Find Out What The Average Cost To Repair Your Heating System
Why Are All Prices Different When You Call Different Furnace Repair Contractors
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Top 5 Questions To Ask Your HVAC Contractor
Most larger companies are going to ask to “meet with all the decision makers or people that will be helping to design the right comfort system for your home.” This is so they can close the deal the same day if everything works out. This is not a bad tactic for the contractor, but it can be time consuming if all your estimates are requesting you and your spouse to be present for every estimate. Some companies will not set an appointment with you unless you agree to that. Smaller air conditioning contractors will come over to talk and not even drop a price or a quote because they are not organized. They also might not want to do your job for many factors, they think it is too hard, don’t have the manpower to do it, or they talk themselves out of offering what you need because they think you don’t want it.
Either way you want to make sure that the contractor knows you are expecting a detailed proposal of what they are going to do and for how much the same day. (Coming back to give you a price a second time is a sales tactic, this is used to see all other proposals that you have gotten and discredit them)
Do you want a small local contractor that is just him and a helper? This option is usually cheaper, but when it gets really hot or really cold they don’t have the manpower to get to you quickly because he can only fix so many HVAC systems per day. Or do you want a mid-sized company that has about 5 to 15 employees, but is more expensive than the smaller guy by a couple of hundred or thousand? They can usually show up when you need them and give you peace of mind that you are paying for service. Or the large HVAC company that has 30-100 employees that have a solid foundation of staying in business that are usually the most expensive in town but give an over-the-top experience.
There is no wrong or right answer to this question, but I recommend thinking about it before you set appointments so you can get an apples-to-apples comparison. If not, your estimates will all be thousands of dollars different without really understanding why the price range is so large. You might be asking yourself “Is the other guy missing something or are you just more expensive for the same thing?”
Most, if not all, air conditioning companies offer some sort of warranty. The most common are 1 to 5 years labor with a 10-year parts. The labor is commonly backed by the HVAC company installing it, while the parts are backed by the manufacturer. Looking at the reviews and making sure there are no bad ones of past customers complaining about how the HVAC company did not honor their warranty or had performance issues that they could not or would not resolve.
Try to get a 10-year parts and labor warranty that is backed by the manufacturer not the contractor installing it. If the HVAC contractor goes out of business and is no longer around, your labor warranty backed by them is useless. 7/10 air conditioning companies fail in the first 5 years of business, not because the owner doesn’t know how to fix or install AC equipment, but because they don’t know how to run a business
Even if you’re planning on paying for the whole amount with cash or credit card you can use this to leverage the deal later. I’ll tell you how, keep reading. If you need the payment options because your A/C broke unexpectedly, it’s good to know this before the technician or salesman comes over so you can get what you need instead of just putting a band aid on it. Knowing what your financial situation is so that you can budget for a new home comfort system (80% of homeowners think their AC is going to last another year or the underestimate the cost.)
This is a direct question that should be always asked, if the contractor gives you a vague answer and it is not on the contract, ask him if he’s willing to put it in writing.
Not All Home Heating Contractors Are The Same
How Do I Get The Best Home Heating Repair Price
When To Call For A Heater Repair
Call for repair when:
- House not getting warm enough when the heat is on
- Uneven heating in different areas of your home
- Sudden increase in home heating costs