When it’s the middle of summer and you need help to make sure your air conditioner is up and running, who do you call? Most people who have worked with JC & JC HVAC Mechanical end up calling us back because of the good work we’ve done with them before, but what about people who are new to the area? What about those who are upset with the heating and air conditioning service they’ve received in the past and are looking for someone new to work with?
We know that someone out there is always looking for a new heating and cooling expert in the Silver Spring area, so we thought we’d offer some advice on how to pick your HVAC company.
Don’t Just Pick The First One That Comes Up
Twenty years ago we could have said “don’t just pick the biggest ad in the phone book.” But now that phone books are mostly a thing of the past, it makes more sense for us to say “don’t just pick the first company that comes up at the top of Google.”
The fact is, the first company that comes up on Google or Bing might not be the best company overall. They might have been first to the internet, a fact that makes the search engine favor them. They might also be putting the most money into building the website, something else that search engines love. But just because their site is top-quality doesn’t mean that their heating and AC service is. It’s much more important to…
Read Reviews
One of the most important things you can do is to read up on reviews for the HVAC company you’re investigating. There are many different review sites out there, from Google Reviews to Top Rated Local. All of these can give you a good idea of the level of service you might get from heating and cooling experts.
Make sure there are enough reviews for a company before you call them up. A company might have a 5-star rating, but if they only have two stars then it’s probably just the owner and his mom who have left reviews! We’d trust a 4.5 rating with 100 reviews over a 5-star with only two reviews, because it means that there are real people out there who hired the company in the past.
Ask Around
One of the best ways that an HVAC company gets new business is one of the oldest: word of mouth. When you’re looking for heating and cooling service, just ask around to see which of your neighbors is happiest with the care they’ve received in the past. You can also ask them which companies they’ve had trouble with. JC & JC HVAC Mechanical has clients around our hometown of Beltsville, and we’ve fixed furnaces and air conditioners throughout Silver Spring, Rockville, Potomac, Bethesda, Laurel, and Germantown.
Choose Local
There are national HVAC companies and there are local HVAC companies. When it comes to national companies, you’ve got the name recognition…but all too often they’re leaning too hard on the recognizable name. In other words, they’re banking on you choosing them just because you’ve seen national ads for them.
Local companies, on the other hand, earn their reputation thanks to the word of mouth we talked about above. They’re more invested in the community and helping their neighbors, and aren’t beholden to the larger corporation’s nationwide policies.
How Long Have They Been Around?
Finding out how long a company has been in business isn’t a foolproof way of ensuring you’re getting the best — they might be resting on their laurels — but choosing a company that’s been around for a while certainly beats one that’s only been around for six months.
Now we know, every company has to start somewhere. We had to start somewhere many years ago. But when you’re talking about something as important as your heating and cooling, you’ll certainly want to contact an HVAC company that has the experience to make sure everything is properly fixed.
Make Sure They’re Licensed and Insured
This is something you should do with every service person or contractor who comes to your house. No matter whether you’re hiring someone for HVAC repair, roof installation, or landscaping work, you should make sure that they are licensed and properly covered by insurance. If they’re not and they get injured on your property, you could have years of legal problems ahead of you.
Do You Need HVAC Repair or Replacement?
If you need work performed on your heating and cooling equipment, we hope you’ll take the time to find the right HVAC company that meets your needs. We can tackle your air conditioner, furnace, geothermal, and boiler repair, maintenance, and replacement. We look forward to working with you, so contact JC & JC HVAC Mechanical Contractors today!