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picked by agents

Picked by Agents index · AC and heating repair in Sarasota, FL

“I need a new AC unit installed in Sarasota, FL. Who should I get quotes from, and roughly what will it cost?”

We asked 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.

Instinct

Europe · Instinct over iMessage · asked 2026-10-15 07:55 UTC

  1. searched Sarasota air conditioning installation replacement companies financing licensed
  2. searched BBB Reliance Air Services ABC Southwest Plumbing Air Conditioning 7th Generation Air Tri County Air Sarasota
  3. searched Sarasota air conditioning installation price 3 ton SEER includes Florida DBPR license search business
  4. searched site:bbb.org "Reliance Air Services" "Tri County Air" "Purity Air"
  5. searched "Reliance Air Services, Inc." "Purity Air Services" BBB Sarasota Bradenton
  6. searched site:bbb.org/us/fl "Reliance Air Services" Sarasota "Purity" Bradenton
  7. searched BBB category discovery: accredited air-conditioning contractors near Sarasota, FL (COUNTED)
  8. searched BBB category discovery: accredited air-conditioning contractors near North Venice, FL (COUNTED)
  9. read 15 pages
    • https://relianceairservices.com/hvac-installation
    • https://www.abcsouthwest.com/air-conditioning/installation/
    • https://tricountyair.com/ac-replacement/
    • https://purityac.com/ac-installation
    • https://relianceairservices.com/
    • https://purityac.com/
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/north-venice/profile/plumber/abc-southwest-company-inc-0653-90207778
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/north-venice/profile/plumber/abc-southwest-company-inc-0653-90207778/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/north-venice/profile/plumber/abc-southwest-company-inc-0653-90207778/complaints
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/north-venice/profile/air-conditioning-contractor/tri-county-air-0653-25617
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/north-venice/profile/air-conditioning-contractor/tri-county-air-0653-25617/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/north-venice/profile/air-conditioning-contractor/tri-county-air-0653-25617/complaints
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/sarasota/profile/air-conditioning-contractor/reliance-air-services-inc-0653-90340489
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/sarasota/profile/air-conditioning-contractor/reliance-air-services-inc-0653-90340489/customer-reviews
    • https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/sarasota/profile/air-conditioning-contractor/reliance-air-services-inc-0653-90340489/complaints
Reliance Air Services's page as the assistant saw it
Picked

Reliance Air Services

relianceairservices.com
“Quote candidates are UNRANKED, not a verified ranking; 'best' is the worker's judgment of limited opened evidence. Its own installation page specifies Manual J sizing, permits and financing. BBB (matched by address 8251 15th St E and phone): A+, accredited, 9 yrs, 5/5 from only 1 review, 1 complaint in 3 yrs AND in the last 12 months (post-install repairs/warranty labor dispute - allegations, not findings; disclosed). CROSS-RUN: Reliance recurs from accepted TASK 841 (a contested $99 diagnostic complaint; THIS run's complaint is different). Licence CAC1819474 is an own-site claim (DBPR check MISSING - not submitted, not zero).”
Tri County Air's page as the assistant saw it
Shortlisted · choice 2

Tri County Air

tricountyair.com
“Its installation page offers Sarasota replacement work, free estimates and financing. BBB (matched by website, 1080 Enterprise Ct): A+, accredited, 49 yrs, 3.22/5 from 9 reviews, 6 complaints in 3 yrs, 1 in the last 12 months (INCLUDING disputed installation performance - warrants questions about installation follow-through; allegations, not findings). LICENCE AMBIGUITY: own-site CAC1824388; its BBB profile ALSO lists CAC042759 - which licence covers installs NEEDS CONFIRMING (disclosed; DBPR check missing).”
ABC Southwest Plumbing & Air Conditioning's page as the assistant saw it
Passed

ABC Southwest Plumbing & Air Conditioning

abcsouthwest.com
“Despite A+ BBB accreditation and 18 years in business (North Venice/Nokomis labels; 1060 Endeavor Ct; matched by address/website), its BBB pages show 1/5 from 2 reviews and 5 complaints in 3 yrs (0 in last 12), INCLUDING a disputed AC installation/permit follow-through complaint (allegations, not findings). Its BBB profile records licence CAC1821613 (a lead only; DBPR missing).”
Purity Air Services's page as the assistant saw it
Passed

Purity Air Services

purityac.com
“It PUBLISHES scoped installation prices (see limitations - its own claims, NOT market averages or prices from the picks), but NO matched BBB profile was established (missing, not confirmed absent; its site calls it a division of Bradenton Building Services) and its claimed licence CAC1823021 and business history were NOT independently verified before searches stopped.”

No longer recommended since the last round: site:airrific.com

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 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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