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    Carini Home Services - El Cajon

    4.1 (72 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    10 minutes

    Response rate

    100%

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    What accumulated on the coils since they never installed the filter in our unit.

    I rarely leave 1 star reviews, but I can no longer bite my tongue. We have been very patient, understanding, and polite but now I just feel taken advantage of... and mind you this was a $20k job. This is going on 10 months now... After purchasing our new home, we decided we needed to get central heat & air. My mom is disabled and has medical conditions and is on certain medications that explicitly warn her to avoid heat/hot weather conditions. So, we made an appointment with Carini after reading great reviews and a positive previous experience with Clint for a gas line fix at our old home. We signed the proposal for a heat pump and air handler on 12/16 and was told the job could be done by 12/24, if not by NYE. Well, some space and product dimension issues arose and caused a slight delay in the receipt of the unit. Not a big deal. But what was hopefully going to be completed by 12/31 didn't happen until Mid-March. There was a major lack of communication between the techs and our household and the communication we did receive was always incorrect. We kept being promised a completion date, but it kept changing. At one point, we were even told, "It'll be done Friday, no matter what". And then Friday afternoon, the techs said "See you Monday morning" because it wasn't done. I literally had to email them and ask them to please stop promising us completion dates because it was only causing us disappointment. We never asked for any specific time frames or commitments, they just kept overpromising and under delivering. Over those 3.5 months I noticed a lot of sloppy and forgetful workmanship including leaving old ducting and garbage under our house even though its removal was part of our agreement, debris left in the return after cutting the hole for it, an unconnected duct, and even leaving the very large return exposed and uncovered while we waited for the custom covers to get in. I had to request a temporary solution, because I was afraid one of our dogs would fall into it. The install failed the initial HERS testing because they forgot to seal the new floor registers. However, the most frustrating part was when our unit stopped working just 7 months after the install. I called them on a Weds to have it checked out and was told they couldn't come until Monday. I said okay. My dad crawled under the house to check out the unit to see if it was something that could be easily fixed and we discovered that they never installed an air filter and so 7 months of debris and dog hair was covering the coils. So, I called back to inform them and got someone to come out Thursday. We found out that this lead to the motor breaking and a new one had to be ordered. Because of my mom's medical condition, we went out and purchased a portable AC unit from Home Depot for $347 as we had no idea how long this would take. I didn't hear from anyone until I reached out Monday and then was scheduled for someone to come out Friday for the motor replacement. We requested reimbursement for the portable ac unit and was asked to just return the unit because they said they would have loaned us one if we had asked. I asked why it wasn't offered and they said because it's only for the elderly and severe conditions. I reminded them that we got central air because of mom's medical condition and it's okay that they didn't remember but it would have been nice if they would have at least asked qualifying questions. After all of this and a lot more I'm leaving out, the only thing we asked for was that AC reimbursement. I figured they wouldn't oblige, but it was just even more upsetting to learn that they had a plausible temporary solution for us but didn't bother to offer it. They keep telling us that everything that's happened has been "worst case scenario" and I'm floored that they still fall short of providing an average customer service experience for these worst case scenario conditions. I just can't believe the lack of customer service or care from Carini. We had to constantly and are apparently expected to ask for solutions to problems they created. I have been so patient and understanding that things are really impacted in the trades right now but their lack of empathy or care is really disappointing.

    All vertical posts had cuts that were gouged out over 50%.

    1. When the salesman came out in Jan 2023 to discuss installing a ductless mini split (heat/AC) for $12,464 there was lengthy discussion re: the rebate coming up for "green energy" type replacements for my old wall heater. I was left w/100% understanding that the new mini split needed to be installed soon because money from rebate pot would be gone later. Not true - I was never able to find out where I was supposed to apply despite spending many hours online researching and when I contacted office in Feb 2023 I just got an email w/ a suggested website to look at. Now the office tells me that only installs after April 2023 were eligible and that the invoice would have to have been notated. My invoice was not notated w/rebate info. Was that my responsibility to keep calling the office, call my congressman re: funding info. for rebates? when the salesman left my home I had total understanding that I would b getting rebate but that I had to apply. Now I understand that Carini is responsible to apply for customers...None of the info was accurate and I will not be receiving a rebate. The tax credit I understand is my responsibility to apply for when I file my income 2023 tax return. Very shady and then office staff(Heather) seemed to be very defensive and slightly hostile during conversation. I love the Mitsubishi minisplit -hate the problems with Carini. Go somewhere else to get your mini-split. 2. When guys came to install the minisplit I told them that one would be in the living room and that the adjacent garage would be converted to livable space soon so pvc pipes from living room unit needed to be buried behind the walls in the garage that would then exit out the back. When they were done I saw they had just tacked them onto of the wall all the way across out to the back. I almost cried it looked so bad. They said someone could come back and change it. So later when another group of guys came out they literally gouged out huge holes in virtually all of the vertical supports of my load bearing wall and put little metal plates on top. My contractor was flabbergasted that anyone would do it and said just call Carini and ask for $500 and I'll fix it. Carini did agree to send $500 ck quickly after I supplied pictures of the horrible job the did but really? where do u find your employees? I knew right when I saw what they'd done it was a mess. Here is one pic of ONE of the wooden posts. Just imagine having this done to every single post on your wall...

    Mitsubishi split type air conditioner

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The job is not done and I keep sending message to technician but no respond to his part until now it's more the a week now

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Quality service from Javier! Great guy, very knowledgeable. Requesting additional services already.

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    5 years ago

    Highly recommend. They did a great job for an affordable price and worked around our solar.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Carini Home Services - El Cajon

    Review Highlights - Carini Home Services - El Cajon

    Their salesmen, Carlos and John answered all our questions and made us very comfortable throughout the process.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

    Read more highlights

    CML Plumbing

    CML Plumbing

    (97 reviews)

    Bostonia

    I feel compelled to share my experience so others don't end up in the same position. I reached out…read moreto this company for help locating a hidden leak, explaining everything in detail and even providing a video to help them understand the issue. When the technician arrived, he took a quick look, flashed a light around, and glanced under the crawl space--but never actually went in to investigate. After a few minutes, he told me he couldn't find anything and suggested a costly camera inspection. At that point, I asked him a question about our dishwasher, and he ran a wire through it, pushing out a bit of food buildup. It was a small fix, and I was grateful for the help. Then came the shock--he told me I owed him $200. I was stunned. For what amounted to a flashlight glance and a quick poke at the dishwasher, it felt incredibly excessive. I was home alone and felt pressured to pay, but I walked away from that interaction feeling completely taken advantage of. Thankfully, we contacted a second plumber who actually took the time to go into the crawl space, snake the main line, and diagnose the real issue--without charging a dime for the inspection. He gave us a fair quote, fixed the problem properly, and even installed a two-way sewer cleanout. That's the kind of service that earns long-term trust. I don't normally write reviews like this, but I want others to know: do your homework. There are honest, hardworking professionals out there. Sadly, this company wasn't one of them. Reach out to Andy at Flow Right.

    Chris cane the same day we called. He assessed the issue and gave us great news. we only needed a…read morequick repair. We did NOT have a leak as we suspected. He didn't charge us anything!

    Water Heaters Only

    Water Heaters Only

    (131 reviews)

    We had a leak from our old water heater that our downstairs neighbor alerted us to a couple of days…read moreago. After we shut off the water, I got to looking for a company that could come out ASAP and resolve the issue. I called WHO around 5 a.m. and they had an overnight messaging service person who took all my info and let me know that I would get a call after 7 a.m. Around 7 a.m. I got a call and was able to set up a same day appointment. The folks on the phone were nice enough and professional. I was thrilled that someone would be coming out soon. We were alerted via text when our technician, Francisco, was on his way and he called to let us know when he would be arriving. Around 10 a.m. he was onsite and ready to assess the issue and give us a quote. They say free estimate, but I`m sure they still charge a service fee if you don`t end up agreeing to the quote. We agreed to the quote even though we didn`t want to( I mean..who WANTS to pay for a new water heater? haha). Anyway, Francisco explained all the parts and labor involved and was very informative about what each component was for and why, which we appreciated. Estimate signed and away we go. Francisco worked quickly and efficiently. By 2 p.m. we had a new water heater and the tech was cleaning up and ready to go. The job was quicker than we thought, which was great, and even though he said to give the water about an hour to heat, we tested it before and we got nice, hot water quickly. The new unit looks so fresh and new and everything went well. We were given a 2 year labor warranty, so that is a nice assurance. All in all, a great experience. I do want to go over pricing because while every scenario is different, I like to be transparent. A lot of people will say, "This is what I was quoted for XYZ" or "I ended up paying such and such amount less than other companies". We had an old unit(about 25 years old), we live in an upstairs condo unit and our water heater is on the balcony in a closer(location of the unit is all considered when quoting). We needed a new water heater(40 gallons), obviously, some new piping(portions, not full), a drip pan, some other bits and bobs(that weren't that expensive) and you are paying for the labor and expertise of the tech). We ended up with a $3000 bill for this service. AGAIN, every situation is different, but I do like to give the Yelp community a run down of my situation and pricing so that they can make informed decisions. As mentioned above, a great experience and we are back up and running with our hot water. I will update if anything significant happens.

    Great company to deal with love these guys. Highley recommend them as a company def check them outread more

    Quick Water Heater & Filtration Company - The Team

    Quick Water Heater & Filtration Company

    (785 reviews)

    Sammy and Ben were great! Ben handled the logistics and was on point the entire time. They were…read moresuper quick and were able to get to my place within the hour to replace my water heater. Sammy the tech was quick and efficient. In and out in about an hour and did a great job on the install. This is the second time I have used Quick and will continue using them.

    We've used Quick Water Heater & Filtration Company twice now and have been very happy both times…read more Our first install was back in 2019 with Gregg and Jacob, and everything went smoothly. This time around, our Rheem water heater failed before reaching even 7 years, despite having a 12‑year warranty. Even though Quick is closed on weekends, Brandon texted me and set us up first thing Monday morning. Ben (sales) was extremely helpful, walked me through all the options, and made a genuine effort to get Rheem to honor the warranty. Unfortunately, Rheem couldn't provide a replacement and instead offered fair market compensation (still TBD). Not thrilled with Rheem, but Ben handled the situation professionally and kept me informed throughout. We ultimately went with a Bradford White, and Sammy installed it the same day. His work was excellent--professional, efficient, and spotless cleanup. The Bradford White + installation was very reasonable and very surprisingly comparable to my prior installation. Very impressed with Quick's responsiveness, professionalism, and ability to turn everything around in a single day. Highly recommend them.

    Everyday Water Heaters - Transformative results. The old mess is gone, the new tankless install with relocation to the exterior! ONE CALL FIXES IT ALL!

    Everyday Water Heaters

    (56 reviews)

    Hillcrest

    Simply the best possible solution for water heaters. Eric is amazing and goes above and beyond. My…read morewater heater broke out of nowhere. I was stressed. Eric took care of everything and didn't overcharge. He even replaced the valves, pipes, straps, drain pain, and gave an expansion tank, and it was done on short notice Thanks for bringing my family back to normalcy after a stressful week! Best place you can possibly choose for water heaters and I'm glad I found them!

    Highly Recommend!! A…read morefew days before we had called another company whom came out and to attempt to fix our tankless water heater after it appeared to stop working. The previous company's technician could not figure out what was going despite saying there was a problem. After posting on yelp for more assistance, Erik quickly responded. He was upfront about the price and what he entailed. He also worked with us on time coming as late as 5pm! After doing everything he could do which included called the manufacturer, he gave us two options to choose from and didn't pressure for either way. We decided to replace the unit. His price for purchase, installation, and ensuring all outer connections were correct was extremely fair and done within 24hrs of our signed invoice with him. Attached is a picture of the final products. Again, HIGHLY recommend: Erik communicated extremely well, was on time, and did fantastic work. Will keep using him for all figure maintenance and any issues.

    Rapid Water Heater - Rapid Water Heater hot Water Heater Installation

    Rapid Water Heater

    (156 reviews)

    My day was going great until I took a shower and noticed that getting hot water was more difficult…read morethan usual. I took a look at my water heater and saw what I was afraid of; a pan full of water underneath it. My day got worse as I called around and got quoted some outrageous prices. But that evening, I spoke to Miguel from Rapid Water Heater. I texted pictures of my situation and he quoted me a far more reasonable price than anything else I had gotten. He also said that he could be at my place the very next morning despite the fact that I'm in Escondido and he's in Chula Vista. The next morning, he shows up and replaces my water heater with a good quality Rheem heater quickly on a miserably hot day for the price quoted. No upsells, no bait and switch and then he cleaned everything up. All in all. a very smooth experience. If I ever had water heater issues in the future, I would definitely call Rapid Water Heater first.

    I did quite a bit of research online before choosing Rapid Water Heater, and I was impressed by the…read morepromises Miguel, the owner, made on the website about customer service and quality. I decided to reach out for a quote through Yelp, and Miguel responded incredibly fast, even though it was late at night during a holiday weekend. I wasn't in desperate need of an immediate replacement, so I definitely didn't expect him to keep responding that late, but he still took the time to answer my questions and make sure I got on the schedule. When the technician arrived, he got right to work and was extremely friendly. We actually ended up talking quite a bit while he worked. For the amount of work I had done, the price was really good and definitely cheaper than I expected. They also offer a military discount, which I really appreciated. Overall, I'm very happy with the quality of the work, the price, and how quickly everything was completed, especially considering they were working during a heat wave. Miguel and his team delivered on what their website promised, and I'd definitely recommend Rapid Water Heater to anyone looking for a water heater replacement.

    Carini Home Services - El Cajon - waterheaterinstallrepair - Updated September 2026

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