Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. KC HVAC Savers is amazing. It’s like comparing a Master Craftsman to an occasional DIYer. Last fall, we were using one of its major local competitors that is run like a private equity firm; all hat, no cattle.
They sent their newbie tech out to do an A/C maintenance call, and he didn’t do something correctly. Before he came out, our A/C was working well. The next day, all the R22 was out; no cooling.
They sent out a salesman who said, “I’m surprised they sent out a tech to service such an old (22 years old) unit.” He said that losing all of the R22 in one day rarely happens. Tell me about it.
He gave us a quote on a new A/C with a “free furnace”. (If you hear that, find a new HVAC contractor right away.) Since it was tolerable without A/C, we chose to wait. OMG am I glad we did.
We went through Angi, which recommended four non-PE contractors. The one we chose sounded like a locally-owned contractor that hadn’t sold out “in more ways than one”.
Alan Cardozo reached out to me and explained that he paid his techs a salary and incented them on the basis of the reviews customers gave. The other contractors incentivize their techs to upsell A/C and furnace upgrades. They don’t need to hire experienced techs, who have probably left to work for people like Alan, who values them as craftsmen.
With our backstory in mind, he sent out a tech who had worked for contractors who want most if not all repair calls to result in upsells to upgrades. This relatively older tech discovered that the connections were not good. So, of course, the R22 leaked out.
He pressurized the system with an inert gas on a Friday and came back to check it on the following Monday. The pressure held, indicating a leak was unlikely. To check this another way, he drew a vacuum, and it held for several minutes without changing; another indication there was no leak.
After talking with Alan, who concurred that there was very likely no leak, the tech added five pounds of R22 to fully pressurize the A/C. We turned the A/C on, and it works as it should.
We will want a new A/C and furnace someday, and I am confident the only person I will call is Alan. Meanwhile, we have scheduled service for our furnace in the fall. There is no contract. As long as we keep using them, though, they treat us as though we do.
