Bottom line: SF Jones had no issue installing a, to date, horribly unreliable system in our house, but does not seem interested in or concerned about repairing the faulty hardware/installation once installed.
SF Jones installed a new Ameristar HVAC system for the company that flipped the house we purchased last May. In January, one of the two installed systems stopped working. Two SF Jones techs came out, and identified a blown fuse that they did not keep in stock. (Side note: neither tech was wearing any kind of clothing that identified them as SF Jones employees. That's a small detail, but in my opinion is a reflection of my perceived lack of professionalism). So, the tech used a fuse that was too small, and bridged the gap to the connectors with aluminum foil, claiming the fuse would blow before a fire started in the unit. I called SF Jones to inquire about the warranty. Scott assured me that the fuse was covered under the warranty, but that his techs also changed a bad wire running to the thermostat, and since SF Jones only installed the two air handlers, two heat pumps, but not the thermostats, the wire replacement was not covered under warranty. About that wire replacement...I did not look over the shoulder of the techs, but considering the way the thermostat wires are so tightly bundled running up to the air handler and how minimally invasive running the new wire was, I struggle to believe that a new wire was actually run through that bundle of wires and to the air handler. But, I cannot prove either position, so I will stop short of making any allegations. I talked to Scott about replacing the fuse with the right fuse; he seemed put out by my persistence, but they did come back out and replace it. I still had to pay for the labor, despite the hardware being faulty.
Last week, we turned our systems to cool for the first time. The same system that broke in January does not work. I called SF Jones at 8:21 am last Friday and Scott said that someone would be at my house between 3 and 5:00 pm. Nobody showed and nobody called. At 5:00 pm, I called back. Scott informed me that they just couldn't get to us that day. He further went on to tell me that our house was really far from his business and he could recommend someone closer. Totally unsatisfactory.
I highly recommend you spend a little extra to get a reputable system provider (e.g. American Standard, etc., not Ameristar), and have it installed by a certified dealer that provides a warranty that covers both the hardware and the installation. read more
