Testimonials

To Whom it May Concern:

This is a very enthusiastic letter of recommendation for the Vigilair company that installed February 3, 2015. A complete heating and cooling system in my home, replacing the previous twenty-year old system. I decided to wait until this date (August 8, 2015) to write this letter to first see how the system and the company performed. If you don’t care to read the rest of this letter and want to skip to the bottom line-I rate the company, including Suzy, Robert, and all of the technicians, a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10, in terms of quality, responsiveness, and price.

I am a frugal consumer and made many calls to various companies before finding VigilAir through a YELP review. My research included obtaining a number of proposals from companies rated as “Gold” or “Silver” from the Edison website as well as other local companies in my area. The Edison-recommended companies came from as far away as Irvine, CA to submit proposals. The Edison-rated companies presented me with many complex printouts related to “engineering” the system and having independent companies perform required independent analyses of their installation to meet STAR energy guidelines. Most of the proposals were for between $10,000-$16,000.

In contrast to the Edison companies, and other local companies, Robert Vigil’s communication and quote to me was to the point, emphasizing how since he provides the proposal as well as the service, and with Mrs. Vigil handling the administrative end, they are able to keep prices at about 50% to 60% of their competitors. I had the choice of name brand systems or generically named systems made by the same manufacturer. The thermostat was also generic, with upgrades to any name brand I wanted to choose. 

Their quote included complete removal of the old system, duct work, and an installation of the new system in the attic, now considered superior to closet installation, which also freed up an additional closet for me. I decided on a Day & Night 16 seer system. The installation included all new duct work, wiring to the new compressor, a drainage line, new vents, a new thermostat, and an installation of an easy to access filter cover in the ceiling of my hallway, of importance, at no extra charge. The Vigils provide an extended warranty on all labor/parts whereas other companies provide only minimal follow up protection without significant extra charges.  Attic installation was only $100! Again, the bottom price was 1/2 of the average estimate from the other companies. 
I was also impressed with Robert’s full time work as an installer, having done these systems for major retail stores who have exacting standards for their installers, for more than thirteen years.

Robert and his team arrived at 8AM and proceeded to move so smoothly along in how they removed and installed the equipment  that they were done by approximately 3:30pm. At no extra charge, Robert ran an extra duct from my roof to my microwave outlet to seal a small hole in the roof. I did not realize how professional they were until I saw a competing company attempt the same installation at a neighbor’s house recently. They started in the morning and were still there at 9PM that evening! I have never had such professional construction/technical work done in any of the homes I have owned, including when I undertook a major remodeling of my home three years ago. Please note that all of their work is up to code for permit purposes.

Mr. and Mrs. Vigil followed up recently and came to my house last week to adjust the airflow and reduce the noise of the system, including moving the new compressor from it’s present location to near the garage (away from the bedrooms). There will be no charge for this significant change to their installation. They also came to my house on another occasion to check the filter (it’s still clean) and assist me with thermostat adjustment.

Since 2/2015 the system has been working flawlessly. I have the peace of mind knowing that all duct work is clean with reduced particulates coming into my home, given the air quality of Los Angeles. A point I wish to make regarding estimates from any company trying to sell you on how much money you will save with a new system: this all depends on your home square footage, number of people in the home, and how much time you spend at home. In my case I have not seen a dramatic energy savings (though there is some). As such, saving so much money on the system has made even more sense. I cannot emphasize enough how important talking to any company is about the length of their labor/parts warranty. You will not know how committed the company is to their own product if they are not willing to provide you with an extended coverage period for not only the parts but their own labor. No other company came close to the guarantee on their labor that ViigilAir provided me.

Susy and Robert both have told me that they purposely do not want their business to grow to the point where it becomes impersonal. I was told that  they are attempting to transition to developing their own customer base (now about 50% of the work they do) possibly to the point where they would no longer contract for other companies. I sincerely hope that their business model of integrity, quality, honesty, and low prices does not change in the future given the future growth that I’m sure will occur.