Sila Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing

Susan P.

BEWARE!!!! Being new to DC, my wife or I called Sila to discuss engaging them as a potential HVAC vendor. We called 3x- first for an overview and twice more for clarifications. Each time responses were totally different. And in fact, on our last call (Jen answered) she was nasty and rude - accusing us of calling minutes earlier - which was totally untrue as our calls were two weeks ago, 4 days ago and then today 11/14/19. Despite calling 3x, we never did get a clear answer as to whether they can replace radiators and if they had experience with 40 year old boilers. Additionally, in response to our question regarding the so called tune-up that Sila is currently offering - Jen insisted it was a tune-up despite the fact that their website lists the ""tasks"" for the $99 tune-up as check-up items only i.e. check temperature, check oil pressure. In-fact, the website task list is labeled safety check up! And there is nothing on the list that is a tune-up item. Seems like this is a way to drum up new business and charge for actually doing a tune up. Jen then arrogantly and sarcastically stated that she was sorry if Sila's definition of a tune-up was different than mine and Miriam Webster's. Is this a vendor you want to use - one who is nasty and tries to sell a customer on a check-up but calls it a tune-up? Also - if Sila is so nasty to a potential customer, you can be sure they will be even more nasty once they have roped you in. Furthermore, on top of it all, when asked about after hour service, Jen stated that there was only one tech on call for the entire metro area (which is not what the original gentleman stated who we spoke to...he said there is an after hours tech on call for DC, Silver Springs, and each major area). So when Jen stated that only one tech was on call for the entire MD/DC metro area - we pointed out that the likelihood of getting after hours service for an emergency would be slim to none, and she agreed. Also, unlike Kelly (another rep) she stated that there was no after hour answering service; instead the on-call tech has to answer incoming calls so it might be that you can't even get through to speak with anyone for quite sometime.

Bob T.

I have always had excellent service from Sila Heating & Air Conditioning from scheduling an appointment to dealing with the on-site technician.

I have been very pleased with technician Tony Vaccaro. He has always been on time, very professional and knowledgeable. He takes the time to explain everything he had done and what to check & maintain.

I couldn't be more pleased with the service that I have received from Sila during the past four years.

Dan C.

My wife and I had Sila do a high velocity air system in an old rowhouse we purchased. Are we glad we did! They were excellent and impressive in every way. When we were getting quotes, they came out multiple times to answer any questions we may have. They even had one of their install guys come around and crawl through our attic to get an idea of what they would have to do.

During the job they ran every change by us, didn't charge us a penny more when they had to do workarounds, and even fixed a small leak that they found on the roof. Their guys were professional, tidy (they wear boot covers so they don't dirty your floors), and put all their equipment EVERY day.

We got a maintenance plan with our system, will see how it goes in the long run. They reach out to remind you to schedule it which I find to be nice. The technician came and said we don't need a new filter yet and I have no reason to doubt him.

We did consider them for some mini splits in our basement. They came in on the higher end of the estimates. We ended up with another company that had done a lot of work for a relative which cost us about 40% less. But that turned out so horribly I wish we had just paid the extra and gotten Sila quality and expertise.

Silver V.

Very poor service approach. Each year my unit needs a small charge and I've never had an issue with the last company giving it a charge. This time with Sila, the tech just said ""it's a 2006 unit, not worth adding a charge. It still works, just not as efficient. We can debate whether the unit should be replaced because it's 13 years old, but I just didn't appreciate the attitude. I'm sticking with the small local guys.

Charles B.

I had a really bad experience with Sila. They sent out an estimator who spent nearly an hour at my house. He sent me a proposal for $10,400. Prior to his sending it to me I wanted to make sure that we were speaking the same language and had no confusion regarding the contract. I asked, and he promised that ""everything in the attic and on roof the would be replaced with new equipment. We never flush, we always replace."" That made me feel comfortable.

Two days later the installation manager comes over to get a look at the project. He spend nearly 45 minutes in the house, looking in the attic, on the roof, everywhere. I explain to him that the contract included replacing everything I could see in the attic with new. Approximately one hour after the install managers visit I get the following email that turned my stomach. This is from the estimator/salesperson when I was informed that the one piece of equipment not included in the contract was a $2,000 piece of equipment:

""I want to put all my cards on the table here. I know you aren't happy I wouldn't be either. Here's the thing we're already doing this for less than our cost and my management has my back on that. You've been the most honest with me of any person I've dealt with in this business so I've broken more than a few rules to do this for you at the lowest cost possible. I'm not supposed to do 5 year 0 percent because we get charged 15 percent for that. I'm also not supposed to have a job scheduled before having a signed contract and financing complete so I'm really pulling out the stops because while we may have this hiccup before the work is done, every other company will have them afterwards and I know you don't want that.

So at the end of the day Mike is the best in the business and we didn't quite understand what he was saying. You have a portion of ductwork in such poor condition that it's going to require us extra labor and custom parts to fix it for you properly. We're already 1k under cost at this point and they're simply not going to let me lose anymore than that.

To do this right I can take $500 off and add just $2000. It's possible that by fixing this issue maybe you don't even need the minisplit and if you do I'll give you another great deal.

Trust me I want to help because you seem like a great guy and I'm hoping to have that career talk with you if I'm truly being honest. Just know I'll do my best to make it up for you but that's the run down. If you don't want to move forward I understand but I'm around if you can call back. ""

So, instead of honoring their contract they pitched me a $2,000 increase then used all the typical sleazy sales approaches to justify it. This is EXACTLY what I was looking to avoid. Exactly the scenario I worked hard not be be in. I then had a con call with the estimator and his boss. That didn't go over so well. The boss pitched me the exact same script even though, on the contract it says:

Dear Chuck,

Thank you for the opportunity to replace your existing heating and cooling system. Below are the basic steps to install your Air Conditioning System:

Remove and recycle existing equipment
Furnish and install 1 Condenser & Air Handler
Replace existing line-set (cooper lines between the indoor unit and outdoor unit)
All electrical.
All necessary ductwork to tie in new unit Start up and test. This job will take approximately 1 day. The installation will be scheduled at your convenience, and you are not required to remain at home during the installation.

More detailed description and pricing follows.

Regards,

MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO AVOID THESE FOLKS AT ALL COST.

Ketedrea B.

BEWARE!!
Recently had a technician come to service my home from this company. Technician rang doorbell at approximately 12:05pm. I received an email at 12:12pm stating I was a no show and would have to reschedule (my cell phone had died while in the office). I immediately contacted the person that was at my home waiting for the technician and the company to assure the connection was made.
The technician stated he had already rescheduled the appointment and the person on the phone actually stated they would have to call back to see what technician wants to do.
- Please note my window for service was from 11am to 2pm. I am unsure as to how it is possible that I did not receive service today when it took approximately 7 minutes to effectively make the connection between the person I who waited for the technician and the technician.

These people do no want to do the job! Do not waste your time! Or maybe just don't take too long getting the door...

Andrew D.

Sila did not show up at the time our appointment was scheduled. Worse, I called and spoke to Evan, who told me ""the technician is around the corner parking the car."" After waiting for 30 minutes longer, the technician did not show. I called back and they kept me on hold. Totally unprofessional service, and as a result, Sila has forfeited my business and my extensive DC-based network of home owners.

Rabi T.

I just had them come in for routine maintenance on one AC unit, and to fix a freezing coil issue with another one. They get A+ for customer service-- polished/professional, both before and during the visit. I canceled once on short notice and they were ok with it. Also, the technician explained things well.

They did well doing annual checkup on the unit that wasn't broken.

Not happy with how they handled the one that was accumulating ice on the coil. I feel I overpaid. I was charged $175 per pound to add refrigerant, as some had been lost due to a leak somewhere. I later found out that this unit takes older kind (R22) that has gotten more expensive, but still the quote was very high. He said he charged me for one less pound than he used, but that's still a very high mark up. Especially because that was just the cost of the refrigerant, not like he needed to charge for showing up or for labor, because I paid $100 separately for diagnosis of that unit.

I would still give them a four star, but...it didn't seem to me he made any attempt to locate the leak. He said I would have to pay for a new visit, as he didn't bring the ink he needs to mix in with the refrigerant, so they can see where the leak is. Knowing the symptoms I expect them to show up with whatever they might need.

They did give me a $100 discount overall (after I asked, just before paying), so now I want to change the rating to 3.5, but overall, I have a bad taste in my mouth.

Stephen W.

I used this company once before to diagnose an air conditioning problem at a home I own. NEVER AGAIN. Last week around April 15-16 I called to schedule a service appointment and the earliest they had was Monday, i.e. today, April 22. None of my tenants were available to meet the technician so I offered to do so, even though I also have to work, but OK. I was given a 3-hour window (1-4 pm to be exact) and told I'd receive a phone call 20 minutes before he arrived. At 4:15 I finally received a call from the tech saying HE WAS AT THE HOUSE. In other words, no phone call and he's late, to boot. Then he wants to reschedule. Forget it. Sitting around all day waiting for a phone call that never comes is not my idea of fun, especially when I'll be the one footing the bill. You've lost me as a customer for good. Ridiculous.

Jo S.

Sila's team cleaned and serviced my Mitsubishi mini-split systems very thoroughly! They were very professional, knowledgeable, and respectful. I purchased a service plan from them and I highly recommend them!