I strongly recommend getting a second opinion before agreeing to an expensive HVAC replacement from Larry & Sons
Our central AC was blowing warm air, so I called Larry & Sons to diagnose the problem. Their technician was at our house for roughly 10 minutes before telling me that we had a refrigerant leak, the refrigerant was essentially gone, and the compressor was apparently on its way out. The conversation then quickly shifted from repairing our existing system to replacing it. The only real “option” I was presented with was purchasing a brand-new HVAC system costing thousands of dollars, and a sales appointment was scheduled almost immediately. What bothered me even more was that I explained that I had just been laid off from my job after 26 years and simply did not have the money for a new system. The response was to tell me about their financing programs, including payments “as low as $98/month.” I had just explained that I was unemployed. The last thing I needed was another monthly payment. On top of that, Larry & Sons charged me over $200 for what amounted to roughly a 10-minute diagnostic visit. For that money, I was essentially told I had a leak, my compressor was failing, and I should consider replacing the entire system. I walked away from that visit with no repair performed and no meaningful lower-cost option presented to me. Thankfully, I did NOT agree to replace the system. I called another HVAC company for a second opinion. Their technician checked the system and came to a very different conclusion. While the system was low on refrigerant and there may have been evidence of a small leak at some point, he found no active leak requiring replacement and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the compressor. He added refrigerant, and our AC is now working again. That is why I feel completely ripped off by my experience with Larry & Sons. I paid more than $200 for a very brief diagnostic visit that left me believing I was potentially facing an $8,000–$10,000+ replacement, when another HVAC professional was able to get the system working without replacing the compressor or the entire unit. I'm not an HVAC technician, so I can't say why the two diagnoses were so dramatically different. I can only describe exactly what happened to us. But imagine if I had simply trusted that first diagnosis and agreed to spend $10,000 on a new system that apparently wasn't necessary. That is extremely concerning to me. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Larry & Sons. If you're told that your system needs to be replaced—especially after a very brief diagnostic visit—I would strongly recommend getting an independent second opinion before signing anything or spending thousands of dollars. That second opinion potentially saved us thousands, and I'm very glad I questioned the original diagnosis.
By Dave E.