Can't even give a 1 star review! On Friday the 17th, I reached out to General Heating regarding an urgent issue with our furnace. The representative assured me he would call back within ten minutes to confirm if a technician could be dispatched, but he never did. After waiting for an hour, I had to call him back, only to be told that no one was available to assist. We reluctantly scheduled an appointment for Saturday morning between 9:00 and 9:30. On Saturday, the technicians from General Heating arrived just before 10:00 AM, already behind schedule. They conducted some tests on the furnace but did not communicate in English, leaving me in the dark about what was happening. When I finally asked what was wrong, they claimed the entire motor needed replacement because the convertor had popped open, potentially damaging the motor. They also mentioned condensation dripping onto the bottom of the furnace. I explained that my husband was away and requested an email detailing their findings. I also mentioned our upcoming renovations, which prompted the lead technician to laugh and speak to his colleague in their language, making me feel disrespected and uneasy. They then suggested that the entire furnace might need to be replaced but that it could be okay if only the motor was replaced. All would depend on their findings after replacing the motor. Given the urgency of the situation, as my daughter and I were alone during an Arctic Vortex, I pleaded with them to get the part immediately. The technician dismissively informed me that no stores were open (on a Saturday morning in Vancouver?) to get the part until the following week and that he would have to order it first. They promised to send an email with quotes by 12:00 PM, but despite my follow-up call at 3:00 PM, the email did not arrive until almost 6:00 PM, adding to my frustration. They then sent me three different quotes. One in which was in someone else's name. They were as follows $1,800.00, $7,300.00 and $18,500.00. Desperate for a solution, but knowing full well that this whole thing stunk I phoned another local company on Sunday morning. The gentleman arrived around 2:30 PM. From the moment he arrived, he was a breath of fresh air. He quickly identified that the capacitor was damaged and needed replacement. He even took the time to review our renovation plans and advised against replacing the entire furnace, suggesting more cost-effective options such as installing a used furnace or simply replacing the capacitor. He also clarified that the substance dripping onto the bottom was oil from the capacitor, not condensation as previously stated by General Heating. The new company went to two stores (ON A SUNDAY) and returned promptly to replace the capacitor, successfully getting the furnace to start up. His professionalism and efficiency were a stark contrast to the disappointing experience with General Heating. I did not get the name of the person I originally spoke with., but Matthew was the technician from General Heating who inspected the furnace We are incredibly grateful for the second company I contacted for their prompt and effective service, which brought us much-needed relief during a stressful time. It is a shame that General Heating couldn't be honest nor reliable in this situation. Thank goodness I listened to my intuition because in the end it ended up costing me $1000 with service and after hours labour and we had heat to get us through the Arctic Vortex. If I learned anything from this, it is to get a second quote maybe three and if something feels off it most likely is!
2024-12-10 Update Heat pump experiencing a fault and was able to get ahold of Matthew who called me back and will be looking into it again. Truly impressed with his commitment to resolving issues and a big thanks as the weather is getting colder. 2023-11-13 Update Service is fantastic! Had an error fault on the weekend and sent a message and had someone out the next day to fix the issue. These guys are professional and take care of the customer! After getting multiple quotes from various companies for a mini-split heat pump I decided to go with General Heating and Air Conditioning because Matthew sold me in our interactions and gave me the impression he was a stand up honest guy. The heat pump was installed in the spring of 2022 and unfortunately ran into some issues in the winter when it started leaking refrigerant. Unclear if it was a mechanical or installation issue but the point is that Matthew made sure the issue was fixed and even after it was fixed sent his guys a month after just to make sure the leak issue was fully resolved. There are pros & cons to going with larger companies such as Milani, Ashton etc. but from my experience here it was a good decision to go with General Heating and having a more personal experience which I'm sure will continue for any other of my HVAC needs.
My opinion of General heating is outstanding service they are meticulous in their work and will spend as much time as it takes for you to be happy ,be there if you need them to service their product. Mathew would answer my call to answer any question that I might have at all times. I am very impressed with this company and I have dealt with many over my life as a home owner matter fact 25 properties to be exact MATHEW is the man to heat or cool your home.
My neighbor is the customer who was frightened and called me to come over Mattew is a very aggressive person was mean to the customer, her friend and myself. He wanted cash of 1000 dollars For a deposit. Then said he would accept a blank check . He got so irate and was swearing and yelling at me while he hel a screwdriver to my face Police have been notified and he is to stay away from us. He suffers a little from short man syndrome or something. My advice is stay away.
Update, Oct 15 2024: 8 months later owner replied and saying "Fake review" instead of learning from the flaw and educating staff. You don't care about others and how your customers expect care from you. Today Feb 10th at around 12pm, one of the vans was holding up traffic coming from North Vancouver approaching the Lions Gate Bridge. He was using his cell phone and nearly slammed into me as I was trying to go ahead. Very reckless and irresponsible. I don't believe you can trust this company if they can't get to you safely and this dangerous! The license plate is SL 5226. I know this is a police issue and they have been contacted.