Heating and Air Conditioning SystemsChoosing a Merchant

If you plan to purchase a heating or air conditioning system, ask your family and friends for recommendations of experienced and professional merchants.

Finding an experienced merchant

An experienced merchant :

• will be able to guide you in choosing the appliance and answer your questions;
• will be able to calculate the house’s heating or cooling load;
• has taken appropriate training;
• is an authorized dealer for the sale of the parts and appliances they offer.

Do not trust companies that give you only a telephone number to reach them. In case of a problem, you could have trouble tracking down the merchant.

Shop around at different merchants. Compare prices, features of the appliances, warranties offered, energy savings promised, etc.

Check if the merchant possesses the required licenses

Make sure the person installing your appliance holds the appropriate license. It may be one of the following licenses :

• licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec;
• licence from the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (in French only);
• licence from the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec (in French only).

These organizations issue licenses to people after verifying their professional competency.

Verify whether the contractor has an itinerant merchant license

Did you conclude an agreement with an itinerant merchant? This type of merchant must have a license from the Office de la protection du consommateur and provide a written contract.

A person is considered an itinerant merchant if they solicit your business outside of their actual offices, for example, if they come to your home without your requesting it.

Getting informed about a merchant

You can get further information about a merchant using the tool Get information about a merchant.By entering the name of a merchant into the tool, you will know :

• if they are licensed, in the case of an itinerant merchant;
• if the Office has previously intervened with them;
• if it has received formal notices from other consumers.

Getting information about warranties offered and after-sales service

Check out the length and coverage of the warranties offered. They vary from one manufacturer to another.

Find out about the quality of after-sales service. You can, if needed, ask for references from customers of the business.