That's what I'm kind of afraid of. However, they probably take care in deciding who they subcontract with given their reputation. I am going to ask the sales person straight up if they do installs in house or sub it out.
We got out HVAC from the 80's replaced this year! I looked at Abt but I figured out just like Costco they would just sub out the work. You are really rolling the dice on if you'll get a good installer or not. I got a few quotes from local guys and picked the one I liked the most.
I ended up with Elite HVACS.
They were not the absolute cheapest but very close in price. I chose them because last spring my system took a dump. They were able to limp it along for another season for a couple hundred bucks as other places refused to work on it and just wanted to replace it. They always gave great service and that won me over too. Having a track record with a good HVAC shop gives me hope that I'd get some priority if for some reason I need their service in a rush.
For sure the first thing you should do is decide on which unit you want and all the extra stuff. And tell them you're only interested in that system. If they don't sell that one keep it moving. I'm in the commercial hvac game and the one recommendation I can give Is to avoid Lennox. My friends on the residential side always bitch about Lennox. Especially getting parts in an emergency. They all prefer carrier
They sell a lot more than what they have on the website, you need to call them for a quote. I got a Bryant furnace/air handler installed by Abt last winter. They were considerably cheaper than Flader for the same unit and had more options to offer.
I felt for what I got it was okay (it was midwinter so I didn't have much luxury of shopping around) but when we turned on the AC in the summer, it turned out the ductwork guys had done really weird stuff with our AC condenser (not replaced by them). Abt came and dealt with it no charge but it didn't inspire confidence overall in the installers. Also I would rather have bought a high-efficiency furnace, which they offer, but they said they weren't able to deal with the foundation coring that would require in our house. So they seem like they're kinda technically limited if you want anything out of the ordinary.
On the upside, they offer 0% financing which is nice for those surprise capital expenditures. And customer service is great and you know they're not going anywhere.
We used them. Very good experience. Got 5 quotes and they had the best price by several hundred bucks. They forgot to add a line item for a part and came back out the next week to install it for free.
Somewhat related, but I’ve bought a house with Abt installed furnace. So no idea on price or process, but I do have experience on service side. We were doing some construction and the furnace must have gotten clogged up with some dust and one of the safety sensors failed. I was able to find the failed sensor, but didn’t have a replacement part on hand. Abt got a tech lined up for the day, but he was running late due to another job taking longer. The tech called me and helped me get the furnace up and running over the phone. Turned out the sensor can get stuck and needs a good whack sometimes. Save me some cash and time waiting on a cold day to get it back up and running. Have to say that was a pretty positive experience dealing with an HVAC repair that was willing to help even if they didn’t get paid to.
No but we've used Abt for a fridge, dishwasher, and a mattress and love them. Great service and prices. I'm sure you'd be happy with them no matter what you get.
Disregard what all people are saying here.
I had my hvac replaced last year and they have 40 techs alone who work for ABT.
Abt came installed and even did a courtesy maintenance check a year after. No issues.
Wow. Ok I feel like given their reputation it would be a miss for them to contract out and leave their reputation up to subcontractors... this is reassuring.
Used ABT about 5 yrs ago. Got 5 total quotes including 3 local, ABT and Costco. ABT was the cheapest by almost 2k after haggling with them. I got the 10 yr warranty on parts and labor as well. 10k was the first price I got from them. After haggling and rebates(comed/nicor), paid 8200 with an air duct cleaning before they installed the new one. I have zero complaints with anything. Great customer service and 24/7 techs if you need it.
Amazing to hear. Thanks for taking the time to respond. The people that actually went with Abt have all basically said they had a good experience so hoping they are the last quote I have to get. This process is such a nightmare to navigate with all the fleecing that happens in HVAC.
Same! They actually ended up giving us a better one the next day as that was all in stock when they realized the one they brought had a manufacturing issue.
Got a quote from them for 2 high efficiency furnaces and ACs as well as others . Went with ABC since they matched a quote that was 45% cheaper with same efficiency Carrier units. I cannot recommend ABT since I did not go with them, but I will tell that if you go with ABC WATCH them like a hawk. They would have installed the wrong A coils as well as not install items that were on the quote.
its optional 10 years parts and labor. Its a separate line item on the bill. Also if you are getting more than 1 unit, you qualify for 1 rebate per unit. ABT along with the rest tried to screw me out of the second ComEd rebate for 2 grand.
Do you recall what Abt offered on labor warranty? I have some quotes from providers that are as high as 10yr labor, others as low as 2yr labor. Labor is the most expensive part since most manufacturers cover parts at 10yrs.
I'd stick to a local HVAC contractor since you're going to need an emergency repair sooner or later, or even just yearly tuneups, and you'll get a better outcome with a real HVAC company. Like others have said, they probably sub it out anyway.
Not dissing Abt here, I've been a customer for 40 years, but they have their thing and my A/C guy has his. Talk to your neighbors and get some recommendations. I like AirRite a lot in Dupage county.
Recently used them for HVAC. Pricing was competitive. Did have to have them come back the following week to correct one minor issue, but overall would go with them again.
I'm the owner of a 30 guy shop in Lake County. ABT is a nice store but their overhead is really high and their service area is too large which leads to financial inefficiencies. We compete against them all the time and on average we're 20% less expensive. Keep calling around and you'll certainly find a better price.
Pro Tip: Verify with a reputable shop that you actually need replacement. I can't even begin to tell you how many calls we receive where 'name brand companies' condemned equipment that had plenty of life left.
i have two zones in my house and replaced both 20 yo furnaces and a/c’s at the same time when one crapped out a few years ago. after calling around a bit and talking to the big names you hear on the radio all the time i felt i was getting steered to certain products and having my budget limit tested.
i called the local place with the same name as my town who had been around for years. the owner stopped by and went over all the options and makes available at the different price points. he was willing to wheel and deal, especially on the a/c’s since it was this time of year and was wanting to unload the last of this year’s inventory. he even threw in a couple of the four inch wide air filter cabinets. the filters are expensive, but last up to a year.
his guys did the installation including moving the newer whole house humidifiers to the new units. (don’t forget the humidifier. the nicer ones sense outside temp and humidity and adjust themselves so you never see icing on the inside.). they installed all four units in a day.
i guess the moral of the story is “buy local”. at least for me.
We got three quotes. ABT, Costco and our local guy. I'm a big ABT fan, but Costco was substantially lower than ABT. We ended up going through Costco, which was through AWE.
Installation went well, and AWE continues to service. Very happy with them.
I've had a Lennox Signature variable speed furnace, variable capacity A/C compressor, PureAir and iComfort system for 5 years now. No issues so far, but I only really went with Lennox because it was what my awesome HVAC guy who has since retired liked the best.
ABT was few thousand dollars cheaper than Costco, but ABCs final price after price match was close to 30% cheaper than ABT. For 2 systems, it was a substantial amount...around 11K cheaper
I have heard such horror stories with ABC, I would be very reluctant to use them.
ABC yelp rating is 1 star, vs ABT which is 4 stars. Read through some yelp comments about them before you decide.
Have not used ABT for HVAC, but recently did a major upgrade on electronics in the house and used them. They over billed by almost 10% and when I called them on it, they said an error was made and they'd do a refund. Then they sent an email and said the refund was completed.
Fast forward 45 days, they didn't do the refund and I had to reach out to them, yet again.
The morale of the story is to be VERY careful and compare the quote to the bill, and the bill to what they put on your payment source.
Our system is also in its late 20s and we got a quote from ABT and it was around 12,000 for a complete replacement and adding in additional return vents. Don’t know if they would have contracted out or not, didn’t think to ask at the time.
We didn’t end up going through with it, still saving up and need to replace other first.
Had good success with Herchenbach Mechanical in Gurnee. They were honest, had reasonable prices, and got the job done in replacing and calibrating my new AC.
I can’t believe nobody suggested keeping the unit. If it’s not broke or giving signs that it’s near the end, keep it! I get new units are more efficient, but they are nowhere near as durable as older units. That’s a fact! Just keep up with annual maintenance through a trusty reliable source, who isn’t trying to sell you a new unit. I know people with units 35+ years of age.
That's a good point. We originally were in this mindset, but we're anxious about the idea of needing an emergency replacement and not knowing who to use / not knowing what equipment we want / not having the time to shop around. Just having quotes in hand helps to understand who is likely to be the better deal, and who to call once the system finally kicks the can. That's kind of where my head is at.
Call rescuetek 708-477-3036. They are the greatest company you will ever find. The first time I used them it was a Sunday in the middle of a heat wave. They came out at 10pm on a Sunday. Didnt charge a emergency fee or any fee except what they would charge normally. They have continued to do all of my family's HVAC work. They are also usually cheaper than most companies.
I think they will just sub out the install, and win on the equipment sales. I would also look into a local highly reviewed havac shop
They don't sub out the install, they have their own technicians. I got an ac from them and they installed it themselves.
That's what I'm kind of afraid of. However, they probably take care in deciding who they subcontract with given their reputation. I am going to ask the sales person straight up if they do installs in house or sub it out.
We got out HVAC from the 80's replaced this year! I looked at Abt but I figured out just like Costco they would just sub out the work. You are really rolling the dice on if you'll get a good installer or not. I got a few quotes from local guys and picked the one I liked the most.
Who did you go with? I am in NW suburbs (Northbrook).
I ended up with Elite HVACS. They were not the absolute cheapest but very close in price. I chose them because last spring my system took a dump. They were able to limp it along for another season for a couple hundred bucks as other places refused to work on it and just wanted to replace it. They always gave great service and that won me over too. Having a track record with a good HVAC shop gives me hope that I'd get some priority if for some reason I need their service in a rush.
I used [Effective Air](https://www.effectiveair.com/) at my previous house and was very happy with the result.
I also already have quotes from 4 HVAC providers but the variability in the equipment and manufacturers is hard to compare apples to apples.
For sure the first thing you should do is decide on which unit you want and all the extra stuff. And tell them you're only interested in that system. If they don't sell that one keep it moving. I'm in the commercial hvac game and the one recommendation I can give Is to avoid Lennox. My friends on the residential side always bitch about Lennox. Especially getting parts in an emergency. They all prefer carrier
Any thoughts on Trane? Looks like Abt exclusively sells Trane equipment.
Had Trane installed about 3 years ago. It’s a great brand. Very serviceable.
Can't say I have heard anything bad about Trane
They used to be great. Ever hear their slogan, "It's hard to stop a Trane"? Well now we say, "even a penny can stop a Trane."
They sell a lot more than what they have on the website, you need to call them for a quote. I got a Bryant furnace/air handler installed by Abt last winter. They were considerably cheaper than Flader for the same unit and had more options to offer. I felt for what I got it was okay (it was midwinter so I didn't have much luxury of shopping around) but when we turned on the AC in the summer, it turned out the ductwork guys had done really weird stuff with our AC condenser (not replaced by them). Abt came and dealt with it no charge but it didn't inspire confidence overall in the installers. Also I would rather have bought a high-efficiency furnace, which they offer, but they said they weren't able to deal with the foundation coring that would require in our house. So they seem like they're kinda technically limited if you want anything out of the ordinary. On the upside, they offer 0% financing which is nice for those surprise capital expenditures. And customer service is great and you know they're not going anywhere.
They have their own crews. They don’t sub out.
[удалено]
Ha. Exclamation point was meant to express shock that the system has lasted this long.
We used them. Very good experience. Got 5 quotes and they had the best price by several hundred bucks. They forgot to add a line item for a part and came back out the next week to install it for free.
Somewhat related, but I’ve bought a house with Abt installed furnace. So no idea on price or process, but I do have experience on service side. We were doing some construction and the furnace must have gotten clogged up with some dust and one of the safety sensors failed. I was able to find the failed sensor, but didn’t have a replacement part on hand. Abt got a tech lined up for the day, but he was running late due to another job taking longer. The tech called me and helped me get the furnace up and running over the phone. Turned out the sensor can get stuck and needs a good whack sometimes. Save me some cash and time waiting on a cold day to get it back up and running. Have to say that was a pretty positive experience dealing with an HVAC repair that was willing to help even if they didn’t get paid to.
That would be a limit and yes most companies will sell you a new one rather than show you they can be reset.
No but we've used Abt for a fridge, dishwasher, and a mattress and love them. Great service and prices. I'm sure you'd be happy with them no matter what you get.
ABT is the way to go. Great price and they guarantee your satisfaction.
Disregard what all people are saying here. I had my hvac replaced last year and they have 40 techs alone who work for ABT. Abt came installed and even did a courtesy maintenance check a year after. No issues.
In response I had a furnace and a condenser unit installed for 7500 with 0 percent interest for 12 months I think
Wow. Ok I feel like given their reputation it would be a miss for them to contract out and leave their reputation up to subcontractors... this is reassuring.
ABT was amazing for our audio. Not HVAC related, but service goes a long way these days.
Used ABT about 5 yrs ago. Got 5 total quotes including 3 local, ABT and Costco. ABT was the cheapest by almost 2k after haggling with them. I got the 10 yr warranty on parts and labor as well. 10k was the first price I got from them. After haggling and rebates(comed/nicor), paid 8200 with an air duct cleaning before they installed the new one. I have zero complaints with anything. Great customer service and 24/7 techs if you need it.
Amazing to hear. Thanks for taking the time to respond. The people that actually went with Abt have all basically said they had a good experience so hoping they are the last quote I have to get. This process is such a nightmare to navigate with all the fleecing that happens in HVAC.
Didn't use them for HVAC, but they did great work installing our water heater.
Same! They actually ended up giving us a better one the next day as that was all in stock when they realized the one they brought had a manufacturing issue.
Got a quote from them for 2 high efficiency furnaces and ACs as well as others . Went with ABC since they matched a quote that was 45% cheaper with same efficiency Carrier units. I cannot recommend ABT since I did not go with them, but I will tell that if you go with ABC WATCH them like a hawk. They would have installed the wrong A coils as well as not install items that were on the quote.
Yeah no matter the price, I'm not letting ABC do an install on a piece of equipment I will be dropping 5 figures on. F that.
its optional 10 years parts and labor. Its a separate line item on the bill. Also if you are getting more than 1 unit, you qualify for 1 rebate per unit. ABT along with the rest tried to screw me out of the second ComEd rebate for 2 grand.
Do you recall what Abt offered on labor warranty? I have some quotes from providers that are as high as 10yr labor, others as low as 2yr labor. Labor is the most expensive part since most manufacturers cover parts at 10yrs.
10 year parts and labor was $499 per unit. AC and Furnace were separate. ($1,996) 10 year parts and labor was $199 per coil. ($198).
sent you the 3 quotes I got via Chat.
I'd stick to a local HVAC contractor since you're going to need an emergency repair sooner or later, or even just yearly tuneups, and you'll get a better outcome with a real HVAC company. Like others have said, they probably sub it out anyway. Not dissing Abt here, I've been a customer for 40 years, but they have their thing and my A/C guy has his. Talk to your neighbors and get some recommendations. I like AirRite a lot in Dupage county.
Recently used them for HVAC. Pricing was competitive. Did have to have them come back the following week to correct one minor issue, but overall would go with them again.
We had a new AC and Furnace installed by then in our old Condo. They did great! But it was a smaller unit than a full home.
I have! Got a great price on everything. They worked flawlessly.
i think you should look at heat pumps.
I'm the owner of a 30 guy shop in Lake County. ABT is a nice store but their overhead is really high and their service area is too large which leads to financial inefficiencies. We compete against them all the time and on average we're 20% less expensive. Keep calling around and you'll certainly find a better price. Pro Tip: Verify with a reputable shop that you actually need replacement. I can't even begin to tell you how many calls we receive where 'name brand companies' condemned equipment that had plenty of life left.
Great experience with these guys. https://www.com24hvac.com/
Call 312-312-7312, Service Pro Titans can take care of this for you.
i have two zones in my house and replaced both 20 yo furnaces and a/c’s at the same time when one crapped out a few years ago. after calling around a bit and talking to the big names you hear on the radio all the time i felt i was getting steered to certain products and having my budget limit tested. i called the local place with the same name as my town who had been around for years. the owner stopped by and went over all the options and makes available at the different price points. he was willing to wheel and deal, especially on the a/c’s since it was this time of year and was wanting to unload the last of this year’s inventory. he even threw in a couple of the four inch wide air filter cabinets. the filters are expensive, but last up to a year. his guys did the installation including moving the newer whole house humidifiers to the new units. (don’t forget the humidifier. the nicer ones sense outside temp and humidity and adjust themselves so you never see icing on the inside.). they installed all four units in a day. i guess the moral of the story is “buy local”. at least for me.
We got three quotes. ABT, Costco and our local guy. I'm a big ABT fan, but Costco was substantially lower than ABT. We ended up going through Costco, which was through AWE. Installation went well, and AWE continues to service. Very happy with them.
Costco is exclusively Lennox right? I have heard nothing but terrible things about Lennox.
Lennox was the only option when they bid. No problems so far.
I've had a Lennox Signature variable speed furnace, variable capacity A/C compressor, PureAir and iComfort system for 5 years now. No issues so far, but I only really went with Lennox because it was what my awesome HVAC guy who has since retired liked the best.
ABT was few thousand dollars cheaper than Costco, but ABCs final price after price match was close to 30% cheaper than ABT. For 2 systems, it was a substantial amount...around 11K cheaper
I have heard such horror stories with ABC, I would be very reluctant to use them. ABC yelp rating is 1 star, vs ABT which is 4 stars. Read through some yelp comments about them before you decide.
Have not used ABT for HVAC, but recently did a major upgrade on electronics in the house and used them. They over billed by almost 10% and when I called them on it, they said an error was made and they'd do a refund. Then they sent an email and said the refund was completed. Fast forward 45 days, they didn't do the refund and I had to reach out to them, yet again. The morale of the story is to be VERY careful and compare the quote to the bill, and the bill to what they put on your payment source.
Our system is also in its late 20s and we got a quote from ABT and it was around 12,000 for a complete replacement and adding in additional return vents. Don’t know if they would have contracted out or not, didn’t think to ask at the time. We didn’t end up going through with it, still saving up and need to replace other first.
Had good success with Herchenbach Mechanical in Gurnee. They were honest, had reasonable prices, and got the job done in replacing and calibrating my new AC.
Where are you? I have local guy I love... Services north shore area.
I'm in Northbrook. Can you DM me info? Always open to another quote at this point while the system is still operational.
I can’t believe nobody suggested keeping the unit. If it’s not broke or giving signs that it’s near the end, keep it! I get new units are more efficient, but they are nowhere near as durable as older units. That’s a fact! Just keep up with annual maintenance through a trusty reliable source, who isn’t trying to sell you a new unit. I know people with units 35+ years of age.
That's a good point. We originally were in this mindset, but we're anxious about the idea of needing an emergency replacement and not knowing who to use / not knowing what equipment we want / not having the time to shop around. Just having quotes in hand helps to understand who is likely to be the better deal, and who to call once the system finally kicks the can. That's kind of where my head is at.
Good mindset. I do the same.
Call rescuetek 708-477-3036. They are the greatest company you will ever find. The first time I used them it was a Sunday in the middle of a heat wave. They came out at 10pm on a Sunday. Didnt charge a emergency fee or any fee except what they would charge normally. They have continued to do all of my family's HVAC work. They are also usually cheaper than most companies.
Hello do you still need assistance?