Reviews of local pros in Berkeley, California

Brilliant. They overestimated the time it would take, and still did a thorough, considerate job. The exterior unit looks great, too! As a customer, I have no control over the cost, but it’s clear this company takes care of its people — and that shows in the craftsmanship. I’m also 1000% behind a company that does the right thing.

Can't speak highly enough about the YJ Team! We had a fantastic experience with them installing two ductless mini split units. The consultation was very thorough, with Andrei taking the time to answer our numerous questions and walk through the pros/cons of ducted vs ductless. Proposal was very competitively priced, clearly explained and included YJ handling multiple incentives on our behalf. Owen, Drake and Mike did a stellar install job, consulting us on all aesthetic decisions, showing up exactly on time every day and efficiently doing the work (no noise disruptions as we worked from home throughout the install). Post install, Andrei even helped us gather extra documentation to apply to an extra incentive we qualified for after full home electrification.

Overall a joy to work with them and would highly recommend for your heat pump install!

Our heat pump installation went incredibly smoothly. Everyone we worked with, from drafting the plan, to scheduling, to the actual installers was super responsive and helpful. They obviously take a lot of pride in doing a great job. I would highly recommend working with them.

The team at 1888 Heat Pump was absolutely wonderful! As a client, I truly appreciated their open and candid communication throughout the entire process. The installation experience was seamless and pleasant — the crew worked together efficiently and professionally to get our unit up and running.
I was especially impressed by their teamwork and attention to detail, which made the experience smooth from start to finish. The product they installed is of excellent quality, and the level of service they provided was refreshing.
I would highly recommend 1888 Heat Pump for any and all heat pump needs. They made the entire experience amazing, and I would recommend them without hesitation!

I can honestly say this is the best company I've ever worked with!

They are honest, caring, and truly good people, but what stands out the most is their professionalism. They installed a mini-split unit for us, and the entire process was immaculate from start to finish. They kept our home clean and organized while working, and they were incredibly accommodating throughout the project.

The team even made several visits strategizing and ensuring the unit will be installed correctly with our unique house layout.

If you can, request Soepa for a quote, and Andrei and Mike as your installers—you won’t regret it!

Drake from 1888heatpumps came out today, right on time for scheduled appointment to fix or replace my Fujitsu heat pump wall thermostat. With clear communication, he set about checking out the system & proceeded to make it work correctly again. Drake was skilled & efficient at all he did. I was so impressed & happy that I added on to the work order. The 2nd part was to install a piece of hardware to enable remote thermostat control for my mobile. Again, good communication, efficiency & accuracy in Drake's work. This is the best HVAC company I've ever dealt with!

Michael was friendly, professional, and efficient. I also liked that the company texted me Michael's photo and bio before his arrival. Kruse provided excellent service from start to finish.

We had clogged drained in our bathroom toilet and shower. Rick came to help, a very nice guy and chatty.. But I’m not sure after $840 I have solved all the problems. My bathroom sink was clogged, he fixed that. But the shower/toilet wasn’t completely fixed. We thought it was done. As soon as we used the toilet, it backed up again. Luckily Rick was still outside and was able to come in to fix. He said we have roots problem and will need more work. It’s just frustrating after 3 hours and $840 later, you have no idea when it will back up again.

Mitch is great, knowledgeable and a nice person. Job well done

Jerod was very experienced and had a good attitude. He overcame a few issues and kept us well informed. He was respectful and a great representative of Kruse.

Rick was efficient and straight to the point!
I set up an appointment on Tuesday and Rick stopped by Thursday morning, all we needed was a simple replacement. The inspection and service were done in an hour and ten minutes! (probably sooner if we didn't have him wait a bit for approvals on our end)

Pierre was also super-efficient, Pierre noticed we needed a new motor for ventilation, but it had no brand name on it - Pierre was able to figure it out with the serial # and once ordered and received, LJ Kruse reached out to make an appointment for the replacement - Pierre came in and quickly replaced it in under an hour along with testing before leaving.

We got a new Carrier furnace and April Air filtration unit from Kruse. It’s in and working fine. But the process left lots to be desired administratively, on two counts.

First scheduling. The technician arrived on time Tuesday (9/23). It was supposed to be a one-day job, but the technician wasn’t done at 3 and opted to finish Wednesday morning (9/24), telling us he’d be back at 8. I rearranged my Wednesday accordingly. At 9 I called the office since he hadn’t appeared. Turns out he had two morning appointments and would be here around noon. It looks like the technician’s 8 AM statement was given in good faith, but the office, not the technician, controls the schedule. That fine and to be expected, but the office, which is usually very good at confirming appointments via text and e-mail, never sent me anything about Wednesday, neither a message associated with the 8 AM statement by the technician nor one with the actual scheduling. I made clear, politely, on the phone that I didn’t appreciate redoing my day unnecessarily and would have really liked to have been kept up to date. To Kruse’s credit, Mike, the HVAC supervisor personally called back later to apologize. He called again, later, saying it was going to be more like 1 or 1:30. The technician finished the work that day. So in the end, all OK, with some of my day changed on-the-fly in the process.

Second, the billing. We gave the technician a check for the full amount Tuesday morning. It was going on my wife’s checking account. We did it that way since she was going to gone much of the day. At that time, we were expecting the job was going to be finished Tuesday. Anyway, I thought we were paid in full when the technician finished. Friday morning, I got an e-mail bill saying the full amount was outstanding. I called the Kruse office and explained our payment. The office didn’t have the check but the technician in question was not in Friday so they couldn’t check in with him. They would do so Monday and get back. No call back on Monday. I called Tuesday morning. The phone person checked with accounting. They found the check, although they hadn’t yet cashed it. So all OK, right? Not quite. On Wednesday (10/1), we signed for a certified latter from Kruse with a printed copy the invoice showing the total amount not yet paid, and with a legal Preliminary Notice, pursuant to civil code sections 8102, 8116, & 8200 et seq., that Kruse had not been paid and that a lien could be applied to the property. That notice was dated 9/25 – two days after we wrote the check – and appears to have been mailed on Monday, 9/29 – after I had called back about the first invoice and on the day they were going to check in with the technician. Two people on the billing side not talking to each other? About the same time the certified letter was delivered on Wednesday, I got an e-mail from Kruse with a copy of the invoice showing all was paid up. Was that perhaps a response to the post office notifying Kruse that the certified letter had been received? So again, all is OK, but a certified letter and a formal, legal notice sent after I had called to let them know I had paid the technician with a check that was out there, somewhere, in their system? Come on.

All is done, everything is functioning, and everybody is paid, so this is no disaster, but it’s not a 5 star interaction either. I still think they are a decent company, but they do need to work on their scheduling and billing processes (and maybe on the internal communications).

Very professional- pleasant to work with. Great response time when contacted about our furnace, not working.

LJ Kruse is always reliable and trustworthy. We have been using them for years and have always been happy with their work.

This was a call to do a a sewer pressure inspection to apply for permits. Miguel was prompt, professional and explained what he saw in the video. We are still awaiting either a copy of the video via email as promised or a written write up of his findings..

There were a few hiccups at first but LJ Kruse ironed the issues out and their follow through has been great!

Mike was very kind and knowledgeable! Was able to identify and fix the issue with my water heater very quickly, 10/10 service

Greg was patient waiting for the inspector, performed the required additional work, and was very easy to work with. Top marks.

Great service as usual. Mitch handle the job great and did not give up on the first try. Highly recommend them for any plumbing services. And fair on price.

Miguel came by and fixed a toilet in 15 minutes even after I'd snaked it and pneumatic plunged it myself. They didn't even charge me because it was so short. Great experience thanks!

Prompt, Mat gave detailed information about issue with my HVAC