HVAC reviews in Durham, North Carolina

Worst possible service.

Technician had to come out three times to correctly diagnose the problem, but finally landed on needing to replace the evaporator coil and filter drier, on a system installed by ARS in February 2021. Despite the parts being under warranty, the parts and labor came in at over $4,000.

Against the ARS company policy, the technician collected payment for the new parts and installation IN ADVANCE, and the payment cleared on September 5th, 2025.

Since then, I have not received ANY update from ARS. We have called the support phone at least a dozen times in the last four weeks, requesting callbacks from the parts department and from managers. We have called the corporate phone twice and left messages requesting callbacks. As of today, October 1st, 2025, we have received no communication on this work, our HVAC is still inoperable, and ARS is still in possession of over $4,000 of our money.

Completely unacceptable. Go elsewhere.

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Update (10/6/25): ARS parts department called on 10/2 and said that the parts should arrive on 10/5, and that they would call to schedule the repair once they have the parts. No call back from the parts department so far. Also, still no call back from a customer support manager or from ARS corporate.

Update (10/8/25): Received a reply here from the business yesterday, asking me to reach out, but it didn't leave any instructions on how to do so. Since I've called the regular support line repeatedly to no avail, I'm assuming that's not what they are asking for. Please give me details on how to reach out.

Update (10/18/25): We have called the corporate number and left another message. We have called the regular customer support line more than a dozen times since the last update and put it tickets for the parts department to call us back, the finance department to call us back, and a manager to call us back. Not a single response from anyone. ARS is clearly using a call service, since they're unable to escalate effectively. Still no parts, still no working A/C. Not really sure what else we can do to resolve this.

Update (10/22/25): Finally got a callback from the Durham office. Tanya and Laura were extremely helpful -- they gave me a good update on the backordered parts, refunded the charge, and kept the ticket open. I will gladly pay for the parts and services, once they are delivered and performed. We will see if they actually continue to update on the status of the parts, should it be delayed further.

Update (12/19/25): Parts were supposed to have been delivered on 11/4/25 according to the Durham office on 10/22/25. They said they would call if the parts were delayed further; no calls - no emails - nothing. I've again called the call center repeatedly trying to get an update - regular tickets - escalation tickets - manager escalation tickets - still no updates. I'll keep calling...

Final Update (1/5/26): Parts were delivered and I received a phone call to schedule the service on 12/23/25. I scheduled the service for 1/5/26. After I scheduled the service, ARS called me three more times: twice on 1/2/26 and once on the morning of 1/5/26, asking to schedule my appointment. Turns out, they did not mark the appointment scheduling as complete in their workflow, so even though I had an appointment scheduled, they just kept calling. Ironic, given all of the above. Nevertheless, the parts are now installed and my A/C is working, but I will not be doing business with ARS in the future.

Tevin was awesome! He came same day at 8pm at night to help me get my ac turned on! He even helped me put in a window unit until my new ac was installed. I will recommend Tevin to anyone!👍

We had a new HVAC system put in on Friday. Last night it would not work. We called the call center in the am, Tuesday, and we were given a window of 10-2 for a service person . The call center was beyond helpful, To the point I want to return the system. No one called to tell us when he was coming until 1/2 an hour before his arrival; that was at 3:30 . We were not allowed a supervisor. The ONLy way we got an answer was when I called Lowe’s and spoke to a wonderful lady, Heather. She did some magic ! I was going to cancel payment of the system and have it removed. There has to be a better way to get in touch with service and for someone to keep in touch with customers. The service man finally came and fixed it.
I would like to give him at least a 2 because of his lack of contact for an ETA. As for the call center, I rate them as a Negative 5.

Jonathan found the problem right away and went to work. The house warmed up immediately. That's the type of service you want, fast, effective and as promised with the warranty of service. Recommend them highly.

Derrick Cooper was awesome. He's the most knowledgeable technician I've met at ARS. Having previous experience with ARS in SC and Wilmington, Derrick has restored my trust in ARS and I will contract with ARS for maintenance as a result.

Fabulous techs. Fast and focused! Very professional. Turn key just waiting for Robert to provide a copy of the permits , sign some certificates and help to get my WiFi thermostats connected on my phone.

Technician Jorge made sure problem was found. Replaced punctured line and made sure it was ready for coolant. Filled coolant and made sure everything was working properly and we were satisfied before leaving.

Customer service is not great at all. Been waiting for someone to call me back to schedule a visit for a part for a new system that I purchased from them in December. On the coldest days of the season I have NO Heat! When calling customer service they advise, they do NOT have a direct number for the svc dpt. Im at the mercy of them calling me back to schedule a time to come add something to this new system that I purchased from them.

12/12/2025 Update:

ARS is actively working to resolve our issues. Home Depot has been helpful in the resolution process as well. Will update when we have a final resolution to our satisfaction.

Beware: Poor service, Misleading Documentation, Excessive Pricing
We thought going through Home Depot was a safe route for HVAC. Learn from our experience with ARS Rescue Rooter Durham. After 6 years of inadequate heating, we finally discovered why: auxiliary heat strips were never installed when they replaced our air handler in 2019. We've relied on space heaters every winter since.

-Refrigerant leak quoted at $2,000
-No heat strips installed - critical for NC winters
-Technician wrote FALSE statements on invoice: "Homeowner didn't install the heat strip" (we're homeowners, not HVAC contractors - THEY did the 2019 installation) and "homeowner doesn't want repair now" (we wanted time to review an excessive quote)
-Dismissive attitude when we stated "we have no heat" in December
-Trouble getting an email from company to go directly to management (the Resolution dept did follow up and provide an email today December 9, 2025)

We paid $110 for diagnostics and are now getting multiple competing quotes. The documentation errors appear designed to shift blame from installer to homeowner.

Red flags: misleading invoice documentation, quotes nearly double market rates, missing critical components from original installation never identified in 6 years and a subpar unit & questionable installation.
Proceed with extreme caution. Get everything in writing and obtain multiple quotes.

Got new Whole home system 30 days ago
then the snow hit yesterday and guess what ?
Im out of town with Wife and kids at home with no heat .
I make the call Friday night and they say 10 am sat they will be there so not to worry .

I get text updates all day they are on the way...
then at 2pm I called and told they’re not running trucks today and they were never going to come out today.

I called to competitors who said yes they would’ve been able to if I would’ve called him earlier. Also told by ARS that if I called someone else to fix the warantty is voided?!?
Complete failure and no call back from management just an answering service
Pretty Cold ARS figuratively and literally.

Was having trouble with my gas furnace call ARS they can that very day diagonised the problem came Bach the next day fixed it. I set up a service agreement and the came and found another potential problem! The Townhouse I live he I heard several owners had to replace their units! The builders did not put in the best grade. So we decided to replace their units gas furnace and air conditioning unit! ARS have been upfront and honest with us dome the beginning and always prompt! I would highly recommend ARS to anybody needing service or replacement unit!

They installed my heat pump when I was upgrading a year ago, and then this week made a repair to a faulty inner thermostat. I appreciate their on time response and the respect in my home (using booties when he had to come in). Would definitely recommend them.

I was impressed with the service I received before and after the installation of my new HVAC. I loved the fact that a person other the person who was doing the job checked to make sure the job was done correct. Emmanuel and the technician that worked with him was very friendly and dedicated. Took their time installing the whole system. Made sure everything was explained to me in detail. Cleaned up area once job was completed. I would gladly recommend ARS to anyone.

Heating system inspection revealed safety and performance issues. We got a preliminary estimate for repair and will get an estimate for replacement later today. The ARS representative, Jonathan Rodriguez, was knowledgeable, informative and a pleasure to deal with. Very good encounter.

We were not pleased with this whole process. There were too many surprises. This was the second attempt for the installation because of asbestos. There were questions the second installers had when they looked at the area for the installation, and they could not get in contact with their supervisor in a timely fashion for answers, so an hour was lost. Asbestos was found by the first installers and not the sales person who did a walk around with me. The unit would not fit vertically, according to the supervisor, so they laid the system in a horizontal layout. (See the attached photos). That was a surprise, and this setup did not look efficient. The installers came back the next day to put the system back vertical. Everything seemed unorganized and poorly communicated with sales, supervisors, and installers. The installation job will hopefully be completed today to our satisfaction.

Update: Changing from a 2 star to 1 star review.
We have had this unit for less than a week and have had to have 2 technicians come out to try and fix it. It actually worked from Monday night to Wednesday night before it stopped working again.
Besides the unit not working properly, my husband had to actually go up to their office to get anyone to help him. He called customer support on Sunday night (for the second time since we got the unit) and she said someone would call him first thing Monday. Well 10:30am rolls around with no call so my husband calls again and they said that the QA manger is in a meeting. Does ARS know what an QA manager does?!?! So he rolls up to the office to get someone to address this poorly installed unit. Someone finally comes out Monday afternoon and seems to fix the problem. Well now we are here on Wednesday night and it is not working again.

Adante was the sales person that sold us this unit. He was fine.
Customer service has been good at listening but no one is fixing the problem. Not sure what QA Lora does. The first tech that came just ran his mouth and looked at stuff briefly saying he doesn't like these York HVAC units. The 2nd tech was great, Joe, and he did something to help fix the problem, albeit only temporarily. Our best guess is that the install was done poorly. I mean you see the picture. That black strap is going OVER our faucet. And that is just a minor thing, if that is how they do their work I can only imagine how the rest was done.

Oh, I forgot, the install manager was supposed to come look at it and that has yet to be done.

We have spent more time and energy on this than is necessary. Now someone is coming out tonight between 9-10pm to look at it. I guess a good thing is that once you can talk to someone, then they send a person out. But I feel bad for the techs working so late.

At this point I am ready to have ARS rescue rooter take the York HVAC unit away and we will have a different company install a different brand of unit.

Also, ARS, do not give my a fluff AI generated response to this complaint! I am real person with real stuff going on besides having to deal with fixing a brand new very expensive item.

Buyer beware and choose another company besides ARS. Their jingle is cute but their work is not.

Original Post: Got a new AC unit on Thursday. Today is Saturday and it is not working properly, even after a technician came today (but didn’t do anything). Luckily we can return the unit which we will be doing if the issue is not resolved asap.

Salesman was good, people that came to install were good except for the way they installed the pipes was not great. But unit not great and tech that came today talked a lot but don’t hear us or fix the problem. We should have kept our 15 yr old ac unit because it worked better than this.

I had a fantastic experience with ARS Rescue Rooter! From start to finish, their team was incredibly professional, courteous, and efficient. They arrived on time, explained everything clearly, and handled the job with care and expertise. It’s rare to find service that’s both friendly and top-notch, but ARS delivered on both fronts. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for reliable plumbing or rooter services. Truly awesome work!

The service man arrived on time and was very friendly. He suggested repairs, showing us photos he took in the attic. He offered us 3 options for getting the work done. We will follow up with him soon.

Technician very skilled, knowledgeable and professional. However after speaking with another technician and doing my own research, I will not be using this company again. $480 to replace a $20-30 sensor? Yall definitely got me.

Great experience with the company and the professional Nicholas Kincer! Came out almost immediately to help when my heating went out days from a winter storm, had all the equipment needed to do the repair, explained everything clearly and made me feel very secure in the solution. Price seemed reasonable to me.Very grateful for the timely help and looking forward to working with Nick in the future.

I am changing my rating because I am a senior citizen who placed my trust in this company, and I believe that trust was taken advantage of.

First, I paid $1,800 for an air scrubber and UV-C light installation. This service was never provided, and I am now having difficulty obtaining a refund.

Second, I paid to have my A-coil cleaned and was assured that the technician would thoroughly rinse all chemicals from the coil. This was not done. As a result, my home was left with a strong chemical odor so severe that I was forced to leave my house.

After repeated contact, I was finally able to get a supervisor to send a technician back to rinse the A-coil. Unfortunately, something was missed during this follow-up visit, which caused my heating system to shut down completely.

When I notified the supervisor after 5pm that my heat was no longer working, he stated that he was with his family and then blocked my phone number. I was left without heat and had no choice but to hire another heating and air company to repair the damage caused by the ARS technician.

Based on my experience, I do not recommend this company. They are not trustworthy and will leave you without support when problems arise—literally leaving you out in the cold.