2 Horror story jobs ive got...

[ChristopherNJ]

Customer 1 - Had new AC unit installed last year. Received multiple bids, and felt he was being ripped off b/c he was able to go online and see how much the equipment sold for. So he got a price from "Budget Heating And AC" The cost savings came from reusing the old r22 line set, and not properly running the condensate line or even putting in a condensate pan. After his Sheetrock was destroyed he called them back and they installed a condensate pump. Shortly after that he was not able to get in touch with them. I got the call to install a new lineset, and figure out his condensate debacle. His originally savings will be eaten away by this repair.

Customer 2 - Has a new condensing unit installed 4 years ago. Has a PSE&G (the local utility company) service agreement. System has a leak and PSEG informs him he needs a new lineset, however they must not have ever leak checked the unit to even come to this conclusion. They recommend him a contractor to use to replace the lineset. Before the guy will do the job he wants a carpenter to put plywood over the whole attic. The company installs a new lineset last year. This year he turns on the unit and finds its not working properly. Calls up PSEG and they tell him there is no charge left on the unit. I get the call to go there and see whats up. I find a newer York condensing unit, new line set and old AHU. The leak is on the coil. I feel bad for this guy, he gets ripped off by PSEG and by the last guy to do the lineset. Now R22 equipment is basically impossible to get so his options are limited.

The point of these examples, ladies and gentlemen, is that dealing with a big utility company for a service agreement is mostly a rip off. Saving money with the low budget guy may come to bite you in the butt much harder then spending a little more upfront.

[TSASteve]

The first customer could have been helped during the sales portion of the install. I like to bring "third party" literature or even posts like these to the table to explain how crititcal doing the job right the first time is, and not just the cost of redoing shoddy work.

[ChristopherNJ]

Exactly Steve! However, we all know that some people only see price. It chapped his butt that he saw a unit online listed for whatever price and he looked at their bid and saw the difference as being ripped off. This customer had received bids from companies that do fine work, and when I lose a bid to them, I know I had to be in the same ball park.

Furthermore, the Budget Heating and AC company no longer is listed and he cannot get in touch with them.

[TSASteve]

That's funny...wish you could get a referral from him, but most people don't like to admit they made a poor choice. I have tried, they are on board til I tell them I want the part about going for the cheapest bid....

[BaldLoonie]

#2 isn't hard to take care of. Just get him a York air handler with a flex coil. Those have no metering device, put in appropriate piston or R22 TXV. Page 768 of Johnstone catalog.

[beenthere]

What baldloonie said.

[martyinlincoln]

Get several of those every year. Customer goes with the cheap bid- duct half the size it should be, units twice the size they should be,leaking welds,pvc leaking from no primer, builder grade equiptment instead of a better model and they paid a few hundred less on a system that should last 20 years or more. Two or three years later Mr. cheap bid is out of business and there's way more then the initial price difference in repairs to be done and they still got builder grade equiptment.

It goes the other way too. Had our roof replaced last summer buy not at all cheap company and the bid was X plus $25 a sheet for any decking. The guys were replacing real soft spots but leaving delaminated plywood to try and save me money. Ended up saying dudes do it right the first time and I'll pay what it takes. Ended up costing a few hundred more but now it will last another 25-30 years. I want VALUE NOT CHEAP.

[ga-hvac-tech]

Get several of those every year. Customer goes with the cheap bid- duct half the size it should be, units twice the size they should be,leaking welds,pvc leaking from no primer, builder grade equiptment instead of a better model and they paid a few hundred less on a system that should last 20 years or more. Two or three years later Mr. cheap bid is out of business and there's way more then the initial price difference in repairs to be done and they still got builder grade equiptment.

It goes the other way too. Had our roof replaced last summer buy not at all cheap company and the bid was X plus $25 a sheet for any decking. The guys were replacing real soft spots but leaving delaminated plywood to try and save me money. Ended up saying dudes do it right the first time and I'll pay what it takes. Ended up costing a few hundred more but now it will last another 25-30 years. I want VALUE NOT CHEAP.

MeThinks as sales-guys if we can just get it into our heads to speak/preach value (and not focus so much on price)... we may bring a few of those cheap (thrifty) customers over to the quality side.

[tedkidd]

Great post Christopher! Yeah, lost jobs because the other guy says "you don't need all that", as if taking a $10k job and making it $11k means I put $1000 in MY pocket!! Like I would risk losing a job.

They don't get that, like a real estate agent, getting the sale is more important to the salesperson than the incremental "better" upgrade. Now I make it clear they can select crappier any time, no problemo. I always offer the best because I don't want them coming to me later asking why I didn't offer "better", did I assume them cheapskates or ignorant?

It's often seems easier to sell cheap than good.

[Beowulf60]

Hey...everyone knows that cheaper is the way to go: buy a poorly butchered cut of stewing beef for your barbeque dinner and then enjoy tough, inedible meat filled with bone chips.

[junebug1066]

Most people in my town don't know the difference between cheap & good. The sad thing is, most of the people who are pinching the pennies the hardest are the people who can afford it more.

[shaygetz]

I want VALUE NOT CHEAP.

...a principle I try to bring my family up on in every big ticket decision, Well said...:cheers:

[ga-hvac-tech]

In the HVAC world... value has more to do with the quality of install than the equipment... Thus it goes to reason value is more in the contractor and his approach to the job.

Get a contractor that is quality driven, one gets value... Get a contractor that cuts corners... one gets cheap.