22134 Vermont Ave # A, Torrance California 90502
Ryan of Novak Mechanical was referred to me by a good friend and installed a Slimline (R410A) AC unit for us about 8-9 years ago. Installation was done well and we had no issues until the Saturday of a hot 4th of July weekend when the unit stopped cooling.
I figured it would be an easy fix and reached out to NexGen because they were able to guarantee me an early morning appointment on Monday (and I wasn't sure if Ryan's team would be able to come out so quickly, given he's got a smaller crew and it was in the middle of summer). WHAT A BIG MISTAKE!!!
Long story short: NexGen told me my compressor and some other parts were bad, that because our existing AC unit (R410A) was being phased out and there was only a limited supply of the compressors available and that it would take up to 3 months to get an available unit. They then quoted me a price of nearly $11K for parts and labor (again, just to repair my 10 yr old unit). The NexGen rep (and his parts guy who was on the phone) then tried to persuade me that it made a lot more sense for me to simply by an entirely new unit at a cost of approximately $15K for parts and labor because I'd be getting an entirely new unit (instead of a partially repaired unit).
None of this made a lot of sense to me so I finally came to my senses and reached out to Novak Mechanical. Ryan called me back almost immediately, agreed that what I was told by NexGen didn't make sense, and that he would have one of his crews come out the next day to assess the situation. Jose and his partner arrived the next day on time and, WITHIN 5 MINUTES, had diagnosed the problem, replaced a part that connects to/boosts the compressor, and had our AC unit up and running cranking out cold air. In other words, there was absolutely nothing wrong with our compressor, as the NexGen rep alleged. Total cost for parts and labor to Novak: $375!!
Jose also looked at my furnace in the attic which the NexGen rep said also was in need of several repairs (costing upwards of $5K). Jose confirmed that the furnace looked good and no parts were in need of repair.
The bottom line: Novak was in and out within 30 minutes, fixed our issue, and their price was exceptionally reasonable. These guys are great/efficient at what they do, their rates are very reasonable, and, most importantly, they are honest and trustworthy and aren't going to try to scam you or upsell you. So, do yourself a favor next time you have any HVAC issues: call Ryan at Novak Mechanical first!
And never never ever risk getting scammed by NexGen!!! I didn't do my homework before reaching out to them, thinking my repair was an easy fix and that a larger company like NexGen would perhaps be able to accommodate me more quickly after a hot holiday weekend. As it turns out, it was an easy fix but I was shocked at how blatantly the NexGen folks tried to scam me out of in excess of $10K. So, if you are even considering using NexGen, do yourself a favor first and read all of the awful reviews on Google, Yelp, and the BBB about how deceptive and slick their practices are, all in the name of trying to upsell their customers!!!