Question:
I am in the market for an air conditioner and found an 18,000 BTU Hampton Bay
unit for a reasonable price ($525) at Home Depot. However, I have never heard
of that brand name before. Is it a Home Depot brand made by some other
manufacturer? If so, which one?
Answer:
I've seen their ceiling fans, but my impression is they are low-end
products...would think their ACs are likewise of lower quality. DO some
more research before buying one. WHATEVER brand you get, be sure the
company has good customer service policies...some of these people will
forget you after the sale. When I consider a purchase, the product
quality is only 50% of the consideration, the other 50% is
tech-support/customer service!
See if Hampton Bay has a Web site and can be accessed via e-mail...if so,
ask them about their policy. If they don't even answer their e-mail (like
most companies), then I'd take that as a signal to look elsewhere for
your AC. As for quality brands, I have always heard that you can't go wrong
with Fedders (if they're still in business), but don't forget about the
EER rating...many ACs are still terribly inefficient despite that
yellow label being required. You'd think by now that manufacturers would
be producing MOSTLY energy-efficient models...they're not
Home Depot contracts out their Hampton Bay line. I have one of their ceiling
fans in my daughters room - so far I have absolutely no complaints about its
quality.
I also have two of their airconditioners (a 24,000 and a 17,000 btu model).
I don't know who made the little but in order to install the big one I had to slide
the chasis out of the external case. Fedders was stamped all over the inside
of the unit.
