ARS Rescue Rooter

Roxann S.

I had ARS come out to do a winter furnace tune up, and I had them return later for an estimate on a new furnace.

A furnace tune up should include:

Full inspection. The service should include a full visual and point examination to check all the working parts of your furnace and duct system. This is the best method for the technician to notify you of any components that are beginning to show signs of wear. PARTIALLY DONE.

Checking the vent system for leaks or blockages. NOT DONE

Examining the heat exchanger for signs of corrosion and cracks or separations. A damaged heat exchanger can allow deadly carbon monoxide to escape. NOT DONE

Checking the blower and cleaning its components. This includes removing the blower wheel to ensure that it's free of dirt and debris.
Testing for a tight seal on the blower access door. NOT DONE

Checking the air intake grills for blockages. NOT DONE

Performing an amp-draw test on the blower motor and comparing the results to the unit's listed specifications. This can reduce the risk of fire, and help extend the life of the blower components. NOT DONE

Checking the burner for proper ignition and testing the flame sensor for accurate operation. NOT DONE

Lubricating all the motor's moving parts to reduce friction. When there's friction, the motor has to work harder, which requires more electricity, and it could also result in a premature failure. NOT DONE

Checking that all electrical connections are tight and examining the wiring for signs of rust and corrosion. DONE

Testing the thermostat calibration. When the thermostat is calibrated correctly, your home will be more comfortable. It can also save you money on your energy bills by preventing overheating. NOT DONE
Examining the flue for obstructions. If the toxic fumes that result from combustion can't escape up the flue due to a blockage, your indoor air quality will suffer. NOT DONE

Testing for the unit's safety controls. This should include checking the high limit control, which prevents the furnace from overheating and reduces the risk of fire. NOT DONE

Checking the belts for signs of wear or cracks. NOT DONE

Testing that the system's startup cycle is functioning correctly. NOT DONE

Checking the furnace's air filter. A dirty filter can reduce the unit's efficiency by restricting needed air flow, and damage vital system components over time. DONE

Examining the thermocouple and replacing it if necessary. This helps eliminate the risk of an explosion. DONE

Analyzing the combustion gases and comparing the results to your furnace's specifications. NOT DONE

Checking that the pilot or electronic ignition is functioning properly. DONE

Testing that the burner is operating correctly and cleaning it if necessary. PARTIALLY DONE

Checking the fuel lines for leaks that could pose a fire hazard or allow harmful fumes to escape. DONE

Testing the manifold gas pressure to ensure that the correct amount of fuel is reaching the burners. NOT DONE

Lubrication. Mechanical equipment needs lubrication to reduce friction between the operating parts. Your system tune-up should include a complete lubrication. NOT DONE.

Pilot and gas pressure evaluation. As part of your tune-up, corrections may be made to the pilot and gas pressure as needed to restore these elements to the designed specifications. NOT DONE.

Filter replacement. A comprehensive furnace tune-up should include a normal 1"" filter replacement with your service. DONE, although it was not a perfect fit. DONE

Written assessment and analysis in writing or on the receipt with your tune-up, including their professional maintenance recommendations for the coming year. PARTIALLY DONE - INCLUDED ONLY RECOMMENDED REPAIRS.

So - basically, I wasted my time and money with ""tune-up"" that only gave me a new furnace filter - an ill-fitting one.

The tech estimated about $1250 in repairs, and suggested I get an estimate on a new furnace. The salesperson who came did not ask me a single question about my utility bills, how well or how poorly my furnace functions, or anything else. Tried to pressure me into buying models that were massive overkill for my needs and which ranged in price from $4000 - $5600 for a condo that is 1000 sq. ft. Flat out stated that I would save $300 a year on heating bills if I purchased his high end razzle dazzle model. I explained -TWICE - that my heating and A/C bills average only $40 a month. This person had a spiel to deliver and was determined to do so. My questions and comments were basically ignored.

Later, I contacted Davey Heating to another estimate on repairs and a new furnace. The service was EXCEPTIONAL! The salesperson, who is also a technician, asked plenty of questions. His furnace quotes were 1/2 the price of models quoted by ARS, and there was no pressure to buy an overkill system. These people come off as honest, knowledgeable, and more than fair. They have a customer for life!

Kelly K.

These guys redid our main line in 2008. They first tried to dig a hole and repair from under our front porch...but it began to cave in. Then they dug another area and apparently used two different pipes in stead of one pipe. And we already have roots and grass coming through a part of the pipe that has already broken. I don't think people move into a home with the expectation that they will have to re do the main sewer line to the city line every ten years. Now we're selling the home. And apparently there is an area where the city plugs into our main. And now that area is cracked and we are only made aware of it from the home inspection. But because we are 10 months past out 10 year warranty...we're on our own and ARS won't even clean the line out for us. They want 2700 to repair it. We have some thing at our new home that will need worked on...needless to say we will not be using ARS.

Brad B.

We just spent $16,000 on a new HVAC system with these clowns. They are fast and they play loose. They pickup lead information from Home Depot and we showed interest. The sales guy came to the house. He looked at the indoor unit and without inspecting anything closely, he announced what size it was. I told him that we needed to have the right size unit because this one was old and has never cooled the house. I told him that he needed to run the formula j calculations on heating and cooling. He said that he would. He then showed the comparison models and started pushing a model. I told him that we would only buy RHEEM because it is the only unit that is made in the USA. He said that the high end modulated Lennox units are too. We then focused on that unit and he said that Lennox unit was the only one with modulated technology. I told him that the unit was what I wanted then. We completed the papers, the salesman explained the 72 hour rule and they came out the next day. He said they would take care of the building permit. He counted the windows on the way out of the house for the calculation, but it is not that easy. The installers did not have it and when the box came out of the truck it had made in Mexico printed on the side.
The installers took out the old system and installed the new outside HVAC unit and the inside furnace in about 4 hours. I wont go into the issues with the installation. If I was the insurance underwriter for this company, I would be dropping them like a hot rock. Looking at the installation papers from the company that made the equipment, the installers did not do any of the steps that are required to insure that the unit is going to perform properly. I contacted this company online and explained my concerns. They called me immediately and I explained the issue again. They told me they had to transfer me to the local office, the hold time was too much and even though I had given them all the information about me, they never called back.
I contacted Lennox to see about the warranty issues since it was not installed to specification. I told Lennox what all the issues were. They told me to contact ARS again.
I noticed that the installers left the combustion air duct unhooked. I called ARS to explain to them the issues again. They acted concerned and took my information and said that they would get a service call scheduled to take care of it, they put me on hold. They came back and said that they could not get anyone to answer the phone to make the appointment. They put me on hold again, they came back on the phone and said they would email corporate to set the appointment as no one was answering the phone. They put me on hold again because they needed to transfer me to another person because of the other concerns I had. I explained the issue to the new person when she came on the phone. I told her that the issues need to be handled and she said that she was concerned about them and she needed to put me on hold again. This was a long hold time and I had to take another call. They have not called back. I have filed two complaints through their website. They have not contacted me.
1. They are misleading, they outright lie. Modulation tech is widespread. MADE IN USA ? Building permits?
2. They said they would mail the building permit to me. It is supposed to be posted before the work. I still don't have it. They had no idea about the city I am in, I don't know if they are licensed for my area.
3. They did not complete the work and did not install to manufacturers specifications. The air flow has to be measured for temp and velocity / back pressure.
4. They don't return phone calls. They don't answer emails.
In short don't use these guys.

Matthew G.

I scheduled an appointment to get an estimate on replacing my main sewer line, the lady I spoke with said it would be a free estimate and a technician would be out Saturday between 8-10. Saturday morning around 9:30 someone called me and said they didn't have a technician and would reschedule it for Sunday between 8-10. Sunday morning someone called me and said it would be a $225 charge to have a camera scope of line, I said I was told I would have a free estimate he said they would have to charge me, worst experience I've ever had with a plumbing company. I decided to go with one of the three other free quotes I received from other willing companies. Definitely do not recommend!

Adrienne S.

Allegedly this company provides emergency service and repair.

I called with no heat (while it was 30 degrees outside) and the only thing the scheduler could offer was an appointment for seven days later. I explained calmly that I was willing to pay an after-hours fee, but that I could not go 7 days without heat. This did not matter, the only option the company would give me was the following week. If you are looking for a HVAC repair location urgently, look elsewhere.

Liz N.

I would give 0 stars if I could. I have never experienced such a blatant money grab in my life, as well as complete incompetence, and just bad customer service. Stay away and do not hire them. I'm not an idiot, so don't treat me like one. I wish I would have looked at Yelp reviews before I hired anyone. Here's what happened to us:

We bought our house in Summer 2017

Fall 2017 - We hire ARS to come do a standard furnace tune up. All is well, technician tells us we are using the wrong filter size for our furnace system, gives us a new filter.

Summer 2018 - We hire ARS to come do a standard AC tune up. Technician informs us that our AC evaporator coils are covered in dirt and they need to be cleaned ASAP for $400. Oh, and we're using the wrong filter size for our furnace system...which contributed to the dirty evaporator coils. So, we're not happy that the first technician gave us the wrong filter size, clearly there's a problem there that needs to be resolved. Customer service says they'll call me back once they investigate what happened with the technician in the Fall. They never called me back. We did not pay for ARS to clean the evaporator coils, but they did give us a new furnace filter, that is apparently the real correct size.

Fall 2018 - We hire a different company to clean the evaporator coils and do a standard furnace tune up. Furnace looks great. New company technician says ""I don't know why they told you that you need your evaporator coils cleaned. This is my least favorite AC unit because you have to take it apart to even see the evaporator coils. They wouldn't have taken apart your unit for a standard tune up. If your AC has been working fine, then you don't need us to professionally clean the evaporator coils."" Great. So glad we did not pay ARS to just take our money and do nothing, like they were apparently going to do.

I worked in customer service for years. I get that it sucks. People can be awful. But if you are providing a service, it's still your responsibility to follow through, at least try the bare minimum. The fact that we never heard from anyone ever again after we were clearly very upset about all of this says a lot about this company.

Gunnar H.

I would give zero stars if I could because it would certainly justify the work that this company does. I had an appointment scheduled that was a 2 hour window in the middle of the workday in which they did not show up for, no notification, nothing, despite the fact that this was not an issue that could wait. The only reason I knew they were running late was because I called at the end of the window to ask where they were. They said they would have someone call me to let me know when they would coming, they never did. I called back, told them I had an appointment at 5:30, an hour and a half after the window had closed and that I would not be available again until 7:30. I get a call at 5:30 telling me they're at my house and won't be able to do the job since I am not there. They made it seem like it was my problem, despite the fact they were an hour and a half late. They never ended up showing up at 7:30 as requested, again, with no notification. I called another company who was way more responsive and professional, and they ended up coming out that same night instead. I will not use this company again and highly recommend that you do not either. Horrible experience. Cannot stress enough, DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY IF YOU EXPECT THEM TO SHOW UP ON TIME OR TO AT LEAST GIVE YOU THE COURTESY OF NOTIFYING YOU OF A LATE ARRIVAL. Use either Done Plumbing and Heating or Quality First Plumbing and Heating instead. Both companies are exponentially better options.

Teresa H.

Do not expect to pay $88 to unclog a sink, I paid $254 and was told I needed to replace the cast iron pipe to the tune of $6K also told I needed to do this soon. Had a second opinion who totally disagreed with this. Be careful.

Nadia T.

Beware! I called Rescue Rooter on Tuesday, Aug 21, and set up an appointment in a first available slot next morning Wed, Aug 22 between 8-10 am to investigate a leak. I got a call at 8:45 am next morning about the technician being delayed until 9:30 am. Technician did not show up and I called around 10 am and was told by Lisa that technician is delayed at another customer. I was not sure what customer was supposed to be first, if I had the first slot. She was rude and hang up on me. I waited until 11 am. NO show! I called back and cancelled my appointment and made an arrangement with someone else to investigate the leak. This company does not care about bad reviews and bad reputation.

Lisa O.

I just had a new Central air installed in my house by ARS (through Home Depot). The house is 45 years old but never had any cooling system in all those years. I had a few quotes from other contractors. The other companies were cheaper but I decided to go with ARS due to the quality of their work. The salesman and employees (not contractors) were actually early for the appointments. They noticed my existing 3 year furnace had several gaps in the ducts, and a humidifier from the previous owner that should not be in a crawlspace due to the possibility of it leaking into an area you never look at. The humidifier didn't work and they disconnected and removed the humidifier, sealed the gaps in the ducts and replaced my low hanging gas line with a whole new 20 foot line at the right height. They installed a Nest thermostat which was pretty slick. They also added an outlet outside as there were never any power outside. It was bit higher priced but I feel much more safe and think it saved me money on the long haul with not having to worry about future problems plus now i don't have to literally crawl under my gas line to store items in my crawlspace or replace my furnace filter.