Gene's Refrigeration, Heating & Air Conditioning

Jennifer F.

I have mixed feelings... I have a service plan, but my mom and my brother don't. My brother got the denial on a coupon for his furnace check today because he used one for his AC earlier in the year. My mom has a warranty on a part for her furnace that needs replaced, but the tech was so focused on trying to sell her a new furnace and air duct cleaning. When I had them over, they were fixated on the age of my AC and how I should replace it when it still works.

This is where I got really confused:

I called to schedule for AC clean & check + a clean and check on my tankless hot water heater.

Visit 1:
Someone came out to look at my water heater only, said it was installed wrong, and it would need repaired (did not clean). I think I might've paid $89, I'm not sure. I can't remember.

Visit 2:
Office schedules someone else, they said it was fine. This person didn't clean/check the water heater nor the AC, but sat down to talk to me about duct cleaning and upgrades. I'm super confused because I thought I was getting clean & checks.

Visit 3:
A man & woman hastily come to clean & check my AC. A plumber arrives at the same time to clean/check the tankless. The man & woman find something to repair on the AC. They kinda rush through the explanation, I pay in a daze, but I want a service plan because I have the tankless, reverse osmosis, water softener, the AC, and the furnace. Plus the plumber is still working. I didn't know they drove separately. I pay for the AC job because they seem rushed. The plumber is more relaxed (Jeff Lardo - he's the man. Hire him) sits down and explains everything to me about service plans, my hot water tank, my RO system filters, what Gene's can do, toilets (I need to replace one). I get the service plan.

Epilogue:
I have to contact the office to get the AC repair figured out with the service plan I wanted to buy. They're nice about it.

Bonus - My mom's visit I experienced:
I was at my mom's house and a jolly tech from Texas was here to clean/check my mom's furnace. Nice enough guy, I liked him. I prickled when he called my injured dog ""fatso,"" lol. But it was said in an affectionate way. My dog is a bit chubby, haha. It felt more like Gene's was pushing a sales agenda more than providing HVAC services. It's depressing because my family has been using Gene's since the 1970s. My mom did get the UV light installed because those are genuinely good products, but trying to strong arm an older lady into a new furnace when she has a lifetime warranty on one part that needs replaced felt bad. It felt like they were doing the strong arm on me as well since I was a woman. It felt bad. But the work was done well. The tech was really nice.

Bonus bonus - My brother's phone call:
My brother just called to make an appointment for his furnace. Since he used a coupon for his AC, he was told his furnace would be $120. He said no thank you. But he said the office person was nice. He is going to find another place to take care of his furnace.

Like I said - mixed feelings

+10 stars for Jeff Lardo, the plumber
+10 stars for the office staff
-7 stars for the confusion with needing 3 visits to clean my tankless
-6 stars for sales tactics
-3 dog bones for hurting my dogs' feelings

Vinny C.

Recently our AC unit stopped working... we called Gene's and they were here the next day. Matthew came out and fixed it super fast and told us a bunch of details on why it was broken. Then, we realized the next day that it was just blowing air, not cool air. We called them back and Matt came back the next day and knew exactly what to fix and now our AC is working better then it ever has, and it's 30 years old, so that pretty good. Definitely recommend this company, don't let the other reviews fool you!

Frank C.

Was charged an $89 service call when they came to measure a broken backflow preventer to give me an estimate to replace it. I knew it was broken, I just wanted a quote. The quote was far too much, but I still got charged the $89...for no work done.

Bill B.

Been with Gene's for 4 or 5 years. Had them install our new a/c and furnace and we have a multi-year service contract with them. In April we needed 2 toilets repaired - one with a very small leak (would dampened one paper towel per day) and the second would take 15 minutes for the tank to fill. I had the flu and was running a temperature when the plumber came out so I told him where the rooms were and stayed out of the way. He finished in, I thought, under 1 hour and told me with our service contract we saved something like $90. I wasn't taking everything in due to the fever and didn't want to pass whatever I had on to him so I signed the pad. MY MISTAKE! The electronic invoice comes in for $378. $378!! The job description states 'rebuilt 2 toilets'! $378! The toilets were not replaced - no copper lines soldered - no cutting out sections of walls to get to pipes - just a few repair parts. $378. I began calling and spoke to office manager Kim who said she would take this up with the 'new owner Keith - Keith is the original owner's son... She got back to me and said when she reviewed my invoice he had apparently said 'is that all he (the plumber) charged?'!!! With that she was able to get a $50 refund. I still felt $328 for 45 minutes worth of work and $30 worth of parts was out of line. After 5 more calls she said there was nothing more she could do; I asked Keith to call me. This was in April. Since then either leaving messages at their office or through their maintenance techs I continued to ask Keith to call me. NADA - not stellar customer service. Today, Aug. 15, I finally got someone to breakdown my invoice. She said the plumber was at my house for 1 hour and 15 minutes because they use GPS time stamping. Hmmmm...what if he had to make a few phone calls before he left - it was on my time? Anyway, she said that the flat rate for the plumber is $235 an hour. This is not a misprint! TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS AN HOUR so since their GPS said he was there for 1 hour and 15 minutes the labor charge was $293.75! She also, now, found that 'parts' were $80 some dollars - I still don't have an itemized statement so I don't know if that could be remotely correct. She claims that they have been billing this way with no complaints. I told her this rate is obscene and I should have been informed of this flat rate hourly charge when I made this appointment. So if you plan to get plumbing work done please verify your flat rate with this company; I called one of their competitors after I ended this call and asked what they charged to have a plumber do various plumbing jobs and I was quoted $85 an hour.
Oh, and by the way, $235 an hour - without overtime for weekends, nights or holidays - equates to a yearly salary of $488,800 a year - most likely more than most of your healthcare professional make.

Robert B.

Would not recommend - tech was timely and professional - customer service and part ordering was a joke !! Billing was very vague , no details just a total !

Chris S.

Just charged over $200 dollars to replace toilet plumbing....fool me once....NEVER again....parts cost around $40 online
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Ron M.

Gave them the go ahead on a fireplace repair and three weeks later the tech arrives with the wrong parts. The tech seemed fine, but the office support seemed to be significantly lacking. I was patient throughout the process until this so I found another local HVAC company. They got it fixed within 10 days and for 39% less than the price Gene's had quoted!

Ralph D.

We have been using this company since 1977, and have never been disappointed with the pricing or level of precessional service. Unlike many companies who will sell anything, their mechanics will quickly tell you ""nope, your unit is good and does not need replacing."" I recommend them without reservation.

Update: we are still using their service in 2017.

Jeremy D.

Horrible. They sell you stuff u don't need. Tell you your heat exchanger is cracked and need a new furnace but it's not cracked. Very dishonest company. The owner Keith is a very impolite man. Don't do business with this company

Frank B.

I like these guys. First time I used them was when my furnace quit working in the middle of winter. Other HVAC contractors tried to sell me their maintenance plan before the would even schedule an appointment. Gene's got a tech to my house within a few hours and fixed the problem. Only then did he try to sell me their plan. I declined but used them again for an inspection and cleaning earlier this year. The tech was on-time, quick and efficient. This time, I purchased the maintenance plan. Chris was the tech who came most recently. Looked over my system but didn't try to sell me anything. Mine is approximately 20 years old and we discussed the age but he recommended against any repairs until the system would be replaced. Honest and fast. Can't ask for anything more.