R A Dobson, Inc. | Heating, Cooling & Plumbing

We have been with RA Dobson for over 20 years for one reason, their commitment to their clients. This past Sunday night our air conditioner stopped working, notified the 24hr service and by early Monday morning they had a technician out to my house. Sim, who had worked with us for many years ,identified the problem and explained to us in great detail what we needed to have done. He notified the parts department and the search began...a compressor was not available locally, but he did locate one in Richmond. Knowing how desperate we were facing the 4th of July weekend and 90 degree/humid weather and not wanting to depend on possible delivery delays he sent someone to Richmond to pick it up (4 1/2 hours on the road). He promised to call as soon as he had some news....my phone rang at 6:30 AM this morning with him telling me they would be out this morning to install. WOW. This company is very professional but more importantly the "personal touch" they give to their clients is why I am writing this review. A big shout out to Sim and Andy and Carlos

We have used R.A. Dobson for many years and have a contract with them for 2 inspections of our heat and a/c systems each year. When we recently noticed our emergency heat was running constantly, we called and Sam came out to take a look. Unfortunately, he found that a leak in the system had caused all the refrigerant to run out, and repairs would be very expensive. After discussing our options, we decided to purchase a new system since our old one was almost 17 years old. We were very happy to find that they could install our new furnace and heat pump only three days later. Adrian, Jason, and Ron were the installers. They arrived early each of the two mornings and worked late to get everything set up for us. It was a complicated job, and the weather was very cold and blustery when they had to install the outside unit. The inside unit had to be fitted into our rather limited space in the basement utility closet. To my husband's delight, Adrian located the source of a rattling part in the duct work that had been very annoying for several years and he fixed it! There were some last minute problems with broken parts and the men immediately got new ones and replaced them. We were so happy to have our heat turned back on at last! All the R.A. Dobson staff members we have met over the years have been knowledgeable and dedicated professionals and we highly recommend this company.

My usual go to for help. They always do a pretty good job. They always make sure i'm satisfied before they leave. I would recommend.

I first used R. A. Dobson last year to replace my hot water heater. Mr. Dobson came out to give me an estimate on a tankless water heater. He was very upfront and honest. They installed a water heater and I’ve had no problems. I wanted to get some advice and an estimate on putting in ductwork for another register and return for my HVAC. George came out. He’s a great guy. He was very honest and didn’t try to sell me on something I don’t need. He gave me some great advice. I will definitely be using R. A. Dobson for all my needs.

Fabulously. Before the service, I had a laundry list of plumbing questions and issues that I had been saving up. The person at the front desk was so helpful and honest about how to resolve them ourselves and about what needed attention and did not. We wound up needing 3 things taken care of on our list. Doug was our technician. He was just great to work with, as was the front office on scheduling and advice, especially on the pros and cons of the different water heater options available to us. Doug was professional and really cared. Did a fantastic job and will definitely be calling RA Dobson again and will be recommending them to our neighbors. So happy we found a company we can trust! I love that they are a smaller company and family owned because they really care about their work.

I have been a customer of RA Dobson since 2013 when they did a gas conversion for me and have since had a service contract. Earlier this week, my A/C unit failed. I called and left a message since it was not urgent and after office hours and received a return call before 8 a.m. the next day. I had a service technician at my residence before noon. He quickly diagnosed the problem -- the fan motor -- and advised that it was under warranty. He contacted his service manager, they secured the necessary replacement, and installed it shortly after noon the very same day at zero cost to me! This is an example of the outstanding service I've come to expect from this company. Job well done.

I will continue to use them. They are reasonably priced and professional. They are a smaller company, so it was a little more personalized service than other places.

I could not have been more pleased with the responsiveness and professionalism of everyone at R.A. Dobson. We required a replacement for a failing Water Heater, and within 24 hours had it replaced. The Technician Evan Doug was excellent keeping us updated on the progress, and even noticed that our original builder had poorly installed a drain pipe from our AC/Heating unit, so he took the time to fix this so as to allow for proper flow into the floor drain.

The water heater failed and they came over within one hour and installed a new one. The technician was courteous, professional and thoroughly qualified. We have used this company for 20 years with new heating/AC installations and service and installation of a generator and we couldn't be more pleased with their services. They have become family to us. It is a family owned business and most of the employees have been employed for many years. Everyone including the people that answer the phone are friendly, knowledgeable and responsive. The technicians are all very qualified and helpful. We are incredibly pleased with this company and recommend them highly to do your work.

We had a Bradford White water heater that was still performing well, but based on it's age of 12+ years we decided to have a another Bradford White water heater put in. We called at least four other plumbers for quotes. R.A. Dobson's staff was very professional and friendly when I called for a quote. They had the best price and even had a coupon on their website that could be used. They said to expect their team at 8:15 a.m. and they arrived on-time! They took great care in covering all of our flooring. They were very professional, friendly, and detailed oriented. Our county requires many new items to be installed with new water heaters (expansion tank, bracket. and drip pan). Therefore, installation took a bit longer than planned as some modifications had to be made, but the guys kept a great attitude and worked continually to make sure everything was done properly. The county inspector came out today and as expected their work got a great report.

They came in and I asked questions about what they were using and I was trying to compare them to some other people I found in the Angie's List site and so they explained why it's better to have a battery back up because with a water back up, I have to pour the water in so I should remember to do it. If I don't then it doesn't kick on when I need it. The battery back up costs more but I'm not going to worry about when I have a storm, it will automatically kick in so my basement won'tt flood. I asked a lot of questions and they knew all the solutions, and provided a lot of stuff for me, and that's why I ended up going with them. I have a higher end unit and some of the other ones on the Angie's List site were cheaper but they weren't battery back up, they were water back up or they were just a sump pump so I thought it was fair. If it wasn't for the 10% discount, it's normally $1550 so it was like $1500 plus I got a 10% deal by going with the Big Deal. When I did the research, other people had no name brands that had smaller motors. This is a high end brand with a bigger motor. When I kind of looked around that and the installation cost, I think it was at the realm of reasonable. I called them before they got here and I said I'm going to add some other thing. I called them beforehand and negotiated the price so when they showed up, I knew exactly how much because I already paid the Big Deal with a credit card but I just gave a check for another $550 for the other work. They were very responsive. I called them and explained about the Big Deal. The owner had been away for a day but I got a hold of someone else, and we set it up. It took them one day to order the part, and we set it for this Friday. I contacted them on Tuesday so it was really fast. They showed up exactly on time. What time he said he would be here, he was, Johnny-on-the-spot. They explained what they found when they put the sump pump down. They explained that they were putting a frost free hose bib outside. They explained that for the faucet that I needed, they needed to shave down the top of this wooden top of the sink. They were really professional. They didn't say they were going to do it then walked out the door. He was very forthcoming with information. There are some other things that I need to get done so I'm going to reach out to them again.

I've been relying on RA Dobson for my heating/cooling needs over 15 years. The specific service I'm writing about here involves some work they did on my rental house. The cooling system failed during a particularly hot period and the tenants were obviously upset. Dobson was able to get a tech out there later the same day to diagnose the problem. (It pays to purchase their service contract for priority service!) It turned out to be kind of a complicated warranty issue, but Travis (Dobson) got involved and worked with the manufacturer on my behalf to get it resolved. I've known Travis from the beginning and I can't say enough good things about him. Everyone at RA Dobson is friendly and helpful, but if you need anything out of the ordinary or have a tricky issue, he will take the time to understand what you need and do everything possible to get it resolved. I highly recommend them.

It's one of those places where you have come out look at it for ninety five dollars and then they find a million things that are wrong you give them the money to fix that and oh that wasn't it so lets try something else and it turned out they were horrible. The first time they charge us two hundred and fifty dollars or two ninety five for a consultation or see what they felt the problem was and then when they came they said we had too much free on and they couldn't check the system until after all free on was out or the level was down so they did that and then they came back out another day and that was another two hundred and ninety five dollars and then they said we needed seventeen hundred dollars worth of stuff done to it and from the second to the third visit it was two hundred dollars and from the third to the forth visit when they came back out to because we were still having the problem he goes well I guess it wasn't that it was probably something else and if you need a new motor because it was a try loader or something you need a new motor well my son goes look I know something about motors and that motor works great so he was able to by pass something and he got it working but it probably needs a new board because the unit is only a year and a half old and whoever installed it took off see we don't know if it's maybe he might have installed it wrong. They were just trying to rip us off and I would never use them again and I never recommend them. They did call back and they did answer their phone. And I'm also a realtor and I would make sure that anybody I knew who asked about them I would tell them no don't use them.

The house we bought had one wraps on the previous owners had and they honored that one visit and we just kept using them because we like them.

R. A. Dobson did an outstanding job. Prior to having the unit replaced, I got quotes from 3 companies. I chose this company because of its reputation and the willingness of the owner, Travis, to explain the process and estimate to me in depth. He juggled things around to get the install done quickly and so it fit into my schedule. It was an incredibly hot day, especially to replace an attic unit. Five guys and three trucks showed up. They worked hard, were cheerful and answered all of my questions. Trevor, the team leader, did an excellent job. One of my neighbors even commented on what a great job they had done. I highly recommend them and will continue to use their services for my heating and air conditioning needs.

R. A. Dobson did an outstanding job. Prior to having the unit replaced, I got quotes from 3 companies. I chose this company because of its reputation and the willingness of the owner, Travis, to explain the process and estimate to me in depth. He juggled things around to get the install done quickly and so it fit into my schedule. It was an incredibly hot day, especially to replace an attic unit. Five guys and three trucks showed up. They worked hard, were cheerful and answered all of my questions. Trevor, the team leader, did an excellent job. One of my neighbors even commented on what a great job they had done. I highly recommend them and will continue to use their services for my heating and air conditioning needs.

R A Dobson, Inc was professional and courteous and I highly recommend them. They came in when we were doing our home and showed up on time, gave us a quote and stuck to it to replace the entire ductwork through out the house. They also pointed out several items with the HVAC (lacked a double walled flu) and a few minor items that were not up to code. They came back when the pump for the HVAC drain failed prematurely fixed it, fixed the damage it caused and didn't charge. They stand by their work and I've had them doing all maintenance on the HVAC since this work was done.

I called early one morning to get on the schedule and was told the work could be done the same day. Around 1:30pm Doug and Evan arrived. They wore uniforms and were neat and clean, introduced themselves, reviewed what was to be done, gave me an estimate for the cost and began work. They worked quickly and professionally, did an excellent job and cleaned up when finished. We were very pleased and would certainly choose this company again.

I called in the morning saying that the hose faucet in the front of the house was leaking, but that there was no urgency in getting it repaired. (It only leaked when I turned it on.) The office said Doug and Evan would be there sometime during that afternoon. They showed up on time and it took about an hour to remove the old faucet and put a new one in. A nice professional job. Kudos!

Jesse did a great job diagnosing the issue with the air handler. He was very thorough tracing the issue, testing, and confirming there we no other issues. That kind of attention to detail / quality goes a long way from a customer satisfaction perspective. This was my first time using RA Dobson, but I'll plan to use them again based on this positive first experience.

Ben came promptly on the same day we called RA Dobson. He was very knowledgeable and professional in confirming our water heaters functionality. Ben even checked out the water heater's electrical connections.

R. A. Dobson switches our HVAC systems every spring and fall for decades. Their careful attention has kept our l971 home functioning perfectly. In between spring and fall services, they are very responsive to any concerns.

After discovering a lot of water under the kitchen sink while doing the dinner dishes, I called a couple plumbers' after-hours numbers and explained it was a non-emergency but needed service. R.A. Dobson had a good response, but asked that I call first thing in the morning to get on the schedule as soon as possible. I did, and their piumber came within 90 minutes of my call the next morning. He discovered a leak in the sink faucet "tubing"; an integral part of the faucet which could only be repaired by replacing the faucet. He suggested I go buy a new one and contact the office once I had it to schedule a return visit. The first visit was no charge. I was able to get on the schedule for the next morning at 7:30, but after finding a faucet quickly the same day as the first visit, I called R.A. Dobson and they were able to get the original plumber back to my house later in the afternoon of the original day. By the evening, I was up and running for $320 labor costs (which I thought a bit excessive for a faucet installation) and was happy with the results. I thought my problem was fixed as I thought the plumber would have looked for all sources of water and that was the only problem identified. I was wrong. A few days later, I realized I had another large amount of water collected under the sink. I was frustrated over the need to call R.A. Dobson back and have them return, but it made the most sense at the time. When the same plumber returned, he pointed out that I now had a leak from my disposal and that the entire unit needed replaced. I was surprised he had not seen the leak on the original visit. He had the replacement on hand and was able to replace it in less then 45 minutes. Cost for the disposal and labor, $480 which I found comparatively cheap compared to the previous labor charge for the faucet replacement. BUT the plumber did make the repair, was efficient with his time, left a clean work site and was pleasant. He ensured me he checked all possible sources this time, even dissembling the sink's trap, etc and re-sealing them. I haven't had any issues since the last visit to replace the disposal. Overall, the office staff, the plumber and the work was done well, efficiently, responsively and with a great customer orientation. Things happen and I suppose the disposal leak may not have been obvious on the first trip, but it was admittedly frustrating to loose so much time over a "repeat" plumbing need. While I gave them a "B" for price and quality, (price was for the as-stated labor costs, and quality was the need for a return visit), I would still consider contacting them again because of their positive customer service orientation and responsiveness.

They were efficient on time, and on budget. I have used them before to install the outside unit.

We met Travis when we were considering switching from propane to natural gas for our pool heater. He had innovative ideas on how to do the most cost effective work and offered solutiions that we hadn't considered. While we were mulling our options our water heater ruptured on Memorial Day Weekend. We were able to email Travis over the weekend and not only did he respond, he arranged for the new heater to be installed on Tuesday morning. The water heater install went great and when the county inspector wanted one little loose end tied up Travis had it corrected with-in 3 hours. Fast forward one week; I'm finishing the repairs to my lower level from the water damage and I realize that my AC system sounds funny. We call Travis again and they have someone out first thing next day. Sim showed up and advised that our condensor fan had gone bad and it wasn't an easy repair (we have an old, horrible, inefficient system due to being in an odd townhouse). My wife and I judged the cost of repair versus replacement of the 15 year old contractor grade AC and we decided it was time to replace. We contacted Travis and with in hours we had an estimate that was competitive to others we had obtained in the past. We authorized the work and they were out with in 36 hours starting the repairs. They took one full day but were able to replace the condensor, evaporator coils, furnace/blower, thermostat, and associated duct work. The crew was clean, quick, and professional. Our new AC works great and we couldn't be happier. I can't recommend RA Dobson enough.