Distinct Heating & Cooling

I took a while to write this review just so that I could make sure everything was OK, we have had our AC unit now for approx 3 months now.

We called Nate for a quote based on the HomeStars reviews that Distinct had received. Nate was professional and courteous throughout the process, he was very upfront that they might be a little more expensive but explained why as well. (You can see the struggle in Nate trying to sell his services, while trying not to sound arrogant and he never put another company down for their practices. He is simply confident in his guys doing the job correctly and the practices they follow.) After we had received all our quotes we ended up choosing Distinct as their quote was not far off as they recommended a smaller unit then everyone else had (3 ton vs 3.5, that even during the 30+ degree weather we were having did not tax the AC unit in the least, it was still shutting off so the unit certainly was not undersized). Distinct was the only company that took window measurements and coverings into consideration as they use some software to size the units.

The installers came by and they were both fantastic, they were polite, made sure that everything was clean and tidy and all was working well. They had even taken the time to clean up the previous humidifier install so that everything was run cleanly, they do not just look at the job they are doing, but how to make sure they leave everything better.

A few days later Nate came by for the walk through/check and he made time to add in the internet controller for the thermostat (that I decided on last minute) and got it set up and running. He did a great job of explaining the thermostat and how it worked with the other sensors and answered all the questions I had.

We had one small issue of a loose screw on the unit that was making noise, when I talked to Nate he wanted to look at it right away and not leave it, I was not too concerned as I had removed the screw and noise stopped. (This was a manufacturing issue, not an install issue) The installer that came back to fix it was great as well, he replaced the screw but could not match it so he ran to Home Depot to get screws for the rest of the holes so that they would match, as the ones he could get were chrome, he painted them to look as close to stock as possible. I honestly would have been fine with them mismatched but this just showed me that these guys really do treat your equipment as their own, they want it done right, the way they would want it done themselves (techs words).

As every transaction is not perfect, the only negative we had was that we waited a week or so before getting back to them as we were getting other quotes and they filled up quickly with all the 30 degree weather bumping our install out a couple more weeks, our fault not theirs for being busy :)

I am in a new development and having dealt with some of the poor quality, low service contractors, this experience was a nice change of pace. These guys go out of their way to make you happy and from what I see, do excellent work. They leave things better than they were, not just in and out to finish their job as fast as possible. (This is a compliment to Nate for hiring guys that care as much as he does) Maybe Distinct is a little more pricey? I don't think by much if at all, the quality places were all about the same price. The discount places were cheaper, but when they tell me they install in 4hrs or less and the quality places say it is a full day install, I question the discount guys quality. With the level of service they provide, I will certainly use their services in the future to keep my furnace and AC in top shape. Nice to see contractors still caring about service in Calgary and surrounding area, we are in Okotoks.