the advertised rate for the furnace check-up. The service representative was courteous and friendly. I would definitely use this company again!

Since they already have a fixed price for this service, I should have been provided an estimate over the phone. The psychological tactic of sending over a technician to break the bad news about their exorbitant price wasted both my time and that of the technician. I'd think twice about calling them for routine jobs like this.

I've used them before and I'll use them again. Ask for bunny!

We contacted ARS at 3:00pm on a Saturday afternoon after waiting for another company to respond to our call placed earlier in the morning. ARS arrived within 3 hours of our service request and had the problem resolved within 30 minutes. They were professional and timely and we will definitely do business with them again.

They did not install my unit originally, but I have been extremely satisfied with them maintaining it. They are very prompt and provide excellent customer service and are very knowledgeable. They seem to be trustworthy and I will continue to use their service. I have never had any problems with using them and I am happy with that.

They were very polite and helpful, making sure I got exactly what I needed. They were knowledgeable and prompt and the work was done quickly and efficiently. Everything was cleaned up to perfection when the job was done and I have not had a bit of trouble with my new unit.