Comfort Airz - A/C tune-up or Sales Call

[Frank495]

Nothing but sales. Paid $59.95 for the service. Sell, Sell, Sell and, that was the nature of the visit. He opened the air handler and found some mold on our 5 year old system suggested the coils be replaced but, since parts were not available we should replace , the the entire system with a new system, Ours is a carrier the replacement he suggested was a brand that I never heard of that costs almost $20,000. We said no thank you, since our system still works fine. He then checked the thermostat and said it was recording 4-5 degrees Higher than his gauge, which we could not see. He explained, this was because our system was working too hard because of the mold, and it couldn't remove the humidity. (The presence of humidity Does Not change the actual temperature.) Our Thermostat is relatively new, We checked the temperature with 2 other thermostats, which confirmed ours was correct and his was Not. He re-explained we didn't understand but it was due to humidity. He then was paid and left. The drain on the air handler was never checked as required, and the sealing tape on the air handler was not replaced.

[rjm1cc]

I have heard of cleaning the coils but not replacing the system. I think a normal annual service check up would include cleaning the mold on the coils.

[Keefelane66]

They'll do it to us every time happened to us with Munns. Same with thermostat our has read about 5° higher than actual house temp with humidity @ 40%. A/C heat pump 7 years.
We have a handheld laser thermometer, weather station and digital thermometer/humidity all temperatures read within a degree, also a mercury thermometer same reading.

[retiredguy123]

Nothing but sales. Paid $59.95 for the service. Sell, Sell, Sell and, that was the nature of the visit. He opened the air handler and found some mold on our 5 year old system suggested the coils be replaced but, since parts were not available we should replace , the the entire system with a new system, Ours is a carrier the replacement he suggested was a brand that I never heard of that costs almost $20,000. We said no thank you, since our system still works fine. He then checked the thermostat and said it was recording 4-5 degrees Higher than his gauge, which we could not see. He explained, this was because our system was working too hard because of the mold, and it couldn't remove the humidity. (The presence of humidity Does Not change the actual temperature.) Our Thermostat is relatively new, We checked the temperature with 2 other thermostats, which confirmed ours was correct and his was Not. He re-explained we didn't understand but it was due to humidity. He then was paid and left. The drain on the air handler was never checked as required, and the sealing tape on the air handler was not replaced.
If you have a 5 year old Carrier system, you should have another 5 years remaining on your parts warranty. Typically, these systems come with a 5-year labor and 10-year parts warranty. Write down the serial number from your air handling unit and go to the Carrier website to find the exact status of your warranty. If the evaporator coil is defective, the part should be covered under warranty. Have you checked the filter for excessive dirt, and the drain pan under the coil for standing water that could be causing the mold? If you only have a small amount of mold, you can spray the coil with a specially designed cleaning product. Also, pour hot water down the condensate drain and make sure it is draining properly. This should be done every 2 or 3 months. You can buy a small gizmo for about $12 at Home Depot that will measure the temperature and humidity in your house.

[Michigan Farmer]

Yea, the same company took my neighbor for $13K. Please, Please stay away from them.

[MrFlorida]

HA HA, they are not coming out to service your system, they are looking for things to sell you !!!

[Bridget Staunton]

What is the name of the company. He is definitely a crook and i want to stay away from him

[retiredguy123]

What is the name of the company. He is definitely a crook and i want to stay away from him
Comfort Airz. It is in the title of the thread.

Note that their website says that they have a 5-star rating on Goggle, with 737 reviews. How does this happen? It really makes me wonder how Google manages their rating system.

[MikeN]

Definitely sounds like fraud and should be reported to the Better Business Bureau. Thanks for the info Nothing but sales. Paid $59.95 for the service. Sell, Sell, Sell and, that was the nature of the visit. He opened the air handler and found some mold on our 5 year old system suggested the coils be replaced but, since parts were not available we should replace , the the entire system with a new system, Ours is a carrier the replacement he suggested was a brand that I never heard of that costs almost $20,000. We said no thank you, since our system still works fine. He then checked the thermostat and said it was recording 4-5 degrees Higher than his gauge, which we could not see. He explained, this was because our system was working too hard because of the mold, and it couldn't remove the humidity. (The presence of humidity Does Not change the actual temperature.) Our Thermostat is relatively new, We checked the temperature with 2 other thermostats, which confirmed ours was correct and his was Not. He re-explained we didn't understand but it was due to humidity. He then was paid and left. The drain on the air handler was never checked as required, and the sealing tape on the air handler was not replaced.

[retiredguy123]

Definitely sounds like fraud and should be reported to the Better Business Bureau. Thanks for the info
The company has an A+ rating with BBB and no complaints. Also, there are over 800 Google reviews and almost every one of them is a 5-star rating. Go figure.

[hvac877]

Some of the larger HVAC companies have hired technicians that are not really qualified because of the short amount of time and training they have received. They are put in a service vehicle and told to sell, sell, sell. There are a few who actually know how to do a good honest inspection. Just because a capacitor is rusty doesn't mean it needs replacement, because coils are dirty doesn't mean they need to be replaced. When any company is trying to scare you into purchasing new equipment get 3 proposals from large local companies. When I went to an inspection and was told by the customer that they were told their equipment needs to be replaced it was usually just a sale pitch and I found nothing wrong, I always felt if it isn't broke then don't fix it. I Always made sure it was clean and operating at good pressures and electrical was ok. Filters are most important and should have been replaced by the recommended manufacture replacement and change every 6 months.

[Bay Kid]

I had a guy that came recommended come to my home for a checkup. Was to be $59. + parts. He said I need a capacitor, $11.75 on Amazon, charged me $160. Said I needed a hardstart, $18.91 on Amazon, he charged me $180. Total $399, plus he said my ducts needed cleaning. His son could do that.

Every now and then we get fooled.

[jrref]

Maybe instead of cleaning the coils they are replacing them now once or twice a year? The thermostat too just to make sure it's accurate. Yikes! :a040:

I will tell you when I purchased my home the existing thermostat was reading a couple of degrees higher and I did have to change it myself. So that's possible. Mold on the coils or in the airhandler is not an unusual problem. Over time you will get some and it just needs to be cleaned. As for the capacitor change out, although the part is cheap on Amazon, the company is charging you for the truck roll and technicians time which will vary. Unfortunately, when the capacitor goes bad it's usually hot, you want A/C and you will pay anything to get it back. If you are very handy you can buy a spare capacitor on Amazon and have it on hand because over time it will go bad.

The Carrier systems installed in the Villages are very good and have an excellent warrenty. Just get a reliable company to service it and it should last about 15-20 years on average.

[biker1]

That has not been my experience with Munns. They were the original vendor on my new house (Carrier equipment) and have done annual maintenance for the last nine years. I have the same tech come out each year. They check pressures, super heat, sub cooling, amp draw, clean condensate drain and pan, and clean the evaporator and condenser coils as needed. Some might argue that annual maintenance visits aren't needed but they are relatively inexpensive and I prefer to have the system looked over periodically. Except for a capacitor replacement under warranty, the system has been problem free. I now keep a spare capacitor on hand and preemptively replace it myself every couple of years. I also mail order the Carrier-branded air filters and replace annually. Assuming we are still in the house, I will certainly request a quote from Munns when we need to replace the system. I am open to considering alternates to Carrier such as Mitsubishi.

Some of the larger HVAC companies have hired technicians that are not really qualified because of the short amount of time and training they have received. They are put in a service vehicle and told to sell, sell, sell. There are a few who actually know how to do a good honest inspection. Just because a capacitor is rusty doesn't mean it needs replacement, because coils are dirty doesn't mean they need to be replaced. When any company is trying to scare you into purchasing new equipment get 3 proposals from large local companies. When I went to an inspection and was told by the customer that they were told their equipment needs to be replaced it was usually just a sale pitch and I found nothing wrong, I always felt if it isn't broke then don't fix it. I Always made sure it was clean and operating at good pressures and electrical was ok. Filters are most important and should have been replaced by the recommended manufacture replacement and change every 6 months.

[OhioBuckeye]

Nothing but sales. Paid $59.95 for the service. Sell, Sell, Sell and, that was the nature of the visit. He opened the air handler and found some mold on our 5 year old system suggested the coils be replaced but, since parts were not available we should replace , the the entire system with a new system, Ours is a carrier the replacement he suggested was a brand that I never heard of that costs almost $20,000. We said no thank you, since our system still works fine. He then checked the thermostat and said it was recording 4-5 degrees Higher than his gauge, which we could not see. He explained, this was because our system was working too hard because of the mold, and it couldn't remove the humidity. (The presence of humidity Does Not change the actual temperature.) Our Thermostat is relatively new, We checked the temperature with 2 other thermostats, which confirmed ours was correct and his was Not. He re-explained we didn't understand but it was due to humidity. He then was paid and left. The drain on the air handler was never checked as required, and the sealing tape on the air handler was not replaced.Just me but I think he thought , “I found a sucker! To me I would never buy another air conditioner from the same contractor & pay $20,000. if my conditioner was only 5 yrs. old. Cleaning coils is easy, trip air conditioner circuit breaker in your breaker box it should be labeled Air Conditioner, then remove screws around top of Air Conditioner, lift top up & move to the side as far as the electrical wires will let, don’t worry about electricity remember you tripped breaker, you’re safe. Then buy a spray can of coil cleaner from a hardware, from the inside of the top of Air Conditioner spray cleaner on coils, let sit for about 5 mins. Rinse coils with mist water spray, it’s clean no more mold on coils. Put top of conditioner back on, trip breaker to ON. Saved you $20,000. dollars. Do this every 2 to 3 yrs. Your Conditioner should be OK for 10 yrs. yet! If I lived there yet I would clean it for you for FREE. If you don’t want to do it or don’t know how I’m sure someone would do it for you for a small fee! But don’t let some slick repairman think he can make an easy $20,000.

[ithos]

I wonder why they don't recommend replacing the capacitor and contactor after ten years? Parts cost around $50 to $75 for premium parts and takes 20 minutes to replace. Probably because they can charger $12k or more for a new condenser.

[Heytubes]

A year or two ago I had a $49.99 HVAC Company do an inspection. Told me he needed to remove the air handler to change the filter. Wanted 4k. I said no. Then said could just remove part of it to change the “interior” filter. Told him I’d think about it. As a former builder I knew it was their gimmick. Find a naive homeowner and rip them off. I’ve found Mumm’s to be fair for my service needs.

[Frank495]

Comfort airz

[Lyarham]

Nothing but sales. Paid $59.95 for the service. Sell, Sell, Sell and, that was the nature of the visit. He opened the air handler and found some mold on our 5 year old system suggested the coils be replaced but, since parts were not available we should replace , the the entire system with a new system, Ours is a carrier the replacement he suggested was a brand that I never heard of that costs almost $20,000. We said no thank you, since our system still works fine. He then checked the thermostat and said it was recording 4-5 degrees Higher than his gauge, which we could not see. He explained, this was because our system was working too hard because of the mold, and it couldn't remove the humidity. (The presence of humidity Does Not change the actual temperature.) Our Thermostat is relatively new, We checked the temperature with 2 other thermostats, which confirmed ours was correct and his was Not. He re-explained we didn't understand but it was due to humidity. He then was paid and left. The drain on the air handler was never checked as required, and the sealing tape on the air handler was not replaced.

Had a company tell us our system was shot 8 years ago. Still running great today

[MandoMan]

Nothing but sales. Paid $59.95 for the service. Sell, Sell, Sell and, that was the nature of the visit. He opened the air handler and found some mold on our 5 year old system suggested the coils be replaced but, since parts were not available we should replace , the the entire system with a new system, Ours is a carrier the replacement he suggested was a brand that I never heard of that costs almost $20,000. We said no thank you, since our system still works fine. He then checked the thermostat and said it was recording 4-5 degrees Higher than his gauge, which we could not see. He explained, this was because our system was working too hard because of the mold, and it couldn't remove the humidity. (The presence of humidity Does Not change the actual temperature.) Our Thermostat is relatively new, We checked the temperature with 2 other thermostats, which confirmed ours was correct and his was Not. He re-explained we didn't understand but it was due to humidity. He then was paid and left. The drain on the air handler was never checked as required, and the sealing tape on the air handler was not replaced.

Maybe I’m a sucker. In May ComfortAirz came to my ten year old house because my drain was blocked, and I ended up buying a Daikin Fit 2 ton high efficiency heat pump for $10,500. They did a perfect installation the next day in three hours. It is virtually silent, even standing next to the compressor.. The cooling is much more regular and less drafty. My electric bills dropped by 50%. The latest bill for my courtyard villa was $66. Daikin is one of the top ranked heat pump makers, rated higher than Carrier, even if you haven’t heard of it, and its heat pumps sold in the U.S. are made here by American workers. It’s more expensive than most, but my model has a much longer warranty.

[retiredguy123]

Maybe I’m a sucker. In May ComfortAirz came to my ten year old house because my drain was blocked, and I ended up buying a Daikin Fit 2 ton high efficiency heat pump for $10,500. They did a perfect installation the next day in three hours. It is virtually silent, even standing next to the compressor.. The cooling is much more regular and less drafty. My electric bills dropped by 50%. The latest bill for my courtyard villa was $66. Daikin is one of the top ranked heat pump makers, rated higher than Carrier, even if you haven’t heard of it, and its heat pumps sold in the U.S. are made here by American workers. It’s more expensive than most, but my model has a much longer warranty.
$10,500 is a lot of money for a 2 ton heat pump. I assume that you didn't get other quotes. The warranty may be longer, but the availability of authorized dealers and parts is more important, if your system fails. There is no way that the reason your electricity bill went down by 50 percent was due to the brand of heat pump.

[ron32162]

one of the oldest scams in The Villages

[JRcorvette]

We have been using Kalos for years now. They are always honest and straightforward. They have a pretty good service plan too. My only gripe is on our recent service the tech said that our capacitor was low down to 75% and would probably need to be replaced in the future. I asked if they had one on the truck and how much to replace it now. Mind you the AC unit was open and I could see the capacitor. He quoted $189 wow. I said hey come on now. You are right here and there are 3 wires to unplug and plug into the new capacitor. That is outrageous because I know that they cost under $25 on Amazon or ACE. He agreed and gave me the number for a replacement. Their tech are always very nice and honest. Kalos could have made a quick $40 if he had quoted me $50 to replace it right then. I am sure they buy them in bulk for about $10. All the AC companies are the same. When we were using SunCool they wanted $211 for a capacitor during a service call. If they had to make a special trip out I can see the high cost but not when they are right there doing a yearly service. I ordered one on Amazon and it took me 15 minutes to change it our and I am not a real handy person.

[susankchittum@gmail.com]

Nothing but sales. Paid $59.95 for the service. Sell, Sell, Sell and, that was the nature of the visit. He opened the air handler and found some mold on our 5 year old system suggested the coils be replaced but, since parts were not available we should replace , the the entire system with a new system, Ours is a carrier the replacement he suggested was a brand that I never heard of that costs almost $20,000. We said no thank you, since our system still works fine. He then checked the thermostat and said it was recording 4-5 degrees Higher than his gauge, which we could not see. He explained, this was because our system was working too hard because of the mold, and it couldn't remove the humidity. (The presence of humidity Does Not change the actual temperature.) Our Thermostat is relatively new, We checked the temperature with 2 other thermostats, which confirmed ours was correct and his was Not. He re-explained we didn't understand but it was due to humidity. He then was paid and left. The drain on the air handler was never checked as required, and the sealing tape on the air handler was not replaced.

I agree. I paid for a tune up but he didn’t do anything or clean anything. Just told me we needed a new coil (which we did). We went with Costco’s contractor and ended up replacing our entire system who was 10 years old. After Costco’s rebate card and a $2000 tax credit for the new efficiency systems we spent $6000. Just the new coil would have been $2500-$3000.

[mciboroTamarindo]

I have had only one interaction with Munns but must say it was good.
Pushed nothing sales-wise, clear explanation(s), very professional.
I will most definitely check with them again when I need additional service.
I give credit ONLY when it's due; and Munns earned it.

[Bridget Staunton]

God bless you HVAC877 for being honest

[Elixir34]

They'll do it to us every time happened to us with Munns. Same with thermostat our has read about 5° higher than actual house temp with humidity @ 40%. A/C heat pump 7 years.
We have a handheld laser thermometer, weather station and digital thermometer/humidity all temperatures read within a degree, also a mercury thermometer same reading.

Munn’s gave us a discount on a blower repair if we sign up for annual maintenance. I scheduled them out about six months later to check the system. They found no problems. Said it was working fine and no maintenance was needed.