It is the kind of news that makes you sick to your stomach: you need an entirely new HVAC system. Heating AND air. This is the news I got from Eddie Hughes (and two other HVAC companies). We chose to use Hughes because when Eddie came to the house to give the estimate, he quickly and expertly diagnosed (and explained) the issues in terms that my husband and I could understand. He also answered multiple phone calls as we had a lot of questions. Part of the plan was to add a large basement return which entailed cutting through drywall (you can imagine how messy that is) into a wall in our finished basement. The new return is there but you would never know it was installed that day! Matt and Steve didn't leave one speck of drywall or dust (amazingly). I can't say enough about Hughes Mechanical and the great, honest work that they do. Do yourself a favor and use this company. read more

I hired Hughes to replace an AC unit at one of my rental properties in Baltimore. I had previously used them for other smaller jobs and was overall pleased with their service. One of their technicians came out to inspect and service my three apartments, and he recommended replacing one of the units that was an older model and not functioning as well. He connected me with Jason (one of the owners), who gave me a quote, and I agreed to move forward with it. The technician who came out to replace the unit didn't seem as experienced, but he was very polite and professional. He kept the job site clean and communicated with me often. A few hours after the job had been completed, at 11:30 at night, I got a call from my tenant mentioning that the house reeked of gas. I called the technician and texted another, but no one answered. So I went on their website, which says "Emergency Services Available," and tried to call the mainline, but no one answered. Eventually, I was transferred to a call center that said "all of our technicians are busy helping other clients" and that they would call me back in 2 minutes. No one did! So we called the fire department, which came out and identified the source of the problem. Hughes used an old existing gas hose to connect the gas line to the new system. That hose was not compatible to the new AC, so it leaked gas. As a result, the fire department shut off the units and the gas supply to the house. Hughes came back the following morning to replace the hose and fix the problem. When we turned the gas back on to the house, my hot water heater which is fairly new and had been working perfectly fine, wouldn't operate. The pilot light was not coming on, and Hughes sent two of their technicians to look at it. They mentioned that the gas valve to the hot water heater was no longer working and that they had to replace the part. The plumbing supply company was about to close, so the technicians said they would be back in the morning with the new part to replace it for me. The next morning I get a call from the owner, Jason, saying that the part wouldn't be available for at least two days and he wanted to charge me $600 for the job. He actually tried talking me into replacing the entire hot water heater ($2,400 and offered to give 10% off). It turned out that my hot water heater was still under warranty, so I called the manufacturer, who shipped out the part at no cost and hired another plumber to install it for a fraction of what Hughes was quoting me. Their website says, "Educate, Not Sell." It sure didn't feel like that. Hughes fixed a problem and created another. The least they could have done was offer to fix my hot water heater after all they put me through. I'm sorry to say the experience overall was frustrating, time-consuming, and generally disappointing, as I no longer feel I can rely on/trust them with this important work. I wish the outcome had been different. read more

No follow up. Kept me on hold with a manager for over 20 mins then hung up me. Called various times and was sent to voicemail. Would not recommend unless you want your time wasted. read more

Entered into large contract to replace existing units at Gold's Gym, eight in total. The entire roof area was left exposed for two months as Hughes not only failed to schedule the roofer after the install to weather proof the area, they also failed during that two month period to communicate to us that it was left in that condition. We contacted the company and was told that they had forgotten, which, conveniently, was after they had received final payment in good faith two months prior. Several attempts were made to contact management, and we were told he would be calling us on a specific day after 4pm. No such call was ever received. During heavy storms the water was spewing in from the areas left compromised and because time was of the essence we were forced to hire a contractor to go and weatherproof the area at our expense, which was in excess of $10,000. Hughes Mechanical's response, or lack thereof, was completely unprofessional and they did not fulfill their contractual obligation not to mention their incompetency could have easily resulted in extensive damages to the facility. read more

TL;DR Hughes Mechanical made egregious unauthorized changes to my plumbing, refused to undo them, and then ghosted. I hired Hughes Mechanical for a small job - snake the kitchen sink drain and replace a leaking slip nut. When the plumber arrived I went over with him exactly what I wanted done, including which nut to replace and the removable trap he should use to snake the drain, then left him to work. None of the work called for cutting anything. I'd specifically requested the removable trap when replacing all the pipes just two months earlier, so the drain could be snaked without having to cut anything. Without asking, he cut out the removable trap and replaced it with a fixed trap, making a mess of my brand new pipes in the process. The entire under sink plumbing will have to be replaced again to fix the mess. On top of that, the newly replaced slip nut was left leaking. When asked, Hughes refused to undo their plumber's unauthorized changes to my plumbing, even though they were far outside the scope of approved work. Since then they have not responded in any way to any follow-up, including calls, emails, the Better Business Bureau and, so far, the state licensing board. Hughes Mechanical advertises a 100% satisfaction guarantee. I wouldn't be writing this review if they'd come close to honoring it. read more

I asked Hughes Mechanical for a quote for replacement of (7) decades-old gate-type water valves, including the main water shutoff to the house, and installation of (2) new valves where a shower had never been provided with shutoff valves. There was also some miscellaneous adjustment work. I obtained quotes from (3) other plumbers, all small or family-owned businesses. Hughes Mechanical was either cheaper or about the same price. I chose Hughes because they use on online system for providing you a work summary/quote (I prefer written documentation of all communications/commitments) and they utilized my own work summary (Word documentation listing all the desired work and providing photos) to prepare their quote summary. I was absent for the work and a family member stood in. I found out after I got home that they had not replaced the angle stop valves with the type I specified (quarter-turn ball valves) but with multi-turn compression valves. Additionally, the main water shutoff valve had not been replaced, but a new valve installed after it on the same line. However, they had performed additional work beyond the work summary to replace some old pipe in a crawlspace which connected to on of the valves in the house. After I objected, they scheduled a follow-up visit and replaced all valves as originally requested. They explained that there was water coming out of the pipes on their first visit and the valve stock in their truck could not be soldered on (before the second visit I drained the pipes 12 hours in advance). I can understand that in my absence they chose to install the valves they had on hand, and they did follow up to address. However, during the second visit, the plumber said the code standard is for the main water line to have (2) valves so there is a backup. This means that when I specifically asked that the main water valve be replaced, they added (1) new valve and left the old valve untouched to be the second valve for code, neglecting my replacement request to save time. I'll give 5 stars as the extra work balances skipping the water main valve replacement and the returned to install the valves as I originally requested. I do recommend that you make sure your work request is detailed and sent via email so you have written record. read more

My leasing company contracted these guys to unclog my toilet. The plumber who came out splashed sewage all over my bathroom and left a mess which I had to clean up. I got to bleach my bathroom while my infant screamed. I wish I could give this "business" no stars. Horrible. read more

Hughes was extremely helpful in getting our AC back up and running! Kelly was very friendly when scheduling and we were back to being cool within 36 hours of calling them. Thank you so much! read more

I have used them on the past but this time they never followed through with the estimate. I called the office 3 times in 6 weeks and no one ever called back with an estimate. I do not understand why they came out to look at the job in the first place if they were never going to give me the estimate. I was very disappointed with this company this time. read more

I would highly recommend Hughes Mechanical. They offered competitive rates, great products, and an honest assessment. Brad Foxwell was great to work with. I had my HVAC system replaced in November. I waited until now to post a review to ensure the AC was working properly. I am pleased to say both the AC and furnace have been working great, and have been very efficient. My energy costs for both heating and cooling are lower than last year. read more

We recently used Hughes to get a new HVAC system in our home AND our rental home. Chad was so super helpful and responsive throughout the whole process. The installations went smoothly and as promised. So far both systems are working great and we are very pleased! read more

I own a property in Baltimore, but live in California. My review is due to the fact that my ex-property manager (who was also awful) hired this HVAC company to address a plumbing problem. Already a very inappropriate choice, but if Hughes Mechanical had any scruples they would have refused the job because they are HVAC specialists not plumbing specialists. Nonetheless, they charged me $126 to just look at a leak (not fix anything) and then tried to say the job would cost over $600 to fix. I called a real plumber who pointed out Hughes wanted to replace an entire shower diverter and faucet body, when in fact the only thing that needed replacing was a diverter cartridge which our plumber said is about as plumbing 101 as it gets. Our plumber made the repair properly for $200.00, not $600. I have never used this company for HVAC but based on their behavior with this plumbing call they had no business taking, I would steer clear of them. Why would you trust these people with any job if they would take a job they weren't qualified to do and try to vastly overcharge for it?! Clearly a very unethical company and shouldn't be trusted with any jobs, especially when there are plenty of honest reputable alternatives out there. read more

Owner Eddie came to my house to figure out what was wrong with my air conditioner, and his diagnosis was quick and the prices were reasonable. He did a great job of explaining everything and letting me know what to look for in the future. He was professional and friendly, and, even though calling for HVAC services will probably never be fun, I'm glad I have a reliable and trustworthy company to support when I need one. In addition, texting with another associate to set the appointment up beforehand was a breeze. Highly recommended. read more

We used Hughes to install HVAC system and duct work. They did a really nice job. We had a few minor issues, but they were nice and put up with some of our demands. We had small issues with minor damages to our ceiling, which they fixed, but did not repaint. We just had our whole house painted inside a few months ago, so the fact that they didn't paint after fixing the damage was a little disappointing. They also didn't really go over that much about how to set the thermostat. I kind of figured it out on my own. Last thing, and it's also minor, is that they could have given us the serial numbers off the equipment, rather than us having to look for it ourselves, so we can register it with Rheem for the warranty. The main unit is in our attic, so it's not that easy for us to get too. So far so good. They did a nice job. read more

DO NOT USE THEM if you value your house!! They will take your money for terrible work. I had some plumbing work done by them that looked an absolute DISASTER...only to find out later that it was not done legally and then had to pay someone else to fix their mess! When I pointed this out, the company was unwilling to compromise at all. Totally ridiculous. read more