Anonymous wrote:I miss when Angie’s list wasnt quite so useless

+1 There was a time when they were invaluable, but that was about 20 years ago.

OP, I'm in upper NW and have had great service from Rowan: https://www.rowanhvac.com/

I miss when Angie’s list wasnt quite so useless

Anonymous wrote:PSA - you can access checkbook for free through the montgomery county library website.

Yeah but unless you are really poor, let’s subscribe and support this NONPROFIT.

Anonymous wrote:Yea, generally been pleased with checkbook. Some of their info is out of date though, so it takes going through quite a few in some categories.

I use it a lot too and found this correct. I tried to look for one with most recent reviews.

PSA - you can access checkbook for free through the montgomery county library website.

Yea, generally been pleased with checkbook. Some of their info is out of date though, so it takes going through quite a few in some categories.

Stay away from big companies like that. I had to use one of the big plumbers that advertise on TV, radio, and buses on a weekend and could not believe how expensive they were. Charged me $500 for a $20 part and 30 minutes of work.

I know, I know, they advertise on the radio, but... Michael and Sons has been very good to me, heating and cooling. New systems but wonky and they have been very competent.

Switched to them after McCarthy said they stopped servicing my neighborhood. (upper NW)

Another vote for Consumer Checkbook. Go here: https://www.checkbook.org/ - get a membership and search for HVAC companies that service your area. You can filter by quality and price. I’ve used Checkbook for years - it’s a really great resource. And agree with PPs that any company running TV ads is going to be way more expensive.

Yeah I would stay away from the big companies that have tons of overhead. Subscribe to the Washington Consumer Checkbook Magazine or go to the library.

CroppMetcalfe refused my business a few years ago, after servicing the previous owner's AC.

Crazy behavior.

Any HVAC company that runs TV commercials are expensive.

They are expensive. Check out checkbooks and find other

I'm new to the area (NW DC). I talked to 3 neighbors about HVAC maintenance, and found they all use CroppMetcalfe, which sounds like the default choice around here.

Is my sample size too small or is CroppMetcalfe really in such a dominant position? Are they really good? Are they expensive? Are there other good alternatives that I should look into?