Arlington HVAC Care
Local business · 191 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02474, USA
Their work
2 photosVerified record
- Not rated by the BBB
- 1 customer photoOf completed work
Highlights
- Chamber of commerce member — listed in Arlington's local business directory
- Sharp negative pattern — 2022–2023 reviews skewed strongly negative
- Pricing transparency questioned — one detailed account faulted billing clarity
Eleven ratings is all Arlington HVAC Care has built up on Google, and they land at 2.8 stars — a number pulled down by a run of reviews from 2022 and 2023 that skewed sharply negative across every site tracking them. The clearest specific complaint on record isn't about a botched repair, it's about the bill. A separate summary of the company's review history singles out one detailed account that faulted it on pricing transparency, not just tone. Nothing on file is from the last six months, so there's no way to say whether the pattern has eased since 2023 — that negative run is still the most current information available. The one clean positive fact in its file is that it's a listed member of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. With a record this thin and this negative, treat any quote with extra scrutiny: get a written estimate up front and ask specifically how parts and labor are priced before agreeing to anything.
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Most recent comments
- 1.0Jul 21, 2023
You might be interested in what it is like to deal with the characters behind this fake business. You can read about previous details in a separate review. Here are follow-on details. Once I discovered the misrepresentation of materials cost for the repair done, I politely asked a representative to review the math behind their charge, for there appears to be an error. He said that Milton, the technician who misrepresented the costs originally, is the only one who could help me with my request, and that he would have Milton call me. Of course Milton did not call me.<br>The next day I called to request a review of charges once again and the person at the phone bank hung up on me in mid-sentence. When I called back, he would pick up the phone and instantly hang up. What a game to do this several times.<br>Whenever I ask whether Milton is in the office that day they say “no, he is out doing work”.<br>When I ask whether they sell pipe insulation at their office they reply “no”, never admitting there is no office.<br>I requested an invoice for the work done. The reply is that Milton is the one to send an invoice and that he would do so.<br><br>Milton never called and never will. Milton will never send an invoice.<br><br>I detail this so you can see what it is like to deal with a scam like this. The gang at the phone bank, wherever they may be, are deeply invested in their deception and carry it through their phone interactions. They act as a bunch of characters who have no accountability and treat their victims with distain.<br>My advice stands: With many scam listings on Google Maps for HVAC repair, do your work to find which are honest businesses. Avoid the scams.
— KarlView on Google Reviews ↗ - 1.0Jul 15, 2023
This business is a scam. They pressured me into paying them $800, would not provide a receipt, the work proved faulty and have not responded to any further inquiries.
— Tom ForsytheView on Google Reviews ↗ - 1.0Jul 15, 2023
We also fell prey to these people. They sent someone over, charged $800 after they performed the "repairs", refused to give an invoice/receipt, the AC broke 1 week later and we've left multiple messages for the "technician" to call us back, but no one does and no one will.
— Panagiotis TrilianosView on Google Reviews ↗ - 1.0Jul 6, 2023
This business is fraudulent and predatory. Do not use. Lesson: always verify a business actually exists as advertised before using.<br>I chose Arlington HVAC Care because the business represents itself as a local business about one mile from my home with a listing on Google Maps. In conversation with the representative, he presented the business as a local Arlington business even in detail like estimating that it would take under ten minutes to drive from their shop to my home. At the address listed is a yoga studio in a one-story strip mall and there is no HVAC repair facility in the area. (See appended photo.)<br><br>During the technician’s assessment, a representative of Arlington HVAC Care asserted by phone that my air conditioning system lost refrigerant. He stated that the cost of six pounds of refrigerant and a leak-stopping substance they would use to seal a leak both are very expensive because costs of both items “have skyrocketed recently” and that Arlington HVAC Care would charge me $1,450 for the repair. He stated that Arlington HVAC Care was not charging much for labor but passing the cost of the refrigerant and leak-sealing substance on to me.<br>Given the urgency of the situation I agreed for the work to proceed. I watched the entire repair and noticed what materials the technician used and, after the repair, researched the cost of each of the materials. Many online web sites such as for FreonEx and “Ability Refrigerants” offer 25 pound canisters of R-410A refrigerant like the one used for $399 to $429 with free shipping. This divides down to $96 to $103 for the six pounds of refrigerant needed.<br>The ”EasySeal Ultimate LS” sealant used sells on Amazon for $67.<br>No additional materials were used in the repair.<br>Thus, total materials cost for repair is about $163 to $170. Arlington HVAC Care therefore charged at least $1280 beyond cost of materials. With labor cost 88% of their charge, their representation that they would not charge much for labor but are charging a lot because of high materials cost was a deceptive mis-representation.<br><br>Online guidance for the cost of the kind of work that was done on my air conditioning condenser gives charges around $300-$500. There was nothing complex or extended about the work done in my case. The charge of $1450 is way out of line with typical charge and at odds with the representation made about the basis for the cost.<br><br>At the end of the work, the technician insisted that a check for the work be written out to him instead of to Arlington HVAC Care and did not give an invoice for the work. I found this concerning but wrote the check directly to the technician as requested. Arlington HVAC Care is a fabricated business representing itself as a local business capable of doing HVAC repairs. Instead, the company is a “middle-man” company asserting itself unbeknown to a customer. A company like this contracts out to people in the area to do the work. After researching this practice, it appears that predatory companies like this are deceiving consumers across the nation at a growing rate. In many cities, with a huge majority of businesses advertised on Google Maps fraudulent, honest local businesses are often losing business and closing shop. Often, these businesses minimize cost by using technicians who will do the work for a low cost and are not properly licensed. It would be good to find ways to block the fraudulent businesses from their practices for the good of consumers and local businesses.
— Karl AmundsonView on Google Reviews ↗ - 1.0Oct 19, 2022
I should’ve listened to the other reviewer who called this “place” a scam. Needed routine maintenance on my steam furnace but the person who came clearly had no idea what he was doing. He filled the entire system including pipes and radiators to the brim with water till it was leaking out the steam vent valves. The radiators are meant to fill with steam when the system runs, not water.<br><br>I was refunded what I paid for the service but I’m still in the process of figuring out and repairing other issues he caused as a result.
— Mark DipseyView on Google Reviews ↗
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Update history
Added 6 new comments, added 2 new photos, established rating 1.6
- behind the score: Sharp negative pattern — 2022–2023 reviews skewed strongly negative