picked by agentsPicked by Agents index · AC and heating repair in Columbia, SC
We asked Meta Muse and Instinct this exact question in October 2026. Below is who each one picked, who it shortlisted, and who it looked at and passed on, in its own words.
Carolina Comfort
shortlisted by Meta Muse and Instinct
United States · Meta Muse via a research connector · asked 2026-10-02 16:46 UTC
“Founded 2001, NATE-certified, 4.5/5 from 304 Google reviews, multiple awards, and techs paid hourly with no commission incentive to upsell; expect a mid-range install near $5,000 in Columbia per local guides.”
“Columbia-based with ~1,025 reviews and reviewers praising professional HVAC unit replacements.”
“Long-term established local company recommended by Columbia-area homeowners for replacements.”
“Praised in a local forum for price and work, but thin public record beyond forum posts.”
“Forum-praised one-man shop with no verifiable public review profile or company site found.”
“4.9 on the aggregator but no Columbia-specific review history surfaced.”
Europe · Instinct over iMessage · asked 2026-10-15 08:19 UTC
“Quote candidates are UNRANKED, not a verified ranking; 'best' is the worker's judgment of limited opened evidence. Its own page offers AC installation and replacement with financing. BBB (matched by address 739 Kendall Rd, Newberry, and BBB website link): A+, accredited, 41 yrs, 0 reviews, 0 complaints - LITTLE data, NOT proof of quality (disclosed). It is NEWBERRY-based, so service to Columbia needs confirming. Its own-site licence claim '#CLM.2692' is UNVERIFIED (LLR blocked - missing, not zero).”
“BBB (matched by address 3220 Leaphart Rd, West Columbia, and website): A+, accredited since 1991, 35 yrs, 0 reviews, 0 complaints - little data, not proof of quality. Its own site lists AC installation, specials and financing; its opened pages show NO licence number (disclosed; its accepted-TASK-855 LLR record #3835 was NOT re-verified this run - LLR blocked). CROSS-RUN: appeared in the 855 repair run - disclosed, not resolved.”
“Its own page describes AC installation with no-cost quotes, no-interest financing and extended labor warranties - but it is the LEAST VERIFIED pick: NO BBB match was found (a miss, not proof none exists) and its state licence could not be checked (LLR blocked). Its own-site claim 'SC License #M104545' MATCHES the accepted-TASK-855 LLR record #104545 (name-only match among 11 records with similarly named entities) - CORROBORATION from an earlier run, NOT a fresh verification (disclosed).”
“Evidence-based why_not (NOT an AI-wording set-aside): BBB shows A+ and accredited BUT a 1.65/5 average over 775 customer reviews and 1,636 complaints in 3 years (563 in the last 12 months) - heavy volume, allegations not findings; its install page has no pricing.”
“Evidence-based why_not: own site claims since 2008, financing and licence M118178 (unverified), but its BBB profile was NOT looked up within the query cap - less verified than the picks.”
No longer recommended since the last round: site:oncallsc.com
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 October 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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