Northstar Plumbing, Heating and AC

Zub F.

In late November, 2023, my downstairs furnace stopped working in the dead of winter. This 2nd home was located in Big Bear Lake, CA. I went online to find a Big Bear Lake local HVAC company and found Northstar, which represented themselves as a local company. I don't believe that's true. Regardless, I spoke with Edgar, a salesman for Northstar, by phone, who represented that to replace a high end furnace, like Carrier, would cost $11,538. I foolishly gave him the go ahead. The 3-ton unit that was installed was a Goodman furnace, considered reliable but low end. After speaking and complaining with owner Dave about the bate/and/switch and the exorbitant price for the Goodman, he agreed to a $1500 discount. (Who does that after the fact unless they know they have been ""caught"") Subsequently, I found out that $10,500 for that Goodman replacement job was still excessive. Fast forward to September, 2024. I explored, through ""ANGI,"" having air conditioning installed for both my upstairs and downstairs furnaces, which involved each furnace having a coil and condenser, along with the copper runs and electrical hookups. I met on site with two recommended companies from ANGI. Neither one was ""local."" One company quoted somewhere in the neighborhood of $14,000, the second quoted $11,000. One of the reps, when I mentioned the price Northstar had charged, almost fell over. He also said the work was marginal, and showed me where and why. I thought I would give Northstar another chance to make amends. I called owner Dave and reminded him of our prior business. I asked him if he could give me a ballpark quote for A/C for each of the split furnaces. He quoted $25,000. When I represented to him generally the quotes I'd received from the two other, five star rated ANGI companies, without naming names, he began to denigrate both, indicating they were disreputable and could not possibly do a good job at that price. Their prices would not even cover the cost of his equipment. I believe what he really meant to say is that those other five star rated companies from ANGI chose not to vastly over inflate and overcharge customers. My advice re Northstar...stay away, actually runaway, unless you are a masochist and enjoy being duped.

Kimberly L. C.

Northstar Plumbing, Heating, and AC is a great company that we have worked with several times over the year for our plumbing and HVAC needs. They are very professional, respectful and honest with their pricing. We are very pleased with our annual maintenance service. They offer excellent maintenance plans that are very reasonable. They take care of it all and I definitely recommend Northstar. They are a great company to work with.

Letty C.

Had such a stressful day yesterday only to come home and have my AC unit not working.. my house felt like an oven! I called Northstar and a very friendly kind young lady (Vallerie) was so reassuring and proactive. They sent someone out quickly. Thanks to Northstar my AC is up and running! Thank you Northstar and Vallerie for all of your help!

Mike W.

BEWARE of this company. They take advantage of elderly people and focus on selling new replacement parts instead of taking the time and care to really troubleshoot the problem and resolve it.

This past Thursday, our air conditioner went out and because I'm not from the area, I called them to have them come and check it out (my mom purchased their service package where service calls don't cost her anything - another upsell) and without even pulling out any tools and just opening up the furnace the repairman (Chris) told me our motherboard was shot and it would be a 1000 dollars to replace. Then when he went out to the outside unit, he deduced that the compressor was out and needed to be replaced and it would be 7500 to replace that.

After several high-pressure sales tactics, I decided to just have him give me a quote (which my mother never received by email), and a serviceman who was recommended by a friend, came over that evening, took out his tools, and tested one part of the unit and identified the capacitor (a $300 repair job) in less than 5 minutes. And he had us up and running again 5 minutes later with a fix that would hold till he was able to get the part.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY FOR YOUR HEATING, COOLING, OR PLUMBING. For the past year and a half, I have had a bad feeling about the service my elderly mother, Virginia, has been getting from this company. Every service call they made was costing her thousands of dollars, and they kept upselling or recommending services she didn't need. Beware beware beware.

Becky S.

First of all when we called, Rhonda asked us to be sure and check the installation date of our air conditioner system in case the warranty is still valid. She reminded us that any other servicing company servicing the unit while the warranty is still valid would void the warranty. That warning showed true customer service and it impressed us. Secondly, Daniel, the servicing technician, was knowledgeable and explained everything very well. He took pictures at every step of the serving process which I think was wise, and helpful for explaining and training. I recommend him if you need a reliable service technician. Good value for the service .

Larisa K.

The technician Jesus has come out to service my water heater and my AC unit. He has been professional, prompt and extremely helpful on both occasions!

Ned A.

Kyle did a great job performing preventive maintenance service on my water heater as part of my Northstar service plan. He was friendly, professional, and ready to assist with any plumbing issues. Thank you!

Gene Z.

Another exceptional service call, this time by Jesus, arrived on time, slipped his shoe covers on and got right to work. Kept me updated throughout the 30 minute or so annual service call. He provided pics of amp readings and a compressor motor issue that we need to keep an eye on. Polite and professional, which is the only experience I've had with Northstar. Would also like to mention Tamara, she ALWAYS calls the day before with a reminder about upcoming service and I get the same polite, professional courtesy when the tech is on his way. Extremely happy I connected with Northstar some years ago, all around a great company. Thanks again, as usual you guys...

Gabriele L.

Edwin and Juan both did a great job in addressing my AC issue. Edwin came yesterday and did the annual AC maintenance. He was courteous and professional. He discovered a leak and determined it was in the evaporator coil. He showed me the bubbles that developed when dish soap was rubbed over the leak. I appreciated him showing me the problem. I would need a new coil after only 4 years of having this HVAC system, which Northstar installed. While the parts are under manufacturer warranty, the extensive labor to install it was not. Edwin was understanding and sympathetic, and he let me talk to Jack, who was also very professional and understanding. He was able to give me a reduced price on the labor, which is still expensive. Edwin also arranged for the repair to take place.

Today Juan arrived on time and replaced the evaporator coil. He was also very courteous and professional. He worked hard for 4 hours, replacing the leaking coil with a new one. Then he tested everything and explained what he did and how the system works (I had asked out of curiosity). He left the area clean and had my house cool before he left.

I still think the labor was awfully expensive, but Edwin, Jack, and Juan all treated me kindly and professionally.

Rahina M.

Tim Estabrook did a great job; he answered all our questions and explained everything clearly. We were very satisfied with his service.