Good advice from all above. This client has probably pulled this trick a time or two with other contractors. And the "high ground" advice is good. However, if you feel you are being intentionally slandered, it may be a good idea to try and learn more about whether the slander is related to the lost business you mentioned, and if so, some action may be warranted. If there was a settlement, there was probably a clause indicating that the terms of the settlement were confidential. There may be other language in the settlement intended to protect you and your company from exactly what is happening now. If that is the case, I personally would not hesitate to have my lawyer fire off a letter to remind the deadbeat to knock it off. Finally, the "lost client" may come back. If they were good clients, write a light, breezy note to thank them for their past business and let them know that you look forward to working with them again in the future if the opportunity ever arises. Then leave them alone. There's a good chance, that if your service is as good as you claim it is, they will come back to you.

No one's answered yet, so I'll give it ago. I have a long slope, ten to fifteen feet deep by I have no idea but estimate over 100 feet long. could be a lot more, I'm bad at estimating distances like this. Anyway, it was once planted with periwinkle and juniper. Then neglected for years. This is our third year in this house and I finally got a handle on it. The weeds I had to deal with were: garlic mustard, weedy grasses, wineberry, poison ivy, bedstraw, queen anne's lace, dandelions, virginia creeper etc. I started by roundup brush killer on the poison ivy, virginia creeper, and winebery. In the beginning I was brushing it on the foliage with a paintbrush. I graduated into spraying as carefully as I could, cutting out any juniper or periwinkle I might have hit in error when it turned brown. I had a large area and became very impatient! And I pulled as many weeds as possible, sometimes I got roots, sometimes I just prevented reseeding. This year, however, I really made progress. I went out there as soon as the ground warmed enough (March) and started pulling weeds. I pulled yards and yards of poison ivy and wineberry. Then, when the new growth started, I again used brush killer. I have SO much periwinkle that if I killed some it really didn't matter, it will fill in easily. It's still a work in progress and will take a few more years before I have it the way I want it, but at least it's no longer a sea of weeds. Too late to try this year, for now I'd just get in there and pull. And use a pre-emergent so any weed seeds you disturb won't germinate. Hope this was helpful!

Sorry I can't help you with the technical side but I can add my 2 cents about two zones. We have 2 zones - not upstairs, downstairs like you're considering but side by side because we have 2 separate systems. The original house is on one thermostat with it's own HVAC units and the 1000 square foot addition has it's own HVAC system. One important consideration is that placement of the thermostats. You don't want to locate it in a room that is the coldest or hottest because then the temperature in that room will dictate the temperature for the entire zone. We had to move the thermostat because it was located in the room that had the most extreme changes in temperature in the summer and winter. When the thermostat kicked on in the winter to make that room comfortable all the other rooms were too hot and we had to play around with opening and closing the room registers. Another factor is how your house is situated on the lot. Does one side get the full heat of the afternoon sun? Are there trees to provide shade in the summer? Is one side exposed to winter winds? The builder put dual zones in my DH's business office which is only one story but one side was next to the paved parking lot and received the full effect of the summer sun. That side of his office was nearly unbearable in the summer even with awnings over the windows and Pella blinds inserted between the window panes. By making it dual zone they could compensate for the heat in that side of the office without freezing out the occupants in the other side. It might be helpful to get another estimate - and another opinion. As I mentioned I'm not knowledgeable of the technical side - exactly how does the automatic zoning work?

tiger, you are correct, i should not have included the 2 ton quote for system comparison. It was one of the first quoted and I have simply referred to it as a general idea of the price difference between pack and hybrid. It is roughly $1500 less than the 2.5 ton hybrid. Speculation tells me there is ~$500 difference between the 2.5 ton gas pack and the infinity hybrid. I just thought that for that amount the upgrade to Infinity system/hybrid was the better buy. American Std. dealer had originally quoted an Amana unit, and when I notified him that I was not going with him based on not wanting the Amana brand, he offered the AmStd as an alternative. That peaked my interest and I put my plans on hold. During our negotiations I was discussing the single stage compressor on the AmStd vs Infinity dual stage, and the Carrier was hybrid etc. He told me that if it was the hybrid that I wanted he would provide that at the same price as well. ($6781) I thought that was a bit odd as well, but I figured it just confirmed how much markup he really had in the Amana. The controller is a Honeywell (did not give specific model) and it does have an outdoor sensor. I am totally on the fence on this one, either of the two units are more than sufficient for me. We do not plan to leave this location and want a system that will be reliable and viable for years to come. Both companies have been in the business for a long long time and have good reputations in the area. I feel like the Infinity offers more features and probably is more advanced, but the AmStd is an excellent unit as well and the warranty is superior. Please if I am wrong feel free to enlighten me, I need unbiased opinions to help me with this. I have asked the AmStd dealer what is required to maintain the warranty (if anything) and how the single stage compressor efficiency compares to the Carrier's dual stage. In addition I asked the Carrier dealer if he did insure that my existing ductwork is sized/compatible with the Infinity's requirements. I did not follow him under the floor when he was here, so I am not sure what he checked on the ductwork. I do know all were extremely satisfied with the condition and quality of the ductwork. However I had read that the ECM motor on the Infinity requires specific sizing to ensure it functions properly. Thanks again for your input!