Plumbing, HVAC
8 miles from downtown of Cold Spring, NY
Racquel Cooper says: „A bit of a different type of review. I have used this company previously for regular HVAC maintenance and have been satisfied. This past Sunday, I called them for a unique reason: one of my 4 month old foster kittens managed to displace the floor vent in my kitten room and had disappeared down my HVAC ductwork. I heard his brother crying on the baby monitor, and went to check on them when I discovered this and my heart dropped into my stomach. I called out to Parker, and I could hear him meowing, but I couldn't see him or feel him, even with my entire arm inside the vent. I turned off all my thermostats and called my friend, but despite our efforts at locating him, we had no idea where he was in the house.
I called Royal Class Service and initially they said they wouldn't be able to help because of liability issues, since there was a live animal involved. I think they took pity on me and could tell I was panicked, and called me back to say they'd reconsidered and would send someone out. They did quote me the emergency call price, since it was Sunday, and their technician, Craig, arrived shortly thereafter. He ran a camera down into the ductwork, and unfortunately, despite rolling out 25 feet of slack, there was no sign of Parker. We could still hear him purring, but everything echos in that maze of tunnels and we couldn't figure out where he was, and he couldn't follow our voices to the opening. Craig did check several other vents, the boiler room, and even my attic, but unfortunately we realized that Parker could be anywhere. I could tell Craig was worried (and dejected), but at that point the only option would be for him to start opening up my entire HVAC system and my walls, and I wasn't at that point...yet. He left - reluctantly - after apologizing for not being able to do more, and suggested that we give Parker a little time to calm down from all the strange voices and the racket of the camera being deployed. He also let me know that Royal Class wasn't going to charge me anything for the call.
About 30 minutes after he left, I decided to go into the adjoining bedroom and remove the vent cover, to see if perhaps Parker had moved closer to that side of the house. I also thought that if *we* couldn't decipher where he was based on his cries (he was no longer purring, but becoming increasingly distressed), because of how sound carried and was being distorted in the ductwork, then *he* probably wouldn't be able to locate us by sound either. Instead, I got my laser pointer and reached as far as I could into the vent and started waiving it around and calling to him. Within a minute or two, I heard a cry that sounded closer. I kept calling and shining the red laser around wildly, and about a minute later, I saw a little white head pop around a corner! Another meooowww, and Parker crawled closer to the opening and I was able to scruff him and pull him out of the vent! Thankfully he was unharmed, and after reuniting with his brother, Benji, had nothing but exciting stories to tell, the little pistol.
So although Royal Class wasn't able to locate Parker, I was truly touched by both the concern and effort shown by Craig, as well as by the fact that the company elected not to charge me a dime for sending someone out on a Sunday afternoon to try to assist with a kitty rescue. Moreover, I got a follow up text message on Monday from the company, inquiring as to whether I was able to rescue Parker. They said Craig was a cat enthusiast, and had been so upset that he couldn't find Parker. I shared the good news, as well as a picture of the culprit and his brother. I hear that my boys are quite popular with the team now, and have their own little fan club!
I was impressed by Royal Class Service's compassion and by Craig for his efforts and concern for my little guy. Every once in awhile, something happens that restores your faith in people's kindness, and this was definitely one of those times. Many thanks from me and from troublemaker Parker and his appreciative brother Benji...“ Show more