First Choice Contracting

First Choice Contracting operates as an electrician based in San Antonio, Texas. They handle electrical work tied to home systems including air conditioning and heating equipment for both new construction and existing houses. Local weather puts heavy demands on these setups with long stretches of extreme heat that require solid power delivery and reliable connections. The company has taken on jobs for custom homes in subdivisions where builders assign the electrical side of cooling installs. Homeowners there face frequent needs for warranty support on units that start acting up soon after move in.

They install air conditioning units sized for specific square footage and respond to service calls on heaters that fail during cold snaps. Work includes running the wiring and hookups for these systems along with follow up visits when knocking noises develop or units underperform. Customers have reported issues like a two ton unit placed in a sixteen hundred sixty three square foot home and repeated attempts to schedule maintenance that gets pushed days or weeks out. Phone contacts often route through staff like Rita with messages left about warranty checks that go unanswered while problems persist in brand new builds.

Homeowners consistently note shortfalls in response speed when units break during peak seasons and weak communication around warranty follow through that leaves issues unresolved for months. Quality draws criticism from improper sizing and persistent noise after install while overall value suffers from the delays and extra calls needed. These patterns across multiple jobs explain the lower marks in key areas. DIRT Score 2.35 from 16 reviews on Finds.

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“1st Choice won the bid to install our units for our custom home with Weston Dean (another reason I don't recommend this company for home building). We have been dealing with a loud knocking noise for months in our brand new, less than a year old home. We put in multiple warranty requests. The builder/warranty company hired a plumber to be sent out, and he said it was an HVAC problem. When we relayed that back to Pro Home (another company we don't recommend), they forwarded it to 1st Choice as they were the company who installed our system. Right off the bat, the extremely curt, unprofessional customer service rep responded that it was our fault for not doing the appropriate homeowner maintenance. How she decided that without even asking or having information to support that was beyond us. As previous homeowners and a family with compromised immune systems and two asthmatics, we change both of the unit's filters every 30 days, which is more than recommended. We also do the appropriate flushing of our pipes and cleaning of the coils at the same time. We pressed to have someone come out. 1st Choice scheduled an appointment that their tech was late for. When we called to find out when he would arrive, he attempted to blow us off and "walk us through what was wrong" over the phone instead of coming out like he was scheduled to. My husband insisted he come, and he did. He never looked at our units, inside or out, but instead stood on our patio trying to tell us that it was some complicated flushing that was required of us. Something neither Weston Dean, Pro Home, NOR 1st Choice told us to do or gave us any literature for. We gave him the benefit of the doubt and did exactly as he said. We had water flowing like an open faucet from our drain line within a week. The knocking/gurgling noise was back with a vengeance. We relayed this to all parties involved and hired a fourth party to get to the bottom of the issue. After hiring an independent inspector to provide a second opinion on the noise coming from the HVAC unit, we were informed it was the improper installation of the main drain line that was causing the sound all along. The pitch was incorrect, which never allowed the trap to fill, causing the annoying noise we had been dealing with for months. This new company, Stay-Cool, which we DO recommend, was able to fix it on the spot. Had 1st Choice techs taken the time to evaluate the whole system, instead of blaming the homeowner and plumber, we would have solved this long ago. 1st Choice is fine with cutting corners and cannot be trusted to do their contracted jobs. When you try to hold them accountable, they attempt to blame you or the home builder. This time, they can't because they were the ones paid to properly install the drain line. Something that should be a basic HVAC job. I do not recommend this company.”

“Bad service I call today spoke to Rita left messages with her have a/c issues need to check warranty said the warranty dept will call me back never call me. They also install this 2 ton unit which this home has 1663 Sq ft which is way to small for the footage.. Guys look very close with this company what they tell you But they charge the home builder And buyers are stuck with this big problem. Be very careful with this company By the way the heating system had a 5kw heating element can you imagine. Never heat up in winter. Sorry team learners cause they are not certified technicians.....”

“Warning: Long detailed review. I've tried to hold my tongue and give them the benefit of the doubt. However, the phone call I received today was the last straw. We have been dealing with this company since 01/06/2025. Our heater in our brand-new home went out that day, the start of the coldest week in Texas. I called first choice and at first, they were very nice. They got someone out there that day. The first technician was there for about 4 hours. He diagnosed a problem; said we needed a new part and that it would be here later this week. Sure fine, he said he did a bypass that would allow us to still have heat until then. Later that day, that bypass failed. I called first thing the next day, there was nothing they could do until the part came in. We sat by our single space heater while our house stayed around 65 degrees. Friday comes around, and we get a call early in the morning that the part was in but we couldn't get on the schedule until Monday. I complained, that was ridiculous, coldest week of the year and we have to wait until Monday? She found a way to squeeze us in on Friday. The guy comes out, installs the new part, and replaces our thermostat? Great, right? (wrong) I come back home about 2 hours later, its BURNING in our house. The thermostat is reading 92 degrees. I try to turn off the heater, nothing. I had to shut it off at the emergency switch outside. I call Frist choice again, they send someone else out there. They replaced the thermostat again. We go the weekend and notice the thermostat is reading 87, burning to the touch, and we are in winter coats in our house (but they're closed on the weekend) I call on Monday and two more guys come out and they spend 4 hours there and determine we need another new part and switched our thermostat again. The lead guy also stated he needed to contact Lennox because he did some sort of bypass that isn't normal or good for the unit and he would be in contact with me soon. I went 3 weeks hearing absolutely nothing from them. I tried to email them and I got (the only helpful lady Kathia, Thank you) she gave me the email of the manager. After an email to him I got a phone call from the lead tech within an hour. He said the part is on back order and won't get here till middle of February, but he'll call me next week to keep me updated. Never heard from him... for 2 weeks. I finally called and got a hold of the front desk.. part is delayed... part finally arrives but they can't fit us in until Wednesday. Today is Wednesday, I get a call this morning, that our tech isn't coming in today and we have to be rescheduled until Friday or Monday. Almost 2 full months without a properly working/running heater during the coldest months of the year. Absolutely TERRIBLE communication. Unfortunately, if we don't want to pay for the repairs we have to stick with them. But if you have a choice. Choose otherwise.”

“Kb Homes used this company to install our A/C in our subdivision (2018) which I wished they never did. Everytime I've called for their required maintenance service (due to warranty) they have to schedule the following day or the following week. Now that my A/C went out in this Hot Texas Heat I'm told the soonest for them to service my A/C will be tomorrow (even when I called immediately at 8am when they opened).... Well unfortunately I'm having to use another A/C company to service my unit today that of course won't cover the warranty but there's no way I will have my family without an A/C in this heat for another day.”

“Don't recommend this company. Recommendation is Air & Plumbing Today! I would give a zero star rating if available. 1st choice installed my HVAC system and decided to block off the ducts to my downstairs and one upstairs bedroom, due to greed. Their agenda seems clear, nickel and dime your customers to make money by requiring the customer to have to return due to continued issues. See photos below for proof. Fortunately I called Carlos from Air & Plumbing Today and he got me taken care of. He used to work for them and left pretty quickly due to this very reason.”