First Call Heating & Cooling

Had a great experience with installation of a new furnace. Salesperson Matt was very timely, nice and responsive, and it seemed like he knew what he was talking about and why he was making the specific furnace recommendation he was making. Installation by Jeffrey and Nathan went well. They arrived on time, finished when they said they would, cleaned up after themselves before they left, and did a good job of explaining how it worked. Got their name from my neighbor who had a good experience several years ago, and now I’ve had one. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

Steve (comfort consultant) and technicians Jeff and Dustin installed a new Trane XV95 gas furnace and XR13 air conditioner. The service and installation was done in a very professional matter. I would recommend First Call Heating & Cooling to anybody.

Five more stars for First Call for the final phased installation and approval by city building inspection. A recent move to Oregon found us in need of a new heating and cooling system. Not new to Trane, however, we bid a few different HVAC service providers and ultimately chose First Call. The pricing was competitive and very fair, and attention to detail was much appreciated. Robert and his crew did the installation. We are extremely impressed with the entire process. The install crew took great care to cover the floors and anything that might be affected. Robert does meticulous work and pays attention to every possible detail. He did an artist’s job of routing wiring and plumbing lines, many of which are invisible, both inside and outside the house. He was careful to exercise and test the system (both heating and cooling) to ensure they function properly, and the city building inspector was satisfied and happy with the work. We are happy that we will be able to rely on this Trane system to keep us comfortable, as installed by First Call, for many years to come.

Just to be clear, these 5 stars are for Corey Green and his partner (sorry, I didn’t catch his name) who were the 6^th and 7^th First Call employees that were out to my house over the span of 4 days. It was a rough week being without heat in the middle of December, just one issue after another but Corey and partner were extremely kind, friendly and listened to the whole clusterpoo of a story before doing a full inspection to ensure that I would have heat from then on. After 5 people before them and multiple problems and solutions, they were the ones who went above and beyond what they had to do to deliver excellent customer service. In all honesty, before they arrived, the plan was to utilize another heating company in the future, but the personalized and thorough service, knowing I can call and request this specific service man, saved this customer. Thanks guys!

New Trane XV95 Gas Furnace and XR13 AC installed recently. Steve was my sales guy and Robert did my install. Steve was prompt, courteous, knowledgeable and professional. Laid out my options nicely with no pressure. Robert and the install team did a very nice job. Explained everything upfront and finished early. Walked us through everything that was done. Very helpful and knowledgeable. Very satisfied with the entire process. I used them prior to this for service on my old furnace and a friend recommended them for the install work. Bidding it out and they were competitive on pricing. Plan on using them for service.

First Call’s service desk is frustrating — — unhelpful and unapologetic! Today was my 7^th annual a/​c & heating tune-​up, scheduled between 1 – 4. At 1:30 I received a call from the service desk advising that my tech was «running late» At 4pm, still no service tech. So I called the service desk. They advised me that my tech was «running late», and they could not estimate when he would arrive.
Unforunately, this is my consistent experience with First Call. They installed my a/​c & heating 7 years ago. The installation and service have been very inconsistent. In my opinion, First Call is worse than the cable companies in terms of reliability.

I am always shocked that when something bad happens, everyone complains to anyone that will listen, but when it’s something great they keep it to themselves.
Well, I’m here to say First Call was AMAZING! We have always had, and hated electric baseboard heat. Why? No gas line on our street, but all that was about to change… First off, their rep Steve made a late Friday afternoon appointment because that was the only time we could both be there to meet with him. He was both knowledgeable and efficient, explaining our options along the way. We wanted natural gas and with one call Steve said no problem.
We knew the Trane System was going to be great, and the quote was very reasonable including incredible financing. But how many months would we have to wait? None… they scheduled to have it put in the same month. Really? So we signed the papers right away.
A couple weeks later, Northwest Natural is there putting in the gas line and meter, a few days later the First Call guys show up and boom, they are on it. Talk about professional and friendly at the same time. They covered my carpet so they didn’t track anything on it, and didn’t even get annoyed when my 4 year old grandson wanted to watch their every move and ask 20 questions. We had guessed they’d be there all week… nope; all new gas lines, ductwork, a gas furnace, central air, a new gas hot water heater and a filtration system for those of us with allergies, and it only took 3 days. I came home just as they were finishing the last day and had a chance to meet the crew…3 nicer guys you’d never meet.
My house hasn’t felt this nice since we bought it… thanks guys, you are awesome. Disregard the bad comments; they just don’t know how good you are!!!

Everyone I was in contact with at First Call was wonderful. I needed to schedule a furnace tune up as well as get heating oil for my tank. First Call scheduled a meeting for the same week with two separate people coming out with a window of 9am-​12am. I was pleasantly surprised then when at 9:01am I got a knock on the door for the guy to fill the tank! He was courteous and speedy. Immediately after he left I got a call saying the furnace technician was on his way and showed up around 9:30am (very impressive timeliness). The tech’s name was Brian and when he found out this was my first oil furnace he walked me through the basics of maintenance and upkeep and thoroughly explained everything. With such an awesome experience I won’t be going to anyone else for my furnace and oil needs.

I called first call after De Temple failure, one year changing pieces of our Lochinvar boiler that works randomly no matter what they did. We wanted to install a new system and forget about Lochinvar. They gave us a deal at not charge to find what the problem was, involving a representative of Lochinvar. Unfortunately they couldn’t fix it. I think that they did their best, gave us a good service and kept the promise of no charge if they can not make the boiler work. First Call install only Lochinvar and we are not willing to install it after spending more than thousand dollars and not having heating during a year. We would love to have them installing the new boiler. After dealing with some of the heating companies in Portland I think that they are honest and give a good customer service.

First Call is getting 2 stars because if they didn’t have the lowest price, they’d get 1 star.
This is my first Winter in a house that has oil heat. When I called FC, I asked if they could measure how much oil I had left since I didn’t know what my average use for a Winter was yet. They said it was no problem. I scheduled a delivery for today in the morning. I asked if they knew what time because I work nights and wanted to make sure I was up for the delivery. They asked about an afternoon delivery and I said I’d rather keep it in the morning to free up the rest of the day. No problem, they’ll be there by Noon at the latest.
12:30, no oil. I call. The woman on the phone asks me if I was «the guy in Glendale». No. She doesn’t even ask for my address but assures me that they’re on their way. No estimate of delivery time is available. She said «Obviously we’re very busy». I guess the «obviously» means that when it’s cold, people need oil but the schedule is only valid when the weather is warm.
2:30, driver shows up. Despite me telling them where the tank is (I later see this note on the receipt), the driver parks on the wrong street. Not a huge deal, I’m more concerned that I’ve been sitting at home for half the day waiting.
I ask the driver to measure the existing oil. He tells me that he sold his last measuring stick this morning. He said that if someone would have told him, he would have brought one to measure for me. I explain that I told someone. Later on the receipt I see a note to measure before filling. I end up using a wooden rod that I was going to install in a closet to measure the oil. Great.
I pay in cash. The driver doesn’t have change. «We don’t carry change. They didn’t tell you that?» Good thing I wasn’t paying in all $ 100 bills.
Chalk up the miscommunication up to whomever you want. I just don’t think anyone here cares. Next year I’ll try another company.

So, the good about this place:
Now, the bad: They just don’t care, and it runs right up to the top, or at least the almost-​top. The day that they came out to do the actual install was fine, but it was pretty clear that we didn’t get a top-​notch installation guy. We immediately noticed the massive amounts of cold air blowing out of the furnace (no, we would prefer to not cool the garage) and the drain from the pump blasting its water directly on the outdoor compressor unit. Not having ever had a house with an air conditioner (I’ve had a condo with one, but it was on the roof and I never saw it), I thought maybe these things were just normal. When the inspector from the city came out, he was actually very helpful and suggested that these items get fixed. It was one of the first times I actually felt like someone from the City of Beaverton was actually working for me rather than against me.
All of that was fine, though; nothing to give out a one-​star review over. What wasn’t fine was how they handled it. I called that very same day to get the corrections taken care of and a time scheduled for them to come out. I was told that Giselle would need to handle the scheduling and that she would call me back the next day. She didn’t. I was busy getting ready for a trip out of town due to a death in the family, so I didn’t call again right away. I called the next week and was told the same thing, but that she’d call first thing in the morning at around 7 – 7:30am. She called, but she called later in the morning when I was headed over the mountains and didn’t have service. Since I wouldn’t be around home, I had the boyfriend call her back. He wasn’t able to until two days later, but he did and talked to Giselle. This was Friday, May 24^th and she said she’d need to get to her schedule and that she’d call him back on Tuesday. Really? That’s weird, but whatever. She didn’t call back. She called back TWO WEEKS later on Friday, June 7^th. You see, she didn’t want to send someone out that fit the boyfriend’s schedule, she wanted to wait until I was back in town and schedule it on her terms. Great customer service!
Over that weekend (or at some point before, it was pretty cold, so we wouldn’t have noticed it earlier), we noticed that the air wasn’t actually working. Turns out it was just the circuit breaker that blew, but still, not encouraging.
So, I called her back on Monday and said I was tired of this game from them and wanted to actually get something taken care of. She was worthless and I asked to talk with her manager. This was when I realized the problem came from higher up. I talked to Buck and he was condescending and full of platitudes & colloquialisms. I felt no more reassured, but did get a time scheduled for the corrections that Thursday.
That Thursday started four days in a row of me needing to be home for them to show up and do their work. The first day, someone from Tri County Temp Control showed up to do the corrections (he explained that they had bought out First Call). I was happy enough, except he didn’t know about the circuit breaker blowing even though I had told Giselle (maybe Diane) and Buck about this. He did some sealing of the furnace cabinet and rerouted the drain to a gutter downspout, commenting that both should have been taken care of the first time. I asked him about the circuit breaker and he took a look at it. He said that a 15 amp breaker should never have been installed, it should have been a 25 amp. He said he’d have someone come out the next day. I asked if I could be at least warned when they’d come out and he asked if a one hour advance call would be acceptable. Fine. What I didn’t really think about until after was that he didn’t even check the indoor unit for leaks. When we turned it on, guess what was happening? It was better, but we were still cooling the garage.
Day three: No one ever showed up or called. Surprised? Me either. I called First Call and was told that they didn’t know there was anything wrong with it, but they’d send out an electrician on Monday between 8 and 10am. Fine.
Day four: The electrician shows up. He says «I don’t have a 25 amp circuit breaker, but let’s take a look at your unit.» You don’t have one with you? That’s the REASON YOU ARE THERE. He looked at the unit and told me that it should be fine, but he could «install the 20 amp breaker if it made me feel better.» We had the breaker blow after very little use, you aren’t just doing this to placate a crazy person, you condescending so-​and-​so. I told him to leave. He argued that he should just put the 20 amp in and I closed the garage door on him. I am more than done at this point. I call and yell. I’m told someone will be out the next day at 7:30am.
Day five: It’s finally taken care of, I think. We’ll see.
I have a lot more to say, but I’ve hit the character limit. Stay away from First Call. Far, far away. They don’t care about me or you or anyone else.

We’ve been using First Call for years. They sort of came with our house when we bought it, and we kept them on as our oil tank filler of choice. They did a good job of inspecting our furnace when we moved in, and showed us the ins and outs of owning a 1950’s model oil furnace. The only time we had to call them for oil was when we ran out of oil on New Year’s Day after some fairly heavy usage, and they showed up the next day to fill the tank. In fact, every time we called them for anything, they showed up pretty damn quickly.
When it came time to scrap the oil and get gassed up, we received bids from numerous installers/​contractors, and while First Call quoted us the most, we decided to go with them because they were offering us the most complete service. Our install (while always a noisy, intrusive job) was done in a very efficient manner. They had a different team for each aspect — removal, electrical, plumbing (for the condensate) and gas. So instead of two dudes trying to do all things, there was a small army of dudes in our basement working away.
While we totally miss our old oil heat (it’s SO much warmer), we’re very happy with the job that First Call did. From quote all the way through execution, it was smooth, on schedule and as-​advertised. Some of the other services we received bids from didn’t show up when scheduled, were slow to respond, etc. Typical contractor BS. So when faced even with a more expensive price, we opted to pay for the reliability and quality. They even worked with us a little bit on the price to come towards some of the other offers.
Overall I’m happy with First Call’s service on the oil delivery side and the gas install side. City inspector took about two seconds to check the install and all work and pronounced it a fine job. Fine indeed.

This business says they are reliable and professional? Not true in my opinion. I was sorely left in the cold with a broken furnace for four days waiting for them to make due on their appointment time. I kept getting pushed back. «You’re next on our list», «They are on their way» was the typical response without a visit from a technician. Next Call said they were coming at 3, by 8 the tech called and grumpily said he could come in the morning. Nothing. I called that evening to leave a message to make sure I got a visit the next morning. In the morning they didn’t call. I called early and they said someone might be able to come by 5pm. What kind of customer service is that? Shouldn’t I be a priority on their queue considering they didn’t fulfill my appointment time from the previous day? The only reason I waited so long was because they fixed my furnace last month and it was already broken and I wanted them to do it right this time. No more giving this business my business any more. No more second chances. First Call is not reliable and I won’t be calling. I’m cold!

I’ve been a customer of First Call since I purchased my old house 8 years ago. I didn’t choose them, it was the service that was at the house, so I stuck with it. I have the auto fill plan, which basically means they show up, whenever, to fill the tank. Along with this «service» is a yearly furnace tune up. Now, my furnace is a 1950’s model that has been gently rebuilt through the years, and still works like a dream, even has a decent efficiency, so this type of service is a definite must.
Each year since I’ve owned this house, I’ve asked them to provide me with some sort of measuring device so that I could determine how much oil I have and when I need to get more. They have never brought me this device, even though I’ve been told numerous times that they would provide this. I’m not sure if they don’t want me to have one so that I can double check that I’m really getting what they say I am. Based on their «customer service» I don’t trust that I am.
So, every year, I call for an annual tune up on the old furnace. Every year that I have called, I’ve been told by one of their many rude women who answer the phone that I’ve called too early and they are too busy with AC problems to help me now, and I’ll have to call later in the year. So, I call later in the year, only to be told by yet another rude woman on the phone that I’ve called too late and they are too busy dealing with heating problems to tune up my furnace. Um, isn’t that what you guys do? If so, then why is it such a big deal, and why do you feel the need to treat your customers like crap? For the past 8 years, I’ve gotten nothing but a rude comment to the point that I’ve had to be rude back to them in order to get them to come out and do the service that I am paying for in my contract. So, this year, I decided not to call them and it’s been so nice not having to deal with their rude office staff. But, I need a tune up on the old furnace.
Their service guys have been ok. There’s one older guy who seems to like my old furnace and takes especially good care of her. The younger guy was more focused on telling me about his breakup with his girlfriend than focusing on my old furnace. I think that was the year that the oil filter didn’t get changed. The next year the guy told me that filter hadn’t been changed. Great. Just great.
Back to this year, the holidays show up and I’m hanging with family for a couple of weeks out on the old farm. No cell service on the old farm in the middle of nowhere. I come back home to the city only to find a rude voice mail on my phone that I missed a payment, and unless I call them tomorrow, they will discontinue my auto fill plan. Really, I’ve been on vacation, and it’s the holidays, and you give me one day to call you back? Wow, what great customer service once again. So, I’ve been sitting here thinking about this and wondering why I’m putting up with their nasty rudeness? And I don’t have an answer for that, but I do have some phone numbers of the other oil companies I’ll be calling to set up new service, as I am done with their rudeness for good.

I am awaiting my third visit from these folks to fix my furnace. Each time they’ve come out they’ve done a temp fix that gets it back up and running, but they really don’t take the time to diagnose it.
I keep coming home to a cold house and it’s getting really frustrating. This is my last call to First Call.

Once the weather reached the 90s, our a/​c system started acting up. Using First Call before and having Great satisfaction with their service, we called them again. Although the weekend dispatcher was kind, she was a bit scatter-​brained when I scheduled an appointment for the following Monday. Come Monday morning, I received anither phone call asking how their service was and had to explain that we had not been serviced yet.
When our technician arrived, he was extremely professional and knowledgable. Although I had to pay for the weekday consultation ($ 95), our technician quickly solved the problem, giving us information on how to DIY in the future (we has a fuse blow). What’s more, he, unreluctantly, explained how to keep our system running in tip top shape ourselves. Great for first time home owners!
Overall, I’m impressed with the service I received and the knowledge I aquired while our technician visited us. (Thank you, Paul!)

Wow. I am surprised to read the bad reviews. I’ve had great/​good experiences with First Call.
Our first house came with a 1950’s oil furnace, which we had rebuilt by an independent furnace technician, who unfortunately disappeared after a few years. Thus, we were pretty scared when the furnace started making loud banging noises. Who would fix our furnace? It was almost impossible to find anyone who had the skills. Finally, I tried First Call, and was pleased to get a same-​day diagnostic appointment ($ 75 diagnostic fee). The tech specialized in oil furnaces, and had it running beautifully in no time. He took the time to explain everything he did, and helped us understand what maintenance was (and wasn’t) necessary to keep the furnace in tip-​top shape. It was a real education. My bill for all this? A mere $ 155 – the same price as an annual service visit.
Since then, we sold that house. The buyers wanted a gas furnace, and so we got a bid from First Call. The estimator was great, and the price was shockingly low – if we had known, we probably never would have done all the work on the old oil furnace. The estimator also told me how to evaluate the furnaces in the houses were were considering, especially how to discern if they could take the addition of an air conditioning system or not. Valuable stuff.
Our new house came with a gas system. I had out a First Call tech to do a tune up, and while he was fine, he did not «knock my socks off» in the way that the oil tech did. My parents use First Call for their gas furnace, and feel the same way.
So, that’s my report. It will be interesting to see if other reviewers agree with me, or the two other negative reviews that were up at the time of this post. I will tell you that, on a site I use where you have to pay to access reviews, First Call has across-​the-​board excellent reviews.

I’m a commercial customer, I had a contract to service two furnaces in a building. We’ve been a customer since around 2008, its 2012 and we’ve had to terminate them.
The main issue with this company is that their technicians are lazy, they kept billing us for ‘trip charges’ that i don’t believe happened. They would repeatedly claim that our keylock box didn’t have a key in it. I’d go check and find it working perfectly and key intact and working. This isn’t just once or twice, looking back its at least 6 times in the last two years. I think they would make excuses and just not show up to do the work, they want to collect on the invoice.
I went and took a look at my furnace, air filter stacked half an inch high with dust and grime, clearly they hadn’t been doing regular maintenance. They charge a ton for other services, i shouldn’t have to pay $ 150 in labor to have a new temperature controller installed, change wires, screw into wall, program, done in 20 minutes? Really that much labor? Not including the part.
We caught the company outright lying about the presence of keys right before we fired them.
This company has problems, avoid making them yours and steer clear of them. Their commercial service is awful. HVAC companies are plentiful, find somebody else.