Being fair to installer during quote. What should I do.

[djp0623]

I have a company that has been performing my biannual maintenance. They are excellent, and have performed all of the repairs on my current 17yo system. A friend recently got a quote from them and someone else. Same equipment, and both are excellent companies.

Teh company in question gave a quote that was significantly higher than the other company. I mean not even in the same ballpark.

Dilemma: My quote from (coworkers installer) was surprisingly low. I feel that I owe the people who do my maintenance a shot at getting the job, however i am expecting it to be quite a bit higher for the same equipment and same quality work.


Should I let them come in blind a see what they can do? Should I give them a heads up on the quote I already have?

My plan is to let them come in and give a quote like everyone else.

Because I know about the service and quality of work from both companies. It WILL come down to price between these two companies.

How would you the installer want to be treated in this situation?


An unrelated question: Would you want a 4 ton infinity system, or 4-ton modulating Rheem system (heat pump). I am about to pull trigger on infinity, but coworker said he has an outstanding HVAC guy that installs Rheem, so i was thinking about getting a quote.

[heaterman]

Being fair to the installer is one thing, being fair to yourself is THE THING. As you've stated, you know the company you currently use and are satisfied, you have no idea about the other company's service attitude. Outside of telling your current service company you are getting other estimates, that should suffice. A botched install and crappy service would make that super price seem secondary down the road so look at the total cost over the life of the equipment and make sure you compare apples to apples. We get people on here every day crying and asking what they can do about a botched install, most of the time the answer is live with it or pay a good company to fix it, if it's even possible.

[djp0623]

Being fair to the installer is one thing, being fair to yourself is THE THING. As you've stated, you know the company you currently use and are satisfied, you have no idea about the other company's service attitude. Outside of telling your current service company you are getting other estimates, that should suffice. A botched install and crappy service would make that super price seem secondary down the road so look at the total cost over the life of the equipment and make sure you compare apples to apples. We get people on here every day crying and asking what they can do about a botched install, most of the time the answer is live with it or pay a good company to fix it, if it's even possible.

They did an install for a coworker, and their attention to detail is impressive. The installers were good, then they have a final person come in and inspect teh install as well as setup the electronics. They even ran new wiring in one area to the packaged unit because it was more asthetically appealing.

Contractor quality is not in question. Top notch either way.

[BURL-REF]

Give your service company a shot at the quote. Also, as you have a 17 year old home, you should have a heat loss/ heat gain calculation performed by all bidders. Just let it be known to all bidders that you are getting a few quotes.

You can do your own calculations using the" HVAC Calc" link in the toolbar above. Its a 50 dollar investment and well worth it. If done right, you could compare what the bidders have figured

[big sky hvac]

I would give your current company the oppurtunity to get the job. If you're satisfied with their work, you know what you'll be getting more than likely with the install. If you have never used the other company, you can't be 100% sure what kind of service you'll get when you have problems down the road, at least you know what kind of service you're currently receiving. You never know, your current company may come in real close to the other quote you received. If you've been using this company for a long time, the may even give you a little break on the quote. I know for my really good customers, the ones that have been doing business with our company for over 20 years, we cut them a little bit of break because the usually don't shop us or even get other quotes. You have to remember that your co-workers job may not be the same as yours, so you're not really comparing apples to apples. Give em a chance, you may be surprised.

[genduct]

It is in the eye of the beholder!!!!!
What does the high quote see that the other company doesn't, that would account fot the $ difference. We are supposing that the company that has given you good service all these years is an honorable and fair company.
After you give them a chance to review their bid (you are not going to tell them how much $ diff is, and you find out what they have included, you will verify the low bidders "scope of work" and if it's in there you'll favor the best price.

[Gunnery Sergeant Hartman]

You personally have experienced the how great your current service provider is. How will you handle the situation if the "low baller" does a bad job with terrible service after the sale?
Will you come crawling back to your current service company begging for help?
The reason companies have service contracts is to earn your trust and loyalty. You make the decision if you want to stab them in the back!

[b26440510]

well, to add even more confusion, in my recent experience I also found companies providing installation quotes that turned out to be (by their own confession) much more service oriented than installation.

Ask to see their recent installs of the system components they are quoting you.

[beenthere]

Are you sure the lower bidding company will have great service response after the sale? This is what part of the price includes/reflects. low bids can't afford a lot of time on warranty calls.

Search through the threads here. you'll find people that took lower price installers over the higher priced ones. And then couldn't get them to come out and fix things later.

[b26440510]

true, but I thought the consensus here was that the installation was usually the most critical part.

[Roadhouse]

"Hey, I have a noise coming from the new system you installed and I need you to come back out, NOW."

30 miles of gas in loaded f-250 superduty and time off from taking another call and back at the customer's house..

"I found your problem, the glade plug in in the wall. No charge, have a nice day."

[big sky hvac]

true, but I thought the consensus here was that the installation was usually the most critical part.

I think this applies more for when people ask "what brand should I go with". There are certain brands that people like to use over others. You could have the "Cadillac" furnace installed poorly, and be very unhappy and have problems. Your neighbor could have the "Pinto" furnace installed properly and never have any issues. So yes, installation is critical, but what about service after the fact. You could get an excellent installation, but the service afterwards is terrible. That's going to leave a sour taste in your mouth, not to mention being uncomfortable without heat or cooling. To me, it's a 50/50 deal, installation and service. You want to have both of these to be excellent from the same company. You may end up spending more money to get this, but it is money well spent in the long run. Regardless of how perfect the initial install is, the equipment is mechanical and it will eventually break down. How the company deals with their service is a big deal too.

[maintenanceguy]

As a facilities manager for a pretty big organization, I've hired contractors for hundreds of jobs, maybe more.

I have learned a few things:

1) A great contractor is hard to find. If you find one, don't let go.
2) When your great contractor realizes that you aren't letting go, prices start going up.

I'm okay with a great contractor charging accordingly but occasionally you need to get other quotes and see what the free market has to offer. If I find out that my go-to company is significantly higher than the competition (I'll live with a little higher), I ask them to come see me and we talk about their prices compared to the other prices I've gotten.

They usually explain to my satisfaction why they're not the cheapest game in town but they usually have some wiggle room in their pricing and we settle somewhere in the middle.

The lowest bidder is rarely the best deal. I'd definitely give your preferred company a shot at it and be honest and upfront with them. They'll probably do the same with you.

[danielworkerbee]

I would got Infinity system and the Infinity control in a heartbeat over the other brand.
Just my opinion after 10 plus years in the biz.
luck dan

[jmyahtzee]

As a service tech for a expensive company I can understand your dilemma. I bet you work very very hard for every dollar you have, and don't want to waist any of it. my biased opinion is that great contractors and long term relationships with service companies is priceless. I would call your salesman from your company and be honest and tell him what your thinking. After many many years as a loyal customer i would like to think they can explain the difference in pricing or work the numbers. In a perfect world with perfect contractors and perfect equipment i would go with the cheaper one, however in the reality someday your equipment will need service even if its a tuneup and dealing with a company your comfortable with is very important

[sktn77a]

A high price does not necessarily guarrantee a quality install (although your previous experience with this company suggests you should). In any event, I would question both companies. Ask the high bidder what they are charging for so that you can better understand the possible limitations of your lower bidder (and tell them what the other companies bid and work specification is). Also ask the low bidder why their bid is so low and what they are charging for - are they not doing something the other company is (and tell them the other company's bid and work specification).

You gotta compare apples to apples.