GAC Services

Don’t use them. They can’t be trusted. I am sorry for this lengthy review but I want to provide context. I cut and pasted this from a year old Angie’s List review because I want people to be aware of their tactics:
«I have had GACH over several times. Each time they were extremely responsive and professional and I hesitated to write this review but I have to.
Here is why:
Six months ago or so, GACH came over, and in the interest of convenience, we agreed, that for that one situation, since this was my rental property in Montgomery Village, they could do anything up to $ 300 w/​o checking w/​me. We have had some issues (see my other reviews on AL) but overall I thought they were extremely competent and when I had a dispute they resolved it fairly.
This time they went too far and, because I know that I cannot fully trust them anymore and really don’t want to call them, I am writing this review.
They came over to check out the A/​C which was not working. I asked them to call my tenant and arrange the visit. As usual, their service was excellent. They fixed it promptly w/​o telling me what the issue was or giving me an estimate. This alarmed me a bit because I said to myself «Wait a minute. I know, six months ago, for that one issue, we agreed on the $ 300 ceiling, but that was for that one job. I wonder what they are going to charge me. I will bet it is every bit of $ 300»
My tenant said that he asked them about the cost and they said, «Oh, we can do work up to $ 300 and send the landlord (me) the bill.»
I got the bill and it was $ 332, I believe, or so. The invoice said $ 240 for the thermostat and had the brand. There are several different kinds of this brand so I asked my tenant to take a picture. He did and it was an $ 80 thermostat.
I was angry and I sent a polite yet firm letter asking for an explanation on how they established the price for this thermostat. I sent a few sources showing it for $ 80. Someone called me within a couple of days. They immediately started asking me if I was familiar with their special annual service plan. They went on and on about how good it was and I stopped them and said, «Do you have my receipt? How come you charged me $ 240 for an $ 80 thermostat?! They said they did not happen to have the receipt.
Now, why does someone call you to discuss a dispute and not even have the receipt? I know why. Because they wanted to divert my attention, talk about a warranty plan, and they had no good reason for tripling the cost and they could not explain it.
Anyway, the guy said «We need to do a better job itemizing our bills» or something like that. I told him if he does not fix this I will never call them again. He asked me how much was fair and I think I was generous and allowed them to charge maybe $ 240 or so. They sent me a check right away but no note saying «we are sorry, this is what happened, or whatever».
Bottom line is — this situation was fishy. They tried to get over on me and figured I would never know. They slapped a random figure on the receipt and went just a bit over what my previous suggested ceiling was. And then when they called they had no explanation, did not have the receipt, and tried to talk around the issue.
I can’t trust them. As much as I respect several of their members of the staff and think their service is excellent this left a bad taste in my mouth and I won’t call them again»

We bought a house with a 24 year old furnace and air conditioner knowing that we would have to replace them soon after we bought the house. Instead of waiting until they actually broke I decided to shop around while they were still functioning. I called four different companies to come give me quotes and see what they thought I needed.
From the moment the first representative from GAC walked in the door I was impressed (Fritz). He explained everything he thought was needed and gave us tips for dealing with heating and cooling a split level house. Our quote was emailed to us in 24 hours and gave us three different options of equipment. Other companies came by and I mentioned things that Fritz had seen and they thought they were all good ideas and would later incorporate them into the quotes (none actually realized the issues on their own).
GAC’s quotes were all in the same ballpark as the other companies but the professionalism and attention to detail is what sold me. We signed the contract and had a second employee come out about a week before the job was to start to take measurements and answer any questions I had. I forget this mans name but he was equally professional and knowledgable.
On the day of the install the crew of about 5 members showed up first thing in the morning. They were all friendly, professional, and more than willing to answer any questions I had. I left them to their work and within 6 hours my new air conditioner and furnace were installed. You would not have known they were even there with their amazing clean up job. The lead technician went through the paper work with me, showed me around the new units, and trained me on my new wifi enabled thermostat. They even took care of sending in the rebates for Pepco for me.
I knew that choosing GAC was the right decision when I signed the contract and the company proved me right. I highly recommend GAC for any job!

I have an annual service contract that provides early spring and early fall preventive maintenance. My filter is changed and the hardware is checked and cleaned for the upcoming season.
The service technicians are courteous and knowledgeable and are on time for their appointments.
I recommend them for all your HVAC needs.

This fall I made the decision to upgrade/​replace my electric heating pump. As part of a routine maintenance contract GAC had been servicing my old electric heat pump for several years, and I had been very pleased with that service. Their personnel appear knowledgeable, professional, prompt and courteous. I like that the company and is NOT one of the big box stores. When it comes to an ‘appliance’ this important, I prefer to work with a smaller, local company that can provide personalized service. They quoted me a fair price on a unit that is top of the line. They came when they said they would, facilitated my getting the appropriate rebates, provided enough personnel to get the job done in a relatively short period of time (half a day if that), and promptly responded when I had a small problem with the system after installation. I’m very happy with GAC and will continue to use them for my heating/​cooling needs.

I contracted with GAC Services to replace my heating and air conditioning system. Of the 3 estimates I obtained, they were the lowest by over $ 1000. After signing the contract, they sent a Quality Assurance technician to review the work, take measurement and review the entire project with me. On the day of the installation the crew (6 techs) showed up right on time (8 AM) and after reviewing the project, got right to work (part of the crew inside and the rest outside). They laid down protective coverings on all the floors and proceeded with demolition with minimal mess. By 3 PM they were finished with project, just as they said they would. All the parts fit correctly and they even repaired part of the existing ductwork, that had gaps in it without additional charge (a rarity in today’s world!). Even re-​routed the humidifier ducting to make it more efficient. The installation crew was very friendly, knowledgeable and professional. They answered any questions I had about the equipment or installation. All debris and material was cleaned up and remove.
I am a mechanical engineer with 30 years experience in the utility field, so I know a quality when I see one. I believe you will be happy with any of GAC services, should you decide to use them.

We have to come to rely on GAC for outstanding service and very friendly and professional people. They communicate with us proactively, and they don’t wait until something goes wrong to get in touch with us. My wife and I give them our highest rating because they’ve earned it.

GAC has provided great service to me. I’ve struggled with an older system, but when there are problems, GAC comes and takes care of them right away. Randy Hamilton even waited with me while a new part arrived from a distributor. I’m very grateful for their wonderful technicians and office staff.

Our 27+ year old A/​C died this summer. After reviewing several price quotes, we selected GAC. They had an excellent reputation and were competitively priced. The one feature that made them stand out was their ability to give us a loaner A/​C until we could schedule the full installation. That saved us over several 90+ degree days! All of their representatives are extremely professional and knowledgeable. The scheduling department kept in touch to let me know when the service reps. would arrive. A+ service, all the way around!

Our air conditioner unit went out recently and because our previous service contract, with another company, hadn’t been renewed (unknown to us) we decided to seek out other companies. The former company never sent a renewal notice of any kind so we figured they didn’t really need/​want our business.
I reached out to GAC because a former student of mine had some connections in that her parents sold their business to GAC years back. Anyway, when I called they sent a service engineer out the next morning… very early as I requested which was earlier than their normal start time (+)
Tommy, our service engineer, informed me that our unit was going to need major repair or replacement. He shared with me our options, including a temporary fix until a unit could be ordered. Being prudent, we proceeded to get 2 more bids and found GAC to be competitive in replacing the whole unit.
As soon as we decided to go with GAC they had the temporary part in place so that my house would have air condition until they could install our new unit the next week.
Installment day came and the crew of 7 – 8 guys showed up and had everything done in 2.5 ours. This included replacing equipment in our attic. The crew was on time, VERY courteous, neat/​clean and fast.
The office staff was very pleasant, helpful and worked hard to get us scheduled according to what we requested. They even called back to move our time to better serve our time constraints when a slot opened up.
GAC is by far one of the best companies we’ve used for our home.
We have a service contract with GAC now which they will remind us to renew each year ;-) and they will be the company we use when the other unit needs to be replaced.

I am so appreciative of the responsiveness and quick appointment time! Especially with young kids in the house. This is the service I need! Thank you!

I had a situation with this company that is very similar to one of the hidden reviews except mine was with my AC, not my heater. The unit in the basement started making a lot of noise so I called them and made an appointment for several days later, their first availability. They came out and removed the front cover of the unit, looked inside, and noted that the fan was not running properly and said we would need to replace the motor/​fan but strongly recommended replacing our entire system. There was an $ 89 diagnostic fee which we paid. A few days later, one of their salesmen came to assess our needs and write us up a quote. The night before he came, the AC stopped working altogether. Nothing coming out of the vents and a heat wave about to move in. The salesman strongly recommended I do not try and turn it on again and later that day sent me an estimate for $ 1350 to replace the part that was not working and $ 7800 to replace the entire system.
I was ready to proceed with replacing the system, based on their urging, when my father recommended getting a 2^nd opinion and pointed out that particular hidden review to me. Since it sounded almost verbatim like my experience thus far, I decided to have someone else out. The 2^nd company I called had someone at my house in an hour. Unlike GAC, this guy actually removed the fan/​motor assembly and looked inside to see WHY it was not working. Removing this part took him less than 5 minutes and even I could immediately see why the fan was not working. The screw that holds it to the shaft that spins it had come loose and was hanging half way out. So he screwed it back in. Problem solved. AC is working great again. Happily paid this 2^nd fellow his $ 89 fee. He was at my house less than 30 minutes.
I wrote GAC telling them that I would not be using their company and why and asking for a refund of my diagnostic fee back since they had not diagnosed anything. They did issue me the refund and left me a voice mail apologizing for missing the diagnosis. The diagnosis that was so easy to make that even I, who knows nothing about air conditioners, could see what was wrong. Had they only taken a couple of moments to remove the part in question and investigate I assume they would have seen it too.

Its very hard to find a trustworthy company these days (especially when I am not knowledgable about ac). Jary came over first thing and he ran some leak tests and he was professional and protected his shoes coming inside the house.
As I watched the whole process (so I could learn) he was very helpful in educating me on what was happening and causing my house not to cool down. I had another company check on my ac a few weeks ago and I also watched the process. Jary was the only one who did a thorough job in opening the top of the ac unit outside and looking inside he found the leak. If he only looked to the side of the ac he would not have found a leak and it would have appeared to be a false alarm. Good thing he did that because I had a very serious freon leak that had to be repaired.
The reason why I watched the whole process was because I wanted to learn and make sure I was not be scammed or overcharged and with GAC this certainly was not the case, they were honest and very knowledgable.
Jary was very helpful and answered all of my questions and cleared out the rest of his scheduale so he could fix my freon leak. It took 3 hours, but he made sure it was working properly in the end! After months of stress of figuring out what was wrong with my ac I can finally say I feel ALOT better and more open to trusting this ac company. Thank you for sweating it out with me Jary! I feel alot cooler now :)

I needed my ac fixed again. I saw this company had decent ratings online so decided to try them. The technician was courteous and quick. He showed me what he did. And even replaced my filter. I’ll definitely recommend them.

Just moved to a house and the AC was loud as hell. When it turned off it made loud banging noises. I called out GAC to take a look. It was $ 89 just to show up. Kinda steep.
David discovered my fan was set super high. He lowered it and tested. Sounded fine. No more banging.
I’d use GAC again.

GAC was my life saver!!! We live in a 1950’s cap cod in Rockville which doesn’t get heat or AC up to the top level. They recommended and installed a Mitsubishi Mr. Slim split-​system ductless air conditioning and heat pump system. They have single room and multi-​room models.
This system is quiet you don’t hear a thing. So much better than those noisy AC window units which don’t help during the winter and you need to turn your TV up to the max to hear.
GAC came out installed the unit same day mid August about 3 years ago. They came back 1 year later to check on the system no charge. Wish we knew about these systems years ago, would have saved us tons! Now we sleep with regular sheets & blankets all year around. The unit had to be serviced only once, GAC came out next day fixed it up in no time at all. Great staff, great techs!!!

Awesome service. Answers calls, schedules us for later same day. The technician showed up ON TIME at the beginning of the service window and fixed the issue in minutes. He was courteous, knowledgable and reassuring to my tenants who wanted to find out as much ufo as humanly possible about heat exchangers, defrost cycling and god knows what. I’ll be calling them again with any other issues I need, bar none.

Excellent company. I have always been happy with their punctuality and professionalism. We needed service beyond our regular maintenance check up and were quoted our price.
When the team came back to complete the work, they were able to remove a blockage which saved us $ 70 and remove one service item that saved us more. They could have easily just done the work and we would not have been the wiser.
I appreciate the honesty and integrity of this company and that’s why we have been with them for 15 years and will always refer people to them!
How can you beat integrity like that in an economy like this?

I have been using GAC for over a decade. I pay for the yearly service plan which includes seasonal check ups (AC in spring and heater in fall). While that doesn’t mean we won’t have an issue that requires additional costs, I have only had that once in 15 years of owning the home.
They explain their prices and they are always on time for their time window. In addition, I often get a phone call 15 – 30 minutes out giving a specific time the technician will arrive. They are about the customer. That is why I’ve never looked at using anyone else.

We chose GAC to come and replace our decrepit 27 year old a/​c system and furnace after reading the reviews here on Unilocal.They came out and did a thorough inspection and estimate, and their guy was really personable and knowledgeable. Just to be sure, we had another company come do an estimate too. They came in at the same price as GAC but for a 13 SEER unit rather than the 16 SEER GAC was offering us!
The crew that did the installation was polite and efficient. They explained everything they had done before they left, and finished up in less time than they expected they would at the outset.
We had the county inspector out today for the required inspection, and he had nothing but praise when he saw the GAC sticker on the furnace. He said it was a great system that we had gotten, and guessed at how much it had cost us. When I told him it was HALF of what he assumed, he was shocked.
It seems to me that we got a really great deal from a solid company. Our a/​c is COLD and strong, and we have money left for other home improvements.

Odd week of wintry temps in Maryland. BRRRR. New heating system stops working. GRRRRR.
I didn’t want to deal with the previous hvac installers so I hit up Angie’s List for the top hvac company in the area, and GAC had great praise.
Upon calling they immediately booked me an appointment and someone came out promptly to replace our thermostat and fix our blasted circuit board. After a week of heated bliss, the heat stopped working again. GAC dispatched someone out immediately and the guy didnt give up until the problem was identified and resolved– in fact, they came back out 2 more times and fixed an old stapled wire that they didn’t cause, but because they promised to identify the solution they did. No hidden costs were charged for the visits related to the same issue… what great service!