Hilo Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

We decided to call Hilo Air Conditioning & Refrigeration based on their amazing reviews to service our restaurant’s walk-in refrigerator that was unable to maintain its temperature. The technician, Jose, came to diagnose the condenser unit. While diagnosing, he was careless when trying to put dye in a valve. He applied too much pressure and broke it. This made the whole walk-in refrigerator inoperable. We panicked because our restaurant cannot operate without it. However, we found ways to manage with many inconveniences for a month so we could pay our utilities, expenses, and rent. We spoke with the manager, Mitch, asking what the options were. The options were to replace the valve or to replace the condenser unit. Mitch couldn’t find a valve, so we had to resort to replacing the condenser unit. After installing the new unit, the walk-in fridge still couldn’t function properly. They found the original source of the problem was a leak somewhere else. They repaired the leak, but the total cost of the repair and installation of the new unit was $7,087.54. The unit only operated for 2 weeks before it shut off by itself. The unit was reset and temporarily fixed for three months. Hilo Air & Refrigeration stated it was an electrical short circuit problem and not a poor installation. They stated they didn't want to work with us after this.

We decided to get a 2nd opinion from a different technician, who stated it’s not an electrical problem. We called Hilo Air Conditioning & Refrigeration multiple times about the 1-year labor warranty that is part of the agreement. They ignored and hung up on us when asked for it. So we decided to go to their office to ask about the terms and conditions of the 1-year labor warranty that is still valid. They refused to work with us. We also asked for information on the part’s warranty for our condenser unit from the manufacturer they ordered from. We asked for this because they are refusing to help us. This information would be useful to a new technician who is willing to work with us. Unfortunately, they refused to provide this as well. The owner, Nick, asked Mitch if we paid. Mitch responded that we paid the full amount. Nick’s response, based on his body language, was to get rid of us since they got our money. After discussing with them for 10 minutes, they threatened us to leave by calling the police. We left after we heard them talking to the police over the phone and giving our name and the location of our restaurant to arrest us. Thank God the police didn’t show up.

We decided to review our invoice, which we paid in full, and found that they had hidden fees. They were charging us the condensing unit for $3,504.00, when they bought it for $2,293.38 from the manufacturer. The shipping we paid is $300.00, and they paid $30.00. We found the receipt for the condensing unit that they forgot to take out of the box while they were on a 2-hour smoke break in the shade.

Mitch, the manager, often boasts about how great they are. I wish they were great. What could have been about an $800 repair became a $7,087.54 repair that is still broken. I pray others have better experiences than we have.

****Respond to Hilo Air's Response****
Thank you for your response Mitch. We are being honest. We wouldn’t be writing this review if we didn’t have such a bad experience. Also the unit is not 40 years old, it's 26 years old because the business started 26 years ago. It’s these small errors that cause larger problems like our unit. The rest is an act of God. Thank you.

Great 👍

Very friendly and helpful :-)