Richard’s Heating and Air Conditioning

Richard’s installed a new Carrier HVAC unit in our attic and did a great job. The installers were courteous and neat and the work and attention to detail were excellent. There were a couple of minor issues that required a follow up visit but Richard’s took care of those right away. I will recommend Richard’s to others.

Replaced my entire heating and cooling system. Did not try to sell me options that I did not need. Proposed a very excellent and well price system. I got several bids and did not get the same treatment. Delivered what was in the contract. This is a good company and should be on your list, for there are a lot of not so good heating and cooling company’s out there.

A smart and careful friend suggested Richard’s to replace my air handler and heat pump. I had used a different HVAC service previously that is very popular around my community, but didn’t feel like I was being given the best guidance. Richard Smith came out and spent a lot of time answering all of my questions about changes in regulations regarding lines and refrigerant and so forth. I got a couple of other estimates. Richard’s was in line, but the system (when I researched it) was a better system for my home’s heating and cooling needs — not more, not less. Providing comfort, while being energy efficient, and not some grossly large unit that is not necessary. The installers came out — it didn’t go completely smoothly. The ducts needed hours of extra metal work and there were problems getting my old air handler out of my home. In fact, my hardwood floors got scratched up in about a 2 ft. circumference space. But, Jim, the manager, came by the next morning, took pictures, and simply said «it’s on us.» There was no negotiating about who to use to fix my floors — I just emailed the invoice — and was asked whether Richard’s should send the check directly to the contractor or give it to me. I also had a problem with the fan speed after installation. Jim came by himself and adjusted it himself and explained that this unit has factory presets — and he just needed to ramp it up. I also didn’t like the features and appearance of the «professional» thermostat that replaced my old thermostat — so Richard’s swapped it out for one that I selected.
I am not an easy person to please — and prior to installation, I read the comments on Unilocal,but trusted my friend’s opinion and went ahead with the work. I am not disappointed, in fact, I am writing this because the negative comments below don’t reflect my experience at all. I believe you always get people upset with work when the work involves thousands of dollars being spent. I can’t speak to anyone else’s review of Richard’s.
I can say this: From Richard (owner), to Bryan (installer), Adam (metal works), Ariel (helper), Despina (billing), and Jim (installation manager), I have experienced working with some of the most professional and caring people, and from this experience, Richard’s has earned my trust, my business, and my recommendation.

I contracted them to do the annual service. They found my AC was busted so I needed replacing. They assured me I would get a quote shortly via email. It never came. As we continue to drip in sweat, I called to ask where the quote was. It still didn’t come. I emailed asking where my quote was. It has been about 2 weeks now and it has been crickets. Going elsewhere.

Richard’s is a standup company that has been responsive and reasonable with us in a time-​sensitive situation. We had a gas leak in our recently purchased home and Richard’s came out quickly to help us. Even though we weren’t able to determine the best course of action in the first visit, Richard’s put their team quickly to action in a follow-​up visit that solved our gas leak problem with certainty and let us get back to living comfortably (w/​hot water, dishes, laundry, etc.).
I appreciated the straightforward attitude and respectful approach they took to our situation and its cost. I felt like I could communicate easily with them and they understood my perspective in trying to achieve an economical solution to the problem.
Genuinely good contractors are hard to find, and I believe we found one with Richard’s. Thanks for helping us out!

Service technician quoted a price for part + install, which seemed reasonable. We ordered the part and had it installed, at which time, the bill was exact 2x of the original quote. Of course, by then the part was already installed and there was not much to be done.
Dishonest and unprofessional customer service, coupled with shady practices is what you get here. I was very disappointed with our experience dealing with Richard’s HVAC services. These guys deserve every 1 star review they have. Stay away…

After contacting Carrier directly this company came highly recommended.
Not only the technicians were rude and unprofessional but when you try to reach the owner to provide some feedback he will hang up on you. I’m adding some photos so you can see how dirty they left my basement, wires, clippings, piece of plastic… and they charged me $ 400 for the work.
When they tested the thermostat they hardwired it to the outdoor unit and it got damaged, the tech wrote it on the ticked but the owner wants to charge me labor and get the thermostat under warranty from Carrier. Let me repeat this, they damaged my thermostat and now want to charge me to replace it? Clever Richards, very clever.
Long story: AC wasn’t starting, Richards sent out «Sharp», bad attitude, rude and you can tell immediately when someone doesn’t want to do the job. «Sharp» could not figure out what the issue was and his opinion is that it was a «wiring problem», he took my thermostat and wired it directly to the outdoor unit and said it worked. I asked him if he could run a continuity test on the wire and said he won’t do it. I asked him if he would run the new wire that day and said no, he won’t do it. $ 165 to «diagnose» a problem without actually diagnose the problem. It was one of the hottest weekends in August, my wife was 7 months pregnant at the time and we have a 1 year old baby. Nope, «Sharp» couldn’t care less, he told me he would hard wire the units so they’d run but he didn’t.
So no AC all Saturday, Sunday and Monday until they decided to show up to run the new wire.
It was my understanding that they would provide an estimate to replace the wire, this is what I was told on Saturday but when they showed up on Monday they told me they won’t provide a price until job is completed. WHAT?!?
Anyway I called the owner and he said «because I had a finished basement it was harder to provide pricing before hand», but I don’t have a finished basement!!! So he told me «doesnt matter, take it or leave it». In my situation I had to tell them to go ahead.
After the wire was replaced guess what? The system was still not working! The tech smeared his fingers around the thermostat leaving stains all over the paint, they dragged dirt in my house, left trash in the basement and charged me $ 250. So the AC was still broken but i got charged $ 250. «Sharp» told me he’d have to call the «Professor» to figure out what was wrong, alright call this «professor»… This famous «Professor» showed up the next day, found that «Sharp» installed the wrong contactor and put a new one in. They tried to say that someone else did it but Sharp told me he replaced the contactor and I saw him and it’s in the invoice.
«The Professor» spent 2 hours checking the thermostat, got the AC to run again but left the system only partially working, the thermostat doesn’t control the fan speed anymore and it’s not properly communicating with the logic board and outside unit.
When I pointed it out, you can guess what they said… «HOW DO YOU KNOW?»
Instead of looking into the issue they just blame you and call you ignorant. I know because I can click on the thermostat info page! And it’s reporting an issue with the system!
Called the owner, tried to a have a professional conversation with him and he hang up. Called him back, asked him why he would hang up and he told me «he won’t spend time listening to a client commenting on his staff». $ 500 and your guys won’t pick up their trash? $ 500 and the system is still not working?
A picture is worth a thousand words, check them. Your business model is that no matter what, people need their AC fixed and you don’t need to provide any sort of quality work or customer service.

Came right out and gave me a great price on two new units. Clean, fast install and all was great. Now a month later, each of the two units has crapped out once. Richards doesn’t have service on the weekends and you can’t count on a same day visit during the week if they’re busy.
How is it that I spent close to $ 20k and I don’t have reliable a/​c?
Oh, and if they suggest that you should forego financing because «they’ll work with you», get it in writing. Seems the agreement I made with the owner was conveniently forgotten. Now they call me regularly DEMANDING payment, even while I sit here and sweat because the a/​c isn’t working!!!

I called Richards and they were at my door within 1 day. The service tech Tony Ost Could not have been nicer and was extremely helpful. He explained all charges and had my air conditions working within the hour. i would recommend them to anyone.

I had a water heater go dead and after reading reviews I called Richard’s which seemed like a nice honest local company. Regret it now.
The good:
The initial phone to Richard’s was great. The lady on phone was very polite, explained the inspection fee, and scheduled the technician visit. Overall very polite and you could tell they have their act together in the back office.
The bad:
The two guys that arrived where a whole different story. One didn’t talk and reminded me of a TV character. And just had a goofy grin on his face. He was the OK one.
The other one started by:
«Wow, look at that! Have you seen one of these recently? (asking the second one). I haven’t see these kind for years!».
WTF! I had looked up the part number and gone to the manufacturer website that morning. They still sell the exact same thing and it is their top selling model (all gallon sizes).
He then suggested replacing it asap and if not, repairing it. And spent a good bit of time telling me how I need to have it taken care of ASAP or the family will be upset at me and I don’t want them to get cold, etc etc. And let me know they could certainly have a replacement in a day.
When they called back, the price was $ 2.2K to replace it and about $ 900 to fix it. Now, the thing is dead, it doesn’t do anything but $ 900 repair price was much higher than the price of a brand new unit from manufacturer or ebay sellers. And as for a new unit, that is a $ 1300+ installation charge. I asked him why the price so high and the answer was interesting: The unit is installed in an unusual way, it is special installation that costs so much. He’s not sure why it was done that was since he hadn’t installed it; but to be on the safe side he would do it the same way.
So I called a installer my neighbor suggested. He installs for a big box company but works on his own as well. He said he could get me the identical heater (apparently it is better than «brand name» ones Lowes/​Home Depot sell) but he’d like to see it first to see if it can be repaired.
What he tells me:
There is nothing special about the installation. He said almost always you just put water heather in it’s place, hook up water pipes, gas line, a PVC pipe to take exhaust to outside, and plug it into A/​C outlet. Mine is like that and he said he can’t think of anything unusual about how it is done.
And complete replacement would be under $ 1000 with identical water heater included. But also said my water heater had a dead exhaust fan and it was not powering up because of a safety feature was detecting that.
He charged me $ 250 for the fan, $ 150 for the labor, and claims that is typical price. And said the unit is new, likely installed right before I bought the house, and current and shouldn’t be replaced anyway.
So:
$ 150 labor + $ 250 parts to fix a broken unit with a honest HVAC guy. It took him all of 15 minutes for that $ 150 but I was still happy.
(plus $ 125 lost to Richards for the visit and the insulting show they put on)
Or
$ 900 repair or $ 2200 replacement by Richard’s. Remember, it is for a unit so «old» that it shocked and amused a professional technician when he first saw it. And installed in such a «special way» it costs $ 1300+ to replace.
That’s «Jiffy lube» level of professionalism and honesty from Richard’s rep.

I had originally called Richards to come out and check our heat pump unit, which was not turning on. The service rep checked the unit and let us know it was out of Freon, hence not turning on. He also stated that the unit was 28 years old, so didn’t pay to put any money into the unit. We knew it was old and was on its last legs, so the service rep called back to the office and they had a quote for a full install in a matter of 10 minutes. The price seemed very reasonable based on what my neighbors had paid for a similar install a year ago.
After getting three other quotes, Richards was still the most affordable by about $ 1800 and $ 3000 respectively. When I called to spec the equipment/​model numbers, I found they were all the same. So why the large price difference? One of the other contractors told me he had seen their work and it wasn’t as high quality. He stated that sometimes you get what you pay for and if someone was that much cheaper, they were cutting corners. He explained that his company includes this valve that alerts you in the drain backs up and that they are all trained in the system install. I turned that logic around and asked him that since the other contractor was $ 1,200 more than his quote, should I apply that same logic and assume he was cutting corners?
I called Richards to talk to Jim and explain that he was substantially cheaper than the other estimates, and asked if there was anything or other services I should include with the install. I actually told him I was a little concerned that his price was so low and wanted to ensure we would have a quality job and would be willing to pay more. He said no, we do this all the time, its a little cheaper now in the off season, and we do not have a lot of advertising, so we save there.
Set the job up for the following week, and wasn’t sure what to expect. The crew that showed up was great, the one guy had been with Richards for 28 years. The rest of the crew was great too, put runners down to prevent carpet dirt/​snags, rerouted the outside lines in the garden area to give us more room, and oh yeah, they also installed that aforementioned alert valve. Great job at a great price.
The other companies often try to hard sell on the service contract as well. When I asked Richards they said the first year is all covered, the following year you will receive a mailer for service agreement and can sign up then. No hard sell, just an honest business from what I’ve experienced. We actually put this on our Discovercard so that we could get the additional year of parts warranty, which is something to consider. Would highly recommend Richards.

Last Sunday (1÷26÷14) I came home at around 5pm and found out my heater stopped working. It was very cold inside the house as the temperature outside was below freezing. I called Richard’s and a lady politely asked for my location and contact info, and told me that someone will call me within 30 mins. In less than30 mins. I got a call from Richard (not sure if he’s the owner) who asked me to check something on my unit. He then told me that a technician will be coming within 2 hours. In less than 1 hour the technician (Roger) arrived, diagnosed the problem and fixed it. By around 7pm my heater was working again. This is what I call excellent customer service, even on weekends they’re there to attend to their customers’ needs. Thanks Richards Heating and AC!

We’ve used Richard’s for 15 years. Every time an excellent and knowledgeable repairmen has come for the service call. It is fixed right the first time. Our heater broke last week and they were out within 12 hours of our call.

I have very mixed feelings about my interaction with Richard’s Heating and Air Conditioning. On the positive side, when our furnace went out on the weekend before Christmas, they were the quickest to respond. The tech arrived and got things running again. We were and are suitably grateful.
However, two more visits in the following week left us with considerably less satisfaction. The furnace continued to function intermittently and additional visits did not seem any more successful at identifying the problem or suggesting what we might do. The techs seemed to take a ‘best guess’ approach and then replace a part. At the next visit they would suggest replacing something else.
Finally when they said we should replace the entire motor I decided we should get a second opinion. The techs also seemed to take a fair amount of time making sure that the fact that the furnace continued to have problems was not their fault as it was always running when they left.
As might be expected, the visits and parts replacements were not cheap. I appreciate that an intermittent problem, whether in a furnace or car or person, can be difficult to diagnose. But there seemed to be no plan… and there seemed to be no end in sight. The final nail in the experience was when I asked a technician from a different company about the part that were replaced, showing him the old parts, and he could not identify that there was anything wrong with the parts that were replaced.
I am a strong believer in supporting local merchants. But for this kind of business, trust is a vital component, and I simply don’t have trust in Richard’s at this point. We ended up with a different company and had a much better experience.

Once again outstanding service from Richards. Seems like every time we move we get a house with a failing AC. Last house it broke over July 4^th, this time it wasMemorial Day weekend. Both times we got immediate attention and had excellent techs do quick and fabulous work. Fair prices too — at or even a bit less than other companies.

Recently, my heater was making an obnixious noise. I called Richard’s and they were able to come and check it out that same day. I was headed out of town the next morning for a family emergency but was able to leave a key to have them install a new furnace. They cleaned up very nicely and called when they were done to let me know my humidifier needing replacing. I told them I couldnt afford it after the furnace but they still sent someone out to remove it and patch it up with scrap metal. I had a great experience, and have used them prior to this, so would highly recommend their services.

I used richards for estimate. I got a specific estimate promptly, in writing. The sales guy wayne came to see me twice actually. My current sytem runs ok, but I was curious to see what a new one cost. He was helpful. I have not replaced the system yet. I’ll say that if you look into HVAC stuff, you will find a lot of neg. reviews on lots of companies and manufacturers, and that the new R410 systems just are’nt as reliable. Good luck, no matter who you use, cause it’s not going to go like the old stuff did. Of the people who came for estimates Richards was more professional than some.

I have used Richard’s several times over the years and have always been pleased. Most of the work has been fairly routine, but three days before I was to leave on a 3-​week trip to Africa, I happened to open the door to my utility closet and find a large puddle on the floor behind the A/​C. I called Richard’s in a panic, explained the situation, and they were able to get someone out the next day. The tech diagnosed it as needing a new coil, and put me at ease that nothing catastrophic would happen before I got back from my trip and could have it replaced.
I have an extremely busy work schedule and do not suffer rudeness or lateness gladly. I have never had a problem with Richard’s.

Another summary: if you need work done at a fair price by a company that’s run in an orderly manner… RUN, don’t walk, away from Richards.
I had the stereotypical emergency – heat wave and the AC stops working. I called and they were very accommodating about getting a technician out to my house – it would have been that afternoon, but I had an appointment; so we agreed on the next day.
The tech came out and diagnosed a bad compressor. Yikes! That’s a few grand right there. I rent the house I live in, so Richard’s needed to call the owner to authorize the work. The tech said he would call the owner that afternoon (Friday) to get him in the loop and give him some options. I was also in touch with my landlord and told him what Richards had told me to expect.
At the end of the day no one had contacted my landlord, so I called Richards. The tech had gone home for the day and they had no idea what was going on. The receptionist said the owner would be in the next day (Saturday) and if the landlord called Saturday morning they would sort it all out.
So the next morning, my landlord called as requested… and they still had no idea. They couldn’t find the ticket, the owner wasn’t around after all, no one had contacted the tech who’d visited. As the weather was really pretty hot, he gave up on them, called another company, and the new company sent someone out right away.
And oh by the way: it wasn’t the compressor after all. It was the capacitor. Which costs a fraction of what a compressor does. Draw your own conclusions.

Summary: If you want a company who has good customer service and without any attitude, do NOT use Richard’s.
Details: My AC blew out yesterday and it was almost 90 degrees inside the home when I went to sleep. I called Richard’s last night and spoke with someone on their emergency line. They said someone would call me this morning to set a time to come out to check out the problem.
I spoke with a lady from Richard’s this morning at 7:45am who seemed about as happy to be at work as an inmate is to be in the federal penitentiary.
She told me that someone would come by sometime today. I asked her, «What time?» She replied, «Today.»
I explained that I have to work and need at least a window of time. She said she couldn’t give me one, they will «get to me when they get to me» and that they would call ½ an hour beforehand.
I repeated that I needed to have a window of time because I have client appointments all day that I needed to move around. I said that I also have two dogs in the house and reminded her that it was going to be 100 degrees today.
Her response, in a smart-​a$$, sly tone of voice was, «And there are 86 year old lady’s who need their AC fixed as well. Have a good day.»
Now, I’m sure she’s correct and I’m not an a$$hole so I get giving the elderly some priority. But… the attitude and tone of voice is absolutely unacceptable. And with all due respect, one of my dogs is over 10 years old and has probably lived a more angelic and sin-​free life than 99 percent of 86 year old ladies in the world so why should they get screwed.
In addition, we have a service contract with them which means they should give us first priority yet, they can’t even give me a window of time today.
The girl used «we’re slammed» (probably because of the long holiday weekend), but honestly, I don’t care. If you’re that busy, business is obviously good and you’ve been through this before… so hire more people and techs rather than screwing your customers and having an attitude.
Like I said, if you want a company who has good customer service and without any attitude, do NOT use Richard’s.