Thermostat issue

[jed1154]

I have a Lennox HP21 and CB31MV-51 system.

There are two zones downstairs. One zone last night ran past the set point of 78 degrees. I manually shut it off when the room reached 73. I have called my AC company where i pay monthly, but they want to charge me a 70 dollar service charge which is ridiculous. Anyway, I suspect it to be a thermostat. Are there any thermostats that are compatible with this unit and if so, which ones?

If this classifies as DIY, then I guess nevermind.

[wahoo]

Just a "reminder" of a simple law of physics. Colder air falls and warmer air rises. So if you have a multi-story zoned home, some colder air will usually fall down the stairway and "over-cool" the lower floor. What type of work do you "monthly" pay for? Is it for maintenance, or a full blown repair/replacement contract? As to the "what thermostat" question, that would fall into the "no DIY" questions. Can't help anyway as we have no idea what the problem could be. :.02:

If both these "zones" are on same level, you may have a mechanical problem with dampers and not stats.

[jed1154]

Understood on the DIY part. The issue started for the first time last night. No clue if its still doing it, i just turned it off.

I currently pay about $$$ bucks a month. With that I get a 15% discount on parts. Service is only guaranteed within 48 hours with that contract. Service calls are $$$. That charge is not applied to parts or service so its $$$ PLUS parts and labor.

I only mention that because I have called a few places and almost every single one of them applies it to parts and if they don't then their service call fee is nearly 50% less....so either way, its a lot cheaper. I won't mention their name because I don't like to do that (and its against the rules I think) but they travel HUNDREDS of miles to service units, where the companies I called are generally very local.

Im just hesitant to change companies because this one installed the unit, but its almost out of warranty with them and I have no reason to stay. They used to send the same tech every time and he was familiar with the system and very open with me about repairs. Not so any more. Most other places I called said that with a service contract, Im guaranteed someone out to fix it within TWO hours.....not too shabby.

So, I was kind of curious what your take on it is.

[mark beiser]

You realize that the whole "apply the service call to the repair" thing is just a gimmick right?

The repair pricing has the cost of the service call built into it, so you are not actually gaining anything...

Also, the lowest priced repair contractor is almost always not even close to the best value.

[jed1154]

No, I did NOT know it was a gimmick. I figured it was a reasonable deal considering I pay exactly the same thing now for service PLUS parts and labor. There is no applying it to anything. I am not doing any of their books so I don't know what anything actually costs them. I'll be honest, as a consumer relying on my current company, I expect to be screwed and Im leery of any contractor for the same reason. So, yeah, i guess I did know that, but not really willing to admit it. :)

But, that's what makes this a good site. How do I find a good reputable business? I called 5 of them that were listed by a local company similar to angie's list. All have good references and all have maintenance contracts that are within 20 dollar of each other. They also all apply that service fee to parts and service.

All I have to go on are references and pricing.

How else am I suppose to find a good company? Advice is welcome. I just want good service at a fair price. Im not looking for the 'lowest price'. Im first concerned with honest work and Ill pay a fair price for it. No clue how to ID that company though.

I will say that for my current company, I don't like having to interrogate them about how they came to the conclusion that symptom XXXX is related to part YYYY and its going to cost me $$$ dollars, but don't worry because your service contract covers parts under warranty and you get a 20% discount.....its still $$$ bucks though. Then on top of that, I then have to fight a service manager about changes in pricing and whatnot. Its just too much work for something im paying for. So, im looking to a new company.

[mark beiser]

A couple of years ago we finally got tired of having to explaining that particular super common marketing gimmick, and just changed our pricing structure.

I still find it a little interesting that, on average, people complain less when I give them one total price for a repair vs. diagnostic + flat rate price or diagnostic + parts + labor.

The diagnostic + parts + labor one causes the most complaints because most people have little to no concept of what it actually costs to run a business, especially a contracting/repair business like HVAC, so usually react poorly to >$100/hr labor rates.

I'm MUCH more likely to get a pricing related complaint if I tell someone it will be $ for the diagnostic + $ for the parts + $ for an hour of labor, for a total of $ for a repair than I am if I just quote a total of $ for the same repair.
Quoting $ diagnostic + $ for the repair much less likely to generate a pricing related complaint than doing a full breakdown, but if I "waive" the diagnostic fee and just charge $ for the repair, not only do they not complain, they have the perception that they got something for "free".

In the end, the repair costs the same amount. ;)

[jed1154]

I don't even mind paying for labor when I know exactly what it costs. After all, if I wasnt willing to pay for labor, then Id be doing the repair myself. You're right, its all about how you market it. 99.99 is a heck of a deal, but 100.00 is just too much. :P

For me, if my AC company laid it out, either way, I would be happy. They don't. Im also the kind of customer that is not totally stupid. Im not a certified tech but I do expect a technician to at least be able to justify why he is about to charge me 1000 dollars for a repair....even if its as simple as taking me to the unit and saying "see that LED, based on the sticker here, the flashing means its recorded an error with XXXXX, and that indicates to me that it needs to be replaced based on my experience."

Im totally cool with that. When they don't, I feel like they are either over charging me and know it, they don't know what they are doing, or are just throwing parts at it at my expense.

My company often does a total price, but for me, I want to see what's included in that price. I know labor is expensive...and thats OK, im not JUST paying for him to do the job, I get that. Basically, I want you to fix it, but I also want to be kept in the loop to some degree as far as what Im paying for and why. I realize a lot of people aren't like that. The tech I used to have come out was incredible. Not only did he know his stuff, he explained what he was doing and why. When they do that, it builds trust from my end and I like to know I can trust my tech or service company.

[mark beiser]

Ok, now that State Farm jingle is running through my head, only modified.

I like my pricing like I like my burrito,
Everything rolled into one...

MAKE IT STOP!:gah:

[hearthman]

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