The Metro Group was such a kind group of humans to work with, from their receptionist Genene, to their incredibly knowledgeable technician Eddy, and their owner Jim. As a 1st time homeowner, I had no idea where to start with figuring out the issues with our central air. When I gave The Metro Group a call they sent a technician over the same day as they said they wanted to get our system going as soon as possible as Chicago is heating up for the summer. Upon arrival I realized I did not have the proper keys to open up the storage area in my building and had to send the technician on his way. Their team was so understanding and even sent a technician the next morning at no additional cost to me given the initial inconvenience. Once the technician arrived I learned that the lay out of my condos air system is quite unique as compared to my neighbors. The technician walked me through the differences, walked me through maintenance through the summer as well as potential repairs that could come up in the future so I can be proactive about my condo's care. All terminology was explained in a way I could understand, as I'm not versed in this sort of thing. I am so grateful to have worked with such a caring and professional team! read more

I did not have the best experience with the Metro Group. I had originally found them through Bosch website as an authorized Bosch installer. I have a bosch heat pump system that was not providing heat. They sent out a technician who was very nice and spent about an hour reviewing but said someone else would be coming later in the day for a 2nd opinion (the owner jim who has 30 years experience). They charged $249. No one showed up later in the day but the owner Jim called at 8 pm that night. We talked through the issues on what I thought was the problem and how the mother board was replaced a few months prior by another company. Also how there might wiring issues for a separate boiler system, also completed by another contractor a few years back. He expressed some concern about trying to address some other contractors previous work. After not getting the best feeling from talking with Jim on the phone, I ended up calling Northwind HVAC the next day. They were also listed on the Bosch website. The experience was night and day difference. Rory and one other technician at Northwind spent the time listening to what I thought were the issues from previous work. He got the heat up and running in about an hour going through necessary steps to diagnose the heat pump. The mother board was in fact working just fine even though I thought that was the problem. He also adjusted some settings at the air handler. They charged $120 for trip charge + another $100 for time spent. So they charged less than Metro but actually diagnosed the issue correctly and fixed the issue. read more

Great service, professional, friendly, and fast. Diagnosed two unrelated issues with our furnace and thermostat and persisted until all was solved. Really happy with the quality of service - highly recommended! read more

Jim is the mastermind and truly a genius at The Metro Group Inc., an HVAC services provider in the Chicagoland area. He was incredibly thorough in his analysis, and he was the most impressive technician I've ever dealt with. He listened well, explained things clearly, and made me feel comfortable that his diagnosis was appropriate and accurate unlike other technicians who threw unneeded parts at the problem or tried to sell me a new furnace for thousands of dollars that I knew I didn't need. While some company owners may let others handle their dirty work, Jim is a hands-on guy who is deeply involved in the day-to-day operations of the company he founded. Even though he has a capable and experienced staff of technicians employed by the company, Jim will still go out on jobs with his technicians and get his hands dirty helping to fix and install HVAC units. Metro has earned its bragging rights as well as Jim who has proven to have a PHD level of knowledge, understanding and an industry leader. Hiring The Metro Group Inc, will be one of you best service provider decisions ever! read more

I've used The Metro Group for HVAC repair and maintenance for about 15 years, and I've been quite happy with them. For my first condo unit, as new owner I mostly used them for emergency repairs, and they were always very responsive and able to fix any problems. Over the years I wised up and started using them for yearly maintenance, and that's obviated any need for emergency repairs. I think it has also extended the lifespan of my HVAC units. Currently, we are on a pre-paid maintenance plan and so we see them twice a year, for the gas furnace and the central air. Its a great investment and I believe you get a bit of a discount for signing up ahead of time. As others have mentioned, The Metro Group is not the cheapest, but their prices are not unreasonably high, and you definitely get what you pay for. read more

Our experience with Metrogroup is predicated on a few baseline understandings- 1. Jim is a true HVAC nerd. If he comes into your house, he's not going to do half a job. He geeks out about how the whole system runs, and cares about getting it right. You're going to hear about it too. 2. He's running a small business. If his team comes to your home, it's probably going to cost some funds to get their opinion. They're fair, not overpriced, but it's a part of the equation. Metrogroup has been our local HVAC provider for a few years. We live in an old home that had a touchy furnace that loved to act up on holidays. We find Metrogroup to be very communicative and responsive. We were undergoing a huge home gut rehab, and lo and behold, our furnace stopped working. In short, Jim's involvement and consultation on this project made a huge difference. He altered the intake and supply of our system, and this was invaluable to us, since the result is a much more efficiently heated and cooled home, with no hot and cold spots. The plans that were drawn for our project simply didn't cut it.m, Jim stepped in and made simple suggestions that made all the difference. In summary- You get what you pay for. And what Jim and Metrogroup offer is real HVAC problem solving. I've worked with other HVAC contractors, and the difference is notable. Anyone can swap a furnace. Metrogroup emphasizes safety, maintenance, and practical solutions. That's what I wanted when replacing my furnace and HVAC system, and they delivered. read more

I have used The Metro Group for all my HVAC needs since moving into my condo in late 2019, and will continue to use them for years to come. They are one of the few reliable companies that you still talk to the owners from time to time. It's comforting to know that they are still involved in the day to day operations of the business and even more so that they still call on customers. Personal touch like this is something that the new AI everyone is feeling threatened by will never replace. So if you have any HVAC preventative care, maintenance, or the unfortunate nightmare like myself, these are the guys and gals you want to call. From the first conversation I had with Jeanine, when I called because my AC quick working in July of last year, I felt they truly cared about me and that I was a priority in my circumstance. They have always explained everything to me in a way I could understand it. The best part that I can say makes their service stand out above others is every time I have needed them they have been there the same day. They have a strong team are always on time or early for their appointments and their technicians are very knowledgeable, thorough and respectful when in the field on calls. Eddie, who has been the tech. that has handled three of the jobs at my place always is so polite, and even makes sure to clean up any mess he makes before he leaves. If I hadn't been there, I would have never noticed someone else had been in the place! Well except for the working unit that he repaired of course... He was even interacting with my dog when she escaped from her bedroom, where we like to separate her momentarily when someone new has to come into the home. Just because she gets so excited and makes it very hard to stay on task when she is begging for your attention. Lastly, they have very competitive pricing, trust me I've done the shopping around. And I've tried the alternative going the cheapest route before. Then of course shortly thereafter ended up calling The Metro Group anyway, to fix what the cheaper guys didn't do right. read more

I haven't received better service from anyone for an extremely long time. The furnace broke in my duplex down during the latest -55 polar vortex, and after trying to diagnose it myself, I called another company in the morning to fix it. After about 15 minutes, the response was "you need a new furnace - that will be $4,200 please." Let's just say there were some... sketchy... tactics that I didn't quite recognize, and I have tenants in the condo, so I can't get multiple quotes so quickly! Fast forward to an hour later, and in my latest state of panic, I'm on the website for Armstrong Air (the manufacture) looking up service providers to check my warranty status. It was so fortuitous that Metro Group was the second listing (and only because the first guys didn't call back!). Janine made me feel very welcome on the phone, and after I scheduled an 8 hour time window (the windchill outside is close to zero at this point), she calls me back within a few minutes and says "Jim, the owner, would like to speak to you, as it seems like there can be some other things which need to be done." This guy, who has no incentive at all to diagnose anything for me, is now on the phone giving me free advice! He also says that he is incredibly busy, but would try his best to make the time the same day to come. Not only does he come during the same day, but he also does so many more things than the last guy did, including spending a whole hour with me in trying to look for other solutions. At the end of the day, I did need a new furnace, but it was so incredibly reassuring to have his second opinion. I can't believe I found a 100% honest HVAC contractor in Chicago! Thank you so much Jim and Janine! read more

This place is incredibly dishonest. I called Jim to install a smart thermostat and scheduled a time for him to come when my wife was home. After taking a look at it, he provided her with some basic info about the wiring and said he couldn't install the thermostat. This is where his work should have been done and we should have paid his hourly rate, because we used some of his time. However, Jim then proceeded to take a look at the whole house and tell my wife that we needed an overhaul of our 2nd floor ducts. He talked at her for a long time, after which he suggested that he should just call me because she couldn't possibly remember everything he was saying. Furthermore, Jim refused to provide any quotes for the work that he was proposing, claiming that he wouldn't know for sure until he came back and drilled a few pilot holes into our floors. Upon leaving, he explicitly said "no charge", but that was a complete lie. He called my wife the next day to ask if we had made any decisions. After hearing that we wouldn't like him to drill holes into our house for an undisclosed fee, he asked if he should just send us the $150 "diagnostic fee", saying he previously waived it since he thought we'd be doing more work together. "No charge" doesn't mean "my fee is contingent on how much you pay in the future". Let's recap: 1.) Couldn't do the job that was requested. 2.) Tried to sell us on work we didn't ask for while being egregiously condescending to my wife. 3.) Lied about charging us. Update: After this experience I discovered 5 wires (myself) running from the system to the thermostat, with no continuity in 1, and successfully installed the new thermostat with the help of another technician. Not sure how Jim can claim knowledge of my wife's state of mind, but stating someone was stressed and using it as an excuse to lie is absurd. The assumption that she needed to take notes in the first place is inherently condescending. Facts aren't mean-spirited. To reiterate, Jim provided no "knowledge", expertise, or services. All we got were suggestions for services that nobody requested, all for the low price of $149. He, in fact, provided us with bad facts that could have prevented us from installing the thermostat correctly. read more

The Metro Group is very professional and provided great service. They diagnosed a large issue with my furnace, which was installed incorrectly. They then provided very specific direction about incremental levels of attempting to fix the extremely high pressure in my system (due to undersized ducting). We eventually had to go with the most involved fix, but Jim showed me the values at every register, and how those values fluctuated with each increment of fix (and I verified the values in the installation manual of the furnace). I will use this company again, have recommended this company to others and will continue to do so. read more

Recently, the motor on our HVAC broke, leading us to call Metro Group -- on the recommendation of a neighbor. They came over within a day or two, fixed the problem and explained to us that our system was running inefficiently, due to some shoddy installation before we had moved in. After fixing the primary problem, Abe came back over a week or so later to do a more thorough diagnosis. It turned out that their initial thought on why we were losing efficiency (driving up our costs and making it more expensive to cool the apartment) wasn't quite right -- but the closer look ended up saving us some money from the earlier diagnosis. But that's not why I'm giving them 5 stars. I'm more than a novice when it comes to mechanics, and Abe was incredibly patient in explaining the issue to me, why the original diagnosis was wrong, how he fixed it, and what I could do to maintain optimism performance going forward. He took the time to literally draw me pictures of what he was doing -- without making me feel like a bozo for not understanding the intricacies of HVAC systems. For fixing my AC, carefully solving a problem in an innovative way, saving me money, teaching me something without making me feel dumb -- 5 stars! read more

I freaked out when discovering that among the many "gifts" my remodeling contractor-from-hell left me was a completely dismantled central air conditioning system. Lucky for me, my real estate agent had given me the name of Jim from the Metro Group for my initial home inspection. I found his card and gave him a call. Jim came over, assessed the situation and, after shaking his head, explained what had to be done to fix the mess. He got me an estimate and a time his crew could get the work done. I spoke several times to their receptionist, Janine, who, I swear, is one of the nicest human beings on the planet. (After some of the runarounds I was getting from other contractors, her kindness practically had me in tears...) I agreed to hire Metro. They arrived as promised, started and finished the job as promised, and charged me less than the original estimate. As for how it works, I sat in blissful comfort during the 100 degree+ nightmare in Chicago last week. My one complaint, for lack of a better word: they're not cheap. But in the last year, I learned the VERY hard way that picking the vendor who's cheapest ended up costing me twice as much in the end. So, I'm very glad I found Jim - but hope I won't be seeing him again any time soon! :) read more

Recently the Metro Group diagnosed and quoted us for a furnace repair. We agreed to the premium price that was quoted due to the extreme cold and the fact that we had a sick child at home. After the quoted repair was complete the technician identified another costly issue that had to be resolved before the furnace would work. I understand that repairs may uncover unexpected issues but the technician knew that we were desperate to get the furnace working. In addition to the unexpected repairs the technician tried to upsell mechanical tests and "commercial grade" detectors. We refused the additional services but still paid nearly $900 in total for 2 hours of labor and $200 of parts (weekday service call during business hours). Our interaction with Metro left us with the distinct feeling that we were taken advantage of and will never pay for their services again. read more

I called this morning at 8am with heating issues (and this is the week that you would NOT want heating issues). Within 2 hours Abe was here and 2 hours later my furnace was up and running correctly again! He did a great job explaining what was wrong and showing me where he was working and what he was doing. The cost seemed reasonable- but then again i didn't do any price shopping. Even if a tad pricier than others, the customer service was well worth it! Thanks Abe and Thanks Metro Group! read more

I've been using Jim's team at The Metro Group for five years now and most recently they came out to do some work above and beyond the regular annual servicing. Jim and his team are very knowledgeable, helpful and reasonable. Continue to highly recommend! read more

I have never given a negative review on Yelp before, and I'm sorry to have to do it now. This is the worst customer service I have ever experienced. I have never been spoken to with such a lack of courtesy, professionalism, or kindness. I would never recommend Metro Group to anyone. What Happened: We just moved into our new townhouse in April. When it finally became necessary to turn on our air conditioning, it didn't work. The previous owners provided us with the contact information for the company that serviced the air conditioning, Metro Group. They informed us that it was covered under warranty. We called and they came out a few days later and told us that the compressor needed to be replaced. We were charged a $150 diagnostic fee. We then called and spoke to the owner, Jim, and he told us that it may not be covered we could get a new compressor under warranty. We thought, "This is great, the previous owners have already established a relationship with this great company...we're in luck!" Jim told us he'd let us know when the compressor came in and we'd schedule the installation. We then heard from Janine at the Metro Group when she called at 6pm Memorial Day asking if they could come the next day to do the install and there was no mention of estimated cost. We called Jim to ask and he ball-parked close to $1,000(and sort of seemed annoyed that I asked how much it would be, as he was gardening). We were also very surprised to hear this as the part was going to be covered under warranty. We paid almost $1170 the next day. The invoice charged $450 for coolant and $720 for labor and parts. I was curious about whether there was an hourly rate for labor and what it was. Janine, Jim's wife, kept skirting around the answer, and I, thinking it a totally innocuous question, couldn't see why, and that made the conversation feel shady. She was unable to tell me if Jim charged by the hour and told me I made her feel like I was backing her into a corner by asking that question. She eventually just hung up on me. I've never had that happen before. Jim called back and was obviously annoyed. He was sure to let me know that 90% of his customers don't ask what things cost. He was totally put out that I wanted to know. His wife quoted me saying that I didn't want to pay for what had happened that day, but the workers left with the check. I just wanted to know the breakdown. Jim told me they don't charge by the hour, they stopped doing it 10+ years ago. He walked me through what it would have cost me if I paid full price, and reminded me again that he was covering the compressor under warranty when he didn't have to. Since then: -The air conditioning wasn't cold and working properly -Jeff, the very kind and lovely technician, came to fix it -It worked for 2 days and then stopped working again -Jeff came back again Saturday and worked all day to fix it again -It stopped working again on Tuesday -I called Jim and he told me he "can't take it anymore" and can't afford to keep sending his guys out for free, and he's going to refund us and suggests we hire another company read more

We found The Metro Group from a recommendation from a neighbor. We have used them several times for regular AC servicing and some special items, and they have been excellent. Their scheduler communicates well, the team shows up when on time, they are polite and really know what they are doing, and they finish the job properly. Very professional. read more

We have been using The Metro Group for servicing our heat/air the past three years and wouldn't use any other company! Abe is the best! He is very thorough and explains everything that he is doing! I would highly recommend The Metro Group! read more

I thought I'd written a review before, but don't see it on your site. Our experience with Metro Group was similar to Christine M.'s 7/4/2011. We had used the same heating people for many years, but they started to fade and couldn't solve a problem that we were experiencing. Our church had used Metro Group and I asked some of the officers of the church whether they were reliable and honest and they said they'd had no particular problems. Well, based on that, we asked them to check out our problem and tell us what we needed. The first thing we encountered was that diagnostic fee just for looking at things. Then "Jim" was called in and gave us an extensive description of all the things we needed including changing a whole bunch of pipes to eliminate the hammering. He said it was not ordinary for the hammering to occur and that, besides being annoying, it could damage the system eventually. He than gave us an estimate of around $6,000 for a new boiler and installation and we signed a contract. They then proceeded to install the new boiler but found that there were multiple points they had to correct and change the piping. When they got through, the original estimate had blossomed to around $12, 000 and they'd failed to fix one radiator that had been working prior to their work. We called shortly thereafter about the one radiator that was part of the initial job, but our call was never returned. We rationalized that they didn't return the call because it was the end of the heating season. When the new heating season began, we called again and Janine said that they hadn't returned the call because the season had been over. But they could have at least had the courtesy to return the call. In any event, she told Jim about our call and he told her to tell us that it would cost more money. At that point, I exploded with anger and told her that it was part of the original deal and that there shouldn't have been any extra charges and to convey that to Jim. There was no follow-up from Jim and so we reported them to the BBB. That did bring a response, but Jim told them a similar thing, i.e., they did a lot of work and that they didn't charge for everything. BBB asked if that would satisfy us and I told them no - that the only thing that would satisfy us would be if Metro fixed the radiator that they'd failed to fix. In addition to this, they tore apart a dropped ceiling to get at some pipes and, when I asked them if they were going to put it back, they said that would cost more money. I do want to say that the system has been working fine, although they didn't completely eliminate the hammering as we do experience some on occasion. Our only trepidation is what to do if something breaks down. I'm afraid that if we call them to honor their guarantees, they'll start to tell us that what they're doing is not part of the guarantee and will start piling new charges on us. read more

I love Metro Group. Jim and Janine are great to work with and genuinely care about customers having top-notch HVAC systems. We use them for annual service on both heat and A/C (so they come twice a year). They always offer tips to get better functionality out of the system and they're happy to answer questions and educate us. When I mentioned that we had a new baby, they explained how low-level carbon monoxide detectors work and I decided to buy one. When it signaled an alarm, I called Metro and Jim and Janine were very quick to help me determine the source of the carbon monoxide and discuss options to prevent it in the future. They followed up, too. Really like working with them and recommend them very highly! read more

We have used Metro Group for 20 years or more. They have replaced our furnace with a high efficiency and we couldn't be happier with the savings. We have a rental property and they have replaced the furnace and changed an electric water heater to a gas water heater, and they also installed central air in the property. We have them maintain our furnaces and air conditioning units and if we've ever had an issue, they've resolved it almost immediately. Their technicians are highly trained and knowledgeable. We recommend them with no hesitancy to people looking for a business with integrity and pricing that is comparable or better than competitors. read more

Owners of a condo with central heat/ac and multi-unit apartment building with boiler/steam heat. We use Metro for both properties and have been very happy with the quality of work performed. They always arrive on time, are very detailed in their inspection and explaining all work performed, and their knowledge of both new heating systems and an old steam system in a 100+ year old building has been above and beyond experiences had with other companies. They are our preferred go-to contractor for all heating/cooling issues in our buildings, both for maintenance and emergency fixes. read more

Best all around HVAC service in the area. A/C went down overnight, called at 7:00 am, Abe was ringing the doorbell before 8:00 am, and had it fixed by 9:00 am. Everything explained, all is good, and it's chilly again. Metro Group's customer service is first rate. I would highly recommend them to friends and family. read more

terrible. I actually think this "business" might be a scam. I had an inspector come and he found a small gas leak in my water heater, a small leak under my kitchen sink, and the laundry duct needed to be cleaned out. The metro group said they could do all of these things. The guy came out for a half hour told me what was wrong and rediagnosed the problems and did NOT fix ANYTHING. And then proceeded to charge me $150. DO NOT USE THEM. read more

I have never used yelp, I have never reviewed anyone on yelp. Just moved from 12 years of apartment living and into a house for the first time as an adult. Needless to say, I know nothing about heating and air. Since my wife does use yelp, I was so compelled after a recent conversation with Jim that I wanted to reward him for his time and expertise in some small way. Upon our first conversation, I found him to be the most knowledgable, friendly and professional service provider I have ever encountered in any field. I would recommend Metro to anyone many times over. They will figure out your problem, be available at any time of day to review it and then teach you everything and anything you need to know that is relevant to both the cause and solution. If only every service business operated like this...I would give more stars if I was able. read more

We have used the Metro Group several times for issues with our HVAC system. We were first referred to them by a friend when we were having our house renovated and we had issues with our subcontractor regarding our new HVAC system. Jim advocated for us with our contractor and even took issue with our subcontractor himself. The problems he found were potentially life-threatening issues with carbon monoxide and ventilation! Recently, they came out to fix an issue regarding our filters. Whether it is a big job or a small one, Metro Group has provided awesome service as well as given us loads of helpful how-to information. We would never go to anyone else. The people at Metro Group are truly the best in the business! read more

I have been using Jim Coleman and his team for over a decade. When we bought our current home, Jim offered to come out with the inspector of our choice to give a detailed review of the HVAC system. Thanks to him, we found some issues with how it was installed and we were able to negotiate a correction into the price of our home. I've had a total of two technicians over the 13 years I've used Metro Group - the guys are always friendly, kind to our dog, clean up after themselves and provide a verbal and written review of our system. Twice a year, Janine calls to see if we want to schedule our next maintenance appointment; I very much appreciate the reminder. They take good notes and always seem to be on the same page, whether I'm talking to the technician at my home or to Janine on the phone. I wish all service companies could provide the customer service Metro Group has - I'd be a loyal customer for life! read more

We needed a new HVAC system in our home. Metro group was recommended by the contractor whoa had done excellent remodeling work for us. We received quotes for Metro and 4 Seasons. The Metro group came out with 2 installers to review our project. It was clear that they were very knowledgable and would be installing a system that met our needs rather than an "off the shelf" solution. The quotes were comparable. We chose Metor group because of their ability to answer questions and their professionalism/ WE COULD NOT BE MORE PLEASED WITH THEIR WORK!. They were on time, very clean ( cleaned up), professional and truly cared about doing an excellent job. They took a true interest in installing a system that met our needs. After installation they were always ready to answer questions. It is clear their technicians are knowledgable and cared about doing a great job.. We would highly recommend them. The best! read more