Direct Heating and Cooling review: Read this before you call to DHC! 23

Same exact thing happened to me. We had just purchased a home in South Gulf Cove and called the A/C company for a check up (there was a Direct Heating and Cooling sticker on the unit). They told us the same thing about not being able to service the unit because the unit uses Freon. Needless to say we purchased the new unit... WHAT A MISTAKE. The new unit we purchased so far needed to be totally installed TWICE. The first time there was water leaking out of the unit in my garage and we actually needed to put a bucket under the drip. It took over TWO WEEKS to get someone out to look at it. (when they sold us they were here the next morning since they wanted our money that day). After waiting TWO WEEKS the owner came out took a look and said "this will never pass inspection... call the office and tell them you need a reinstallation"... then we call the office and TWO MORE WEEKS LATER two people came out to reinstall the unit... Now the part in the garage condenses and freezes (when it is not dripping it is freezing). Needless to say the unit failed inspection... MIND YOU I DID NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY ORIGINAL UNIT... JUST WANTED A YEARLY MAINTENANCE CALL. Now, we have had two more service calls. There is black tape all around the unit that is dripping. The guy told me on Thursday he needs to come back out on Monday and put insulation around the air handler so it wont drip. At that point I told him to "GET OUT! ... you are not coming back" (already six time i have had these people at my house). "And, he sure as Hexx is not going to wrap the drip in insulation so I cannot see it." The end of the story... this has been going on since June 19, 2008. Today is August 16, 2008. Direct Heating supposedly is coming out on Monday. If they do they can take their unit with them when they get here. I have already hired a new company to come and reinstall a new unit. My bank has already reimbursed me my $6K and now we are going to start fresh with someone reputable.

I also had a problem with these clowns. Recently I called them to have a routine maintenance on my 5 year old 4ton 12 seer unit. A tech named Kevin came to check it out, and within 15 minutes, convinced me that my unit was junk and needed to be replaced. He told be my coils needed to be replaced and the unit was operating at twice the electricity it should. After some time I caved and agreed to $4900 for a new 4 ton 13 seer unit and condenser. He took an imprint on my credit card and sprayed some chemical into my ducts as a prelude to the next day install. After he left my gut was telling me I was being screwed . I called AC Techniques through a friends recommendation and Jimmy from AC came to check it out. He cleaned my unit thoroughly and did some routine service and had to repair a bad piston in the airhandler and now the unit runs better than ever!
I quickly cancelled with Direct although they tried everything to convince me otherwise. They are crediting me all of my money except $500 for that duct chemical which I never even needed. They are a shady operation and are unprofessional from Kevin "The Tech", to Mr. Henderson "The Manager" to the CSM, Miss Williams. Disgusting! I hope and pray people like this get their just desserts. Go with AC Techniques, atleast you will get a good honest job with Jimmy.

As an Airconditioning contractor in the area for the past 23 years I have had many occasions to run in to work done or proposed by this company as we sell the same line of equiptment.
I can relate many situations were people are paying 2 to 3 times what the average rate is for replacements, worse than that i constantly come across misinformation on high efficency systems 5 or less years old about units being "obsolete" (UNTRUE) because of the change to new refrigerants in 2010, and parts being unavaible or way over priced (ex. a evaporator for 2500$ that was not even bad, BUT if it was should have been free under the warrenty) This i have heard them say about systems that were even less than 1 year old and many having full warrentys on all parts.

For example a Ms. Levy had a unit that was 6 years old, a 12 SEER, she had purchased it with a 10 year factory warranty, parts and labor, they convinced her that hers was having problems, was not efficent and that it was obsolete and parts were very expensive if even available, even though as a snow bird her highest bill in the summer was under 35$ with this system . Also there was a very serious mold problem, although there was not complaint from the owners. this resulted in a UV light and seal the ductwork, they charge 2495$. They sold her a 14 SEER Rheem 3 ton at this time for 7, 166$, when her existing 12 seer was under full warrenty for another 3 years.(FPL says a 14 seer vs. a 12 seer would only save on average 150$ @ year IF THEY WERE HERE IN THE SUMMER), as they are not it would be about
20$ savings, not worth a 7000$ investment in my opinion.
When she returned apx 6 months later they came for the "maintnence inspection" and told her the unit they JUST put in would also be obsolete as it used r-22, that they only put this one in because the other was not avaible and they didnt want her to have mold while she was away. (I thought the UV light would not allow mold to grow..) and they needed to replace it as there would be no parts avaible as of 2010. She asked about the 10 year parts and labor warrenty she had purchased with this new system and they told her the warrenty was no good if they couldnt get the parts and proceded to sell her a Frigidare 16 SEER, (totally unecessary in my opinion). They said that it was usually 16, 000$ for this system but they would "buy back" her unit and the end price would be 8994$! I helped her get this returned after a nasty battle and exposure on WINK TV. I have many other stories, you be the judge of this one.

My Advice, Beware of the Maintnence Specials, use established contractors, listen to your friends about their experences. Dont respond to pressure to do something at that moment, get another opinion if you sence sales pressure, esp if your unit is running when they arrive. If you think you have been the victum of Fraud file complaints with your local building department, and the Department of Professional Regulation (DBPR) as they issue the licences that allow us to work.

Steve Turcotte, All Seasons Comfort North Port Florida. email: sturcotte3@comcast.net

Thats not even that half of it. I worked at this place and saw everything first hand. Their doors should be padlocked!

How to not be scammed by an HVAC Tech:
Be polite, offer the tech water or coffee, and have a flash light ready. Watch them while they are working, but keep your mouth shut, just observe. Offer to hold the flash light. Don't make distracting chit chat and don't ask the tech for a conclusion before he/she is ready. Have a note pad ready, don't take notes yet. You may not understand what he is doing but you can observe what areas he is working in and how much time he spends in one area. If you have some knowledge of heating and cooling or engineering don't tell the tech. You may hear an audible groan, if you don't he/she will be thinking "oh no not another engineer with a chip on his/her shoulder." The reality is if you could have fixed it you would have already, instead you called in an expert, if the tech is not an expert, you will have a chance to point that out later. For now just keep quiet. If the tech seems overly chatty about how you need to spend money on other "upgrades" like UV lights, just make the briefest comment you can about how you may be interested in talking about that after your problem is diagnosed. If the tech is nervous and tries to get rid of you by telling you to go adjust the thermostat, tell him flat out that you prefer to observe and he/she should feel free to make any adjustments. A true technician will be able to focus on the diagnosis of the system and reach a conclusion regardless of weather you are there or not. Once the tech reaches a conclusion he/she will approach you. Now is the time to ask questions. Some good questions are:
What do you think caused this part to fail?
How do you know it has failed?
What test did you preform to determine this?

That last question is a great one, it really tells you if you have a true tech or a bull sh..er
A true tech will be able to answer the question and even show you.
Example:
"Mr. Homeowner sir, you have a failed gas valve and thermostat."
"Oh, both parts are bad? How did that happen"
"Well..sir... the transformer here, creates 24 volts, now it has a little breaker on it, which you saw me reset, lucky for you it has a breaker other wise you might need a transformer as well. Ok, so it creates 24 volts which travels up to your thermostat and waits for instructions once there is a call for heat it travels back to the furnace and goes through a bunch of safeties, eventually it gets to the gas valve and energizes a coil which turns on the gas and gives you heat. Now your gas valve has an internal short to ground I can measure that here. But I know your thermostat has also failed because after I reset your breaker I could not get a call for heating, so I bypassed it here to test the rest of the system."

Now this is a good explanation, but it does raise some new questions and it does simplify some of the science (like transformers don't actually create 24 volts they transform), but the techs ability to simplify the language and help you see what happened is a real good sign that he/she knows what he is doing. Now he may be lying, but remember you observed him/her the whole time, so you can now ask questions to clarify, questions like, "Is this (pointing to a bundle of colored wires) where you bypassed the thermostat?"
His answer should further clarify and in effect teach you some thing:
"Yes the voltage travels up to the thermostat on the red wire and comes back to the furnace on the white wire, you can see on my meter here that the circuit is open even though your thermostat is calling for heat."

Now the tech has just raised the level of discourse. He is now letting you into his diagnostic process. Are you able to follow? This depends on you knowledge and his/her ability to explain. If either are lacking you have to start trusting, or asking for further clarification. These questions could go on endlessly but they often don't. There is nothing wrong with asking for an education as it relates to your problem. A good technician will be happy to oblige. One who does not know what he/she is doing will get frustrated, angry, or overly technical.
Be calm take a breath, ask him/her to do the same, and say you don't under stand.
If he starts to contradict himself start taking notes.
You may end up speaking with his boss or another company and you will need the notes.

These people are an absolute rip-off. First of all, I have lived in my home since 2001, when it was built brand new. In 2007, I had Direct Heating and Cooling come out to my home and inspect my system. I was told that I would need a new air handler, as mine was not cooling efficiently or sufficiently. So my wife and I decided to replace it. They gave me a Frigidaire unit for $3, 500. The next time that they came out, they told me I needed a new condenser as mine didn't match the Frigidaire unit, and therefore was working harder. So I put down another $3, 500.00. The next time they came out, less than two years after installing the air handler, they found rust and mold on the coil inside the air handler. I was told that for $1, 200.00 they will do a full system cleaning and install a UV light. I told the tech that for this being two years old, my system should not have this amount of rust or mold in it. He again tried to sell me the UV light. I explained that my friend was in air conditioning and that he told me that I should not have paid anywhere near what Direct Heating and Cooling charged me for this unit, let alone $1, 200.00 for a UV light. The tech replied with "Next time, you can have your buddy come over and do the maintenance on your system, then." I got angry and told him to pack his crap up and get the hell out of my house, and that meantime I was calling his supervisor. I asked him what his (the tech's) name was and he replied with "I don't have to tell you my name". I called his supervisor, who set up an appointment to come out personally. After cancelling three times, he finally came out with the tech and basically told me exactly what the technician told me. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY IF YOU CAN AVOID THEM. They are overpriced with cheap equipment, rude, and come to find out, when I had my friend do a full system cleaning and install a UV light for $475.00, they overcharge the unit with freon so that it works harder and breaks down sooner. Direct Heating and Cooling is a rip-off.

Without question, a rip-off company, very questionable management and the worst to do business with.

Find a reputable company - there are many. I have filed detailed complaints with the BBB, DPBR and the media. They will never hear the end of me. DO NOT USE THEM!

I just had this company come over and rip my father off for $525. They were going to come back tomorrow and "finish the job". I called the company to cancel this work and got a real rude and surly person who called me back and said they were entitled to the money because their person did work while he was here. I called the Venice Police Dept. because of my father's age. He is 92. The Police came out to the house and had my father write out a statement and they said they were going to charge the owner of the company with Abuse of the Elderly--a Felony. Maybe I will be able to put a stop to these con men once and for all.

This is all happening to us RIGHT NOW and has been for the past year. We had them come out a year ago because our current unit wasn't cooling correctly. They said we needed to completely replace it for $7500. Since then, it has been constant trouble. We still have the same issues as before with $7500 down the toilet. We have a "warranty" with them, but every time we call because the unit isn't cooling they are rude. IF they show up at all, it is at least 2 hours late. Last night, they were supposed to be here at 5:30 and at 9:00, I called for the third time (after being told each time that they were on their way) and they said the tech that was coming must have been "bombarded" so they were sending another tech out and he would be there in 30 minutes. I told them to forget it...I was going to bed! They were supposed to be here today at 6 and showed up at 8, spent 5 minutes, tried to sell more work and left without warning. STILL have a HOT house! SAD that these people continue to con people out of their hard earned money! STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!

Just an update to my earlier post. The Venice Police Dept. contacted this company of thieves and told them they were going to press charges and go to court. This company refunded my father's money IMMEDIATELY. The Police detective told me there were 55 complaints against this company in Collier County and 70 complaints against this company in Lee County. If you are over 65 years old I suggest you call the police on these people and see if an "abuse of the elderly" cahrge could be filed.

ThiS Company screwed us over also. We just had a NEW AC SYSTEM INCLUDING DUCT WORK PUT IN BY THEM. It has only been 2.5 years and now have been told the Air Handler needs all new parts. I asked about a warranty and they started talking over my head saying it was because the plenume came off. So when I said we paid your company to replace that also 2.5 years ago also he changed his story and said that it was something else that caused all the problems. Long story short he said he could give me a deal. the price was from $700-1900 to repair. GO POUND SAND DIRECT HEATING AND COOLING. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!

Ps they also now go by the name Vans and will call their Direct customers acting like a different company, also beware of AAA cooling and heating as they answer their number although the company is not in Busness supposedly

The owner of this company Direct Heating and Cooling, she is a real con artist. Had telemarketers calling my house non stop about having the Clean and Check done a routine maintenance and Bi annual cleaning, so I finally caved in and set an appointment with the company. My appointment date arrivals company no show, called me wanting to reschedule, so I did well they finally showed up told me my 3 yrs old unit was fried and that I needed a new drain pan as well. I said give me some time to think about it. I had another A/C company come out and do the same inspection, they said I had a dirty unit, he was baffled when I said that I had just had a company come do the service prior to him doing it... That was until he asked who I had come out and do the service. I told him Direct Heating and Cooling, he rolled his eyes and said I should have known! By the way my unit was fine and is still working wonderfully thanks to BnB Cooling! Direct Heating and Cooling such a worthless company and all of there employees as well!

Same things happened to me in 2011. What a shame that this company is still in business. People need to get the word out that these people are crooks! They prey on the elderly in Florida and screw them over big time!

I have a high-end lennox Heat Pump I installed 2 years ago. I called Direct heating & Cooling for the annual check-up. Gary, the tech told my wife the evaporator had a leak and the cost would be $1900 to replace it. After further inspection he told my wife there was signs of mold and it would be better to replace the whole unit. I didn't bother to ask him how much that would be. Oh! he also told me my equipment was out of warrantee. Thing is...I have a 10 year warrantee. Can't wait to get back home to see what the real problem is. I wouldn't but it pass these guys to sabotage something like put a little hole in the evaporator. I will find out when I get home. Watch for DIRECT HEATING & COOLING!

And a woman named Shirley should get a new job she is the rudest customer servive rep i ever talked to their servive is terrible and they should be put out of business for consumer fraud.Always trying to sell things you dont need.I am contacting the office of consumer affairs and see if they can do anything about these sleazebags

i bought a unit from these people in july, in september it failed inspection. the inspector said there was faulty wiring and it could be dangerous. finally a guy shows up to do so called maintenance, tried to sell me stuff without doing much else. i told him about the inspection again. he took the paperwork from the inspector and sent someone else to do the repair. when the new guy showed up he did not have the parts required to do the repair. i called to ask about this since every time they come out i have to take time off from work. the customer service person shirley could not come to the phone. after the first hour of waiting for a return call i contacted one of the lawyers i work with and he said he would look into taking legal action against them for putting my family in danger with the faulty wiring. after the second hour i called a county commissioner who said to call the county office and see what i could do about their license since the company that insures them would not accept them not doing the repairs in the legal amount of time. Now we will see if in the new year they have a license left in the state of florida maybe hitting them in the pocket book will let them know that you can not treat people this way

I just ask them for a service call then they said I needed 599 dollars worth of work I said that's bull its new I told them to leave I just tried every thing and nothing works I have two kids these people mess up everything for 35.00 dollars I fell like I paid them to break my init I'm so mad I can't do nothing now it's 130 am but just to let u guys know they screwed me

DO NOT! I REPEAT DO NOT DEAL WITH THESE RIP OFF ARTISTS. I BOUGHT A 2 YEAR AGREEMENT WITH THEM HAD AN APPOINTMENT FOR THEM TO COME OUT AND THEY NEVER CALLED AND NEVER SHOWED UP. I MADE SERVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CALL AND GET MY 150.00 BACK THEY TOTALLY IGNORED ALL MY CALLS, FINALLY TALKED TO SOMEONE THAT I TOLD I WAS COMING DOWN TO TALK IN PERSON AND THEY TOLD ME SOMEONE WILL BE THERE I DRIVE ALL THE WAY THERE AND THEY TOLD ME NO ONE WAS THERE. LONG STORY SHORT THEY FINALLY SENT ME A CHECK FOR 45 DOLLARS, SO THEY RIPPED ME OFF 105 DOLLARS. VERY UNPERFESSIONAL I WOULD NEVER DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY AGAIN I HOPE OTHERS WILL SEE ALL THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS COMPANY, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE NOT IN THE BBB THEY EVEN RATED THEM A C AND HAVE AN RED FLAG ON THEM. SO PLEASE DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY AND THEIR VERY RUDE CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE.

Their phone rep said Direct Air is no longer associated with Vans, and Direct now has an A+ rating with the BBB. I checked this online while speaking with the rep and told their was no such rating. (I always try to stall and keep these DNC violators on the phone as long as possible--time is money, and it's their loss). Anyway, the rep babbled on and on about having service in my area, North Port, when in fact I live in Sarasota. I let her babble on and on for a long time, asked her nonsensical questions, and then told her that I saw a bunch of negative reviews against the company.
Rep: "(sigh of frustration) "Do you want us to come out to service your a/c, or are you just going to harass me?"
Me: "It's YOU who is harassing ME, %^#$*@! (hang up phone)

My parents had Direct Air come for a service call 3 yrs. ago and were charged $569.99 to clean and check the unit ($34.99), sanitize the ducts($285), and replace 2 uv bulbs($250). Then they were told they needed a new unit(the 6 yr.old Trane was working just fine- my parents just wanted to have maintenance) and so trusted this company and had a new unit put in 3 yrs. ago(2012). In Feb. 2015, they were charged $2575 for an Emerson Media filter system and a maintenance call which included a duct sanitize package. Suspecting that they were way over charged, I called another A/C company who came out to look at the work done. He called a supplier and the Emerson media filter was only $135! So, bottom line they were way over charged. They were also told they no longer need indoor filters, which this A/C guy said most definitely we do to keep ducts inside clean! Not to mention Direct Air replaced a breaker 2 yrs. ago, supposedly a new one, that never worked from day one. Had an electrician check it on 2/20/15(they needed heat a couple of nights ago) and he said it was a used breaker-it was sawed off another unit and that was why it never worked! The electrician said they have not made this type of breaker in 5 yrs as they do not allow these particular of breaker boxes anymore(Federal Pacific-out of code apparently). So, my parents had to have a new box put in(for just just a little more than what they were charged for the used non working breaker). needless, to say, I am very upset that my elderly parents have been taken for a ride! Shame on this company for taking advantage of people!

Company seems to overcharge, A/C died and one man showed up, changed out capacitor and billed us $375. $20 part and he was gone in under 45 minutes. Now I need to find an HVAC contractor I can trust, live in Charlotte County. Recommendations anyone?

I am a 65 year old woman living alone and on SS. Their gig is to get you to sign the contract where they can come back and do "service and cleaning" and gives them a wide open opportunity to sell you things you don't need. Don't do a contract. You can call many companies willing to show up and do a cleaning and service. ...much cheaper than this company. Also they may tell you something you really need...or not...but sell to you at 3 times what cost should be. They have x-technicians all over area that will badmouth them about their rip off program. I don't think they are good to their employees either because they sure don't stay long.Diego is married to someone in the company ownership. Not sure who. Have heard his wife is the owner.
So the reason I feel this way is because in January 2016 they came to my house to work on my air conditioner. It was working well but hadn't had it serviced since I bought the house and wanted to make sure it was going to stay working. The coil needed cleaning for $495...since found a place that does it for around $100. Numerous other "problems" brought my bill to $1800 for the service and the UV lite that I have since found out I also way overpaid for. Guaranteed warranty for 4 years and I "should have no problems." Then they go into the attic and determine I need all new ducts because the seals are broken and they are full of mold. When the ducts were brought down I did indeed see that they were in bad shape. Cost was over $3000. One of the contractors installing said that the sealant they were going to use was generic and I would have the same problem in a couple of years. It will deteriorate and moisture will get into duct and eventually mold will take over. I have this problem taken care of on my own for much cheaper than Direct was going to charge me...
So now it's August of 2016 and they call me to come and do my service check agreed on in the contract. It is suppose to include the cleaning and check. Of course, they find many issues...leaking freon, was the main one. I suddenly have water all over my garage floor under the airconditioner and is also all over floor in living room Wasn't there .5 hour before they arrived because my neighbor and I were sitting on couch in front of where the water was coming in and we would have noticed it all over the floor. Coincidence maybe but seems fishy to me. Another of course...the only thing they can do is replace the entire unit and they will give me a deal at $4981 and another maint contract for a year. So now the pressure is on to sign and I didn't. Tried to put me on a finance program for only 9% interest and no penalties to pay off early. NOW KEEP I N MIND MY AIR CONDITIONER WAS WORKING FINE. THEY CALLED ME TO COME FOR THE SERVICING.
Don't know if I need the new unit or not. I am going to have to get more opinions but will not buy from Direct because even though Diego struggled to get me the best deal...from his relative probably... they are overpriced. Pricing being out of line and a feeling they are not honest is the reasons I won't be working with this company. I don't want people around my house I can't trust. I'm along on SS income and don't need the worries and the aggravation. In closing, I wonder what happened to the 4 year warranty which I could never get an answer. Call Cape Coral inspectors if you need help. They helped me.