Carini Home Services - El Cajon

Robin H.

Carini installed our ductless system a few months ago. First of all, they were very flexible with our schedule. We have 2 toddlers who are always sick, and because of that, we have very few days off. John ending up coming to our house early so we didn't have to take off any time from work. After the install we had a few issues with the AC system in our living room. We initially were not happy but they came out and rectified the issues. We haven't had any issues since. Thank you for taking care of your customers!

Thaimae L.

I rarely leave 1 star reviews, but I can no longer bite my tongue. We have been very patient, understanding, and polite but now I just feel taken advantage of... and mind you this was a $20k job. This is going on 10 months now...

After purchasing our new home, we decided we needed to get central heat & air. My mom is disabled and has medical conditions and is on certain medications that explicitly warn her to avoid heat/hot weather conditions. So, we made an appointment with Carini after reading great reviews and a positive previous experience with Clint for a gas line fix at our old home.

We signed the proposal for a heat pump and air handler on 12/16 and was told the job could be done by 12/24, if not by NYE. Well, some space and product dimension issues arose and caused a slight delay in the receipt of the unit. Not a big deal. But what was hopefully going to be completed by 12/31 didn't happen until Mid-March.

There was a major lack of communication between the techs and our household and the communication we did receive was always incorrect. We kept being promised a completion date, but it kept changing. At one point, we were even told, ""It'll be done Friday, no matter what"". And then Friday afternoon, the techs said ""See you Monday morning"" because it wasn't done. I literally had to email them and ask them to please stop promising us completion dates because it was only causing us disappointment. We never asked for any specific time frames or commitments, they just kept overpromising and under delivering.

Over those 3.5 months I noticed a lot of sloppy and forgetful workmanship including leaving old ducting and garbage under our house even though its removal was part of our agreement, debris left in the return after cutting the hole for it, an unconnected duct, and even leaving the very large return exposed and uncovered while we waited for the custom covers to get in. I had to request a temporary solution, because I was afraid one of our dogs would fall into it. The install failed the initial HERS testing because they forgot to seal the new floor registers.

However, the most frustrating part was when our unit stopped working just 7 months after the install. I called them on a Weds to have it checked out and was told they couldn't come until Monday. I said okay. My dad crawled under the house to check out the unit to see if it was something that could be easily fixed and we discovered that they never installed an air filter and so 7 months of debris and dog hair was covering the coils.

So, I called back to inform them and got someone to come out Thursday. We found out that this lead to the motor breaking and a new one had to be ordered. Because of my mom's medical condition, we went out and purchased a portable AC unit from Home Depot for $347 as we had no idea how long this would take.

I didn't hear from anyone until I reached out Monday and then was scheduled for someone to come out Friday for the motor replacement. We requested reimbursement for the portable ac unit and was asked to just return the unit because they said they would have loaned us one if we had asked. I asked why it wasn't offered and they said because it's only for the elderly and severe conditions. I reminded them that we got central air because of mom's medical condition and it's okay that they didn't remember but it would have been nice if they would have at least asked qualifying questions.

After all of this and a lot more I'm leaving out, the only thing we asked for was that AC reimbursement. I figured they wouldn't oblige, but it was just even more upsetting to learn that they had a plausible temporary solution for us but didn't bother to offer it. They keep telling us that everything that's happened has been ""worst case scenario"" and I'm floored that they still fall short of providing an average customer service experience for these worst case scenario conditions.

I just can't believe the lack of customer service or care from Carini. We had to constantly and are apparently expected to ask for solutions to problems they created. I have been so patient and understanding that things are really impacted in the trades right now but their lack of empathy or care is really disappointing.

Ozzy M.

I'm seriously of the mind-set that there are fewer honest repair businesses now than there have ever been in history; it seems almost everyone is using the current ""supply chain"" issues as an excuse for bad service, lack of options and overpricing...almost everyone. I made the mistake of contacting Sherlock for a repair job on a 15 year old air conditioning unit (you can read the full story there). Bottom-line is after too many red-flags I opted to stop the job and then reached out to Carini; which I should have done to begin with. Carlos at Carini was a true professional who came THE SAME DAY to do a diagnostic. I told him I was looking to do a repair as Sherlock had convinced me the faulty motor was too hard to find for this ""older"" unit. Carlos gave me a quote to do the complete ""swap"" of the older unit, which came in at $2000 LESS than the previous quote. But he also asked why I didn't just want to repair the motor, since it would be quicker and I wouldn't need to get permits from the city (a major concern as we live in a Mills Act house). I was astounded that he would even suggest this option; this shows character, honesty and ethics you just don't see with most service companies these days.

I opted for the repair, and within 2 days his colleague, Tom, came out to do the job. Tom was efficient, friendly and professional. He did the repair quickly but spent extra time troubleshooting to ensure there wouldn't be any additional issues anytime soon. Great service, professional employees and an honest price. THIS is your first choice for any air conditioning or plumbing jobs...can't speak more highly here.

Dan G.

Carini installed a new whole house electric heat pump/AC at my home yesterday. I have solar on the roof and generate more electricity than I use, so switching from gas to electric was a no-brainer. Carini's pricing was very competitive and there is currently a $3,000 Tech Clean California rebate on these high efficiency heat pumps, which sweetened the deal even more.

The salesman offered me 3 different options with a sizable range of prices based on efficiency. The lowest efficiency system that was offered was still highly efficient and was a screaming good deal, but I chose the highest efficiency system available because I plan to buy an electric vehicle and don't want any ongoing out-of-pocket costs for electricity.

The installers, Haik and Brett, arrived at 8 AM as planned. Other than answering a few logistical questions, my intervention was not required. The installers were neat, respectful of my property, extremely polite, and their installation was impeccable. My new system is quiet, occupies significantly less room in my workshop than my previous gas heater, and the outside unit is much quieter than the previous one. They repurposed the Honeywell electronic air cleaner from my old gas furnace and they thoroughly washed the filters at no charge.

A few years ago, Carini Heating and Air installed Fujitsu split units in my bedrooms. Both units share a common compressor. The units are extremely efficient and enable me to heat or cool the bedrooms at night without having to heat or cool the entire house, resulting in significant cost savings. There was a minor refrigerant leak a few months after installation, which Carini remedied immediately. These split units have performed perfectly over time.

I highly recommend Carini Heating and Air.

D D.

Nice enough of a company- Licensed plumbers, 24/7 assistance, availability of appointments.

But wholey-moley are they EXPENSIVE. No free estimates, and then they'll drop a $300-$400 an hour labor charge on you. Know this BEFORE you have them come out !!!

Zero joke, ASI's estimate was half... HALF the price. I was almost jaw dropped, but had to laugh when I heard the number. The company has this idea that they may not get hired for every job, but they scoop your fee for coming out, and every now and then, they get a big payday because someone decides to hire them for an unbelievably overpriced job.

Again, nice enough people on the phone and in person, but having the business plan of many REASONABLY priced jobs versus mayyybe getting 1 in 10 jobs that is insanely priced, is the better way to go.

Michelle R.

As many others in San Diego recently, my SDGE bill has increased tremendously. I called Carini to see if they had any ideas on how to lower my costs. I've used them in the past for my A/C. I was transferred to Briton, He was extremely helpful and went above and beyond to help me! I wasn't sure if I had a gas or electric furnace. Briton asked if I had an iPhone (which I do) and Facetimed me so that he could assess it with me. He also looked in my attic-type space the same way. I was thrilled with the knowledge and help he gave me! You're awesome, Briton! I'm grateful for your assistance!

Elsa C.

It says free estimates, but it does not state clearly that it is only free estimates for full systems. An estimate is actually $89, to be clear

Maybe they should be clear on there wording so people know what their going into from the start and not wait on the phone for a while.

Norbert K.

Carini was one of six HVAC companies that I asked to bid on replacing three air conditioning systems. Carlos, who came out and created Carini's proposal was great. He was patient while my wife and I evaluated the 10 different proposals we received from the six companies, and he answered all of our questions.

When we made our final decision to accept the Carini proposal, Carlos worked with us on scheduling, and he was patient as I changed the dates twice. The installation team (headed by Chris) arrived as finally planned and completed the installation of two 3-ton AC units, two new furnaces and air handlers, new wireless thermostats, and a minisplit for our casita in three days. Carlos checked on the team several times, as did the installation manager.

Post installation, we had what we thought was an issue with the minisplit, and Heather in the office sent someone out the next morning who checked out everything. It's working fine We had successful state-mandated and city inspections ... again organized by Heather. We are very happy with the systems, as well as the installation, service, and teams at Carini.

I highly recommend Carini for your HVAC needs.

Amy M.

Highly recommend. They did a great job for an affordable price and worked around our solar.

Carol L.

Eric came to our house this morning ~ 15420 Olde Hwy 80 around 8:30am September 10, 2021
We purchased the A/C unit from Carini a couple years ago and it had a problem with connecting the control panel.
Eric was professional and we have recommended this company to our Family and Friends.
Thank you so very much ~
It is a pleasure doing business with you.
Carol Lovejoy
619 316-8431