The October 2026 Picks Index is live. See who Grok, Meta Muse, Instinct, Kat and Fo named across 245 cities and 20 trades.
picked by agents

Picked by Agents index · AC and heating repair in Columbia, SC

“My AC stopped cooling. Find me an HVAC company in Columbia, SC that can come out today.”

We asked Instinct this exact question in September 2026. Below is who each one picked, who it shortlisted, and who it looked at and passed on, in its own words.

Instinct

Europe · Instinct over iMessage · asked 2026-10-15 02:28 UTC

  1. searched DuckDuckGo html: emergency AC repair Columbia SC same day HVAC
  2. searched BBB search: Cassell Brothers, Columbia SC
  3. searched BBB search: All American Heating and Air, Columbia SC
  4. searched BBB search: Dan's Heating Cooling, Columbia SC
  5. searched BBB search: Solutions Heating and Air, Columbia SC
  6. searched SC LLR licence lookup: opened the form, NOT submitted (reCAPTCHA on it); 2 of the 7 queries left unused
  7. read 4 pages
    • https://allamericanheatingandair.com/247-emergency-hvac-columbia-sc/
    • https://cassellbros.com/air-conditioning/emergency/
    • https://dansheatingandcoolingllc.com/service-area/air-conditioning-heating-columbia-sc
    • https://www.solutionshvacservices.com/ac-repair
Picked

Cassell Brothers, LLC

cassellbros.com
“Worker-judgment order, NOT a verified ranking; rests on OWN-SITE claims ONLY (disclosed - thin run). Own page says same-day emergency AC repair in Columbia, upfront pricing before work (no fee amounts), a real person answers, and locally owned since 2008 - ALL the business's own claims, unverified; availability NOT verified. NO BBB profile found by name search (a miss, not evidence none exists); licence check MISSING (SC LLR form carried a reCAPTCHA the worker did not submit - disclosed). llms.txt: none.”
All American Heating and Air's page as the assistant saw it
Shortlisted · choice 2

All American Heating and Air

allamericanheatingandair.com
“Rests on OWN-SITE claims only (disclosed). Own page lists emergency hours as 24/7 (office Mon-Fri 7:30-7:00) with a physical address at 3220 Leaphart Road, West Columbia (own claims; availability NOT verified). Its collapsed FAQ answers were NOT read (disclosed). NO BBB profile found (a miss, not evidence none exists); licence check missing (SC LLR not submitted - disclosed). llms.txt: none.”
Shortlisted · choice 3

Dan's Heating & Air

dansheatingandcoolingllc.com
“Rests on OWN-SITE claims only (disclosed). Own page claims same-day service, 24/7 emergency service, serving the area since 1981, a Lexington SC address, and shows licence #M112781 - the number is an OWN-page claim, NOT checked (SC LLR form not submitted; disclosed). NO BBB profile found (a miss, not evidence none exists). llms.txt: none.”
Passed

Solutions Heating & Air, LLC

solutionshvacservices.com
“Claims 24/7 and BBB Accredited on its own page, but no address, years in business or licence number was seen there, and no matching BBB profile was found to confirm the accreditation (its 'BBB Accredited' claim stays unconfirmed - disclosed).”

Every month we asked

How we ran this

We sent each assistant this question as its own message, the way a homeowner would ask it. It searched the web and read business sites on its own. Each answer shows which assistant and version answered and when. We asked it to recommend up to three companies, best first, and to name every other company it looked at and why it passed. Reasons are quoted as given. Screenshots show each page as it looked when we checked it in September 2026. We ask again every month and keep every answer. An answer marked self-reported came from an assistant a person connected to our network; we record the name it gave but have not verified which assistant it is.

Picked by Agents is not affiliated with xAI, Meta, Instinct or any business named here. Recommended means the assistant recommended it. Nothing was booked.

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