ARS / Rescue Rooter Manassas

I was away on business for a week and our HVAC system started tripping the breakers when it would kick on. My in-​laws were in town so my father in law called ARS. The tech diagnosed that the system was 25 years old and needed replaced. The house was built in 1991, so seems logical if original. The problem is that the system was replaced in 2005. And the system has the dates of manufacture right on it… fall of 2004.
I had 3 other companies check it out. All had the same analysis… compressor cooked… replace is about the same $$ as repair.
Since my wife had already paid them a diagnostic fee that would be credited to a replacement, we decided to get one of our four replacement quotes from them.
The salesguy quickly and correctly noted the age of the system. I then showed him what his tech had written. He didn’t know what to say.
The sales guy was nice enough but I felt like I was being sold. He utulized some used car salesman techniques.
«Here’s the price but I can take off this much if you sign right now.»
«Let me call my boss and see if we can do better.»
While on the phone with the boss:“Oh wow, we can really go that low?”
«So my GM says, we can take off this much if you sign now and install this weekend.»
Plus his idea of building rapport with a potential customer was to tell stories about past clients.
The system recommendation wasn’t the highest or lowest priced of the four. The recommendation seemed about right for our home, as did the others.
We chose to go elsewhere based on the people that represented ARS.

John Nimoh came this morning and not only did the expected maintenance but did so in the most professional, helpful way EVER. We have had technicians in the past who did their jobs, but John was by far the most competent and knowledgable.
I TRUST him and know we are in very good hands with ARS.
Thank you, John N. !!!

These guys are absolutely a joke! They tell you your AC is working even when they know it’s not, then after you call them out they tell you it’ll take a week to get «parts», which is a very simple duct flap that ever AC shop should have in stocks. Not to mention their general attitude toward customers. I had the privilege to over hear the administrative assistant mock and ridicule a customer to the technician on the phone, and I’m standing right there. Save yourself the trouble, I would rather pay double than use these guys.

We signed up for a system check-​up through Home Depot.
We knew our heat pumps were old but still thought they were hanging in. Richard did a very thorough job checking out both systems. Being the curious type, I sat with Richard while he examined one of the units and he was very professional & patient answering all the questions I had. When he was finished with the checkup, he sat with me and explained all the work that was needed and presented options. Because all this was way over my head, I had my husband come home from work. Richard waited until my husband arrived and once again, thoroughly explained all the work he did and what would be needed in repairs or replacements. Richard is very knowledgeable, patient and very professional. Highly recommend him.

I had a strange problem with my HVAC system and high electrical bills.
Bernie helped me to understand what was taking place and is VERY knowledgeable and VERY willing to answer questions. He is patient and ensures you understand what is taking place with your system. A future roll of Bernie should be to mentor and teach other members of the team.
Many thanks Bernie!!!

We have been requesting the specialist, Tim Smith, to do our annual maintenance. He is so professional, always on time, very pleasant, and I have absolutely NOTHING to complain. He is the type of the technician who will have us stick to this company even though their prices may higher than the competitors.
Note: We initially had a lousy service from ARS several years ago. However, their customer service took care of the problem very courteously, then we met Tim. Ever since, there has been no negative issue whatsoever. We are very pleased with their services.

The technician (Richard Nelson) was great. Professional, courteous, and respectful. He was on time and took care of the inspection and issue. Highly recommend requesting Richard from ARS

Update:
ok, bumping this to 3 stars.
First, let me say the tech was great. courteous, friendly, fixed the problem.
The issue is the process getting him out to my house. Going through to the main number was extremely difficult. I had multiple people answer initially, take my number down, and either promise a call back from the tech or indicate someone in the main office would call me back. None of that ever happened.
Through pure persistence, I finally got through to someone who could actually put me on the schedule. I hate to feel like I need to be a nuisance to be heard, but that was the position I was put in.
=====================================================
1) We have been an ARS service contract customer for 20+ years. This means we pay an annual fee and have our units inspected twice a year to make sure they are ready for the season. We have been with this company so long they were not even called ARS when we first started — they were called General Heating.
2) We have upgraded both our AC and Heating units during this time period — both times using ARS. Heating in 2009 with a (supposedly) reliable Carrier product.
3) I awoke this morning to no heat. There is no mechanism to call in to ARS and receive the priority treatment promised as a service contract holder. You just call into the main number like everyone else.
4) We have made over numerous calls in the last 4 hours since they supposedly opened and *still* cannot confirm we are on anyone’s schedule.
5) I know it is cold out but the point of the contract is to get some level of priority, not be treated like a random person who picked ARS out of the yellow pages. We have been paying for a contract for 20+ years and it has been over 10 since we needed emergency service.
This is not the point of being a loyal customer. The point is to be treated like a loyal customer. I will have to rethink my HVAC provider as a result of this.

Scammers, stay away! A flame sensor costs $ 10 not $ 162! I found another HVAC company to replace it for free! The technician was friendly but had to keep calling his «boss» for price confirmation. If you are a single woman who is a homeowner, please look elsewhere.

Steven W. was very professional, prompt, clean and answered all our questions, I would highly recommend Steven W. from ARS Manassas as a A/​C-​Heating technician.

Matt is great. Service is quick and he explains everything. He apologized for having to charge full service charge even though it was only a loose wire.

All I can say to those rating ARS highly is either you work for them or you got lucky.
Interaction with the appointment setter for the service was the best part of my experience with ARS Rescue Rooter.
I requested a seasoned professional because I was not satisfied with the hip guy who came out last time because he was rushing and he was not clear about many things-​which I chalked up to inexperience with customers.
PROS
Pleasant appointment setter
CONS
The tech arrived late and was a newbie (I asked him how long he had been doing this type of work)
He seemed to be re-​checking things which seemed to be part of his thoroughness, but I surmised he was setting me up and gave me a huge FAST «SCAREY» SELL about how I needed a new A/​C unit, that my thermostat was 3 degrees off, etc.
It sounded suspicious, but he INSISTED that we were going to have too many problems in the future… NOT!
I had these items checked again, and all was — and is well – nothing needed to be replaced!
In my opinion – they are too expensive for the service they provided.
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND ARS RESCUE ROOTER MANASSAS.
I can understand the others who state they feel ripped off and scammed.

Technician Alex K. did an outstanding job servicing our heating and air conditioning systems. He was very knowledgeable and took the time to explain all needed information about our systems. His efficiency was a nice surprise since techs from other companies we have had in the past seemed to be doing work but did not complete the job in an appropriate manner. All on all we are very satisfied with the services provided.

These people are the biggest scammers EVER! The last 2 times they have come they have recommended I replace both of my systems as an alternative they have priced out thousands of dollars of repairs that were not necessary based on second opinions. The most recent repairs include replacing a heat exchange for $ 2500 – 3000 (second opinion stated there’re were no cracks and his CO testing revealed no leaks), cleaning blower motors for $ 277 (only covered with light dust) and replacing ignitors at $ 277 each. When I had ARS come last spring they convinced my I needed Freon for $ 300 which the second opinion confirmed was not necessary.
STAY AWAY from ARS.
I have heard the technicians work on commissions and have lower hourly wages so the way they make money is by selling these extras.

Disappointed. Had a new system installed in March that worked great. Scheduled with them to try and come out and give me a quote on my other unit. Guy called 40 minutes into my time frame saying he had to go down to Culpepper at 4pm and had to cancel with me. Why was I getting cancelled? Why not the culpepper person? He said well I can come out tomorrow, well I had an appointment, and you just lost out on a 5−7k sale in addition, I will no longer being using ARS for any scheduled maint. If you cant be on time, then you lose my business. Sad thing is, I used to use ARS for everything, Attic Insulation and all HVAC needs, and used to give out referrals like crazy. Not anymore. Why cancel a customer who has given you over 10k of work, and multiple referrals. Absolutely ridicolous. ARS needs to get their priorities straight. Well ARS’s good customer is now someone elses. Great job ARS!

I feel that that I was ripped off by this place. While I was advised that most likely I needed to replace my heat pump system soon…
I felt as though I was kind of misled into agreeing on a $ 600+ repair that only barely held for more than a couple of weeks.
After having another company come out and assess my problem after the system totally broke down (of course during the hottest days of summer so far)… did I know just how bad of shape my heat pump system was in.
Multiple additional and specific problems were detailed to me none of which where brought to my attention by ARS. If I had known what I later was told before agreeing to the incredibly expensive (but useless) measures I would have just said to forget it… I would have paid the service call, would have been satisfied with the assessment and would have gone ahead and ordered a new system.
When the system first broke down after the ARS repairs I called them to let them know what happened and how much I paid for the repair and they said they would send a repair tech to try to get me up and running again along with a sales person to assess my situation before the end of the day.
I waited and waited and waited for the tech and salesperson to show up. of course they never did nor did I receive at least a phone call telling me they wouldn’t make it out or offer an apology for «standing me up». I took a day off work for nothing!
The other HVAC company that I’ll name in a subsequent review — was incredibly thorough, professional and courteous and provided me with a detailed assessment of the problems with my system… along with estimated prices for repairs. They offered to do the need repairs and weren’t necessarily forcing a new system down my throat. But, not wanting to be penny wise, pound foolish, the tech/​salesperson (the man did both) sat down with me and made recommendations for a new system… and after researching new systems previously provided me with a great system for an incredibly great price.
ARS you blew a multi-​thousand dollar sale… you were even given first dibs… I’ll never ever let you near my house again… Unfortunately I had to shell out over $ 600 for that lesson.

We had ARS come out and do a routine check-​up for our two AC Units.
I was very impressed by the Professional manner of our technician. Not only was he courteous, he explained every step of his work. He answered every question I had about our units and then some. He really helped me understand our Air Purification unit!
I recommend ARS and am very satisfied with their work!

Pros —
They responded within a day (asked on Friday and they responded on Saturday)
They fixed the problem (replaced the dual run capacitor)
Cons —
The price!
I understand that everyone needs to make money. I get it.
The worker arrived at 11:56 and was gone less than 40 minutes later.
Price breakdown —
$ 89 — to show up
$ 277 — to replace the part
$ 366 total
A quick internet search showed that I can get the part for less than $ 50. Remove and reconnect 4 wires… I can’t help but feel that this repair was completely overpriced.
Sorry ARS but I won’t be using you again. Your prices are outside of my definition of reasonable.

I’ve had a preventive maintenance plan with ARS for over 11 years now. The technicians are always on time and very professional. If they are running late they usually call.
They are quick, explain any issues that I may have and provide great remedies but not pushy with those remedies.
I plan to keep using ARS and very satisfied with the service I receive.

They are the contractor that Home Depot works through when purchasing new AC systems. The guy who came to do the estimate was very courteous, he also was very detailed and explained everything about the types of systems they sell. Even though they’re on commission, he recommended a lower-​end (but great) model for our townhome. He also showed me how to adjust the damper in our house to set it to summer mode, something that I’d never known could be adjusted.
Once we made our decision, they were able to install the next day. The guys showed up a little bit late, but once they were here they did their work quickly and professionally. They also installed our separate Nest Thermostat that we had purchased.
The reason for only 4 stars is the lateness and because, although they tested the furnace, they left the pilot light on our water heater off, prompting the need to have them come back and correct that for us. Otherwise they’re great guys!