American Residential Services

John N. of ARS Manasas fixed my humidifier! Paid a lot of money for it. It was only a year old, but have had a number of issues. Have had 5 service calls from multiple technicians on the unit. John N. was finally the one to fix it. He was very patient and took a methodical approach. Tried one item at a time. Ultimately, he had to spend a couple of hours on the phone with the manufacturer to diagnose and fix the problem. Great work!

Richard N[redacted] provided excellent service by diagnosing a significant problem, giving a clear explanation of the situation and providing an immediate practical solution. I was very pleased by the service provided.

Yesterday, April 25th, I contacted ARS Heating and Air Conditioning Co. To do my spring tune up. They sent their technician, Wayne, who was timely, efficient and knowledgeable.

I was extremely pleased with the service and would highly recommend this company.

Great Tech experience with Corey J[redacted]. Very knowledgeable, with plenty of helpful advise and no pressure. Will request this gentleman again.

July 20, 2015
Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania
Calibri, sans-serif;">RE:       Revdex.com ID# [redacted]
            [redacted] Z
[redacted]
American Residential Services, LLC (“ARS”) has received
your email dated July 10, 2015, regarding the above-referenced complaint.  Thank you for bringing this matter to our
attention and allowing us the opportunity to respond.   
We have been in communication with Ms. [redacted] and have
reached an amicable resolution to her satisfaction.
ARS prides itself on providing premier customer service and
appreciates your assistance in resolving this dispute.  If you require additional information
regarding this complaint, please feel free to contact me at ###-###-####.
Respectfully,
Tracey H[redacted]
Corporate Customer Relations Manager

Wendell and his assistant, Wanye were very helpful, knowledgeable and efficient. The area was clean after the work was done. I would recommend their service to anybody. Thanks again!!

Service technicians were right on time. Problem was diagnosed within a few minutes and the parts were ordered. Excellent service as usual as I have used this company for over ten years.

Tim S[redacted] from ARS MANASSAS VIRGINIA came to our house today to install a humidifier. The furnace was situated in such a position that the humidifier could not be installed. Tim was very helpful and we elected to have a service contract, while he was here.

During the Heat Wave this month (July 2016), my A/C unit stopped working on the main and lower level (basement) of my h[redacted]. This is the original A/C unit (Carrier) in the house, which is about 18 years old. As my family was sweltering, I reached out to A.R.S. as I recalled that they were a firm we had (or I thought we had) worked with in the past to address heating and A/C issues.
As a result of my initial call to ARS, they offered to send s[redacted]one out to the house within a window of time, including offering to call me when the technician was expecting to arrive within a half hour of our selected time/window. The Technician ("William") was waiting on me when I arrived h[redacted] from my office. He was polite and even put on covers to his shoes before entering the house. He first went downstairs to take a look at the equipment that keeps the house both warm in the Winter, and cool in the Summer. He then went outside to inspect the unit that cools the main and lower levels of the house. I waited in our (VERY warm) kitchen while he inspected the outside unit. When he returned, he told me that the "coil" was broken, hence all of the fluid that was inside (R22 I believe) was completely drained out/gone. Telling me that I could either replace the Coil for approximately $2,700. dollars, OR I could simply replace the entire unit, as the R22 Fluid was going to be obsolete within the next two years anyway, (meaning that I would need to replace the A/C unit then regardless. This was explained to me that I could spend approx. $2,700. today to get the coil fixed, then spend thousands in the next few year replacing the system overall. The idea of simply replacing the entire system seemed like a wiser investment (as opposed to spending thousands twice on this unit), so I asked for a price estimate.
"William" told me that another person will handle helping me to select a new system, including offering a price quote as he/William knew nothing about this aspect. We then made an appointment (he made a call right then) to have another ARS Representative c[redacted] to my h[redacted] to discuss new systems and their associated costs. This meeting took place yesterday/on Wednesday, and again I was called within a half hour window allowing for my leaving my office to meet this second ARS Rep. at my h[redacted] (during the lunch timeframe). The second gentleman that I met with during this second meeting was also a "William" that I called "Billy". Billy, an absolute pleasure to talk to, went downstairs to the basement, and explained what size unit he felt I needed and why, then we went up stairs to the sweltering main level of the house to work out the pricing. Billy never checked behind the previous Tech "William's" assessment of what was wrong with the system, i.e. a double check if you will confirming the A/C's problem.
Billy recommended a Carrier system that would also include updating my overall heating as well as A/C system, that he felt would be the best option, and he explained why he felt this was the best solution. He then told me about a special that H[redacted] was running, (they apparently partner with ARS), and that particular special, interest-free financing for 24 (not 12) months, was expiring that very day (7/27). This seemed like a do-able option, having the opportunity to make monthly payments, interest free for 2 years, so I agreed to get on the phone with the H[redacted] Credit Dept. while Billy was in my kitchen with me, to verbally complete a credit application. He/Billy was patient, and waited for the credit process to complete, which took more than 15 minutes. I then decided to simply make a down payment of half of the total cost of this unit (close to $10K) in order to move this process, encompassing the replacement of the A/C unit as soon as possible (we were in the 3rd day of this Heat Wave, with no A/C on the main level of the house, so I was eager to remedy this situation). When I asked how long it would take to get an appointment scheduled to get this done, he replied that he can have the new system in place as early as "tomorrow, at 8:00 am...........we have an opening at this time!" Naturally, I easily agreed to have this done, getting this very uncomfortable problem resolved as soon as possible. Billy then left my house with a check for half of the total price of this new heating and A/C Unit, and a confirmed appointment for the very next morning beginning at 8:00 am. I felt I was lucky that they were able to fit me in to the schedule that quickly.
Now I know better.
After this second appointment with ARS, I realized that another firm had also done s[redacted] work on our heating unit in the past (their sticker was located on a obscure place on the heating unit in the basement), I decided to call them, to understand if we had any sort of agreement in place that I was not aware of (that possibly my husband had made in the past?). While there was no service agreement in place, this (smaller) firm, "[redacted]", agreed to c[redacted] out to take a look at the A/C unit/issue, so I confirmed an appointment with this company for later last evening, to get a second opinion. Fully expecting their opinion of the problem with my A/C to match the ARS findings, I felt this was a good idea on many levels (including the level where I was about to spend almost $10K on a new unit that I had not planned, nor budgeted for!).
When the gentleman from S&S showed up at the house, it was well past business hours (7:30 pm-ish), and only later in our discussions did I find out that he was actually the owner of this firm.............doing house calls. I was impressed. Regardless, he put a few testing meters on the outside A/C unit, then announced (after a few minutes of observing what these meters were telling him) that all I needed was a simple part to replace, and that problem would most likely be fixed.............this part cost $315.00 dollars.
Needless to say, I was stunned that this was the finding of another reputable Cooling and Heating Firm, with a much more reasonably priced outc[redacted]. So I didn't need a new A/C Unit/Heating System I asked? He replied "No, not at all". Then he went on to explain (and pointing out what he was referring to while doing so) that the coil in the unit "was just fine......it merely could use a cleaning", which he offered to do during another appointment as it apparently "takes a while" to clean the coil. He then remarked that I had "plenty of R22 fluid left" in the unit, and that NOTHING had drained out of the system. Again, he pointed out everything he was talking about so that I could see for myself what he was referring to.
I was furious....................furious with ARS for having mis-represented what I needed to fix the A/C problem to me..........this felt like a blatant lie, a complete con, a scam.
After S&S placed the one part that he felt would fix the problem, we waited for a bit to ensure that the A/C on the main and lower level of the house was indeed going to work...........which it did. S&S continued to check the unit, both in the basement and on the outside of the house, to make sure that this was the solution to the problem, and that we were not missing anything else. We didn't find any other issues with the unit outside of replacing this part. And S&S showed me this particular part, pointing out the place that was damaged. Again, this cost me $315.00 dollars to fix as opposed to almost $10K.
Naturally I was very irritated, and even though it was later at night (8:30 pm-ish or so), I call the number for ARS, very upset, and asked the individual that answered my call (I believe they may have a call center to handle calls 24X7) why they would mis-represent an issue with my A/C, including trying to sell me s[redacted]thing that I did not need? The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, prompting my reaching out to the Revdex.com to report this.
While the young man on the other end of the phone (when calling ARS) kept apologizing for the mistake............a mistake that was about to cost me close to $10K, I demanded that they immediately tear up the check I wrote earlier that day, as the down payment for this new A/C and Heating System, letting them know that I would be contacting my bank in the morning to ensure that the check was not honored. I read to the young man on the other end of the (ARS) line what their initial Technician "William" had written in his report when claiming that the system was broken, and needed to be replaced, and why, then told him the real issue, I,e, what was broken, and then fixed for a mere $315. Again, he kept apologizing, but at this point I no longer believed a word that any ARS representative said.
I felt taken advantaged of, lied to, scammed, including being con-ed into buying an expensive system that I did not need, and I don't want any other H[redacted] Owner to experience what I did with ARS..................Hence the reason for this extremely long-winded explanation.
By the way, I did buy a service agreement with ARS when initially making the call to them that the A/C unit was not working. This was an agreement to service both the heating and cooling system at regular intervals, for the next 2 years.......an agreement that I obviously will cancel!
That said, I did buy a service agreement with S&S however, and their first system check will be this coming Fall, and every 6 months afterwards.
Although S&S did agree with the system size and type appropriate for my h[redacted] that ARS was trying to sell me, they stated that they would sell "the same system to me at a much less rate WHEN it was time" to have my A/C and Heating System replaced. S&S also guesstimated that this would most likely be in the next 2 years or so.
In all fairness, ARS did reach back out to me this morning, via a voice mail message, apologizing for "this mistake", including offering to return my checks (I had to pay $90. for the initial visit that William made, as well as the half of almost $10K, a check I had written as a down payment to get the installation of a new A/C and heating unit scheduled ASAP on their/ARS's Calendar.
Still, I would NEVER use this firm, and will never reach out to them again for ANY KIND of HELP, and wanted to make sure this message was available to all consumers that were in need of (or are thinking about) a new A/C and Heating Unit in the event of the unit's malfunction.
Again, an extremely long-winded message to all to warn STAY AWAY from ARS!

Mr. S[redacted] of ARS (Manassas,VA) gave us an honest opinion of upgrading our air conditioning system and hot water heater. It was great to hear that no need for replacement at this time.

EXCELLENT CUSTOMER CARE, VERY PLEASANT & EXTREMELY ACCOMMODATING...A+++!!!

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
The response does not acknowledge the facts of the dispute. Instead, they write in glowing terms that "ARS prides itself on providing premier customer service ...." This is ludicrous because this issue took one year to get resolved. That is not "premier customer service."
In my case, their customer service was horrendous. They never tried to resolve the issue after several calls asking for a resolution. They only reacted after I complained to the Revdex.com.
I still wonder how ARS can claim premier customer service after installing an A/C unit without a work permit, or never calling for an inspection as stated in the purchase agreement, or having to reinstall a portion of the unit that was leaning, or the unit failing inspection after corrections were made.
I will inform the City of Alexandria about this incident. I believe that they should be made aware that ARS did not comply with building requirements in my case.
It appears to me that ARS would have never corrected the situation without my persistence and the help of the Revdex.com.  Thank you.
The real test of ARS professionalism is yet to come. Since the unit is under warranty, how will they respond to supporting their product in the future?
Regards,
[redacted]

We've used ARS sInce moving in our house 12 years ago. We purchased the maintenance plan every year and ARS consistently provided fast and efficient service. The service techs always wear footies over their shoes to aid in keeping my floors clean. Just recently, during one of our hot 96 degree days our 12 year old AC unit quit running. I called ARS immediately in the morning and the tech was out to our house within four hours to fix the outside unit. We ultimately decided to replace the whole HVAC system as well as the hot water heater. The cost of the systems were reasonable priced and they were out the next day to replace the systems. The techs were efficient and pleasant, as well as tidy. They went over the operation of the systems, the warranties, and clearly answered all my questions. I would definitely recommend ARS.

ARS showed up on time. Their tech, Joe M[redacted], was outstanding. Explained everything and was open to questions.

Wayne did a fine job replacing an evap coil in an afternoon. Not easy crawler under a home to make needed changes. This guy had experience, patience, and was professional.

This company was second to none in customer service and product. They were very well priced, quick to respond to my calls, did a great job on our mirror and went the extra mile at every chance.
I have never experienced an entire crew who was so polite and willing to do the best that they can. The owners [redacted] and [redacted] are exceptional and also went out of their way to provide superior service.

I would DEFINITELY recommend them.

ARS installed our heating system, which is 2 years old now. It has performed wonderfully. We asked ARS to do a routine maintenance check of the system. Our service technician was Aaron, and he was extremely professional, very knowledgeable, and did a great job explaining what he did during his visit. I would recommend ARS and Aaron. We have had nothing but good experiences with ARS.

We have had water leaking from our Air Conditioning unit in the basement. ARS has been to my house five times. At the time of this writing, I am waiting for the technician who charged me $250.00 to return (for the sixth visit). I have paid twice for things that have not solved the problem along with the initial diagnostic.
They simply lack the ability to diagnose a simple problem. Technicians are not able to see what other technicians have done, and they charge for services that do not appear to be needed (they do not fix your problem). I would suggest that anyone looking for HVAC services look elsewhere.

ARS SOLD ME A RHEEM FURNACE AND HEAT PUMP WITHIN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO AND THIS RHEEM IS A PIECE OF GARBAGE....IT HAS CONSISTANTLY NOT WORKED CORRECTLY . ARS HAS BEEN OUT AT LEAST 2 TIMES THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE HEAT PUMP FURNACE KEEPS BREAKING DOWN.....PLEASE BE WARNED THAT IF YOU PURCHASE THIS FROM ARS YOU WILL CONTINUOSLY HAVE TO CALL ARS FOR REPAIR. I WOULD DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND ARS TO ANYBODY IN THE FUTURE...I WILL BE DUMPING ARS AS SOON AS I CAN GET THE CHANCE AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS... BUYER BEWARE !!

Wayne did a great job,