I have found AR Air to be very quick in response time in general and that impresses me. Keith helped us earlier in the summer, (at no charge,) by giving us some advice on how to get rid of some unpleasant smells coming through the AC. I had called them because of the two 5 star YELP reviews that had I read.
When we realized recently that we were not getting air through one of our vents, I called Arkansas Air, (since they had been so helpful in the summer.) Keith came by the same day and crawled around in the attic to see if he could troubleshoot the issue. He couldn't see what was causing the lack of air flow but speculated that something was blocking the duct from inside the plenum. He said that the duct work would likely need to be replaced and it would take a couple of hours to do so. He quoted approximately $350, (but it could go to $400.) I asked if that was for replacing all of the old duct work and he said no, just for that run, as doing all of the duct work would be a lot more. If the quote was for doing all of the duct work, I thought the price was really low. For doing one short run, it seemed high to me but I didn't know what would be involved in accomplishing the change out, (how many men, etc.,) nor the cost of the duct work itself. He said they would be able to do it within a couple of days of our authorization to proceed with the work. I told him that I had to ask my husband and would get back to him.
I got the okay from my husband and called Keith back the same day that he did the troubleshooting. He said that he needed a couple of days to get it arranged with his people and would call back with a date and time to do it.
Several days later, still having not yet heard from Keith, I received a call from Melvin, (associate of Keith's,) saying that he would like to come by to do the work in a few minutes. Apparently Keith had made arrangements with him a couple of days earlier but no one had called to schedule it with us. Fortunately, I was home and able to accommodate Melvin's time frame.
Melvin is personable & knowledgeable. He found the problem quickly. A large wad of insulation had apparently been shoved up into the plenum when our inside AC coil had been replaced about a year ago. That work was done by A Able Services...long, unhappy story & that is why they weren't called for the smelly AC issue nor the duct work issue. Melvin removed the wad, reset the duct work into the plenum & re-taped the shielding insulation around the duct work as needed...less than an hour, no replacement parts...except a little bit of tape. Warm air was flowing to the vent once again.
As I was preparing to call Keith to discuss a reduced price, (since no parts were necessary and easily half of the time required,) I realized that Melvin was already on the phone with him. When Melvin came back in, I asked if Keith had authorized a reduction in the price. He said no, and that it was still to be the price that Keith had told him earlier. I asked what that was...he said $384. I was NOT happy & told Melvin that Keith had just gone to the bottom of my list..also told him that I understood that he was just the middle man. My issue was not with Melvin.
When I tried to call Keith to challenge the price, he was not reachable by phone & his voicemail was not set up, so I could not even leave a message. I wrote the check and a note expressing my displeasure and why....took a picture of both and sent it to him via text. AR Air had just gone from number one in my HVAC book, to alongside A Able, at the bottom. We will have to replace our outside AC condenser before too long because it is old, (1988 kind of old,) & with the unsatisfactory handling of this duct work repair, AR Air would not have a chance at the condenser work & I advised that.
Keith called me back promptly, apologized for not having been able to take my call previously...had been in with a doctor. He offered to reduce the bill by $150 and asked if that was acceptable. That brought the price to $234, which was not half, (which I felt was more reasonable.) I decided since he had not charged for the quick inspect & advice in the summer regarding AC smell nor for the troubleshooting on the duct work earlier in the week, I would accept the amount of the reduction. He made a point of telling me that he is willing to work with anyone and doesn't want anyone to be left unhappy nor dissatisfied. I believe that he was and is sincere about that sentiment. His quick correction of the pricing issue reflects that and I will chalk up the overpricing issue to being distracted with the doctor visit and go from there.
So, if I am no longer unhappy then why not a full five stars...lack of good communication with customer, (appointment setting,) and what was involved in getting to a place that was financially equatable for both parties. AR Air will now have a shot at the AC condenser when it has to be replaced, but we will get other bids as well. read more
