Cooling Unlimited

Angela L.

Severely overpriced by ~4x.

Not punctual (half an hour late on a work day - I was on my way out for work). So wish I didnt answer the door.

Also charges a $149 diagnosis fee, which is fine if I couldn't tell what the problem was... Call me crazy, I just don't understand why I should pay someone that much money just for them to reiterate to me what I already understood and have previously told them over the phone. EVERY OTHER company offers complementary visits.

I asked them to give me 2 estimates on 2 different complexity projects before I move forward with a decision and never heard back.

They also told me i should replace the boiler but every other contractor told me it is fine.

Anyway, decided to go with a different contractor but called them today to ask them to send me the bill for the $149, a cost I decided to eat, not because I think they deserve it, but because I dont want to be sent to collection.

It's my first condo and I know that as a woman who doesn't understand jack about plumbing, I can get taken advantage of. So lesson learned. Should have done my homework better...so do your homework guys and gals, before you even let anyone into your house!

Edward B.

I replaced my old HVAC system with a 20 SEER system and a Mitsubishi ductless system.
After receiving four quotes, Cooling Inc. offered the best value. The installation went smoothly and according to schedule. I'm very happy with the improved efficiency of the system and my reduced electric bills. Gina, in the office, was excellent to work with and took the lead on getting energy credit and rebates submitted.. The only reason I didn't give five stars was due to the lack of follow up by the technicians to check on how the system was working. Perhaps not a big thing, but given the cost of the system, I think a customer satisfaction inquiry would show a commitment on the part of the vendor.

David S.

I did not have a good experience. I hired the company to replace an existing heat pump system. The quote provided was to install a high efficiency air source heat pump condenser, inside air handler, and wi-fi enabled thermostat.

The two day installation did not go smoothly - there was unexpected ducting initially installed that took up the usable space in a closet and a hole cut through the existing closet organizer system so it is no longer functional. After I saw this happening and asked the installers to stop, I was repeatedly told by the project manager that I had authorized all of this work to be done, even though I had not.

I contacted someone at the company, who I believe was the project manager's supervisor, and we discussed the job. He agreed that the duct work was not specified in the written contract and that he would work to sort out the issue. The duct work was removed, but the hole cut through the closet organizer was not addressed.

After installation, I noticed a gurgling noise coming from the system. It took two separate visits by techs to identify that the system was undercharged during the installation. The system was recharged with coolant during the second follow-up visit and the noise was reduced.

Prior to signing any contracts, I ensured that the equipment selected qualified for specific rebates I was planning on applying for. The company offered to apply for rebates on my behalf, which I declined multiple times, but still had a difficult time getting the requested paperwork necessary for me to apply on my own. After asking which rebates they planned on applying for, I found that the total amount was significantly less than what I qualified for and expected.

During my rebate application process, I was informed by a separate agency that the equipment actually installed did not meet the efficiency standards that were listed on the signed contract and that the AHRI efficiency certificate that I was provided by the installer was for a different condenser. This resulted in me not qualifying for the rebates I was expecting.

Jesse G.

I had a disappointing experience.

We hired CU for a residential boiler replacment. Their quote came in firmly in the middle of our range. They seemed nice enough at first. We spent about $15k.

Eventually it became clear that they did not understand steam heating. It's a bit of a dying art, fair enough, but they didn't even adhere to the boiler manufacturer's specs on the install. They did really basic stuff wrong, like using copper piping with soldered joints for the piping over the boiler. It was leaking hissing steam within weeks. They didn't install the return piping adequately, entirely leaving out the usual valve that enables annual cleaning.

Their level of ignorance about steam was astonishing. To manage them and understand what they did wrong, I had to all but become a steam expert myself.

Then they basically just stopped returning phone calls and emails entirely. They'd take messages, but never any callback.

Gyulyara R.

I had a rather negative experience with the Cooling Unlimited. My furnace kept shutting down and I called Cooling Unlimited. Their technician came at the end of the day and after trying to restart it a few times told me that it needs valve replacement (at least $400 to $500 worth of repairs). I trusted my gut feeling and called another company to come in and take a look. It turned out that furnace's motor needed cleaning and some air ducts in the house were obstructed - the valve was perfectly fine and is still working. I saved some money by not going for expensive repairs recommended by Cooling Unlimited's technician.

It was also disappointing that I was charged not only for the visit/diagnosis (which is ok), but also $121 for ""minor repairs"" (the technician left without fixing the furnace). When I called the office to get that amount refunded, they told me that the owner will call back. I never got that call.

N. G.

We had Cooling Unlimited install a new high efficiency furnace in our Stoneham home. The sales rep, Charlie, was a delight and very helpful. Our problems were with installation and service.

Charlie had assured us the intake and outake pvc pipes would go through the rear wall of our furnace room. The installers decided to pipe it through our garage, which surprised me when I returned home to see. This was not what we had expected nor wanted.

We found that the installers were very sloppy and left screws and debris on the floor. We have a small dog and this was very upsetting.

The worst part is that despite our old furnace having a ""circulation"" feature, which ran the fan, the new furnace did not. I called CU and got through to Dennis, the owner. He informed me that it would cost more to have this feature, and that it was not specified in the contract.

I was very upset by this. Dennis did offer to credit us one service call, but I decided to find another vendor.

While CU charged a fair price, I found the installation and service components both unacceptable! I would not recommend CU.

kara l.

Well! Where do I start!? We had Cooling install high velocity heating and central air (2 zones) in our 1938 home. Install went great! We had a very mild November, about 3-4 years ago. The following January, the upstairs heat doesn't work. That happened at least twice a winter for the entire time we've had the system. The heating unit is located in our attic. They never offered a permanent solution, only stop gap ones, which I paid for. I asked the tech what we could do, other than leave the attic door open (in the ceiling of my now 7 year old sons room) when it gets super cold. They had nothing. Then, suddenly, in January of 2015, they had a solution. They claimed they had it the whole time and offered it to me, but I didn't want it (yes, their office manager said that to me. Please, let me keep paying $200-300 twice a winter!). I was confused, but told them to do it, but I'm not paying for it since this has been an ongoing issue. The heating has worked fine since then and I did not receive a bill until March or April. Haven't paid it. Have asked for the owner, Dennis, to call me. Haven't heard a word (been away from home since mid June).

**UPDATE**
Spoke with Dennis today. A HUGE miscommunication issue on BOTH parts. Happy to say, the billing issue was dealt with satisfactorily and I would recommend them! Thanks, Dennis.

Bob B.

ecstatically pleased! We installed a new replacement central air system last year. This year, it froze up. Although system was just out of warranty, Cooling Unlimited came, fixed the problem (it took almost 3 hours of their time!), and never once mentioned a fee! Glad to see they stand behind their work and the products they sell. Great organization, I have always felt like I was treated as a VIP

Greg D.

They installed a new Central Air system for us about a year and a half ago. They are very professional and do high-quality work. If you go with an energy efficient system, they'll also fill out all the energy rebate paperwork and submit it for you.

Fujian Y.

About 2 weeks ago, my wife noticed that the heat pump fan doesn't start to spin every time when she turned on thermostat. Sometimes it just hangs with a relatively loud noise. Then I called this company one day asking for help.

They came quickly. I called about 8am and they came around 11am and was told that the technician happened to be in the same area that's why they could come so quickly.

The technician asked me what went wrong and I showed him the problem. He then opened the heat pump and used his meters to do his diagnosis. After about 5 minutes he told me that the capacitor is broken he needs to replace it with a new one, and the price would be $129 for diagnosis + $250 for replacing the capacitor with a new one. I said to myself ""wow, so expensive"" but I want the heat pump to be fixed. After an unsuccessful negotiation I agreed to pay the price and let him fix the heat pump. In another 10 minutes the capacitor was replaced and the fan started spinning. I spent $379 for it. Anyway I got the heat, I thought.

Then after a few days, we noticed the fan stopped spinning again. I felt upset and called them again and on the phone the lady told me they could waive diagnosis this time, which made me feel a bit better.

The same technician came again. He was expected to come between 10 to 11am and didn't show up until 11:30. I don't blame him for being 30 mins late, but I couldn't watch him doing diagnosis this time because I need to be on a conference call when he came in. After about 5 minutes he came back telling me it's the motor that was broken this time. The price would be $129 for diagnosis + $465 for replacing with a new motor. I told him that I was told to not be charged with diagnosis fee, but he insisted it's different problem and he couldn't waive the diagnosis fee. This means I'll have to spend $1000 to let heat pump fan starts spinning. I asked the technician whether it's way too expensive. He just said ""oh, yeah, things added up quickly"". I started to suspect his diagnosis and asked him to bill me later.

To make story short, I called another company and after all kinds of diagnosis they told me the motor works fine and it's the defrost sensor that was broken. After entering the defrost mode it can't exit. That's why sometimes the fan works fine while sometimes not. After changing the defrost sensor the heat pump is back to work.