Oasis Heating, A/C & Refrigeration

Bill G.

These guys are the absolute best in HVAC in the Lorton area. We had Cropp out to service our HVAC. We have one unit in the attic and one in the basement. For the attic unit, they told us the condensation pipe (which flows to the basement) was clogged. They proceeded to use an air compressor to try to dislodge the clog -- and burst the seal connecting the pipes running vertically from attic to basement. They realized this when they poured water in the top of the pipe (in the attic) and the water didn't pour into the drain the basement. Yes the water was draining behind my walls.

They suggested the only fix was drilling a hole through my roof to run another pvc pipe out and down the outside of my house. That would look lovely. Said they couldn't run another pipe to the basement because it would be too difficult. I asked the technician to leave.

Next, I had a company from Maryland come and their tech suggested he knew exactly where the problem was. He suggested a quick 5x5 inch hole in the wall and all would be well. Well after two holes in the sheetrock without finding the problem, They made the same suggestion to run a pvc pipe out the attic and down the side of my house. I asked them to leave too.

Then a friend recommended OASIS and we gave them a try. The owner said he thought he could run a pipe to follow the existing pipe. He did exactly that. He also fixed some unrelated issues with the vents to maximize airflow. This ensured all of our upstairs bedrooms were the same temperature.

I've used OASIS for 3 years now and have always been satisfied. I highly recommend them.

Russ A.

We called Oasis to come and take a look at our AC unit to see if it had a leak. I had to call multiple times to see if a time and date had been picked so that I could take off of work. I finally got a confirmation the day before at 3:30 in the afternoon that someone would come between 9:00-11:00. This time went by and at 11:35 I called to see where the repairman were since I still needed to go into work at some point. I was told oh they're running behind but they're on their way. (Their office never called to let me know that they were running behind a basic common courtesy). I waited again until 12:15 and I called again and said they were over an hour late from the agreed upon window. The woman in the office was like darn.. at this point I told them to forget about it, that the poor customer service and basic lack of respect that we would go with someone else. When people take time off of work to get something taken care of being respectful and considerate should be the base level of customer service you should expect. We'll never use this company again and also have put it out to the HOA as well. From what I have heard it's not the first time this has been an issue.

Dale J.

I can assure you that the humidifier had duct tape on it to hold it to the ducting until a technician could show up, but was not actually holding any pieces together. The humidifier had not fallen to the ground when it first came dislodged. After the humidifier was placed back on the ducting by OASIS it did fall to the ground and break into pieces. So, NOW it is broken.

All businesses are ""Good Businesses"" when things are going well. What separates a ""Good Business"" from a ""Great Business"" is how they respond to issues when things don't go as planned or when employees make mistakes. Neither I nor my wife have are in receipt of a return call from the business since the repair. A technician has not come out to see what had actually happened. They diagnosed the whole incident over the phone. OASIS serviced this unit with the original homeowner since 1996 and with us since 2012, so it is unfortunate and disappointing to understand what has happened. This is not the only review that has reported a similar issue. Do your research and make an informed decision.

Ja R.

Known Joe and his wife for years .. Replace my old York unit with a brand new Lennox unit this year .. Would have nobody else do work in my house besides him .. Simply the best .... If you want more info check the reviews on the Lennox web site ..

Lauren H.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was so impressed when my hot water heater went out just before I was hosting 25 people for dinner. Oasis was able to send someone over that day! The friendly technician was honest and knowledgeable. He took the time to explain my options. He was able to replace a part to restore it to working order again. I was worried that I would have to replace the water heater. I have used Oasis in the past. I have now decided to sign up for the maintenance plan to ensure good working order for my ac/heating equipment. I appreciate the small business and being a valued customer.

John J.

I read some the mixed reviews here about Oasis Heating, A/C & Refrigeration http://www.yelp.com/biz/oasis-heating-a-c-and-refrigeration-lorton. I chose to use him because his name pooped up first on Homeadvisor. As an engineer, I understand the technical issues and figured it could not go wrong.

Long story short, recently my heat pump stopped working, tripping the breaker. Before I hired Oasis, I already suspected that my compressor was faulty after some checking. I don't have the equipment to test things like Freon charge or system leakage. I decided to get a ""professional"" opinion. My wife was home when Joe Skrutsky, the owner and one of the only two technicians at Oasis, showed up. My wife got him on the phone with me. I liked him at beginning because he seemed to know his trade. After about an hour, or 50 minutes to be exact, he was done with checking the system, and confirmed that my compressor was faulty. My wife asked me how much was considered reasonable. I told her it should be between $90 and $150 based on my previous experience with all trades people (plumbers, electricians or HVAC technicians). My wife was shocked when Joe charged us $257 ($65 service call + $192 for 1-hr labor). I was also shocked but told her to pay anyway because, as I just said, I liked him.

Things turned after I got home. I found my Cloth Dryer vent cover on the wall behind the heat pump broken into many pieces (I have photos). The Heat Pump cover was laid at its position without being screwed back, the compressor jacket was laid inside the heat pump without being put back. All these were not told to my wife who did not even go out to look when she paid the money. Another puzzle is that when the next technician (from a more reputable firm) came to replace my heat pump, he found the Freon is empty. I asked him if the system was leaking. He tested and did not find leaking anywhere. I remember Joe (OASIS) mentioned over the phone, when we discussed replacement options, that my unit used the old Freon R22 which is expensive. In reality, my unit used the new R410A Freon which was clearly labeled below the defrost board compartment.

I called Joe about the Cloth Dryer vent cover, he did not offer any apology, nor did he offer to repair it for me. Instead, he started to defend himself by telling me that the cover was previously broken ""in four corners"" and was weather rotted. It was broken when he put his arm on it and tried to reach the compressor connectors inside the heat pump unit. I have photos and kept the pieces to show it's not that fragile but for sure could not sustain the weight when Joe use it to leverage his body while trying to reach the compressor inside the heat pump. He suggested that I could put a pie of sheet metal in the place. Of course he did not even bother to mention the unit was not put together. I found the screws on the base of the unit. Where is the professionalism and personal integrity?

Later I e-mailed Joe asking him to repair the vent cover and mentioned his charge was over-the-top. He again defended himself for breaking the cover. He said did not tell my wife because he merely forgot. Regarding the charge, he told me it was my ""prerogative and an oversight"" on my part for not asking about the pricing before making the appointment (through Homeadvisor). Since the unit has been replaced, I only asked him to replace the vent cover. He ignored my e-mails. This factual review is one of my actions. I will file a suit through the small claims court.

Ask about the price before they come. Check and double check what they did to your system. Check and double check for Property Damages.

Patrick G.

I've been using Oasis Heating for over 25 years now. They have been my only heating and air conditioning contractors for two of my homes. They recently replaced an 18 year old A/C unit and a 20 year old furnace, both of which were originally installed by Oasis.

This was performed on a day that had over 2"" of rain and the technicians worked for 4 hours in torrential downpours and windy conditions. I expected them to call to reschedule, but they came on time and performed the work perfectly.

I would recommend them to anyone.

Christi W.

Oasis will be our go to heating and air company from now on. Even though it is their busy season, they were able to work us into their schedule the day we called. (I am not saying they can always do that -- but they really made an effort!) The technician was courteous, professional, and most important, knew what he was doing. Also, some of the companies we have dealt with in the past used service calls as a sales call to pressure us to buy a new unit. That was not the case with Oasis! They are a local family-owned business that I will be using from now on.

Gwen M.

Someone in my neighborhood suggested this company to me and it was one of the worst experiences I've ever had with a small business.

Having found out on my own that the problem with my 5 year old A/C unit was most likely the (dual run) capacitor, I called on Monday morning and spoke to Tiffany, who was very friendly and helpful. She let me know that if this was indeed the problem, the part would run around $70 and the whole job could be done for around $175. I had gotten similar estimates elsewhere and decided to go with Oasis based on my experience with Tiffany.

After the technicians spent 15 minutes at my house diagnosing the problem as the capacitor plus one other relatively inexpensive part (the contact), I get a very unpleasant call from Karla (office manager) who informs me the job will cost over $600. (I assumed it must be the motor or something big) So I blindly started giving her my card number when it occurred to me to ask ""Why such a large discrepancy from my estimate?"" Obviously annoyed to have to explain or break down the parts vs labor charges, she mumbled that the two parts total $300 (the capacitor alone is now magically $100 more than it was an hour ago by the way) and the rest is labor because it will take ""an hour and 15 minutes"" including the time they spent ""diagnosing"" the problem. When I ask to speak to Tiffany, Karla tells me Tiffany only answers phones on weekends. I said I just talked to her an hour ago and this is Monday. Can I speak to the owner then.....or Anyone but you?? No, I'm the office manager and I'm the only one here.""

When Karla finally informed me that the problem was basically the capacitor, which was the problem that Tiffany and I had originally discussed, I said ""No thank you, I can get this done for half that price. How much do I owe them for coming out to diagnose?"" Karla tells me some outlandish figure approaching $300. I basically told her you're nuts, I am not authorizing that charge on my card. She argues with me and tells me I must pay ""on site."" I told her everyone in the real world knows that a typical diagnostic service call is around $89-$99 in this area. She tells me Oasis doesn't charge flat rates because hourly rates save their customers money!!"" I said ""and you're charging me how much for a 15 minute diagnosis??"" She repeats the ridiculous number. How is that saving me money?? She basically figured I was at their mercy because they're at my house with the unit taken apart, and they're billing me by the second (which is nuts for a diagnosis) while forcing me to make this absurd decision....

I reiterated that I will NOT authorize such a charge on my card. She then puts me on hold for 5 minutes, I hang up. She calls back and mutters that they will charge me $99 for an A/C cleaning....""even though that's not what I actually got"" (she makes sure to add). When asked how she could suddenly adjust it to a flat rate, Karla replies that she used ""a coupon.""

The person at my home who let the technicians in told me the guys who came out were nice. In my opinion, Tiffany seemed quite helpful and friendly as well. To sum it all up, it was Karla who ruined the experience for me. I will never use or recommend this company to anyone simply because of the nasty experience I had with Karla. Get a new ""office manager"" if you're looking to build a successful, community friendly business! This person is not qualified to deal with people....or with common sense math for that matter. Good luck!

***Edited 5/5/15 to include DISHONEST THIEVES!! The person who actually ended up fixing my AC unit (knowing nothing of my experience with Oasis) informed me that this ""contacter"" part was actually BROKEN by ""someone"" and fuses were MISSING from another part. None of these parts were found inside the unit either....mysteriously disappeared. Beware of these crooks! I'll make sure all my neighbors are.

Karen S.

If you are looking for a reliable Heating and Cooling company to service your home - look no further then Oasis Heating and Cooling. This is a small family run company that believes in customer service and gets the job done right for a fair price.

Tear all other labels off your furnace and just call Oasis.