Writing reviews can make a difference! After the earlier negative review, I received a call and an email from Rich Lavoie, general manager at Central Cooling & heating. He showed up the very next day to access the situation and with quick a turn around provided me with a plan and estimate. Although I had other options from other qualified companies, I decided to go with Central C & H because they were now invested in getting me to change my review and improve customer relations. The installed the unit works fine (although they forgot the promised pads initially which Rich just installed himself yesterday). I received help with the Mass Save process and associated rebates. Price wise they were in line with the other proposals I received. The HVAC unit was expensive, made more so by my city location. But as the saying goes, you can't take it with you. read more

I have been a customer since 2005. In 2012, at their recommendation, I replaced my entire heating system. Last month the furnace stopped working. The repairman found that the some board was fried and that 2 other parts should be replaced at the same time. The cost to me would be $4,000, and, if I wanted it repaired that day, I would have to pay an additional $600 for the repairman to go and get the parts. I called another local heating company, who contacted the manufacturer of the unit and found that the furnace was still under warrant. They did the repair for the cost of a service call and labor, $400. Seems like I was being taken advantage of or ripped off. read more

I was a satisfied customer for 18 years, had new heating/cooling systems installed first in my condo and more recently in 2019 in our new house. Central Cooling & Heating also provided the yearly service on all of these systems. When I called a few days ago to schedule maintenance for the new heating system, I was told they would no longer provide service for customers who don't have service contracts, and that I couldn't buy a service contract either but should call back next March. After much begging I was offered an appointment on March 30 2023. While I understand the shortage in man power and extended scheduling times, I was frustrated by the treatment I received as a long-term customer. The Head of technical support called me back the next day and apologized and offered putting me on top of the waitlist for cancelled appointments. The company obviously still cares about their customer's satisfaction despite trying times. Thank you! read more

We've used Central for our owner-occupied two-family in Somerville since we bought it in 2012. We've had a great experience with them and highly recommend them. When the ancient steam heating system of our downstairs unit needed to be replaced, they designed and installed the new system. They removed the old asbestos-covered boilers (two of them, one for each unit), replaced the radiators with baseboard units, and installed a new high-efficiency boiler. Since then, they've added hot-water tanks on both the tenant's unit and owner's unit. Two years ago, they insulated the entire building and added ductless AC to both units. Their work is always well-done and top quality. On the few occasions that we've needed service, they have been responsive and effective. Their people are friendly, competent, and reliable. I'm giving a five-star review because I don't know how any provider could to a better job for us than Central has been doing since 2012. read more

I've been with Central Cooling since either 1996 or 97, first in Brookline and since 2002 in Cambridge. Seven years ago I had to replace the entire HVAC system involving the heat pump and compressor on the roof and although at the five year mark, the compressor had a serious issue, I have been more than pleased with the service I've received. Having the best contract, which allows two visits annually plus visits if there is an issue - such as with the downed Carrier compressor - I can't say enough about this company. The women in the office always are pleasant, the service contractors are knowledgeable, and the most recent service person, Stefano, explained everything one has to know about how to operate the electric system including the thermostat so as not to go broke with the price of electricity this year. I have always recommended CC&H and will continue to do so. read more

This group is consistently outstanding. Since moving out to the 'burbs a few years ago, we became homeowners and as a result signed up to their priority service plan (Gold A). Thorough/detailed bi-annual check-ups/tune-ups for the A/C and heating units. Everyone from their front office to their service technicians have provided top tier service and attention. Just last night the igniter in our first floor heat furnace (Air Temp) went out - John Wood the service technician promptly returned my emergency call and was at the house in an hour. He diagnosed the issue and did his best to troubleshoot the igniter issue (unfortunately he did not have the specific igniter in stock). This morning (the morning of NYE!) I got a call from Sasha letting me know that they located/secured the specific igniter for our heating furnace, and shortly thereafter Lin the service technician showed up and walked me through the issue in detail, installed the new igniter, and now the heat on the first floor is back online. Central Cooling & Heating - hands down best in class. read more

I've used them for 19 years. Their service I'd great. Last year I had a new air-conditioning system put in and kept having a problem with it which they came without question every time I called and finally we track the problem down to my nest thermostat. They came to my house at least six times over the year and every time with a smile and address my problems and when we figured out that the problem was not there making it was the nest thermostat that they had not installed. They were still gracious and kind and took care of everything for me. If you need an air conditioning system or a furnace and want good dependable service call them. read more

Awesome service. Called and reception set me up with an appt for the next day. Window of appt was 10-2 pm but the service guy showed a little after 10am. Peter was thorough and a professional. He handled my do-it-yourself questions and me looking over his shoulder perfectly. I had initially tried working on my Carrier unit but gave in after the recent chilly mornings. He fixed the problem and included some minor tune-up/maintenance. Overall, their pricing is about the same as other vendors but I would've had to wait until Friday for the first available appt. Definitely recommend using them. I'm even considering the maintenance contract........If the pricing was a lil cheaper, 5 stars read more

Water on basement floor. Called two places. No return call. Found these guys on Yelp. Actually answered the phone. Came right over. Scott the technician was a little surprised to find we hadn't changed the filter since we bought the house three years ago, causing pipes to freeze, flood basement, recirculate dust and dog hair around the house for years. Memo to self: check filters and call about a service contract. read more

My normally heating company that I have a contract with near a very popular highway refused to fix my furnace on a warranty claim, as it "wasn't worth their time for the little warranty money." Apparently that is a common thing around here. Central was willing to help me by repairing the furnace and working with me on the warranty claim where we could both be satisfied. Thanks Central! read more

A heating and air conditioning unit that this company installed less than 9 years ago stopped working during a heat spell. Called to have them service it and they replied because it hadn't been serviced recently (4 years ago last time, hopefully it doesn't breakdown every year) we were not considered customers and they weren't taking any "new" customers even though they did the fairly expensive replacement installation. While I can understand the company is busy due to the warm weather abandoning customers that utilized them for the installation and service should be known by all new potential customers. read more

I highly recommend Corey Kitchen and the team! Very professional and timely, and he took the time to really explain my options and the recommended improvements (I was referred to them through the Mass Save program). Very honest, too - it turned one I didn't need one of the recommendations and they were honest about that, which saved me some money. All around smooth process and high quality work. read more

I used the company in 2004 to replace a AC system/air handler. I was very happy with their great services and professionalism, always recommended the company to my friends since. Recently I moved a new home in the same town where the heating/AC furnace systems are 25 year old, this hot July one of the furnaces stopped blowing. With the faith to the company, I called for their service and waited for 3 weeks. The service person came and did the diagnosis, said the blower wheel is bad and needs to be replaced. He charged me $150 for the trip then went back. The same day the company told me the part is no longer and the whole system needs to be replaced. Later its sales department is involved, so I made an appointment with them, the first estimate was 5 weeks away (early sept) set from 11am to 12. I patiently waited till 1pm on the day, then I called their office, the sales person called me back later and explained to me that, he left me a message yesterday, because I did not call back, it is assumed the appointment is cancelled, and if I still want to have the estimate, then I need to re-schedule. I said to him "no need any more" with some disappointment. For curiosity, I checked his voice mail, this was: "Good morning, this is Jaxxx, central cooling and heating, just want to confirm an appointment scheduled today, my phone number is 781-xxx-xx71" One more note, my heating/ac system is old, we are open to replace. Our home has 3-zone, each has oil-heating/ac furnace, the whole replacement might be over 25k. Later I realized the first service technician could repair with just a bit more effort. (I took the bad blower wheel out from the furnace and can get the OEM part online by its old part #.). In 10 years, the company seems have changed a lot. read more

These folks are great. I had an issue with my old HVAC company and gave them a call. It turns out the other guys had installed my heating system sideways! It took Central's tech maybe an hour to reroute some pipes and get everything working perfectly. This was a few months ago and everything's been great since. Courteous, professional work. I'd recommend them to anyone. read more

This company installed my AC four years ago and I had a decent experience then. The system stopped working the other day and I called to have a technician come take a look. The bill for a cleaning out of the system was $700. I called a manager who pretty much admitted they charge more than other companies but they do a great job. Do yourself a favor and save a few hundred dollars and go somewhere else. read more

This was very fast, now the price was OK not the best but that is what ac is these days. The only thing is that it took a while to get them here but everything else was incredible. All the other ac company's don't respond back to me or not for a few months. Our house is big but they did it all in a few days they were ahead of schedule. Best ac company ever. read more

I dealt with Todd today. He was extremely helpful, courteous, knowledgeable. Called to say when he expected to arrive, came on time, answered all my questions. A pleasure dealing with him! read more

Several years ago, recognizing the age of my heating & a/c system, I thought it best to put it under a maintenance plan. I chose Central Cooling & Heating and have had no second thoughts about my choice. Last summer, I came home on a Saturday night to find the a/c blower running but no cold air coming out. I called the emergency number early Sunday morning and the service pro had the system up and running again by noon; AT NO CHARGE. And every semi-annual maintenance service visit is performed in the most professional manner. Today Brian and Jammie showed up to service the heating system. Another 5 star rating for the service pros. read more

Really disappointed. No heat this Sunday morning, so checked Yelp. Happy to find a 4.5 star provider to fix my boiler. Waited a few minutes for a call back, only to find Emergency Weekend Service is only for those with pre-existing service contract. I'll have to plan my emergencies better in the future :( read more

They don't take new customers, although we are not, still can't get their service. We finally had a schedule on July 13, 2020 12-5pm for our AC service, just want to confirm it today. Glad I did, because for some reasons, now they can't find us on their system... They select or delete their customers? It's weird to me because the service we had in 2018 was very good. read more

After a two week wait to have a Carrier system that was purchased and installed by Central and is still under warranty a service tech came to my home to check on a non functioning air conditioning problem. He misdiagnosed the problem and charged me almost $500 for supposed services that did not fix the problem. They now claim it needs some type of valve that is covered under the warranty yet will still cost me over $1100 to be installed. I spoke with two people at the Central office who feel that it is OK to charge $500 and not fix the problem. Note: Central Cooling did the proper thing and refunded my credit card the $500 in charges. Now I need to find a new company to service the unit in the dead of summer. read more

Very professional, proactive about following-up on outstanding items, competitive prices. Everyone in the office and the techs have been great to work with to install our central air and maintain our heating/cooling system in general. Highly recommend. read more

This post is an update to a previous post. My dissatisfaction remains the same as previously posted. Although the company representative returned my phone calls and contacted me by email, they totally missed the mark on my dissatisfaction. They refunded my "troubleshooting fee" but they continue to defend their high prices. Central Cooling is still a ripoff. I called another company who fixed my AC at a reasonable price. This other company even tried to save me money! If Central Cooling refunds my house call fee, I will at least feel they didn't completely rob me. read more

My experience with Central Cooling and Heating is mixed. On the one hand, they have responded very quickly to service both my AC and boiler--both times they were able to diagnose the problem that day or the next day and fix the units within 2 days. They were very responsive, overall. However, their charges are very opaque. They charge $130 to come and diagnose the problem--fine. In the case of our boiler, they had to order a part and come back the next day to fix it. I was given a quote of $1641 to fix the unit, with no breakdown of cost, even though I asked how much labor cost and how much the part cost. They did tell me it was $100 or so for overnight shipping for the part. After some Googling I figured out that the part cost about $520. After shipping, that left over $1000 to repair the unit, which took a bit less than 2 hours. So that's a $500/hour rate--kind of crazy, no? Also, they don't include the $130 initial fee--meaning we paid $1771 to fix the boiler-- While we are very grateful to have hot water again very quickly, the cost seems astronomical. The lack of transparency and unwillingness to break out the costs seems not very consumer-friendly. They are a big company and that is why they can come so quickly to fix things, but it means that the price is VERY high. I hope to not use them again, but you never know... read more

I hired them to service my hvac. The technician said it was clear it needed to be replaced and red-tagged the system. The rest of the time was spent measuring a new system to replace it. I was billed about $450 for 1.75 hours of service even though no service was ever done. Customer service defended it saying because a technician did it, it counts as service, while a salesperson would have no charge. After checking my phone I found I was also overcharged 30 minutes. After much back and forth they reduced the fee to about $200 (I agreed to pay $199 for the first half hour which I was fine paying). When you get a quote they agree to refund the $450 so you feel compelled to sign with them. I ended up going with another company for 60% of the price and got a much better two stage unit... very happy. They installed it within days whereas Central had a several week lead time. Get multiple quotes! read more

Our Air-conditioner failed suddenly. We called Central Cooling & Heating and they sent someone over in 2 hours. Their office courteously called 15 minutes before the technician arrived and the technician, Scott, promptly fixed a broken capacitor. He was friendly and knowledgeable and took the time to explain clearly why our AC failed. Within 30 minutes, our AC was restored. He also checked the pressure of our coils and recommended routine cleaning. He explained why it was needed, how soon it should be done, and what would happen if the maintenance was delayed. He didn't try to pressure into having the work done immediately. In the end, I felt they sent an honest, competent professional, on short notice, who was able to get the job done inexpensively. read more

PROFESSIONAL & KNOWLEDGEABLE I am a real estate agent who has been in the business for 20+ years. I have dealt with many, many contractors over my years in business. During a recent home inspection, the inspector told my client, she should have the heating/HVAC system looked at by a professional. I contacted Central Cooling & Heating. They came out in a very timely manner & the technician sent was knowledgeable, professional and extremely service oriented. He went above and beyond the scope of what he was contracted to do. Additionally, Central Cooling & Heating's service manager took more time to research information to ensure the system was properly installed. I would highly recommend this company. Jessie Cuddy, Realtor Broker/Owner Boston Bayside Properties Boston, MA 02124 read more

These guys are HONEST and FAIR and do a great job. We've dealt with Nick both times and he's courteous, knowledgable, efficient, and even helped tune the system to our needs. There are a ton of HVAC companies in MA that couldn't care less other than to rip you off. Central isn't one of them. read more

One month after the previous negative review, the company reached out and agreed to refund us. It was surprising as we had argued with them on this matter for many times in the past 4 months, including complaining to BBB, and they used to insist on their position. Two stars up for them caring about their Yelp reviews and responding to them. read more

I am so disappointed in Central Cooling and Heating. We lost our heat, and the furnace was giving an error code that corresponded to a fan problem. They came right over, which was great, but told us that they didn't know if it was the fan, or maybe the circuit board giving an incorrect error message. They then told us that they would have to replace both and charge us upwards of $2200 (plus the charge for the first visit). Why wouldn't you just replace what the furnace is saying to replace instead of assuming the error message is faulty? Because then you can charge for both! We called Kirkland Shaw of Lexington, who came and provided a temporary solution (that Central didn't, so we went without heat/hot water) and came back two days later with the replacement fan. Total cost: $800 including installation. Even with the money we paid Central to come take a look, we still paid less than half of what they would have charged us. read more

Best company around. Knowledgeable and outright experienced staff. Annual service contract is the way to go. It includes annual preventative-maintenance tune-up and 24/7 emergency service. I've dealt with other hvac contractors in the past but have finally found one that I'll stick with. read more

I had a issue with a noisy HVAC and Branden Y. made the correct diagnosis. The replacement part came in and got installed quickly and the HVAC is now MUCH quieter! I am very pleased with the service read more

I called to set up an account with them and they came out that day to service my unit. Great customer service

These clowns told us we had to be home from 1-5pm for the appointment. So my wife had to take a vacation day to be at the house. They pulled a no show. And when we called the women who answered was rude and offered no apology. She wanted to know when we wanted to reschedule . I don't think so. Unless you have vacation days to burn find someone else. read more

I wanted to update my negative review. I did receive a repair quote to get my heat back on 6 days after the problem arose and after my original review was posted. The quote was of no use as I had to find another company to get the job done right away. We were so grateful to have heat. I did want to note that I received a message from management apologizing. I do appreciate that management reached out and I find it refreshing that they read these reviews and care how people view them. I added 2 stars back for that. read more

I am from Waltham Ma, just a few towns away from Woburn, and I always wanted a central air conditioning system in my house during the summer. However, I was very skeptical at first to invest in this system; so I called Central Cooling and Heating Inc, and the representative talked on the phone with me for about an hour, answering all my questions. After the phone call I decided it was worth getting the system installed. The guys who were sent to my house were very nice and knowledgeable. They got right to work, and did a great job! During this blistering summer, my central air has been clutch! My house is so cool, and I am able to sleep peacefully. I'm glad I went here. read more

$625 for a routine service call! Beware of gouging and duplicative charges! I just had Central Cooling and Heating check and service a central AC unit which had been leaking from the ceiling. The tech was fine and explained what he was doing (essentially cleaning the unit coil and drain). I paid $625, by check, but didn't examine the bill until afterwards. I was shocked at the charges: $155 "diagnostic," $65 "Boston fee," and $405 for "General labor, minor repair, 1-1/2 hour." Other than a single, stripped bolt on the cover, no parts were replaced or installed; no additional freon was needed. The labor rate comes out to $270 per hour (in addition to the "diagnostic" fee), which is exorbitant by any comparison for this type of work. Also, I was never informed that an additional surcharge of $65 would have to be paid for a trip to Boston. $625 for a simple service call with no repairs or parts, and rude customer service? Never again...would never recommend Central Cooling and Heating. read more

We wanted to share our wonderful experience with the professional team that worked at our home. Let me start with Ed Pollack. I was really worried about the size of the new unit and Ed sensed my anxiety. That being said, Ed was able to bring an actual unit out to our home prior to installation so we could see how it looked in the spot we picked. He has a wonderful way about him and I appreciate the extra effort. Once the unit was installed Ed came by to make sure we were happy. Then he called first thing the next morning see how we liked it. We do. Talk about terrific customer service. We also wanted to say thank you to the professional team sent to our home. Dave and Eric showed up promptly at 7 am to get started. They put down drop cloths and went to work. They were very patient with me and centered the unit nicely. I personally noticed how polite Dave was when he asked Eric for assistance. It may seems silly to notice someone saying please or thank you, but I did and it made a very good impression on me about the folks that work for Central Cooling and Heating. Dave and Eric are very nice and I could tell they work well together. A gentleman named Fred came to our home for the Electrical work needed for the job. He worked diligently to wire the unit in the most efficient way possible. We asked how long he has worked with Central Cooling and he said 15 years. We can see why. He is a pro and a nice guy. We needed a smaller window of time when the technician would be by to get the unit up and running so I called the your customer service. Donna took my number and called me back quickly with an hour window so I was able to run an errand. Brian showed up within the window of time and he is extremely knowledgeable about the Mitsubishi hyper heat unit. He hooked it up, tested it and patiently answered our questions. We could tell he was not rushing and his attention was focused on our questions. After this installation and meeting the experienced, professional team we highly recommend Central Cooling & Heating. -Charlene and Bobby, Peabody, MA read more

I had this company install my heating and cooling system when I moved over 17 years ago. Over all of these years I have had them come out and service annually as well as paying a hefty price tag on the service plan annually. As a busy realtor and dealing with people, I know how service should be handled, and this company mishandled things! I mistakenly didn't pay for my service plan on time so it was cancelled. When my tech called the office to try to reinstate, the lack of understanding with their own customer service rep and willing to come up with a solution was mind boggling! Clearly I have to install a new system with in the next year or so which they will miss out on the job as well as my business. I guess loyalty means absolutely nothing to them! The customer service rep (Jen I believe) was horrible! read more

They came out right away but misdiagnosed the problem, then charged me another service call to come back to correctly diagnose the problem. Then, they wanted double the cost of the company I ended up using instead and wanted to charge another trip charge on top of that! read more