Harker Heating & Cooling

The experience from getting the proposal to the actual install was impressive. They made sure they answered all my questions and concerns prior to committing to the deal. They even provided documentation on the venting required for the furnace since I was very worried about that because of the prior experience with the old furnace. We got three bids and Harker was in the middle from a price point of view but they were more complete and professional with their sales process. The installation was finished on-time and was very neat. They completely revamped the sheet metal connecting the new furnace to our airconditioning which was not replaced and our existing ducting. They also checked out the humidifier operation which they did not replace and updated the air filter. We have been extremely pleased with the furnace operation over the winter, particularly the variable speed of the Carrier Performance 96 furnace. I delayed writing this review until we had a full year of satisfactory operation. We are completely satisfied.

Their sales guy turned down my business.

Total job time was less than 20 minutes.

Air Conditioner quit working overnight. I called Harker right away in the morning and within 2 hours they had a repairman at my door. Within 30 minutes they had the air conditioner repaired. I was very impressed from my intial call to the repair with the prompt and professional service I received. I would definately use Harker again for A/C or Heating needs. Thanks Harker for helping me on one of the hottest days of the year!

They had to do some major work on it. They were good and did a real good job. They were real professional. They cleaned up after themselves. Their price was competitive and it was good.

Harker seemed professional and gave me a reasonable quote. Their work seemed to be done pretty well. I was rally happy with the work they performed. I would recommend Harker Heating & Cooling to other people.

They are fabulous. I went to them because I saw what kind of rating they had on Angie's List. From the first appointment with the salesman to the installation of the work; they did extra work, I was thoroughly impressed. They installed a high quality air conditioner and did everything they said they were going to do. Then they made a follow up phone call to make sure we were happy with the work that was done. They also far outbid three other companies that we had contacted.

Prior to contracting, Harker's Project Manager, Jason Phillips, was very instructive as to how zoned heating systems worked in general and what we could expect from a zoned system in our particular home, and was very helpful in discussing with us the pros and cons of the two systems we were considering. He worked with us to provide a mutually acceptable work schedule, and coordinated that schedule with our general contractor, Larson Builders (with whom Harker has worked on several projects). The work went off like clockwork, finishing even earlier than they had estimated. The work was done competently and professionally, with a minimum of muss and fuss in the area (all of which was satisfactorily cleaned up when the job was complete). When we thought, just as the new soffit was about to be installed, covering up the new ducts, that there might be a small problem with the newly installed system, they immediately sent a technician over who checked out the system and determined that everything was operating exactly as expected. The new system has now been operating very satisfactorily (much improved over the prior single-zone system) for a little over a week and we have every expectation that this will be a valuable improvement to our home for years to come.

Mark arrived a bit late. We were given an arrival time of 10:45AM and Noon, and he arrived about 12:30PM. Mark was very efficient, and told us the condition of our heat pump and exchanger. Price was $125 for the visit, less a $15 coupon - seemed high for just a checkup.

Awesome experience. He did a great job explaining how the furnace works, how to maintain, what we can do ourselves and what they can do. Great service. Price was less then another company I've worked with in the past and this company was much more responsive and honest.

They performed the work as expected. The prices seemed average (in comparison to the three quotes I received). I decided to go with Harker because they were the only contractor that responded to my requests on the furnace/water heater venting. Plus, the decent reviews from Angie's list. The work finished on time and they did a decent job on clean-up and removal of the old equipment. I did have to have them back to fix an issue with return air vent noise immediately after the install. They billed for this in error - after contacting the sales rep. the bill was corrected. The sales rep did a good job in explaining the rebate options. The only reason for the overall B rating was because I had to have them back for the air vent noise; getting this scheduled and the goof up on billing (which they did resolve).

On the day of the install the team arrived 5 mins early, and were very professional -- apparently they were the most experienced team Harker had. They began by removing the old unit, and were very careful with my finished basement. The install continued from there with the new furnace being placed, and once everything was in place in my basement, they called the office to create the custom-fit surround for my inside AC coil. The entire install was done by 3:30/4:00pm. At the time, they had a 0% financing offer for 12 months, so I've got a nice and warm condo, with a year to save on energy costs before having to pay it all off. That also means I'll get my 15% tax rebate before having to pay off the bill! I ended up with a 2-stage Carrier 58UVB furnace & AC unit, which has a fantastic warranty - as long as you register the serial number and owner information. About a week after the install, I received a packet of information from Harker including two copies of an already-completed energy rebate form (all I had to do was sign and mail one), and an already-completed warranty registration! Overall a fantastic experience! Thanks Harker!

They were prompt, fixed our problem without any hassle.

We called them out as our heater cum air-conditioner in our room was leaking and the dampness left stains on the wall. They were punctual for the job. On examination they mentioned there was no problem at all and left. We continued to have the same problem and called them back, as we already paid for the services. We never received any response or a courtesy call. I was very dissatisfied with their response and do not wish to use them in future.

Very good customer service, very efficient and professional work. Well-known company in Madison, good reputation.

We decided it was time to to replace our ~50 year old gas furnace (forced air) and finally install central A/C in our 110 year old home. We called Harker for a quote and met with HVAC Tech Service Advisor Steve Heiar on 4/15/10. Steve spent almost an hour with us from start to finish with his quote. He was very honest in his oservations/recommendations about what we needed and didn't need. (We had done our homework in researching furnaces & A/C's and install pitfalls and were waiting to see if he was going to try to pull a fast one over us, and he never did.) Working with Steve was like being with that favorite uncle of yours that you go to when you need advice about fixing something like your car. He is a good down-to-earth, friendly and trustworthy person. Steve was very flexible and reasonable with regards to some electrical upgrade work that was needed (He could use Academy Electric or we could call our own electrician.) We obtained a quote from a competitor whose quote was $300 cheaper. We decided upon Harker because their warranty was much better in our favor (Harker: 10yr/5yr parts/labor. Competitor: 5yr/1yryear parts/labor.) We indicated to Steve that we were in a rush to get the furnace and the A/C install completed ASAP since the Focus on Energy rebates were running out. He completely understood and had the entire job done in 1 day on 4/22/10. The follow-up after the install - phone call from Steve and literature from Harker's office - were all spot on for good customer service... We wouldn't hesitate for a moment to recommend Harker and we'll certainly use them for our annual furnace inspections over MG&E. (Note: The invoice price of $6,360 doesn't include the Focus on Energy (federal and state) or Federal Tax Credit for 2010.)

They were very responsive, returning our voice mail first thing (7:10 a.m.) in morning. Sent their repair person within two hours. He was on time, courteous, easy to talk with, and went right to the source of the problem. He was in and out in 45-60 minutes. We had read a review of Harker's service, in which it was noted that they charge $99 for the service call, and add labor on top of that. So, we knew what to expect, and had left voice messages for three or four firms including Harker. They were the first to return our call (by 10 minutes) and so we were happy to have them here so quickly and responsively. I can see why they charge the minimum (they don't compute travel time in their charges, and they need to be profitable). Yet it feels, to some extent, like double charging when they can detect the issue almost instantly, and the clock starts running (plus the $99) immediately. It's like paying a cover charge AND a drink minimum in a night club. As I say, we knew how they charge, and the work was excellent. I'd prefer it if their pricing structure were different. But they are professionals, and we appreciate their work.

I spoke with a gentleman at Harker, and said that we'd like to put in a whole house fan. He said they could do it, but that we'd also need to hire an electrician for some of the work necessary, and a general contractor to do some extra bracing. After he said that, he told me that if we were handy at all, we could probably do it ourselves, and that it wasn't really worth it to call them to come out and do it. I really appreciated his honesty. He could easily have said, "Sure, we can do that, but we'll be hiring some sub-contractors, so the price is pretty steep..." But he didn't - he actually steered me AWAY from hiring them! I don't think I've ever had a company discourage me from using services that they felt were unnecessary. I appreciated his honesty, and will definitely consider using them when we finally DO have a job that requires their expertise!

It was very cold and the house was down to 50 degrees when I got home. I called Harker Heating to see if they could come and look at the furnace. The tech showed up about an hour later and fixed it right away. It only took about 45 minutes from start to finish.

Helpful in selecting new humidifier, showing how to adjust settings, etc.

We had Harker servicing our furnace for several years. Unit was approximately 20 years old. Routine maintenance showed the unit was failing. We decided to replace the furnace and air conditioner with new, more energy efficient models. Despite being very happy with Harker, we solicited bids and interviewed 3 contractors. After all that Harker came in with one of the lowest prices and better product offerings. So we decided to use them. They were very helpful in explaining any energy rebates and getting us anything needed to get those. The installers were on time and very professional. The furnace works flawlessly and we are extremely happy with it and all the work that Harker did for us. We will continue to do business with them in the future.

I think the product and installation were probably average - haven't bought a furnace before, so I can't make a comparison. My reason for not recommending this company is mainly related to their poor customer service and lack of respect for a paying customer, once they have your money. It began with the sales rep who came to the house and made an rather oily, phoney-sounding presentation. This was uneccesary, as I already knew the model I wanted, and just wanted to get the job done. But the price seemed reasonable so I went ahead with it. They did come on time for the installation, and cleaned up fairly well before they left. That was the good part. But after that nobody seemed to care. The furnace is supposedly under warranty, but I was unable to get them to respond to a concern about the furnace that occurred within a year after installation. A technician did show up, but seemed uninterested in finding out if there was really problem. He also seemed to disbelieve what I was telling him about the symptoms. He seemed in a hurry to get on to the next job, stuck a bit of putty on one of the seams for no apparent reason, and left. I called another company which actually looked. There was a problem with the opening for the filter, which the Harker rep did not see (or even look for). Later, still under warranty, I called to get a promised "free" seasonal inspection. We set up at time, and I had to take a morning off from work to be ther to let the technician in. Nobody came, and when I called to find out what happened the person who answered the phone said that someone had forgotten to schedule it. She did offer to re-schedule but I no longer trusteed them to do anything, or to care. I called MG&E and paid for an inspection. At least they showed up and performed the work. I wish I had spent more time choosing a contractor before hiring Harker.

The crew arrived in the half hour start time window. The old units were removed and hauled away. The new units were in place and tested run prior to the estimated finish time. A week or so after the installation, Harker sent a Focus on Energy rebate form with all of the contractor and equipment information already filled in. All I had to was fill in some local utility and some other information and mail it in.

It seems that Harker's top priority is to get paid rather than to satisfy its customers, even when it is clear that work was done unprofessionally. The technicians are generally good, but the customer service people answering the phones are rude and even hostile - so if you have a problem that you need to discuss with customer service, you probably won?t be very successful finding a fair solution. If the lack of courtesy and support provided by the customer service people are a reflection of the customer satisfaction, then many customers must have had a similarly bad experience as I did. Our story begins in November 2008 when we got our thermostat replaced by Harker. Replacement work went fine, but about a month later, at 7 pm on a Sunday night, the furnace would not turn on - not exactly ideal considering that the low for the night was forecasted to be below zero. We called MG&E who came out immediately and determined that there was a problem with the thermostat. They told us that we should call Harker since the work that they did was probably still under warranty. Harker came out and diagnosed the problem as a short in the thermostat wire going from the thermostat to the furnace, and not the thermostat itself. My feeling at this time was that the short was in the thermostat and not the wire, but since they are the professionals, I thought they must know what they are doing, so we told them to go ahead and replace the wire for $213. However, within a couple of months it became clear that the problem was misdiagnosed after the thermostat began, again, to short out. After changing the settings on the thermostat when warmer weather arrived in the spring, the thermostat had to be turned on and off repeatedly in order to get the furnace to run. I called Harker and explained that the thermostat they installed was faulty and needed to be replaced. After the technician diagnosed a short in the thermostat, he replaced the thermostat with a new one. He told us the charges were $135 for the service. I told the technician that I was not going to pay for the service charges since the problem was misdiagnosed several months earlier when I had to pay $213 to replace the thermostat wire, which obviously did not actually needed to be replaced. To add insult to injury, I noticed that after the technician left, he installed the new thermostat off-center, so now we must have someone else come out and move it or paint the wall. I was sent invoices for the service charges, but after talking to the lady in customer service to explain why I did not think I should be charged again after the wrong diagnosis was made, her response was the labor is guarantied for 30 days. She did not care what I had to say and was unfriendly at best. I also told her the thermostat was installed incorrectly the second time, but she did not even take notice of this issue. She finally agreed to split the difference of $135 after a lot of hostility. So in the end, the new thermostat we had installed by Harker cost us $543 ($263 for the first thermostat, $213 for replacing the wire, and $68 ($135/2) for replacing the first thermostat). Update: Due to the strong recommendation of a friend and Harkers good customer ratings on Angies list, I gave Harker a second chance when we moved to our new home (they also installed the furnace in the home, which is also why I thought it would be good to call them). We needed someone to adjust the inline dampers in our 3-year old home to improve the airflow to a second story bedroom. The technician was extremely helpful, friendly, and responsive. He improved the airflow to the bedroom and gave good advise on how to keep the upstairs bedrooms cooler during very hot summer days. The people answering the phones also seemed much friendlier than they used to be, too (they no longer made me feel like I was bothering, or disturbing them with my call). I would rate this last experience with Harker very positively - it seems that Harker might have gotten the message after reading my last review and greatly improved their customer service.

In regards to annual maintenance, their service technicians have always been on time and performed the work professionally. They recently installed a new furnace at a rental unit I own and the work went as planned. There was an error in their communications between the sales department and bookeeping in regards to the original service bill, but this has been resolved.