James is a really nice guy and takes the time to explain what the current problem is, what the solution is and what potential problems could exist in the future. He is definitely knowledgeable and would definitely use him again! read more

My heating was acting up, having an intermittent issue starting. Taking the panel off showed diagnosis codes indicated the inducer motor wasn't getting correct pressure. These motors fail over time, not a big deal. Had James out, told him it is an intermittent issue, told him about the error codes. He says it is both the inducer motor AND the control board. Suggesting that its current behavior wasn't correct. I needed this repair done fairly quickly, as I was about to go out of country on a trip and didn't want pipes freezing. James assured me he could get the parts and repair within 5 days. That did not happen. On my return I reached out to him again and he said he had the parts. He came with an apprentice, was in the attic for about an hour and they said they were all done. The heat was working. I asked if they replaced both the fan and the control board, to which he said 'yes'. I then asked for the control board, as I like playing with embedded computers, to which he then corrected himself saying that they DIDN'T install the control board. After calling him out on it he took off about 150 dollars from the 2000 dollar original quote. All in all, AICA cost me about 2000 dollars to replace an inducer motor in a heater. A part that costs a couple hundred dollars, and let's round up to 2 hours of labor. Other online estimates place it between 200-700 depending on the part. I'm fairly confident I was taken advantage of because it was winter and I needed it fixed. In the end my heat was fixed and James was nice enough, but I'm confident I over paid, and the seeming lie about replacing parts does not sit well. read more

I Hired this company to come tomorrow to fix my furnace! The owner, who I never met, and only spoke to 1 time on the phone, asked me to prepay (Venmo), and send him 200$ for the part. I've never heard of such a thing. Especially over a minor job/Part that only cost in reality 160$. Bizzaro! read more

James came over to diagnose why our AC wasn't working. He said it needed freon and would be $650 to fill it up. I trusted him, so I said sure, even though that seemed pretty expensive. He filled it up and left - about 30 minutes total of his time. I couldn't get any cold air to come out, so I called him back. He seemed annoyed, but came back to the house to diagnose again and said that I had a leak and he would have to replace the entire system for some insanely high estimate. After some argument about the fact that he didn't warn me about the possibility of an immediate leak or offering a less expensive service to determine if there is a leak before filling it with very expensive freon, he agreed to partially refund me so that I would be charged his cost. I thought this was fair, but the problem was that he never sent me the check that he promised (I'm writing this 4 months later). I ended up calling another company that came out and did a very professional diagnosis of the problem to determine if there was a leak before telling me I should not fill it with freon. I didn't tell them about James until after they came and did their thing so I could have a good comparison of services. Long story short, dealing with this company cost me time, headache, and $650. In return I received nothing. I can't recommend using them, unless you want the same. read more

I called in a busy summer day when my AC until wasn't working. I was given advice to troubleshoot over the phone, since they were booked up that day, and it worked! Will definitely be using them in the future. read more

Needed to get our heat turned on and our Landlord told us to hire this company. First, they told us that this could cost up to $550 if our whole system needed to be replaced. Within minutes they let us know it would be $550 straight away. When it came time to pay, James told us to make the check out to him instead of the company and the invoice didn't have my name or the price on it. Further, James instructed us to not return to the basement. Obviously, we went down to the basement to check the work and nothing appeared any different. These guys were in and out in no more than 25 minutes. Nothing felt right about this experience. Super sketchy experience. read more

Read the one star reviews. These people are crooks. My AC stopped working and the problem was the blower motor. I used James instead of my usual because he could come almost immediately. Turns out there was a reason he was so available when no one else was. My furnace's blower motor is a standard one and cost about $200 max. James charged me $1300 for parts and labor. When I asked him a simple question about whether it is was a standard motor, he became extremely defensive and said "I don't have time for this, I have to go to another customer." This was after he asked me if *I* had some time for him to disassemble the motor and take it back with him. In the end I paid him $150 to come to my house, look at my furnace and tell me an estimate. He tried to take advantage of the fact that there is a heat wave by upcharging me at least $800 (that is being conservative). It is a disgusting practice to have as a "professional" -- these are things you hear about but hope don't happen to you. Do not trust him. Do not use them. read more

I called AICA to come over and give us a quote to replace our boiler. I wasn't told that this trip would cost me anything. Andrew came and spent 10 mins answering my questions and 2 minutes confirming that my current boiler is still functional. Then he asked $175 for his "service". If you like being ripped off, feel free to use this company. Otherwise, STAY AWAY!!!! read more

AICA was outstanding. My tenant's condenser went out during a very hot stretch of days and every HVAC business was slammed! AICA was able to fit me in the next day. James and his crew came out and assessed the issue. He explained to me what needed to be repaired and the cost. I decided to go with a brand new unit that he installed for the best price by far compared to anyone else. James and his crew (son and friend) came by the next day and was on time, professional and worked diligently. AC is now pumping out cool air with no issues. James has been in the business for years and is very knowledgeable. Do not hesitate to hire him for your HVAC needs! read more

Our hot water heater started leaking on a Saturday. I called James and he called back within a half an hour. He coached me on what to look for on the old water heater so he could get me an estimate as soon as he could. The estimate seemed beyond fair compared to everything we researched online. James couldn't get a water heater until Monday morning because the suppliers weren't available. But he was at our house bright and early Monday morning and he finished the job in no time. James takes pride in his work and is friendly and courteous. When installing the water heater, he noticed that some wall was crumbling surrounding the pipe on the top so he applied some special cement. "This is my face," he said. He takes his reputation very seriously. If we ever have any plumbing or HVAC issues again, I'm calling James. Great service. read more

My boiler stopped working and James came out within 30 minutes of my call! I had an old Weil McLain CG series with some shotty wiring. He put in a ton of effort to get it up and running, and even came back the next morning to make some adjustments. Pricing was very fair and James is a great guy and very personable to boot! Would definitely recommend him to anyone. read more

Deeply disappointed with this organization's performance. After a mild heat wave, and noting my residential central air was functioning poorly, I contacted this organization on a Sunday to schedule an appointment on the following Tuesday evening. When I attempted to confirm the appointment early Tuesday, the tradesman stated he had "screwed up" my appointment, and we were able to salvage it. When he appeared, he appeared fifteen minutes early. Not expecting him this early, I was forced to leave work early to meet him. He proceeded to lecture me with respect to the mechanics of HVAC, all of which ran up the time he charged. I would strongly discourage any readers to hire this organization for anything relating to HVAC. read more

James is the best! He's done work at my house a couple of times, first to change the ignitor in my furnace when it stopped working, and just now to change the motor in the furnace. He is extremely professional and really cares about his customers. When I called him in the morning, he was an hour away and came immediately, assessed the problem and said he would get it done the same day because he didn't want me to be without heat all weekend (not to mention risk of pipes freezing). He went to the store, got the part and was over my house a few hours later, and the furnace was working in no time! I've recommended him to other people, most recently my sister, who needed her entire furnace replaced (which was a huge job). He was honest with her and gave her all the options and let her make up her mind. He had the job done quickly, carefully and professionally and she was extremely satisfied. A few weeks later her water heater started leaking. He came immediately and had it replaced in no time! I just can't say enough good things about James. He cares about his customers, he does an amazing job and has very reasonable pricing. I would recommend him to everyone!!! read more

I can't say enough great things about Andrew. I have an older furnace for 1 apartment in my 3 family in Everett. Many years ago other HVAC contractors told me it was junk and to replace it. At that time, it wasn't even old! Anyway, I've had really poor experiences with this system. During the past winter, it was repaired twice and failed a 3rd time. This system has been a royal pain. I decided to try yet again and call another company. When Andrew arrived, he looked so young I thought 'oh boy'. Well, Andrew went up to the attic above the 3rd floor apartment (this is not a fun job). Andrew was very communicative sharing what he was trying and discovering. He saw an old part left from a prior repair. Andrew tested the electrical and diagnosed a problem with the electrical. This would necessitate replacement of the motherboard (and also explained why other repairs didn't hold up). Andrew recognized the brand (other contractors didn't or just told me they didn't) and he called right while he was with me to see if he could get the part. I am beyond impressed. He knew where to call because they had the part for this older furnace. Andrew gave me an estimate, and also gave me an estimate to replace. I asked if he thought I could get another couple of years and he honestly said yes. When I met him to install the motherboard, he thoughtfully picked up an ignition switch too. His price was more than reasonable, but his knowledge, honesty and communication is unparalleled. Andrew had a great attitude and was pleasant throughout! He fixed my furnace that multiple other contractors either could not or would not fix. I will be calling him eventually to replace the system when its time. From this point on, Andrew is the man I'll call and recommend him to others. read more

I cannot say enough good things about James and his quality of work. I called right before Christmas and he said he could swing over that day since he was already near my neighborhood. When he got to my house, he was extremely polite, very professional (he even put on little booties to walk through my house) and very likable. After he fixed my issue (one room was not getting any heat), he took the time to explain how my heating system worked and some small, inexpensive things I could do make my heat most cost efficient. As he was walking out the door he also mentioned that he was a master plumber, so I asked last minute for him to look at a plumbing issue I had. With a smile, he came back inside my house and advised me how to address the plumbing issue I had. James was great and I happily would recommend him to anyone who needs help with heating and plumbing issues. read more

4th time using AICA / James - and as all the times before, exactly what I needed. Sadly the birds found a way in before I got a netting up on the exhaust vent. Tried to turn the heat on Sunday night and immediately set off the CO alarm. Called James that night and he squeezed me in late morning the next day and verified it's the same birds nest issue, and quickly opened up the pipes, vacuumed out the nest materials, verified the chicken wire mesh I got installed on the outside of the vents is still intact, and put it all back together in a little over an hour. Everything was running great after that. As before, he always used shoe covers when entering the unit - and that's a level of courtesy I truly appreciate. It was just great to know that he is available at off hours, and was able to address the problem so quickly and efficiently. No question I will call him for all the HVAC needs of that apartment. read more

Andrew and James were great. Helpful, responsive, knowledgeable, and did a fantastic job. Got me and my family out of an urgent jam with our AC, and still charged us a reasonable price. Highly recommend. read more

The first time I worked with AICA, I was immediately convinced they were a five star company. They came by and fixed up my furnace and got my heat up and running in no time. They were extremely experienced and knowledgeable, and as a first time homeowner, they offered me some solid maintenance advice. Great job! However, I currently need them for another job because every time my upstairs neighbors or myself use our dish washer or kitchen sink, a drain stack is leaking into the basement. In the process it is getting some of our joists wet, so I want to immediately address the problem before it causes structural issues. I tried calling, emailing, and texting, but to no avail. It's been two days without a response from them. I would love to continue doing business with them, but they seem to be inconsistent in replying. If you're busy, just say so. I understand. But don't leave me hanging. At this point, I am going to seek out other area plumbers that are more responsive, even if they charge a bit more. read more

After having a few plumbers take a look, we quickly realized that all of the gas pipes in our basement were rusted out. James of AICA plumbing provided a much more reasonable quote than other plumbers, and his timeline was incredible. Within 72 hours, all of the work for this massively involved job was complete! He and his brothers were fantastic craftsmen with great attention to detail. They got the large job done in a single day, and the next morning the city inspector approved the work with no issues. I would recommend James and AICA plumbing to anyone looking for a quality master plumber/HVAC. read more

In a remarkable series of unfortunate events, we suffered a heating valve failure, a pipe leak, and a failure of our hot water heater in a one-month span this past winter. First to go was our heating system. Having used AICA previously, they were our first port of call. James replaced the valve, which had corroded to death and was causing the heat not to fully reach our second floor. Unfortunately, the restoration of the pressure caused a failure in (what turned out to be) an already damaged pipe in our walls, which then slowly leaked throughout our house for the next week without us noticing, until suddenly it became clear from warped floorboards and water spots in the ceiling below that we had A Major Problem. A water mitigation crew came in and found the leak quickly, but suddenly we had hot water spraying all over the place. I called AICA hoping to get emergency advice on how to shutoff the leak ASAP-- and James himself picked up the phone to walk the water mitigation crew through the shutoff procedure for the heating pipes. I want to emphasize that this was 9pm in the evening, and the owner himself picked up the phone to offer free advice to another contractor. The lengths that James goes to to serve his existing customers are hard to overstate. A few weeks later, our hot water heater developed a terminal leak in its liner. (Of course, it had just recently exited its 5-year warrantee period. When it rains, it pours...) James could not come out in the next 24 hours but instructed us on how to stop the leak temporarily. He and an assistant came out two days later and replaced the unit itself, and disposed of the dead one. This service also came with a one-year free labor warrantee from AICA for any work needed on the new heater (in addition to the manufacturer 5-year parts warrantee). We've given a LOT of money to AICA in the past year-- a boiler tuneup, replacing the heating valve, and replacing the hot water tank. I get the impression that their prices may somewhat above the market rate (though this is just a hunch based on conversations with other homeowners). However, the fact that they do NOT charge any weekend/holiday/emergency markupm and that they offer such generous assistance to existing customers, provides a peace of mind that seems worth the money to me. Now, I just hope I don't need to give them any MORE money any time soon! read more

I called On July 4th to have someone come to fix A/C, and the said someone would call back. They said if they don't call back within an hour to call back. I waited 2 hours and called back. No return call. I call again the next day and received a very rude person who said that she had to check if I were a customer already for a call back and promised to return call. No call back. I had them here for days to work on a leak. I am troubled that they could not find, but to keep me waiting to fix my A/X on these hot days not to respond, is poor practice. I had to go to another company as they did not seem to want to reply. So much for 24/7 service. DO NOT RECOMMEND read more

Professional, Quick and Responsible. Wish more "professionals" were like them. James and team stand by their work and is no wonder they have these reviews. read more

I'm a recent first time home owner and pretty clueless when it comes to home maintenance, especially to signs the water heater was on its way out. When it finally blew on a Saturday evening, flooding the basement, I first called up Brandano Plumbing in Malden who had left me a flyer in my mailbox claiming "Emergency Service". It went straight to voicemail, so I left a message. Didn't hear back that evening (some "Emergency Service", right?), so I went to Yelp and saw the glowing reviews of James and the folks at AICA Plumbing. I called at 7pm on a Saturday, and James picked up (yes, a real person on the other line!) and walked me through it. Instructed me to take some pictures of the make and model that I texted to him so he could do an estimate. He let me know he'd be available first thing on Monday morning, the earliest he could get a new replacement water heater. Oh and remember that message I left for Brandano? I did eventually get a phone call back 24hrs later from a guy named Dan. He asked a couple a questions that I couldn't answer like, is the heater vented to the chimney or to the outside? Like I said, I'm clueless, I don't have the slightest idea. I see pipes leading somewhere... it's an old house, it's dark, and I'm dumb. Brandano gave me two estimates that were 20-60% higher than AICA's, depending on the type of vent. The soonest they could get to it was Monday late evening. James gave me one price that was significantly more competitive and he could address it sooner. On top of the typical manufacturer's warranty, James tacks on a 1-year free-labor warranty. This is a no-brainer. James makes his customers his priority. For me, as a first time home owner, that's peace of mind. You get prompt service, professionalism, 30+ years master plumber/HVAC experience, and now a go-to local guy I know I can trust. Thanks AICA Plumbing, I can't give you enough praise. Wishing you guys continued success. read more

Excellent and prompt! Have used James twice for water heater replacement ! Highly recommend him!

James Markarian and his son Andrew gave excellent support while I negotiated a MASS SAVE loan to replace my furnace which quit just as the pandemic reached its first crest. Their honest quote was at market rate lower than other bids. Both men are completely skilled, work quickly and cleaned up perfectly. James helped me figure out how to apply for the rebate on the furnace. I recommend them strongly. They are pleasant and easy to deal with read more

My A/C stopped working on a blisteringly hot summer morning. James was quick to respond and was able to diagnose the situation promptly. He was able to source a new condenser and install it the very same day. James is a consummate professional and I would not hesitate to recommend his services. read more

Really great work and very useful and informative. Helped show us how to maintain our system and keep it clean and even charged us less then the quote he gave us on the phone. And was able to do it during the weekend. read more

Note: this review is for their service, but not any actual work... full story below. AICA was amazing for me. I found them, called them, and had someone on t he line with me immediately. He stopped me before I could tell him about the problem: "Just text me a few specific pictures, and I'll let you know whats wrong, and what it'll cost" So I text him, and he calls back with exactly what's wrong (Cracked internal jacket) and how / when he'd be able to fix it. And by when, I mean "in four hours". Seriously, he was willing to come in at night, on a Monday. In the end, my landlord changed his mind and had someone else bring in a new unit, but still. AICA was amazing, and I 100% recommend them. read more

Just called to get a quote for a washer/dryer installation and I received a very "professional" answer "I don't have the time" and he kept saying this like a broken machine. Very rude and wouldn't let me explain that I need this done in a month or so not right away. My advice, don't waste your time with this company! read more

Just tried this company to fix one of my AC units, since their office is close by. The overall experience was great. The company phone number is James' cell phone, which he answered promptly. After determining a good time to drop by, he asks you to send him a text with your name, phone, address and agreed date so he doesn't forget. He called before he came over and had the suspected issue confirmed within 5 minutes: low on freon; which I am happy to say he had with him, so it did not take extra round trips. He was very good about explaining and showing what the problem was and what he was doing, then about the right way to run and maintain your AC to keep long term costs down. Much I knew already, but some things were very informative. I like that. Most of what he did was on the outside unit, but when he did come into the house he put on shoe socks to prevent trampling dirt into the house. (his shoes were spotless, so it wasn't even needed, but it is the thought that counts). The only reason for 4 rather than 5 stars is that the bill was a little higher than I would have expected for such a short and easy visit. Both time and material costs seemed a bit padded, but not extremely. As a general rule, I have seen much worse. Next time, James and AICA will be my first call. read more

I needed these guys to come by and fix my heater and they did. They're hard to get a hold of- you need to call at 7:30 am and text them. Sure, they could be perceived as a bit brusque and they now charge $150 diagnosis charge. BUT they solved the problem for a reasonable rate and are not "yes men" bullshitters, IMO. read more

James, the owner, is a DREAM of a contractor. He's a master plumber and master electrician. When my landlord failed to return my calls on having no heat, I yelped HVAC contractors and AICA immediately popped up. James answered and arrived within 30 minutes - in a snow storm! He rang the door bell, put on his little protective boots, accessed/fixed the situation and was gone. I even offered him a cappuccino! I will ALWAYS call James and am so grateful to be warm and cozy once again. read more

I sort of don't want to write this review because finding good service in Boston can be a major hassle... but James is too good not to share the wealth. He is simply fantastic. He really takes the time to not only fix the problem, but to give suggestions on how to avoid them in the future. He was very prompt, arrived on time, and got us back up and running very quickly. If you need an HVAC guy, I'll gladly recommend him as long as I keep getting to use him too. read more

I'm not one to usually give 5 stars, as even some outstanding places have issues. I can honestly say James was the best plumber I've had to deal with after 5 years as a homeowner. I called him to do preventative maintenance on my furnaces and replace the thermocouples.He arrived a bit early and quickly got to work. He walked me through what he was doing and showed me how to drain the air out of the pipes when the burners start for the first time in a season so that I wouldn't need to call him if I experienced the issue again. He took the time to show me what he did, how to take care of things myself, and even offered to help over the phone if things went awry. He was courteous, professional, and even gave me the coupon discount he had recently sent out but I didn't have yet and wasn't even aware of. James is an honest and hardworking plumber and I couldn't recommend him any higher. read more

They don't answer their phone or respond to calls or emails. If they ever call me back, I'll update my review. EDIT: They just called back. I was told they are booked solid for the next 3 weeks. Wowzers. read more

James was incredibly helpful in providing regular maintenance for my central a/c system. He's a straight shooter and won't ever try to push services that you don't need. This is a guy whose business is established and successful so he doesn't need to up-sell his customers to make a profit. He clearly just wants to do right by his customers. I'll go back to him again and again. read more

Our steam boiler stopped working on the weekend. James and his son came on Monday and fixed electric problems and added a fuse to avoid the short circuit in next time. They were professional with reasonable price. Highly recommend! read more

I will never call another plumber! James has saved us twice, both times the same day I called. The first time he fixed our broken boiler after another plumber had misdiagnosed the problem. The second time he made a same-day trip to a plumbing supply store to pick up a part to fix a major pipe leak for us on Christmas Eve! The thing that impresses me most about James is not that his plumbing skills are exemplary (they are!), but that he is 100% honest, ethical, and conscientious. He goes out of his way to make sure you understand what he's doing and why, taking pictures and showing you examples of similar cases on his phone. He does everything he can to fix the problem quickly and charges incredibly reasonable fees. read more

James is the consummate professional. He arrived 15 minutes *before* his estimated window, which was only a half hour after I called. Had the problem diagnosed, replaced the part, taught me a little about furnace combustion, and was out the door in 45 minutes. I was prepared to pay a lot for such expertise, but he's also very affordable. I'm completely impressed, and will certainly call James when I need him in the future. read more

Unfortunately, a bit of a disappointing experience. I wanted to like these guys, too. I called these guys based on the extremely positive Yelp reviews when our boiler was malfunctioning and the heat went out in our house. They were polite and respectable, and even were available upon short notice and made me their first stop of the day. However, they charged me $125 to diagnose the problem and explained what was wrong---that the piping was done completely wrong and was a "terrible job." They suggested scrapping the boiler and piping we had and starting over, quoting me at $5000-$6000. The $125 fix they put into place, which they said they wouldn't guarantee, also didn't solve the problem---the heat didn't go up and instead the temporary fix had the boiler working for 1 hour before it went down again. It was the equivalent of pressing the "Reset" button, which we were doing on our own anyway. They also took some water out of the pipes, but with no hose. My husband got a second opinion the same day from a family friend's recommendation of a company, and that tradesman took a look and said that there was no need to redo the piping. He said the piping wasn't done very well and wasn't pretty, but it was functional. In the end, this new tradesman spent 3 hours fixing the problem, replaced a part, and charged us for 1 hour of labor. Viola! We now have heat again. The tradesman also said taking water out of the pipes without a hose doesn't get air out. These guys probably had good intentions, but we won't be using again. read more