Having to pay shipping cost for warranty parts from my distributor

[HVAC/Stud]

I'm not a large volume dealer. I do use the same distributor and maintain loyalty.

I buy my units from them (ICP). I had to replace the evaportor coil and TXV on a spit unit I installed 6 months ago. They charged me shipping. I don't like that. I can understand if I didn't have an account with them or I didn't buy the unit from them.

I'm not a Trane dealer and when I call them (Trane dist) they send me the warranty parts with no shipping or handling charges.

What do y'all think of that?


STUD

[hvac5646]

We have handled ICP for years. Never paid a shipping charge. Sometimes I had to wait for the a shipment to get a warranty part.

[captube]

If the part is not in stock and is on order for a scheduled ship date i let the customer decide if they want to pay for earlier shipment or wait. Otherwise their is no shipping costs involved.

[HVAC/Stud]

I don't think its ICP, its my distributor. The Goodman distributor in my area will charge for warranty part unless you buy the unit from them.

Another thing I think ICP should pay labor and refrigerant for warranty work within 90 days. When I installed Nordyne they did.

STUD

[hvac5646]

I don't think its ICP, its my distributor. The Goodman distributor in my area will charge for warranty part unless you buy the unit from them.

Another thing I think ICP should pay labor and refrigerant for warranty work within 90 days. When I installed Nordyne they did.

STUD

They do.
But ICP now audits it's labor allowances...beware.

[jtrammel]

I installed a "maratherm" Wednesday in a rental for the landlord, what a piece of crap that thing is!

[HVAC/Stud]

Jason, When we going to lunch? You can't be that busy, Call me.

BTW what is a "maratherm"

STUD

[beshvac]

Distributor is such a large term.

There are Distributors who sell equipment and try to sell accessories. Trane, carrier york, etc.
There are Distributors who sell accessories and try to sell equipment. Michels, dickson, east coast et all....

and by accessories I mean parts, tools, filters, ductwork, etc.

Which distributor do you have?

We were in a remote corner of SC and passed the shipping onto the customer. If an "equipment distributor" is charging shipping to provide a warranty part......are they really a distributor?.

[jtrammel]

Jason, When we going to lunch? You can't be that busy, Call me.

BTW what is a "maratherm"

STUD

I'll call you soon, id like to check out the new tctc hvac facility too. Maratherm is eptings house brand icp. I would consider baker a parts house (or flex, tape and wye store)

[Questor]

None of the ICP units I service, or we installed in the last six years or so have needed any significant parts where shipping would have been an issue, swapped a larger gear and belt on the blower on one, and I think they covered. Not that we haven't seen problems! But mostly in-house fixed with torch and on truck supplies. However, I would assume they or your distributor would work something out to keep brand loyalty up, these things usually trickle upwards. Mayhap you should look for a new distributor. As long as everyone in the chain is 'authorized' then they should pass the costs up. Not buying the unit from them doesn't mean they don't get paid when the manuf. auths warranty claims they supplied parts for!

[ComfortService]

Recently, I changed out a evap coil on warranty with Goodman.

I have found that if I do not go back to the dealer that sold that specific unit, they will charge me a shipping and warranty handling fee.

In my town there are 4 different Goodman dealers.

This seems to me kind of roguish since Goodman should warranty all their equipment no matter where it was bought without a separate fee I will have to pass on to my customer on top of what I am already charging them.

[jtrammel]

Recently, I changed out a evap coil on warranty with Goodman.

I have found that if I do not go back to the dealer that sold that specific unit, they will charge me a shipping and warranty handling fee.

In my town there are 4 different Goodman dealers.

This seems to me kind of roguish since Goodman should warranty all their equipment no matter where it was bought without a separate fee I will have to pass on to my customer on top of what I am already charging them.

X2, and the distributer that sold us the few goodmans we installed lost the goodman line, so we get charged the fee and pass it to customer. I'm glad we only did a handful of them.

[craig1]

I changed out a goodman heat exchanger a couple weeks ago. Picked it up from the Goodman factory store here. They charged me $50 shipping to transfer it from a different store 20 miles away.

on top of that, they sell lots of supplies and accessories there, but don't have filters. Thats right, they DO NOT SELL FILTERS. How can an HVAC supplier be that stupid. They actually do sell filters but only the washable ones that guarantee you'll be back for another heat exchanger next year

[54regcab]

I changed out a goodman heat exchanger a couple weeks ago. Picked it up from the Goodman factory store here. They charged me $50 shipping to transfer it from a different store 20 miles away.

on top of that, they sell lots of supplies and accessories there, but don't have filters. Thats right, they DO NOT SELL FILTERS. How can an HVAC supplier be that stupid. They actually do sell filters but only the washable ones that guarantee you'll be back for another heat exchanger next year

Looks to me like the whoever is suppling the washable filters paid off the supply house to discontinue the standard filters...

[ADillon]

It is pretty simple. If the part is in stock you shouldn't pay. If the part isn't in stock and you are willing to wait until the next order comes in, then you shouldn't be having to pay. If you are demanding that it be available to you as soon as possible, they will UPS it and you will pay for that.

[bhenry1013]

Sounds fair if you ask me.
I guess it's just an entitlement issue then.

I don't know about that, its a warranty part, it failed while it was still covered, its up to the manufacturer to correct that, in a timely manner.

All of our warranty parts are covered, no shipping cost, labor is paid to replace it as well. Its not what we would have charged but its better than nothing.

None of our local distributors charge a shipping fee for warranty parts.

[behappy]

Just replaced a warranty ECM CU fan on a 5 ton York.
The warranty shipping and handling fee was $100.00.

[theoldscroll]

I also do not like freight charges, ever, but it's in the warranty paperwork listed under every other exclusion,along with "acts of god". As more equipment parts out there fall under the 10 yr. mfg warranty, these issues will only grow. I'm afraid this is the future of HVAC.
We must keep in mind that a warranty part does not make us any money. Does not make the mfg. or the distributor any money either. Only keeps the client from paying for that part. This is why we see the cost of equipment rising at a faster rate than before, at least part of the reason. This is also why service rates will rise at a faster rate in our future. We have begun (in some cases) having to charge something for the time involved with warranty parts.

I will refrain from again getting on my soapbox on this issue.

[BNME8EZ]

If the part comes on the regular route truck there is no charge if it comes UPS, FedEx, etc then there is a charge. I don't understand why you wouldn't expect a charge. If a unit wasn't on a route truck did you have to pay freight to get it, even if you picked it up there was a cost involved. Why would a part be any different?

[HVAC_Marc]

it's in the warranty paperwork listed under every other exclusion,along with "acts of god".

What if the customer doesnt believe in "god"? sounds like a lawyer issue on the horizon.