Online reviews tell you how visits felt to other people. A reference call lets you ask about the job you are actually planning. If you are about to replace a system or add a heat pump in Menlo Park, Atherton or Portola Valley, ten minutes on the phone with a past customer who had the same kind of work done, followed by a few checks of your own, tells you more than a page of star ratings.
Ask for the same kind of job
A smooth furnace swap says little about a ductless install. Be specific when you ask any contractor, us included:
- The same work: a heat pump replacing a gas furnace, central air added to a house that had no ducts, duct repair in a crawlspace, a mini-split for a room the ducts never reached.
- A similar house: a mid-century Menlo Park ranch home with older ductwork, a larger Atherton house with two or more systems or zones, a Portola Valley home on a hillside lot where the outdoor unit sits on a slope.
- A recent job that has been through a season, so the customer knows how it heats on a cold night and cools on a hot afternoon.
Questions to ask the past customer
- Did the final invoice match the written estimate? If it changed, were you asked before the extra work was done?
- Were the installed model numbers the ones on the estimate?
- Was a permit pulled, and did it pass final inspection?
- How did the crew treat the house: attic and crawlspace access, floors, cleanup?
- Do any rooms still run hot or cold?
- How loud is the outdoor unit from the bedrooms and from the property line?
- When something needed attention afterward, how quickly was it handled, and how well?
- Would you hire them again for the same job?
What to verify yourself
| What | Where to check | What you are looking for |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor license | The state contractors license board’s online lookup | Active status, the HVAC classification (C-20), a business name that matches the estimate |
| Insurance | A certificate sent by the insurer | Liability coverage, and workers’ compensation if the contractor has employees |
| Permit | Your town’s building department | A permit for the equipment replacement, closed after final inspection |
| Equipment | The nameplates after installation | Model numbers that match the written estimate |
| Registration | The maker’s confirmation | Equipment registered on time; see warranty questions |
Reading online reviews
Look for detail: the type of system, the symptom, whether the diagnosis was explained, whether the price matched the quote. Read the low ratings and the replies to them, because how a company answers a complaint says a lot. For a replacement, recent reviews about installations matter more than older ones about tune-ups.
References from us
To ask Menlo Park HVAC Pros for references, call (650) 567-5385 before you schedule the work and describe the job, so the reference matches it. Then ask us the same questions you would ask anyone. For a new or replacement system the estimate is free and lists the equipment, labor and options in writing, which is the document to hold every answer against. If you are still deciding what the job is, start with heat pump installation, AC installation or duct repair, and the FAQ covers hours, estimates and emergency calls.