When your furnace breaks down it’s important to have it repaired as quickly as possible. There are a lot of furnace repair services in Toronto and all of them will state emphatically that they’ll deliver the best service at the best price. Unfortunately, some of these services are not what they claim and unless you’re careful you could wind up with a glorified amateur making changes to your furnace that will come back to haunt you. In this post, we’ll look at ways you can prevent that from happening.
Making Sure You Enlist a First-Rate Furnace Repair Service
Furnaces, especially older or poorly maintained ones, have a habit of breaking down at inconvenient times. When they do it’s important to get them back up quickly but you can’t just bring in anyone. You’ll need to know the company you hire is reputable. The best way to determine that is to ask them the following questions.
Are you licensed and fully insured? – If you get anything less than a clear positive response you’ll want to take a pass. It’s just not worth taking the chance with an uninsured company. If someone got hurt you’d be responsible. If they claim they are licensed and insured you’ll want them to prove it before you sign anything. If they can’t or won’t then try someone else.
Will you provide a written estimate? – This assumes you’re not in an emergency where you need someone to come now before your pipes freeze and burst. You’ll want to get at least 3 written estimates for how much repairs will cost. A lot of things will influence cost including the time of year, the distance they’ll have to travel to your home, and more. It’s also important that the estimate also clearly state exactly what work will be performed.
How long have you been in business? – You don’t want someone wet behind the ears messing with your furnace. There’s too much at stake. Ask the company how long they’ve been in business. You’ll want a company that has been in continuous operation for at least 5 years and has broad-based experience with a variety of furnace types both old and new.
Can you provide references? – Don’t allow someone to work on your furnace unless they’re willing to supply references. While you can be sure you won’t get referred to unhappy clients it’s worth following up anyway. And you can still check with the Better Business Bureau. They’ll have records of customer complaints or any lawsuits filed against the company.
Upfront payment? – Contractors in various building trades routinely ask for part of the price upfront. This allows them to purchase materials so construction can get underway. However, furnace repair is not a home addition. No reputable HVAC company will ask you for upfront money before beginning work. If they do it’s a huge red flag and you should move on.
If you’ve been thorough in following through with the items on this list you should be able to eliminate all the iffy contractors and wind up with one that will do the job right. It may seem like a lot of work to go through just to hire a furnace repair company but all the problems you won’t have will make it more than worth your while.
Call Tropic Air, Heating and air Conditioning Company for all your Toronto furnace installation, repair, and maintenance needs. We’ve been in business for more than 30 years and are the GTA’s most trusted and respected furnace and air conditioning repair service. Don’t take chances with the safety and comfort of your loved ones. Call us today at (647) 955-8625.