FRNC - Sterling, Virginia

Sam B

My family and I recently moved into a new build home and our builder used FRNC (formerly Falcon Heating and Air) for our HVAC warranty which covered our first two years in the home. My experience with them has been nothing short of terrible and I would not recommend them for HVAC solutions.

Our first summer in the house (2023) our upstairs AC stopped working. It would turn on but no cold air was emitting and the outdoor unit would freeze. FRNC was contacted and came out to address the issue. The technician recommended we change our filters, which we did, in hopes of resolving the problem. Less than 2 weeks later FRNC came out again because the unit was still not functioning properly. The tech determined that the “Freon was not fully charged at installation” so he filled it up with Freon and went on his way. Thankfully the AC worked the rest of the summer.

This summer our same unit stopped working in late June, again it would turn on but not blow out cold air and the outdoor unit would freeze over. FRNC was contacted and found a small leak in the attic unit, tightened things, and gets the unit working. A few weeks later the unit stopped working. Tech came out, can’t find the root cause but filled the unit up with Freon and said it’s “fixed” and to call if it happened again. Approximately one week later the unit stopped working AGAIN. Because FRNC can’t come out for another 8 days, we are in the middle of a July heatwave and are desperate for answers, we paid for a third party to take a look. The third party quickly finds a “significant leak” in our outdoor unit coil. I made FRNC aware of this finding in hopes of getting it replaced quickly to which they replied “they do not take advice from third parties” and they need to see it for themselves. FRNC returned to check the unit 8 days later and confirmed the leak. They placed an order for a replacement coil and estimated “3-5 days” until the part is received. For the next three WEEKS I called FRNC daily asking for a timeline of the replacement and was never given answers, or any sympathy. I asked twice to speak with a supervisor in hopes to escalate the issue but my voicemails were never returned. Truly, I have never felt so helpless and defeated. We were without AC for 3 weeks before I was told to contact my builder because there were “no other solutions they can provide” other than to wait indefinitely for the replacement part. At that point the builders got involved and pushed for them to replace our entire unit. All that said- we were completely without AC for a total of 4 WEEKS, during the hottest part of the year, and without reliable AC for a majority of the summer. I have two toddlers whose bedrooms, on average, would be 85 degrees.

FRNC was negligent in finding the root cause of this issue. Not only this, they showed zero sympathy or understanding that their delay was causing significant inconveniences on my family. Not a single response from management. Even more, after speaking with other neighbors in the community I’ve learned of at least two other homes that have had faulty systems and FRNC would fill up their Freon for a temporary fix. Inevitably the units broke again, but this time outside of the warranty window so they were asked to pay thousands of dollars for labor, etc.

If it were just my family with this experience I might think it’s a fluke, but this has happened within my community before. Their reputation in my community is considered “shady” and I would cautious anyone before doing business with them.

great white buffalo

FRNC was the contractor my builder used to install the HVAC in my new home. The one time I had an issue with the system, the FRNC tech was very kind, professional, and fixed the issue. Turns out the issue wasn't even caused by FRNC, but another contractor. They still fixed it when they were there.