Filters and Belts

[Dowadudda]

I was reading the thread in Site Supporters section about Woods Mech. new job. They were explaining about maintenance. Belts and filters and all that Jazz.

I have been slightly upset over time about some of my chain customers deciding to have their belts and filters done by an outside party other than my company. I can not come close to competing for their money for this service. I am not a service contract fan at all to begin with, and never will be. I buy into the theory that a visit to your site to go through your equipment and do all the neccesary things I need to do including belts and filters is something I don't like to get tied down to a certain money amount. I prefer time and material. And then when I find problems with the equipment I turn into a flat rate sort of thing.

I have perfected this for my taste and simply am tickled to death how it works. But back to my point. As much as I use to get upset over these belt and filter changers. I sort of felt threatened. Recently I started buying all my filters and belts from someone that also offers the service to go out on site and do it. So I was asking him all about his service he provides. All they do is coil cleaning, filters and belts. The three things in my life that I hate doing when I get busy with my service work.

I am now in complete support of this and have used this place this summer. I'll agree I am not getting the money for it any longer, but to be honest I don't need to have it from that nor do I care to kill myself doing it when there is more money in what I do find otherwise. So the cool thing is, I can simply sub contract all my crap work to this place and everyone wins. It's been a pleasurable time since I figured this out.

Now one could say well they don't check everything. True. But I will tell you, the customer also chooses not to have it done as thouroughly as it needs to be done anyhow, so who gives a rats a$$.

Just call me when it's broke. And quite frankly, that's all I am interested in anyway.

[sotexkoolbreeze]

I need to work for you Dow , I hate doing PM stuff. would rather just troubleshoot and repair.

[htg guy]

I feel just the opposite! Its my opinion that without doing all the little things for my customers I would'nt have the good reputation I have, which leads to more new customers. Besides; that is the type of work that helps me to keep my guys working when there is slow time. If I let the belts and filter type stuff go to someone else they would most likely be the one the customer would call when they had a problem.
It does sound like the ideal way to want to work, but I can't see how you could keep your guys and yourself out of the unenjoyment line without doing everything possible for the customer.

[hvacmd2002]

Originally posted by Dowadudda
I was reading the thread in Site Supporters section about Woods Mech. new job. They were explaining about maintenance. Belts and filters and all that Jazz.



How does one get in there if there's no more site supporters?

[smsi]

On some large contracts, I have used my filter supplier to not only supply the filters but install them. On others however I had to discontinue doing it because they would forget to turn units on, leave roof hatches open, or not secure the panels.

I think there are two types of service contracts. Think of it like a Jiffy lube. If you just want typical maintenance done (filters, coil cleaning, belts)a low wage guy can be trained to do this and let's face it; it's a major part of keeping equipment operating well no matter who is doing it.

However, if you want to recognize small problems before they become large ones, a real tech needs to inspect the equipment. Too many companies are selling the second version but providing the first and customers are tired of it. They figure if they are just getting the first that is what they should pay for. I have one customer that pays one guy to go around and change filter media, a second contractor to travel the country cleaning the coils and we answer the service calls.

[Diceman]

I was doing about 35 stores PM, filters, chk belts and yada, yada. The filter changing was $50, all else was extra. But I inspected things and made recommendations and had up to a certain amount to fix things while I was there. Anyway, they got somebody to do it for $37 but all he does is change filters and leave and that's it, no belts, no check, no nuttin. The thing could have a shredded belt, hell it could have a blown fuse or burnt wires or be off on the disconnect but he don't even look. I told em about it but some of these chain stores are goofy at the corporate level.
So then they call me to do 2 of em. One is in a sucky place, tight crawl space with junk all over, and the next one I go to is a high roof with no access. I had a 18 ft ladder but it was not quite high enough. I start up the ladder with some hand tools and filters tied to my belt, get up about 8 feet and it hit me. The cheap guy don't want these 2 stores, too hard. I come down, get in my truck and call corporate up. I said tell the guy who is doing em cheap to do these too or give me back all of them and I will do them. Bye, went home. Too old for that ****.

[Dowadudda]

For me, I have always hated washing condensers of the cotton wood, or grease or anything, and hate doing belts and filters. Like I said before these people now a days, don't want that extra service. They'll wait till it's broke anyway if you tell em it needs to be fixed.

And so here I am scrambling to get all my PM's done when I got 1000 other more important, much more money repairs waiting.

I don't want to hire some flunky to do it either. Thats just adding to my list of people I have to babysit.

In my eyes. I can offer a PM service, I bill it out but pay the guy from the filter place. I set it up that way so I have control over a forgotten disconnect off or other things. It's worked out great. He's geared for it. Tracks the whole thing with Model Numbers. Every three months or whatever it might be. I mean I can offer a more well organized program through doing it with him.

I hate stocking anything. This dude. He gets up on Monday and know's he has to go do one of my acounts. He takes filters and belts and pressure washer from his shop with all material in stock and knocks it out. If that were me, I'd have to get out the paperwork to see what sizes, and those are never ever ever right, then spend my morning getting all the damn belts from three different places. Then go out and do it. Screw it. There is no money in it any way.