It’s the peak of summer, your AC just kicked the bucket, so you open up the yellow pages and start looking for Heating and Air companies to choose from. Where do you start? With the letter “A” of course. But just because there may be company called “AAAAAA AC & Heating” which of course will be at the top of the list, doesn’t mean they are A-OK. Or you may pull up your favorite search engine, Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or another. Even if the first company that pops up is GAMA Air, will that be how you make your decision? What if there are a dozen or more options in the Beverly Hills, Culver City, Mar Vista, Miracle Mile, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, Westwood, Downtown Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino area? How can you choose? What are some characteristics of a professional heating and air conditioning service company? Here’s some things to take into account to make an informed decision, and to consider when the technician shows up at your door:
NATE certification: The North American Technician Excellence (NATE) certification is operated, owned, developed and governed by the HVAC/R industry. When a residential heating and air conditioning technician is NATE certified, you can rest assured that he or she is highly experienced, well-trained and knowledgeable in the field of maintaining, repairing and installing heating and AC equipment.
Company Longevity: How long has a residential HVAC service company been in business? A start-up company may have highly skilled people, but it hasn’t proven yet that it will be able to provide with quality service next year. Longevity is an indication of the company’s professionalism and provides confidence in a company’s fairness to its employees and to its customers, meaning there is a greater likelihood that they can be trusted.
Personal Appearance and Grooming: Looks matter, when it comes to establishing trust and making a good first impression. A professional HVAC service tech will have clean work clothes or uniform, appropriate for the job. Good grooming is a good indication of an individual’s attention to detail. If a service technician doesn't care much about his or her own personal grooming, it is probable that he or she will not care about the small but important details related to your central heating and cooling system.
Boot covers: A customer-oriented residential HVAC service technician will threat your home as if it were their own. This means he or she will provide quality service including not leaving a mess when they are done. Boot covers are an extra step, but a good sign that the technician, and the company, respect you and your home.
Punctuality: A heating and AC technician that arrives on time for a scheduled appointment is competent and well organized. It shows the company values your time. When shopping around for an HVAC service provider, ask your friends and neighbrors about a company’s history of showing up on time and completing a project within the estimated time provided at the outset of a job.
Eye contact: Good communication skills, including eye contact and a willingness to explain and provide details if requested, show that a service tech is confident in his or her abilities, wants to understand your needs, wants you to understand the options and values your business.
Preparedness: A professional service tech doesn't like to waste time. He or she will carefully evaluate your needs and the needs of your equipment to be fully prepared to focus on resolving your issue without having to make repeated trips due to forgetting essential tools or parts.
Cleanup: A professional service tech leaves the area where he or she was working in the same, if not better, condition than how it was found. Thorough cleanup after completing a day of work is a sign of professional integrity and respect for the customer.
Vehicle cleanliness: A vehicle’s appearance is just as important as the appearance of the service technician. A clean and organized work vehicle is a sign of company pride, good organizational skills and a commitment to provide quality work for its customers.
Choosing a professional Heating and Air Conditioning company to maintain, repair, or change-out your central heating and cooling system is not just about finding the lowest bottom line. It's worth your while to find a company who perform quality, professional work without taking advantage of your trust. Anything less will result in wasting your hard-earned money for inferior work. GAMA Air has many happy customers and we want you to be one of them. Give us a call at (310) 651-6936 or fill out our online form to setup an appointment. We provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all the work we do.
If you have a question that is nagging you and want a quick answer, visit our “Ask an Expert” page, fill out the form and our resident HVAC expert will get back to you on the double.