Consumer Reports and Goodman AC Units

If you are looking to replace your HVAC unit and have been doing any research you may have heard about consumer reports giving Goodman some low scores and high failure rates.

We still like Goodman products. We think that they have a phenomenal warranty and perhaps Consumer Reports was a little unfair in thier judgement. This is what Goodman had to say about it in a White paper they published in April 2012…

Judged, not Tested: Consumer Reports® Got it Wrong

If anyone is qualified to judge the reliability of a central air conditioning or heat  pump unit, it is the thousands of HVAC dealers and installers across the nation. HVAC dealers know best when it comes to making recommendations to  homeowners and most HVAC dealers believe in the Goodman® brand to deliver  value and reliable comfort to their customers. With some of the industry’s best limited product warranties*, units filled with features at an attractive price point, and millions of Goodman® brand systems installed over the years, it’s no wonder  why.

Consumer Reports® states in its website that it would be impractical for them to  provide brand and model ratings of central air conditioning systems due to the large number of variables (installation, home size, ductwork, etc.). So instead of talking to the most knowledgeable people (HVAC Dealers), they instead surveyed  some of their readers.  That’s why we believe the May 2012 issue of Consumer Reports® magazine got it wrong when they rated the Goodman®brand as less reliable than other brands –
based solely on some of their readers’ views, not the laboratory or field testing the magazine is known for. In fact, a few years ago Goodman® offered to provide the editors of Consumer Reports®
the facilities to create an independent HVAC testing facility. Curiously, they turned us down. Instead, when it comes to split HVAC systems, Consumer Reports® relies on sending long surveys exclusively to their readers who have agreed to complete a survey regarding a wide variety of topics  including central air conditioners and heat pump products