Doesn't Recommend

osuncar

Joined 2 years ago

Don't Use this Company!!!. Worst Service ever!

Recommends

Dorsey

Joined 2 years ago

Great Experience - Highly recommend. I don't write reviews often but these folks deserve a great one. My daughter recently bought an older condo in Austin that needed new furnace/AC and water heater. My daughter knows nothing about homes and I live in Florida so I knew it would be a problem finding a good contractor.

I tried 3 contractors based on good web reviews. Christian Bros. responded promptly and Adam was the only one that performed a load calculation to size the furnace/AC. The others wanted to replace the existing unit with like-size (it needed to be a half-ton smaller). Christian Bros. knew all the rebates available (the other 2 missed an available $1075 rebate from the State) and Marissa did all the paperwork to submit them. In the end, we got a "cadillac" system from Bryant with 2 stage heating and cooling and variable speed fan for the price of the "ford" the others wanted to install.

I happened to be in Austin for the move and the installation was code-book perfect and neat as a pin. The installers arrived on time, were meticulous and cleaned up and removed all the old units and packaging. I know quite a bit about home systems and these guys were outstanding.

Their plumber that did the water heater was just as good. The existing water heater was installed wrong and dangerous - Christian Bros (Southwest Plumbing) found a solution to some existing installation limitations that made everything safe and brought it up to code. Once again they were on time and did a perfect install.

It is so nice to be able to deal from afar with people who are honest and helpful. They are friendly and caring and provide excellent customer service. I wish they had an office in Florida.

Doesn't Recommend

ragged tiger

Joined 3 years ago

Don't Use these Guys!. I'm not sure how this company maintains high user ratings, but my experience with them has been ridiculous.

The heater in my condo stopped generating heat and would not power on. Christian Brothers spent the minimal amount of time diagnosing the problem and then sold me an overpriced thermostat which was only part of the problem.

The next day I can to have a technician come back out to determine why my heater still was not heating. The tech quickly diagnosed the problem as having a failing ignition switch and thus being unable to properly control the heating strips inside the unit.

We replace the switch only to find out 2 days later that the part was faulty and that I would have to wait a maximum of 1 business day for a new part to arrive.

I called the customer service reps everyday for the next few days only to be told that the part still was not in. We are now hoping that the part comes in by the fifth business day. Mind you this is the coldest time of winter and there is absolutely no sense of urgency or communication on the part of Christian Brothers.

This company represents a complete lack of professionalism and I will celebrate the day when they go out-of-business because of shoddy work and poor service like I have endured.

Recommends

cjwhotdog

Joined 3 years ago

Superb Customer Service & Great HVAC Work. After much research and consternation on who to use to replace a major component of our house, we determined that Christian Brothers was our best option. We researched most of the well known HVAC contractors in Austin and met with our three top picks. Upon meeting with Adam Turnipseed with Christian Brothers we were immediately sold! Adam was not only very friendly and knowledgeable but he listened to our concerns with the existing unit. Rather than rush to possible solutions (something the other contractors did), Adam set up a follow-up appointment with us so that he could study the floor plan of our house along with the notes and schematic that he made of our duct work. He said he wanted to take some time to determine the most cost effective way to address our issues and to be able to offer several possible options including prices for each. He truly cared about our comfort and budget. WIthin two days Adam returned with the various options and we chose his first option which included reworking all the duct work to improve airflow, along with installing a new Bryant Evolution system. Two days later Brandon and Edgar. the best installation Tech's Christian Brothers has showed and began the work. They were meticulous, professional and friendly. The work they did was unbelievable - what a fantastic job. They system is performing better than I expected and is so quiet my wife nor I can even tell its running. If it weren't for the temperature change and the blinking little lights on the thermostat you wouldn't even know the system was running. I love the multi-day programmable thermostat. With all the work that was done we have a faster cooling/heating house that stays that way a lot longer than with the old system. During the City of Austin inspection there was one minor issue with the condensation line drain not being insulated farther away from the unit, but Vic was quick to resolve the issue so as to not hold up our rebates.

All in all, my wife and I have been thrilled with our new system and would not hesitate to recommend Christian Brothers. In fact, a neighbor just yesterday used them to have a new system installed!

Doesn't Recommend

Manahattan

Joined 3 years ago

TOXIC FOR CHILDREN!!!. This company does have decent service. I called them and they were out pretty quick and were professional in their demeanor.

BUT, I have a small child and I requested them use a product to clean my ac that wasn't so TOXIC and they were not accommodating AT ALL.

So, if you have small children you may want to do a little extra shopping because the products this company uses can do damage to a very small child.

Just a little heads up. No that they're a bad company but toxic chemicals are just that - toxic - and they refused to use anything else.

Doesn't Recommend

ifithasanengine

Joined 3 years ago

try somewhere else. Turned on the heat for the first time this Saturday morning, and nothing. Called this company who had someone out within 2-3hrs, but it all went downhill from there.

First words out of his mouth were that this was supposed to be his day off and shouldn't be working. Ok.

Then looked at the unit, declared the main board bad, and nothing he could do today. Probably cost $400-800 and take a few days to get the part. Oh, and by the way since this unit is about 10yrs old, we should go ahead and replace both the blower and condenser/compressor because this was just the beginning of our problems. Really.

Called a competitor who came promptly the next day, and I watched him immediately figure out that the initial little fan that comes on in the sequence of events before the gas burner is started wasn't turning. He moved the fan blade a little with his finger and it all started and worked fine. No bad main board, no need to replace the unit, all is well for the cost of a service visit. And, this guy was absolutely no pressure and really nice and apparently honest.

This is just one single interaction with Christian Brothers which is not much data, but I will not be calling them again.

Doesn't Recommend

nuthin777

Joined 3 years ago

Dont Bother. These guys are just like most of the rest. Numbnuts.

Do yourself a favor. Honestly. Find someone else.

Doesn't Recommend

TIMHARGREAVES

Joined 3 years ago

Priced too high. First let me say the customer service was excellent. The technician was very good, fast and friendly.

However, I really complained about the price quoted to me (first price quote was $309). While the technician was still at my home I looked up the price of the faulty dual capacitor and showed him the price quoted online was only $28. He came down to a total install price of $240 but that still seems very very high. The technician was only at my house diagnosing and installing for maybe 30 minutes. I think a reasonable price would have been $150.

Christian Brother's claims fair pricing. Does this seem fair?

Recommends

Canyon

Joined 3 years ago

Outstanding Service, Quality Work and Great Results. I just had a brand new Bryant Heat Pump A/C system (16 Seer) installed in my complicated home by Christian Brothers. This process also involved completely redoing a lot of duct work in the attic, redesigning the duct work for improved air flow, zoning the first floor into separately controlled areas, and replacing and repairing the numerous problems and errors that a previous company created. The quality of the installation is the most critical aspect for HVAC systems to perform well over time.

I interviewed 5 Austin companies before choosing Christian Brothers. By far, Christian Brothers stood out above the rest for several reasons:

(1) Professionalism. The Sales Rep, Adam, patiently and respectfully spent many hours diagnosing my problems, listening to my complaints with the old system, answering 4 pages of questions and made sure I was comfortable with the proposal. He listened well and responded appropriately to my needs and concerns. He designed a plan to remedy problems I've lived with for over 5 years, that the original HVAC installer could not solve (in a new house). He completely fulfilled his promises and solved all of my numerous HVAC problems! This almost sounds too good to be true, but it genuinely happened. (I only wish I called a few years earlier).

(2) Reliability. This was a 3 day install job. The crew, Brandon and Edgar were highly respectful of my property, clean, neat, and conducted themselves with true professionalism. Most importantly, they are trained and experienced installers who know what they are doing. They cleaned up daily and left no mess whatsoever.

(3) Responsible and Honest. They did not try to sell me anything I did not need. They made recommendations to improve the energy efficiency in my house. They treated me respectfully and answered all questions and concerns. They presented a few different options and explained pros and cons.

(4) Great Results. All of the above means nothing if the end result does not improve the situation. In my case, my house cools more efficiently and comfortably. I love the separate zoning, to cool only the areas I want to cool. I know my ducts are not leaking, wasting air into the attic. Everything is tightly sealed and set up optimally. It's too early to know what my Austin Energy Bill will be until the winter rolls around and I try the heat side of the system. But, I expect to both reduce my heating and cooling bills, as well as experience more comfort in the house.

If I could give them 10 stars, I'd do so in a minute! By the way, I'm highly compulsive, perfectionistic and not easy to please. So, this positive review really means something. I highly recommend them. You get what you pay for, in this particular case!

Doesn't Recommend

RA10

Joined 3 years ago

Not Happy, so far. I had Christian Brothers come out to replace an AC unit. The installers were not friendly, careful or professional. They took two days to install what was promised in half a day, they cut up other ducts getting to unit and left a mess. I found out later that they did not repair the ducts they cut and were leaking air into attic. I called for someone to fix and "Church Services" called me back. So I am not sure who is coming to fix and if they will do a good job. So far I certainly would not recommend and do hope all the promises the sales guy made are kept.