Its been a really hot spring/summer so far and it was getting to the point where my tower fan would start blowing hot air at me instead of cooling me. I started looking for and interviewing air conditioning companies in and around the GTA. It was confusing! No one company quoted me the same price and everyone seemed to want to sell me something different. After a week and a half of phoning around I narrowed it down to 2 companies.
I ultimately decided to go with Stouffville Home and Comfort based on the fact that they really sold me on the "quality" aspect. Eddy (the sales manager) took a lot of time explaining to me how important an installation was and that his company used only high end materials. As others have stated here already, Stouffville Home and Comfort are NOT the cheapest out there (Eddy even stated that very bluntly) by far but with this type of investment you really get what you pay for. SHC are also very busy so if you are thinking about hiring them make sure you do it sooner than later. When I finally decided on SHC, it took them 2 weeks to get to my install which is inconvenient but at this time of year if you can get a company to install an AC unit the next day you really have to wonder why they arent busy...
When they finally came to do my install (Brian himself and Rob came) I could see why it took them so long. They dont use subcontractors so they guarantee their work and they didnt just drill a hole and slap it in in an hour or 2. They spent almost 5.5 hours making sure everything was perfect. They were very professional when they arrived and they even put down a bunch of yoga mats to line a walkway for them to my basement so they didnt step on my carpets. They did the pressure test and leak test which I've heard some subcontractors will "forget" to do and then the units have problems later on which will result in costly fixes and they added in enough coolant to make sure the air came out at the right temp. Sometimes you'll need to spend more money upfront to save yourself from headaches later on. If youre on the fence at all about the price, just spend it now and get the right product with a proper installation. SHC also has one of the better warranty's. The manufacturer warranty covers 10 years parts and compressor. SHC covers a 5 year labor warranty which was great! They also dont require you to do yearly maintenance through them in order to get that 5 year warranty so you can do it yourself or you can do it every other year with them. If you do a maintenance with them every year, they can extend your warranty up to 10 years. Other companies give you the manufacturer 10 year parts and compressor warranty but give you only 1 year labor warranty and if you want an extended labor warranty you have to pay more AND you have to hire them back every year to do maintenance so SHC already has a competitive advantage.
All in all, I'm very pleased with my new air conditioner and I am very happy with how smoothly everything went. I know this review may seem "TOO" positive but I really cant say anything negative because everything went so smoothly. If youre considering an AC unit, Stouffville Home and Comfort should be at the top of your list.
