Virginia Heating and Air

I called a few places to have a technician come out and check out the reason for our A/​C problems. I understand this is a busy time of year for HVAC businesses and everyone wants their A/​C fixed ASAP but some places that I called were downright rude (Brennan’s). The most professional one that I called was Virginia Heating and Air. I explained to Mark my problem and he said that he would squeeze me in because he had other clients near my address on the same day. Mark gave me a call before he arrived to let me know he was on his way and he got to work before I even made it home from work. Mark and his son Adam were very helpful and diagnosed a bad condenser capacitor rather quickly. Mark did not try to upsell me on anything and helped save me money by signing up for a maintenance plan. I asked Mark to help diagnose some duct work problems and he gave some great suggestions without trying to sell anything. I am glad I found Virginia Heating and Air and look forward to having them conduct semi-​annual maintenance on my HVAC systems.

Robert Plummer, the technician who came to our home for a maintenance service today, arrived promptly. Not only was he very pleasant, but also very efficient and thorough on the job. He explained everything he was doing and answered all our questions. I have had maintenance agreements with United Air Temp since 1997, and Robert is one of the nicest, yet very professional technicians to work on our system.

One of the two furnaces in my house recently went out leaving our bedroom a bit cool during the night. I often do home repairs myself and decided that I would try to fix the furnace. After a bit of tinkering, I was able to narrow the problem down to the control board or the gas valve. So, I did some research online and discovered that each of these items would take about week to arrive if I chose to order them and do the repair myself. I decided to call a VH&A to confirm my diagnosis and see if they could do it more quickly and at a reasonable price.
Mark, the owner, answered the phone and said he would come out between 1 and 6pm that same day. He ended up arriving at 6:30pm. He was very friendly and did a quick diagnosis (it was the gas valve) and said it would cost $ 780 to fix. This price included $ 80 for the diagnostic evaluation. I was okay with the $ 80 for the diagnosis, but $ 700 to replace a gas valve???
While he was still in my home, I told him I was surprised it would cost so much (and I was surprised as I already new how much it would cost for a new gas valve). I asked him how he arrived at that fee (work + cost of the new gas valve). He was evasive and refused to give me a breakdown on how much time it would take and what the exact cost of the gas valve was. My red flags were raised at this point so I told him I would get back with him the following day if I wanted him to return to do the work.
Well, the gas valve cost me $ 130 (including shipping) and it took me all of 20 minutes to install after it arrived.
I wish I could have worked with Mark, but I did not feel that he was being completely honest with me. Fortunately for me, I have two furnaces in my home. Otherwise, I may have been desperate and paid the $ 780. I guess that is what he was hoping for…

A technician supervisor by the name of Sayid (spelling??) came by yesterday to do a diagnostic on our furnace that went down overnight. He explained to my wife the inducer blower motor had to be replaced. The cost would be ~$ 1,500 with parts and labor. My wife needless to say asked for an itemized breakdown but the person said that will not be possible. The price is what it is and there is no breakdown on how he derived at the final cost estimate, WHAT!!! I’ve dealt with other HVAC technicians before and they have always provided cost breakdown for parts and LOE for labor. I spoke to the person this morning about the quote and my concern and he’s response was that that’s what his computer told him. He tried rationalizing it saying that my furnace is Carrier so the parts are more expensive, blah, blah, blah. I had couple other technicians in for 2^nd opinions and they derived at the same conclusion that the motor had to be replaced. The cost of the replacement would be ~$ 600 – 700 for the motor with about an hour of labor (90 minutes top!!). I don’t know what this Sayid person was trying to pull on us. I understand it’s a business and they need to mark up to make a profit but in all honesty, very distrusting the way they quote and stand by their estimate if you tell me. All I can say is, my wife had worked with Mark in the past and he was very up front and honest. Not sure if the owner/​mgmt has changed but I would caution anyone who deals with this company. Diagnostic, maybe, but tread carefully if you need any major service done because you will not get a straight and acceptable response. Not sure if this person was trying to pull a fast one on my wife thinking she’s a woman and they don’t know anything. Or, maybe because he thought we were desperate given the sub-​zero weather we’ve been experiencing the past several days and we can’t do without heat. I usually don’t write reviews on Unilocal but this experience got me so boiling I needed to voice my displeasure! In the, I was able to find another technician to replace the motor for less than $ 800.

This is a great company they technicians are very friendly clean cut and knowledgeable about their product. They show up on time as scheduled … They serviced my parents home as well as their business and did an incredible job… I will gladly recommend them to anyone. Very happy with their work… Great Job guys…

Excellent service. Happy that I called them and signed up for the service contract. The two guys that came here this morning found issues but didn’t pressure me for the repairs. We talked about options and decided on a course of action. They were polite and understanding and very professional.

I had an air conditioning failure and tried calling on a Saturday morning figuring the worst. I tried 3 places. Some I got an answering machine. One I got an appointment 5 days down the road. With Virginia Heating and Air, I actually got through and a visit that afternoon during the time period provided. I was shocked. I was presented several reasonable options and opted for a new unit. I was not pressured into a much larger expense and paid actually less than I was braced for. I thought I was going to get pressure for a new Furnace and AC. It was offered but not pressured. I opted for just the AC unit. The new unit was installed on the day quoted. It looked like more work was performed than a simple install but the final cost was the exact quote. I was braced again for a nickle and dime but paid the exact quote amount. I had an issue the following day and they were there within an hour and the unit was again working great. Now about 3 weeks later, my air conditioning unit is working night and day better than my old unit ever did. I am very pleased. I am sold on Virginia Heating and Air.

I’ve used these guys for a number of things now, especially after the original installer of my HVAC system couldn’t get a freon leak under control. This time, I was trying to install a Nest thermostat and I messed something up. They came out within two hours of my calling them, made sure I hadn’t screwed anything up internally, and got the thermostat installed. I had chosen the wrong type of system/​wiring, so I probably could’ve finished it myself after learning that, but there’s now a one-​year warranty on the work, so if something goes wrong later, they’ll come back out and fix it. I’ve never had a bad experience with these guys and highly recommend them.

I called a few local Heating and Air places to get quotes and Virginia Heating and Air was the cheapest by a few hundred. I don’t always go with the cheapest quotes but I had a good feeling after talking to Mark so I chose to use Virginia Heating and Air.
Working with Mark was very easy and he was able to put in a humidifier for us within a short time frame which was great as we were in the middle of finishing off dual soccer seasons. There was a slight mix up at billing time, but Mark quickly fixed it, even drove out to give me the new receipt that day.
The install of the unit looks great and I can already tell a difference in my son’s breathing, my other sons skin problems and my own super dry skin is also much improved. I did not expect that big/​quick of a change but very happy with our humidifier. Only wish I had done this sooner!
I am happy enough with the quality of work, quick appointments and Mark’s flexible attitude that I intend to use Virginia Heating and Air any time I have a heating/​AC problem in the future. Thanks guys!

Great experience with Mark and his apprentice. They arrived at the scheduled time, answered all of my questions, fixed a problem created by another ac repair company, and made the interior of my house frigid again. We will use their services again when necessary.

My AC went out this past summer and they responded right away when I called them. They didn’t try to sell me a new unit or even a new compressor. They replaced a capacitor, put a hard start kit on it and cleaned it for a good price and saved me and my family from extreme summer heat. Recently my heat went out and they responded very fast again and diagnosed the problem as a pressure switch and replaced it for a good price. These guys are honest, reliable and good at what they do. Virginia Heating and Air is a life saver for me twice now.

These guys are awesome! We had a leaking hot water heater, and they were able to come that day. They had quoted a very reasonable price for replacement (lower than others I talked to) but upon arrival we discovered that the 20″ wide heater was crammed in through an18″ opening. Initially Mark determined that he’d have to first move our furnace to the tune of $ 800 — what choice did we have? Well… Mark and Said, using a great deal of creativity and acrobatic ability, somehow managed to work it out keeping the furnace in place, and stuck to the originally quoted price. They are honest, hardworking, prompt and incredibly nice. I would recommend them to anyone!

Heat went out in middle of the night. Googled local hvac and found these guys. They showed up the day I called, when they said they would, and even called ahead to let me know they were on the way. Courteous, thourough, and responsive. Didn’t try to sell me a new unit or anything crazy and even asked me about things I didnt complain about. Good service call.
I highly recommend this local business, and I have passed their info on to my neighbors.