Sila Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing

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!

Dan K.

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: I have changed my initial one star review to four. The one star was because their 24/7 emergency number wasn't working as advertised, and then because of some really terrible bill collecting tactics.

BUT, once I finally got through to someone, the actual on-site service was very good (the technician arrived when he said he would, found the problem and fixed it quickly and efficiently).

And then, in response to my complaint to them and on here, I received a very thoughtful call from a gentleman named Micheal. He not only patiently listened to my complaints, but worked with me to find some actionable measures to ensure what I experienced wouldn't be repeated for anyone else. He took my concerns seriously, acknowledged my frustrations, and repeatedly apologized for Sila not living up to its reputation in this one instance.

Every company screws up. People have bad days, or something goes wrong. I get that. So, I like to judge companies on how they make those mess ups right and how they respect me as a customer. I was very pleased with the resolution and the apology and the promise not to use intimidation tactics in the future to settle a disputed bill.

So. Based on how they fixed my furnace, and settled my issues, 4 stars. I will be giving them another chance, and hope to give them 5 stars next time I need their services.

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UPDATE: This is a FRAUD of service and uses possibly illegal intimidation tactics to collect bills they should have collected during service. I have not had a chance to pay my bill for the ""service"" that they *eventually* rendered (read below for initial review). I tried to pay them on site, but their technician refused to take my credit card information. They saw my Yelp review and attempted to contact me once. I believe any business can make mistakes, and I judge them based on how they fix things. So before paying my bill I wanted to be in touch with them. Cat and mouse game of phone calls ensues. I then opened up a letter today from them containing a FAKE legal document (no case citation, no attorney listing, no court listed, and no signature on this FAKE document). This is ILLEGAL and a form of intimidation. If they did submit this FAKE document, I would instruct my attorney to fight it because their statement on it contains patiently FALSE and defaming information (They claimed they were being nice and knocked $100 off the bill. THIS IS A LIE. I PAID FOR A COUPON THROUGH YELP AND UTILIZED IT. They also claim that their technician arrived on time. False. I began calling their FAKE 24/7 service line in the morning. Multiple messages left. Multiple messages left through Yelp! FINALLY got through to them several hours later in the afternoon. They also sought to intimidate me and withdraw this FACTUAL review of my miserable experience with them)

These people are frauds and bullies. FIND SOMEONE ELSE FOR YOUR HVA

Sila = UNRELIABLE

These folks are a bunch of scam artists. Used them last spring, after buying a ""$50 off!"" Coupon for $25, only to be told afterwards it wasn't valid for the service I needed. Fine. I then paid $200 for an ""annual maintenance plan"". They checked my AC in the spring and I was told I would be called in the fall to schedule an appointment to tuneup my furnace. No call or email ever sent to me. Today, the ignition on my furnace won't turn on. I have called the supposed ""24/7 emergency number"" and have twice been punted to voice mail. I left a voicemail over an hour ago and still no response. Since I'd like to not freeze to death, I will be using another more reliable service and also calling Better Business Bureau about this fake maintenance plan I got roped into.

DO NOT USE THESE PEOPLE.

Jeff K.

We had a good experience with Sila and would definitely recommend? them. We needed someone to get our furnace up and running on a cold day and they were able to squeeze us in that afternoon. Their technician? Joey arrived on schedule, was both friendly and professional, and also got our heat up and running again quickly.