Metropolitan Air Conditioning

They were on A Current Affair. Consumer Affairs is onto them already.

They did a great job fixing and cleaning our air conditioning system, and they even added a new prion. The team was professional, efficient, and our unit now runs perfectly.

Made a booking through Metropolitan. Mr Emergency arrived instead. Do not use this service. Quoted over $2000 to diagnose the issue, not fix it, + $140 booking fee. The job was completed by a different company for $230 without a call out fee. Don't waste your time or money.

Talked us into replacing an evaporative system with a less suitable model when existing could have been fixed. Amount charged significantly greater than it could have been installed (appropriately) for. Metropoiltan installed the system onto existing infrastructure leaving the system much higher than the previous model (6ft plus off the roof), exposed to weather and ugly. Have quoted 8k to re install correctly.

Metropolitan Air Conditioning – Predatory Sales Tactics, Avoid!



I want to warn others about my terrible experience with Metropolitan Air Conditioning and their predatory sales tactics.



I originally called them to fix a leak in my air conditioning system. The technician came out and charged me $1,449 for a “rejuvenation” service, which they claimed was necessary. However, this did not fix the issue—within weeks, my system failed again.



When I called them back, a different technician admitted that the real issue was the condensate pump and that it should have been diagnosed in the first visit. Instead, they had overcharged me for a service that was completely unnecessary.



The Shocking Sales Tactics



Instead of simply replacing the condensate pump, the technician tried to upsell me a completely new system for $7,950 (Mitsubishi brand). When I hesitated, he suggested:

⚠️ Why not remove the condensate pump altogether and relocate the entire system?

⚠️ Why not take advantage of “interest-free payments” to upgrade?



This was nothing short of predatory sales behavior—inflate the service, make the repair seem unreasonable, then pressure the customer into buying an entirely new unit.



The Real Cost vs. Their Overcharging

• They quoted me $1,800 for a condensate pump replacement (market price is under $500).

• I later got a reputable company to quote the same job for $850—less than half of what they charged!

• They pushed me toward a $7,950 unit replacement instead of fixing the real issue.



Key Issues with Their Service:



❌ Misdiagnosis & Overcharging – Instead of identifying the actual issue, they performed an unnecessary service to inflate costs.

❌ Predatory Upselling – Rather than replacing a single part, they pushed for a full system replacement I did not need.

❌ Unethical Financing Offers – They lure customers into expensive, unnecessary upgrades with “interest-free payments.”

❌ No Accountability – When confronted, they refused to acknowledge their misdiagnosis and inflated pricing.



Final Verdict:



Metropolitan Air Conditioning is NOT a trustworthy company. Their business model is based on inflating service costs, misleading customers, and pushing unnecessary replacements rather than providing honest repairs. Avoid them at all costs.



If you’ve had a similar experience, I strongly recommend reporting them to Consumer and Business Services (CBS) South Australia and leaving a review to warn others. This is NOT how an ethical business operates.

Charged me a $140 call out fee for the person to arrive and tell me I had to spend $2,200 on an air conditioning rejuvenation before they would look at my fault. Let them leave and then booked a service in with another company for $380. Clear and blatant scam to get $140 for 10 minutes off as many people as possible.

They will charge $140 for a call out fee and then charge a ridiculous amount to inspect the problem and complete a ‘service’ of the unit. I was then quoted over $9k to replace some parts and then nearly $20k to replace the airconditioning unit. A respectable HVAC electrician charged a third to complete the job.

I received a quote for $23,000 minimum to install a single 9kw air conditioner in my house. The location of the proposed unit was above the stove.

Preposterous.

We had a technician from Metropolitan arrive at our home and provide what can best be described as a cursory glance at the outdoor a/c units and some of the indoor ceiling vents. The cooling was actually working but not as cool as it had been in the past so we believed it just needed a service. The technician from Metropolitan then told us that he would need to clean and rejuvenate the system at a cost of $3939. When I questioned him on what parts that included he said there were none so I asked how long the “rejuvenation package” would take and he said about half a day. He could not provide an answer when I questioned him as to what was included in a labour quote of nearly $1000 per hour, other than to say it might be a little less on the day. He had absolutely no idea of what he was talking about, and he mumbled and stumbled around the question. He was only interested in taking a $200 payment as a deposit. $3939 is too specific an amount to 1) not include a breakdown and 2) not be anything more than a made up number designed for gullible people. I would recommend that anyone requiring a/c servicing, etc, gives Metropolitan the widest berth possible. A total sham!

Avoid - seriously dodgy service (borderline scam), way way overpriced (4 times the price of next closest quote), staff who turned up were cocky and rude and also…



-make you pre-pay a $150 callout fee (this only includes them turning up, no actual works completed at all)



-operating under 3 different business names in one callout metropolitan, Mr emergency and plumbing and gas pty Ltd



-quotes are rediculous, basic clean and service $1900 (with a very vague quote with no actual information of works listed other than “rejuvenation” and when asked what a rejuvenation was “ah we go in, fluid levels and parts and that and then quote for parts as needed on top” so that $1900 plus parts…



-I have written three emails to them since their visit requesting information and contact and have heard nothing.



Do not use them, the biggest scam and I don’t know how it’s even allowed. Go local with someone else who will treat you properly.