Sick and Tired of Contractors Ripping Me Off!

[G-Man]

Inducer motor fan/assembly went bad on my home furnace.  This vents out the unit and if it doesn't work the burners don't go on so no heat.  Called local big name outfit Friday morning because the little guys have taken me for a ride in the past.  Technician comes, I POINT HIM AT THE PROBLEM.  He nods, does a circuit test.  Removes the assembly (3 screws/bolts) and looks at in his hand.  He re-installs the broken part and lubricates it.  Says it should work for a while but needs to be replaced and someone will call with prices.  Charges me $170 for less than an hour in my house.

Nobody ever calls with the prices and the part fails again early the next morning (Sat).  I do a little research and get model and part numbers, but nobody who sells parts is open until Monday.  No heat all weekend.

This morning I call the local HVAC parts places and they both only sell to contractors, not the public.  I begged and pleaded with both, but they refused to sell me the part.  I offered to pay more, even double to the second guy, but they still refused.

So I just put my tail between my legs and called the original company back.  Left my number after telling the telephone answerer of my frustration and waiting for them to call back.   $170 for absolutely nothing and now I'll have to pay them again because nobody will sell me a part that is installed with 3 screws. 

Very frustrating.

[Jess Tolbirt]

i am sure there are appliance parts companys that sell to the public near you. Just have to find them. also home depot and Lowes carry parts. search a little and go get your parts.. take the old motor out and go to an electric motor sales place.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/a-and-c-furia-electric-motors-n-white-plains-2

[old2soon]

Inducer motor fan/assembly went bad on my home furnace.  This vents out the unit and if it doesn't work the burners don't go on so no heat.  Called local big name outfit Friday morning because the little guys have taken me for a ride in the past.  Technician comes, I POINT HIM AT THE PROBLEM.  He nods, does a circuit test.  Removes the assembly (3 screws/bolts) and looks at in his hand.  He re-installs the broken part and lubricates it.  Says it should work for a while but needs to be replaced and someone will call with prices.  Charges me $170 for less than an hour in my house.

Nobody ever calls with the prices and the part fails again early the next morning (Sat).  I do a little research and get model and part numbers, but nobody who sells parts is open until Monday.  No heat all weekend.

This morning I call the local HVAC parts places and they both only sell to contractors, not the public.  I begged and pleaded with both, but they refused to sell me the part.  I offered to pay more, even double to the second guy, but they still refused.

So I just put my tail between my legs and called the original company back.  Left my number after telling the telephone answerer of my frustration and waiting for them to call back.   $170 for absolutely nothing and now I'll have to pay them again because nobody will sell me a part that is installed with 3 screws. 

Very frustrating.

                  Uh Gary I hate to state the obvious but didja look online? Couple small electric space heaters til part arrives? Just a thought. I realize contractors need to make a buck but-damn. RIDE SAFE.

[Wizzard]

I have never had a repairman at my house for anything. Go online and order the part. Pay for next day air if you need to. Its easy.

[Jess from VA]

My furnace stopped working.  I called a friend who used to work on them but was now in school.  He asked me what was happening.  I said it was trying to light, but wouldn't.  He said to take the cover off and email him some digi pics.  He said it was the igniter, part number XXX.  He said don't go to a supply house, Google it.  I found one on-line and ordered it (maybe $27) (it looked like it cost 5$ to make it).  It arrived and I plug and played it.  Furnace worked.  My entire HVAC (Carrier) was a new install in 1987.  I do my best to keep it cleaned up and it keeps on chugging.  

If you have a part number, maybe you can Google it.

Those little portable ceramic heaters do a good job for where you are sitting, and are very safe.  When it gets real cold, I don't turn my whole house up, I just stick one near me on low.  I don't think they suck too much electricity.

I had one of those humidifiers attached to my furnace.  It crapped out and they wanted like $800 for a new one.  I had them take it out, and sheet metal over the hole (for a lot less).  Now, for humidity, I leave my bathroom door open when I shower (except with itchy old man skin, I need to shower in luke warm only).  In the house I grew up in in cold MI winters, without a humidifier, all the wood furniture fell apart and you got sore throats.  None of that happens in my VA house.    

[da prez]

If you can not find it , contact Grainger and ask for tech service.  A fridge fan motor in mid 80 was a $300.00 repair. Grainger was $17.00. Took me 10 minutes. Always pay by credit card so if an issue arises , you have a chance.


                      da prez

[G-Man]

I was able to find part number all over the internet, I just wanted to have it done quickly with everyone home for winter breaks and vacation time.

Found everything on Amazon and with free two day I'll have it Wed.  Silly little thing.

I tried all day Sat and again this morning but was unable to locate a local place that sells that part to the public.  Thank goodness for the internet.

Just VENTING . 

[F6Dave]

When a gas furnace fails to light, the igniter is often at fault.  They get red hot, and not unlike halogen bulbs, they fail very quickly if any oil gets on them.  Mine failed once and I could see where a moth was sitting on it when it fired up.  It's a good idea to always have a spare on hand.  I found them online at a place called Zoro for about 1/3 of the price I paid locally.

Another thing that can cause problems is the flame sensor.  It's a little temperature probe located in the flame path.  If it doesn't detect a sharp rise in temperature a moment after the gas starts flowing, it shuts the valve off immediately to prevent your house from exploding.  They eventually get coated with a carbon buildup that insulates them enough to keep shutting the gas off when the furnace starts.  Just a little cleanup with steel wool fixes the problem.  I learned about this on a furnace parts website.

[MarkT]

I do my own furnace repairs.  Within reason.  I don't have a gas pressure meter so had to have that done - and that was the problem once.  Anyway, I had the flue blower fail once.  I got the part in online, still wouldn't work.  Looked closer - the suck tube from the blower to the vacuum switch was blocked by a spider. That was -literally- (I hate the overuse of that word) "debugging" the furnace. (That expression came from the 1940's, when a technician was working on a Mark II computer at Harvard University, her associates discovered a moth stuck in a relay and thereby impeding operation, whereupon she remarked that they were "debugging" the system.) Now I have a spare flue blower.

I've replaced the "Camstat" too - the heat riser switch - went to the local HVAC contractor store dressed like a furnace guy and gave them my EIN tax number - they didn't question if I was a HVAC guy. But like the others said - if it's not an emergency you can get parts online.  I have alternate ways to heat the house - electric baseboard and wood.  Of course forced air gas is much cheaper and more convenient.

[Wizzard]

Had a guy here at work last week tell me that his furnace failed. Repairman told him that his variable speed blower motor was bad and was a 1300 dollar replacement. He asked me about it and I told him how to remove the circuit board and bring it to me as blower motors hardly ever fail. He brought me the board and I replaced a 5 dollar varistor and now it works fine. Manufacturer undersized the varistor.

[old2soon]

          All this reminds me of an old joke I heard a Long time ago when servicing mobile homes here in north Illinois in da winter.      Lady call a plumber to fix plugged drain in her kitchen sink.    She states after he gits drain werkin again to please send her the bill. Couple days later the bill shows up in the mail-git plugged kitchen drain flowing again-$165.00. She fires back a letter Demanding an itemized bill as all the Plumber did was rap on pipe. Week and a half later the itemized bill arrives. Rapping on pipe-$15.00 Knowing WHERE to rap on pipe-$150.00. RIDE SAFE.

[scooperhsd]

          All this reminds me of an old joke I heard a Long time ago when servicing mobile homes here in north Illinois in da winter.      Lady call a plumber to fix plugged drain in her kitchen sink.    She states after he gits drain werkin again to please send her the bill. Couple days later the bill shows up in the mail-git plugged kitchen drain flowing again-$165.00. She fires back a letter Demanding an itemized bill as all the Plumber did was rap on pipe. Week and a half later the itemized bill arrives. Rapping on pipe-$15.00 Knowing WHERE to rap on pipe-$150.00. RIDE SAFE.

That sounds like a case where the homeowner / tenant needed to put some heattape on the drain pipe.

My house in NC - we had placed our waterheater outside the skin of the house, and when I put it there, I made sure to heattape and insulate the cold water in / hot water out pipes to the crawlspace. I also had heattape on my wellhouse to prevent pipes in there from freezing.

[F6Dave]

I have a friend who heats his house with a single wood burning stove.  On really cold days he needs to fire up electric space heaters in the bathrooms and bedrooms.  I told him while I like burning wood, it's a lot easier to turn up the thermostat, and natural gas probably costs less than he pays for wood.

He didn't believe me, so I went to the EIA (Energy Information Administration) website and downloaded a spreadsheet that compares fuel costs.  You just plug in the unit prices you pay for various heat sources, and the spreadsheet applies the various efficiency ratings and conversions and shows the real cost per BTU.  Here's what I found:

Over the last 2 months I've paid about 13.5 cents per KWH for electricity, including all the taxes and fees.  During the same period I've paid about 58 cents per therm of natural gas, again including taxes and fees.  At those prices electric heat costs about $40 per million BTU, while natural gas is much less at about $7 per million BTU.  There's no question that the shale gas revolution has lowered the heat bills for millions of Americans.

Wood burning costs can be harder to pin down because the density and moisture content vary a lot.  According to the EIA spreadsheet, something with average density (like oak) would have to cost less than $100 per cord to match the price of natural gas.  Around here nobody charges that little, so burning wood is no bargain unless you cut it yourself.

[Skinhead]

Ever since the early 70's, my parents heated their house in Pittsburgh with a single Buck Stove fire place insert.  My dad worked for the power company and installed electric baseboard heat after a fire/reconstruction.  He used that for one year and the price of electricity was the incentive for buying the Buck Stove.  Many weekends of my yute, were spent cutting, splitting, and stacking wood.  The Old Man was a stickler for closing doors and turning off lights that weren't needed.  In fact I tell my kids that my dad took all the light bulbs out of the lamps and fixtures in the house.  He issued each of us our own bulb that we had to take with us from room to room.  His utility bills were next to nothing.

[cookiedough]

besides space heaters,  an electric plug in blanket works wonders for a few days/nights spent in a 55-60 degree house in the winter. 

If you paid by credit card for that B.S. repair that did NOT work AFTER you ask them to refund you the repair money that did NOT work as they said it would 'for awhile',  then if they do NOT give you a full refund or at least all money back except for maybe a trip charge (anywhere from say 20-50 bucks depending on location),  call your credit card company and file a complaint on a faulty repair bill.  99% sure your credit card company will file a claim with the repair company and get most, if not all, of your faulty repair money back.  they put a hold on your payment to them until matter is resolved.

I had to do that twice in my life and got all my money back on faulty repairs that never worked by paying with my credit card. 

[t-man403]

Inducer motor fan/assembly went bad on my home furnace.  This vents out the unit and if it doesn't work the burners don't go on so no heat.  Called local big name outfit Friday morning because the little guys have taken me for a ride in the past.  Technician comes, I POINT HIM AT THE PROBLEM.  He nods, does a circuit test.  Removes the assembly (3 screws/bolts) and looks at in his hand.  He re-installs the broken part and lubricates it.  Says it should work for a while but needs to be replaced and someone will call with prices.  Charges me $170 for less than an hour in my house.

Nobody ever calls with the prices and the part fails again early the next morning (Sat).  I do a little research and get model and part numbers, but nobody who sells parts is open until Monday.  No heat all weekend.

This morning I call the local HVAC parts places and they both only sell to contractors, not the public.  I begged and pleaded with both, but they refused to sell me the part.  I offered to pay more, even double to the second guy, but they still refused.

So I just put my tail between my legs and called the original company back.  Left my number after telling the telephone answerer of my frustration and waiting for them to call back.   $170 for absolutely nothing and now I'll have to pay them again because nobody will sell me a part that is installed with 3 screws. 

Very frustrating.

Sorry but I laughed reading this!

We all want a deal ...... me included. HVAC is what I do and it doesn't matter the trade ...... when it comes to service, for some reason we feel we've been had!!
Your guy spent less than an hour in your home for $170. I find that reasonable knowing that there is an hourly wage he makes, a van to pay for, insurance, tires, gas and the list goes on. He did provide you with heat all be it temporary. Let's not forget travel time.

Now, when I do a call and I know the fix is temporary, I don't charge a second service call but I do charge the labor to install the part. The reality of this world is unfortunately, if you can't drive away with a couple hundred bucks on an invoice, the call is not worth going to. He is also insured to do the work on your furnace and warranties what he does. I get calls all the time from home owners that have screwed up their furnace and now it is going to cost them even more.

Good on Carrier for not selling you the goods as they don't want the liability IF something were to happen where the parts are improperly installed and you gas your family. Sounds extreme but.....

The other thing is ....... you called him ..... he didn't call you!

[cookiedough]

170 bucks for less than 1 hour and not fixed for more than 1 day of heat is reasonable?

maybe in your part of the country, but most trip charges since more local contractors within 25-30 miles away tops is around 30 bucks, tops 50 bucks.  Not sure hourly rate of over 100 bucks is reasonable with no parts included from what I thought?  Varies widely though from company to company, pays to shop around. 

I say that 170 bucks, all of it besides small 2nd trip charge,  should be carried over to the permanent fix.

[Gavin_Sons]

Inducer motor fan/assembly went bad on my home furnace.  This vents out the unit and if it doesn't work the burners don't go on so no heat.  Called local big name outfit Friday morning because the little guys have taken me for a ride in the past.  Technician comes, I POINT HIM AT THE PROBLEM.  He nods, does a circuit test.  Removes the assembly (3 screws/bolts) and looks at in his hand.  He re-installs the broken part and lubricates it.  Says it should work for a while but needs to be replaced and someone will call with prices.  Charges me $170 for less than an hour in my house.

Nobody ever calls with the prices and the part fails again early the next morning (Sat).  I do a little research and get model and part numbers, but nobody who sells parts is open until Monday.  No heat all weekend.

This morning I call the local HVAC parts places and they both only sell to contractors, not the public.  I begged and pleaded with both, but they refused to sell me the part.  I offered to pay more, even double to the second guy, but they still refused.

So I just put my tail between my legs and called the original company back.  Left my number after telling the telephone answerer of my frustration and waiting for them to call back.   $170 for absolutely nothing and now I'll have to pay them again because nobody will sell me a part that is installed with 3 screws. 

Very frustrating.

Sorry but I laughed reading this!

We all want a deal ...... me included. HVAC is what I do and it doesn't matter the trade ...... when it comes to service, for some reason we feel we've been had!!
Your guy spent less than an hour in your home for $170. I find that reasonable knowing that there is an hourly wage he makes, a van to pay for, insurance, tires, gas and the list goes on. He did provide you with heat all be it temporary. Let's not forget travel time.

Now, when I do a call and I know the fix is temporary, I don't charge a second service call but I do charge the labor to install the part. The reality of this world is unfortunately, if you can't drive away with a couple hundred bucks on an invoice, the call is not worth going to. He is also insured to do the work on your furnace and warranties what he does. I get calls all the time from home owners that have screwed up their furnace and now it is going to cost them even more.

Good on Carrier for not selling you the goods as they don't want the liability IF something were to happen where the parts are improperly installed and you gas your family. Sounds extreme but.....

The other thing is ....... you called him ..... he didn't call you!

You did read where he order the part online and is now doing the repair himself didn't you? What is the difference between carrier not selling him the parts but being ok for the net to sell them? You act like homeowners should not be able to domtheir own repairs. Yes I understand you work in this field and want all the business you can get. I will not pay your prices for something I can do myself. I'm waiting for the day that our government says we can't do our own home repairs and have to have a licensed contractor to do anything. I have it easy though, my cousin owns his own HVAC company so I can get whatever I want whenever I want and 9 times out of 10 he will just show up and do it for me for free. I also have family with plumbing license and contracting license and me with my electrical license.  Guess I'm all set in the home repair area.

[G-Man]

Inducer motor fan/assembly went bad on my home furnace.  This vents out the unit and if it doesn't work the burners don't go on so no heat.  Called local big name outfit Friday morning because the little guys have taken me for a ride in the past.  Technician comes, I POINT HIM AT THE PROBLEM.  He nods, does a circuit test.  Removes the assembly (3 screws/bolts) and looks at in his hand.  He re-installs the broken part and lubricates it.  Says it should work for a while but needs to be replaced and someone will call with prices.  Charges me $170 for less than an hour in my house.

Nobody ever calls with the prices and the part fails again early the next morning (Sat).  I do a little research and get model and part numbers, but nobody who sells parts is open until Monday.  No heat all weekend.

This morning I call the local HVAC parts places and they both only sell to contractors, not the public.  I begged and pleaded with both, but they refused to sell me the part.  I offered to pay more, even double to the second guy, but they still refused.

So I just put my tail between my legs and called the original company back.  Left my number after telling the telephone answerer of my frustration and waiting for them to call back.   $170 for absolutely nothing and now I'll have to pay them again because nobody will sell me a part that is installed with 3 screws. 

Very frustrating.

Sorry but I laughed reading this!

We all want a deal ...... me included. HVAC is what I do and it doesn't matter the trade ...... when it comes to service, for some reason we feel we've been had!!
Your guy spent less than an hour in your home for $170. I find that reasonable knowing that there is an hourly wage he makes, a van to pay for, insurance, tires, gas and the list goes on. He did provide you with heat all be it temporary. Let's not forget travel time.

Now, when I do a call and I know the fix is temporary, I don't charge a second service call but I do charge the labor to install the part. The reality of this world is unfortunately, if you can't drive away with a couple hundred bucks on an invoice, the call is not worth going to. He is also insured to do the work on your furnace and warranties what he does. I get calls all the time from home owners that have screwed up their furnace and now it is going to cost them even more.

Good on Carrier for not selling you the goods as they don't want the liability IF something were to happen where the parts are improperly installed and you gas your family. Sounds extreme but.....

The other thing is ....... you called him ..... he didn't call you!

I understand the costs of doing business.  I was a locksmith for a few years way back when and I am very familiar with "service" calls and being paid for the van, gas, knowledge, storefront/office, etc.  But I'm sorry, $170 for less than an hour is a excessive.  THAT's why homeowners attempt to do things themselves, because the services charged by companies are too high.  It is also why many times the technicians make deals to come back on their own and do it for half price.

[G-Man]

Inducer motor fan/assembly went bad on my home furnace.  This vents out the unit and if it doesn't work the burners don't go on so no heat.  Called local big name outfit Friday morning because the little guys have taken me for a ride in the past.  Technician comes, I POINT HIM AT THE PROBLEM.  He nods, does a circuit test.  Removes the assembly (3 screws/bolts) and looks at in his hand.  He re-installs the broken part and lubricates it.  Says it should work for a while but needs to be replaced and someone will call with prices.  Charges me $170 for less than an hour in my house.

Nobody ever calls with the prices and the part fails again early the next morning (Sat).  I do a little research and get model and part numbers, but nobody who sells parts is open until Monday.  No heat all weekend.

This morning I call the local HVAC parts places and they both only sell to contractors, not the public.  I begged and pleaded with both, but they refused to sell me the part.  I offered to pay more, even double to the second guy, but they still refused.

So I just put my tail between my legs and called the original company back.  Left my number after telling the telephone answerer of my frustration and waiting for them to call back.   $170 for absolutely nothing and now I'll have to pay them again because nobody will sell me a part that is installed with 3 screws. 

Very frustrating.

Sorry but I laughed reading this!

We all want a deal ...... me included. HVAC is what I do and it doesn't matter the trade ...... when it comes to service, for some reason we feel we've been had!!
Your guy spent less than an hour in your home for $170. I find that reasonable knowing that there is an hourly wage he makes, a van to pay for, insurance, tires, gas and the list goes on. He did provide you with heat all be it temporary. Let's not forget travel time.

Now, when I do a call and I know the fix is temporary, I don't charge a second service call but I do charge the labor to install the part. The reality of this world is unfortunately, if you can't drive away with a couple hundred bucks on an invoice, the call is not worth going to. He is also insured to do the work on your furnace and warranties what he does. I get calls all the time from home owners that have screwed up their furnace and now it is going to cost them even more.

Good on Carrier for not selling you the goods as they don't want the liability IF something were to happen where the parts are improperly installed and you gas your family. Sounds extreme but.....

The other thing is ....... you called him ..... he didn't call you!

You did read where he order the part online and is now doing the repair himself didn't you? What is the difference between carrier not selling him the parts but being ok for the net to sell them? You act like homeowners should not be able to domtheir own repairs. Yes I understand you work in this field and want all the business you can get. I will not pay your prices for something I can do myself. I'm waiting for the day that our government says we can't do our own home repairs and have to have a licensed contractor to do anything. I have it easy though, my cousin owns his own HVAC company so I can get whatever I want whenever I want and 9 times out of 10 he will just show up and do it for me for free. I also have family with plumbing license and contracting license and me with my electrical license.  Guess I'm all set in the home repair area.

I was thinking the same thing when I was on the phone with the parts supply house.  Why can't I do my own work?  Have you seen some of the morons that work in the home repair, building, industries?  Yes, I know their are brilliant contractors out there, but none of them live or work in my area.  There are no Tom Slivas or Mike Holmes around here.  NONE!  So why am I stopped from doing things myself?

Thank goodness for the internet.

[Wizzard]

Its ok to do your own if you know what you are doing. Too many don't. When I was in the small engine repair business many years ago I had a sign on the wall that showed a customer bringing in a basket with engine parts and sitting it on the counter and saying to the sales person behind the parts counter, "Don't you hate it when people bring in stuff they tried to fix themselves"? To which the salesperson replied. "Naw, why would I hate anyone that can take a 75 dollar job and turn it into 250 bucks"

[G-Man]

.....I'm waiting for the day that our government says we can't do our own home repairs and have to have a licensed contractor to do anything. .....

Heaven help us all if this ever happens.

Contractors ripping people off, lying, stealing, never showing up, doing sh!t work, etc. is an industry all by itself.  There are websites dedicated to "protecting" homeowners against this.  There are TV shows demonstrating their sh!t and trying to catch them.  EVERYONE has a "story" of how they were ripped off at sometime or another.  Gov't has set up an inspection system to try to protect the public from them and try to find a legit inspector who isn't getting something under the table from the contractor or the seller.  

BTW, I believe my town has already begun moving in that direction.  Sanitation no longer takes construction debris from the curb.  You have to take it to the dump yourself and pay a fee to leave it there.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Inducer motor fan/assembly went bad on my home furnace.  This vents out the unit and if it doesn't work the burners don't go on so no heat.  Called local big name outfit Friday morning because the little guys have taken me for a ride in the past.  Technician comes, I POINT HIM AT THE PROBLEM.  He nods, does a circuit test.  Removes the assembly (3 screws/bolts) and looks at in his hand.  He re-installs the broken part and lubricates it.  Says it should work for a while but needs to be replaced and someone will call with prices.  Charges me $170 for less than an hour in my house.

Nobody ever calls with the prices and the part fails again early the next morning (Sat).  I do a little research and get model and part numbers, but nobody who sells parts is open until Monday.  No heat all weekend.

This morning I call the local HVAC parts places and they both only sell to contractors, not the public.  I begged and pleaded with both, but they refused to sell me the part.  I offered to pay more, even double to the second guy, but they still refused.

So I just put my tail between my legs and called the original company back.  Left my number after telling the telephone answerer of my frustration and waiting for them to call back.   $170 for absolutely nothing and now I'll have to pay them again because nobody will sell me a part that is installed with 3 screws. 

Very frustrating.

Sorry but I laughed reading this!

We all want a deal ...... me included. HVAC is what I do and it doesn't matter the trade ...... when it comes to service, for some reason we feel we've been had!!
Your guy spent less than an hour in your home for $170. I find that reasonable knowing that there is an hourly wage he makes, a van to pay for, insurance, tires, gas and the list goes on. He did provide you with heat all be it temporary. Let's not forget travel time.

Now, when I do a call and I know the fix is temporary, I don't charge a second service call but I do charge the labor to install the part. The reality of this world is unfortunately, if you can't drive away with a couple hundred bucks on an invoice, the call is not worth going to. He is also insured to do the work on your furnace and warranties what he does. I get calls all the time from home owners that have screwed up their furnace and now it is going to cost them even more.

Good on Carrier for not selling you the goods as they don't want the liability IF something were to happen where the parts are improperly installed and you gas your family. Sounds extreme but.....

The other thing is ....... you called him ..... he didn't call you!

It's a common theme, not just with HVAC or other contractors. People seem to think they should pay less for everything, unless of course it is a product or service they provide. I think eye exams and glasses should cost $10. Some only believe in the "free market" when it benefits them. If I had a nickel for every time someone has said to me "meat costs too much, I only paid $.99 for it in 1970", I could retire.

[J.Mencalice]

Caveat emptor.

[F6Dave]

Good on Carrier for not selling you the goods as they don't want the liability IF something were to happen where the parts are improperly installed and you gas your family.

That's the kind of logic states and cities used to use when they wouldn't let motorists pump their own gas.

[MarkT]

There's a local electrical outfit that is in the business of selling estimates.  Call them out for some project you need done and they will do so and give you a crazy high estimate.  If you are ignorent enough you don't know that's WAY out of line then they are paid their crazy high fee that is 3-4 times what it should be.  Otherwise they collect their $45 for telling you their fee for at most 20 minutes of their time plus travel - which they combine with other estimate-selling stops.  They wanted $2000 to install a sub-panel in my garage and connect the other end when I had already run the power line from the main panel to the garage.  Another time they wanted $1500 to install a master breaker sw before the main panel.  Took me twice (forgot I had called them before) but I learned what their scam is. I seem to recall I had in '97 asked them what they wanted to run a power line from the panel to the hot tub deck - about 30 ft through the basement - it was $1500 IIRC.  I had my contractor friend do the sub-panel plus give a large NEC monitor in exchange for a Garmin GPS I had replaced with another.  I installed the master breaker sw myself using a panel box and 200amp sw I bought at Home Depot for a hundred bucks or so.  The hot tub wiring was done by a small shop for about $150 - 1/10 of what Candlelight Electric tried to scam me for.

I've had good results asking neighbors and friends for referrals.  Also have used Angie's List to good effect.  I found Home Advisor to be not so good - 2 outfits we called recommended by HA, were interested in pushing their agenda of selling us a new furnace when I know what we need to have ours fixed - I have some HVAC background as a home improvement consultant.  BTW the furnace quit while I was out of state deer hunting and the wife had to call them - they tried to take advantage of her.  And they sold her on needing a new furnace - but she is inclined to spend my money on unnecessary equipment replacements already.  I got in the loop and made it clear I know something about HVAC and said what they need to do.  There's too much impedence on one of the wires at the camstat - it's an easy temp fix - 5 minutes.  It wasn't an emergency - the house still has the baseboard electric heat installed but it's expensive to use.  Now we have another referral source with the advent of the Nextdoor website.  My furnace has several newer parts - not replacing it just because the cabinet is 20 years old.  The real problem is the burner is too big for the retrofitted ductwork so the camstat cycles the burner while the heat exchanger overheats and gets cooled back down by the blower. It's been running this way since before we moved here in '96. All that cycling adds wear to the camstat contacts which is basically a relay with a bimetallic (heat sensing) control.  I've replaced it a couple times over the years. It needs a smaller burner as the house has been well insulated plus new dbl-pane windows and new cladding and siding recently - since the system was installed. The heat output of the burner has already been dialed down but it's a 100k BTU burner, should be more like 80k.

[scooperhsd]

Good on Carrier for not selling you the goods as they don't want the liability IF something were to happen where the parts are improperly installed and you gas your family.

That's the kind of logic states and cities used to use when they wouldn't let motorists pump their own gas.

Still can't pump your own gas in NJ and the more populated areas of Oregon (They finally relaxed it in more remote areas).  However - you CAN pump your own diesel....

[J.Mencalice]

Good on Carrier for not selling you the goods as they don't want the liability IF something were to happen where the parts are improperly installed and you gas your family.

That's the kind of logic states and cities used to use when they wouldn't let motorists pump their own gas.

A good example of why some folks should not be allowed to pump their own gasoline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHPg2Mi2roI&feature=youtu.be

[f6john]

I don’t think the $170.00 is the issue. The issue is the problem wasn’t resolved, $170.00 is a lot for a 24 hour band aid.

I have a issue with the new house I bought. There is a leak around the chimney. I was aware that the roof had leaked before but it was represented to me as being fixed when I bought it. Within a 2 month period I had a dark spot on the ceiling and a wet floor directly below so I knew I still had a problem.

I was able to contact the roofer who came out last spring for the original owner and found out that he didn’t touch the roof. He and the homeowner decided that the problem could be the brick chimney and they simply put a clear sealer on the brick. He told me that he had no idea what the problem was but the owners didn’t wasn’t to get into a major repair, they were putting the house on the market after all!

As of today the problem still exists and I am just waiting on the roofer to return and start tearing off shingles around the chimney till we see where and how the water is getting in. Now here is the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say. On leak repairs like this he comes out and does what has to be done but he doesn’t bill you until a month or more or until a few heavy rains to be sure the problem is resolved! I can’t ask for better than that. It will cost me a lot more than if I did it myself but this roof is 2 stories tall and a 12/12 pitch or more, too steep for my old bones.

This guy has employees, insurance, trucks, fuel and taxes to cover too but his reputation is as important to him as his bottom line.

[Willow]

Gary, apparently HVAC repair companies are amateuristic.

Four months ago I was bumped off my motorcycle path into a forced dismount.  I was bleeding a little.  Well, okay, I was bleeding a lot until i wrapped my handkechief around my right hand.  I was almost forcefully placed into an ambulance.  I made the serious mistake of telling them to take me to the ER.  I spent two hours in the ER.  The doctor cleaned and stitched a rather ugly laceration.  They took X-rays to confirm that I was correct in telling them there were no broken bones.  They threw away my handkerchief.

I was billed $39,771.90 for two hours in the ER.  Additionally the doctor billed me for $1,810.00 and the radiology organization billed me separately for the services that I had told the doctor were not needed.  Intersetingly the hospital was willing to reduce the bill to $17,517.70 for my health insurance company.  Seventeen thousand dollars for two hours?  That's still  over $8,500 per hour.  

Doctors and lawyers.  Those are the rip off experts.  

[Jess from VA]

Doctors and lawyers.  Those are the rip off experts. 

Yeah, and when's the last time any of those made house calls? 

But thanks for the heads up.... if they ever try to force me in an ambulance headed for an ER, I'm going to start yelling about kidnapping (and writing eveyone's name down). 

Thirty years ago, I used to run people through a Ch 7 bankruptcy just to get rid of a single $17-39,000  unsecured debt.  I charged a few hundred dollars.

My last big ER trip for a cut-off finger (a long time ago now), I was amazed to see the division of labor on the medical bills.  No one big bill, one each for the doc, the nurses, the Xrays, the meds, the room, and even a shop materials bill like the auto mechanics do.   Apparently, the air was free, but again this was a long time ago.

Know what the difference is between being car jacked and going to an ER?  The car jacker uses a gun, and the ER uses collection agencies and lawyers.     

[Wizzard]

I know of someone that the ER and the paramedics saved their life. I don't they complained about the price at all. 

[G-Man]

Good on Carrier for not selling you the goods as they don't want the liability IF something were to happen where the parts are improperly installed and you gas your family.

That's the kind of logic states and cities used to use when they wouldn't let motorists pump their own gas.

Still can't pump your own gas in NJ and the more populated areas of Oregon (They finally relaxed it in more remote areas).  However - you CAN pump your own diesel....

NJ will usually let bikes pump for themselves.

[G-Man]

I don’t think the $170.00 is the issue. The issue is the problem wasn’t resolved, $170.00 is a lot for a 24 hour band aid.

I have a issue with the new house I bought. There is a leak around the chimney. I was aware that the roof had leaked before but it was represented to me as being fixed when I bought it. Within a 2 month period I had a dark spot on the ceiling and a wet floor directly below so I knew I still had a problem.

I was able to contact the roofer who came out last spring for the original owner and found out that he didn’t touch the roof. He and the homeowner decided that the problem could be the brick chimney and they simply put a clear sealer on the brick. He told me that he had no idea what the problem was but the owners didn’t wasn’t to get into a major repair, they were putting the house on the market after all!

As of today the problem still exists and I am just waiting on the roofer to return and start tearing off shingles around the chimney till we see where and how the water is getting in. Now here is the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say. On leak repairs like this he comes out and does what has to be done but he doesn’t bill you until a month or more or until a few heavy rains to be sure the problem is resolved! I can’t ask for better than that. It will cost me a lot more than if I did it myself but this roof is 2 stories tall and a 12/12 pitch or more, too steep for my old bones.

This guy has employees, insurance, trucks, fuel and taxes to cover too but his reputation is as important to him as his bottom line.

I believe in some states you can sue the previous owner.  In NY for example, the seller has to disclose everything he knows is wrong with house.  In this case, you have a witness that he knew of the problem, didn't fix it, and allowed you to believe it was fixed prior to purchase.  Sounds like fraud to me.  I'd get a lawyer and sue for the cost of fixing everything PLUS the legal expenses. 

[DirtyDan]

Gary, apparently HVAC repair companies are amateuristic.

Four months ago I was bumped off my motorcycle path into a forced dismount.  I was bleeding a little.  Well, okay, I was bleeding a lot until i wrapped my handkechief around my right hand.  I was almost forcefully placed into an ambulance.  I made the serious mistake of telling them to take me to the ER.  I spent two hours in the ER.  The doctor cleaned and stitched a rather ugly laceration.  They took X-rays to confirm that I was correct in telling them there were no broken bones.  They threw away my handkerchief.

I was billed $39,771.90 for two hours in the ER.  Additionally the doctor billed me for $1,810.00 and the radiology organization billed me separately for the services that I had told the doctor were not needed.  Intersetingly the hospital was willing to reduce the bill to $17,517.70 for my health insurance company.  Seventeen thousand dollars for two hours?  That's still  over $8,500 per hour.  

Doctors and lawyers.  Those are the rip off experts.  

39,771.90 $ for stitches ? Ambulance n x rays ?

Dan

[G-Man]

Gary, apparently HVAC repair companies are amateuristic.

Four months ago I was bumped off my motorcycle path into a forced dismount.  I was bleeding a little.  Well, okay, I was bleeding a lot until i wrapped my handkechief around my right hand.  I was almost forcefully placed into an ambulance.  I made the serious mistake of telling them to take me to the ER.  I spent two hours in the ER.  The doctor cleaned and stitched a rather ugly laceration.  They took X-rays to confirm that I was correct in telling them there were no broken bones.  They threw away my handkerchief.

I was billed $39,771.90 for two hours in the ER.  Additionally the doctor billed me for $1,810.00 and the radiology organization billed me separately for the services that I had told the doctor were not needed.  Intersetingly the hospital was willing to reduce the bill to $17,517.70 for my health insurance company.  Seventeen thousand dollars for two hours?  That's still  over $8,500 per hour.  

Doctors and lawyers.  Those are the rip off experts.  

How much of the $1.810.00 did you directly pay to the doctor?  I had to pay the whole thing out of pocket and my thing didn't get better.  You paid a small portion of the actual doctor's bill (if any portion at all) and got better.  What you directly paid to the doctor was probably the smallest part of the whole tab. Your guy cleaned and sutured up an ugly laceration providing a sterile field to avoid infection, sterile instruments to clean, prep, and close the wound, a nice sterile dressing, anesthesia so you didn't feel anything, gave you antibiotics to avoid infection, and all while you were still running, and probably had a medical assistant or nurse helping him in one way or another.  My guy used a screwdriver, a voltage tester, and WD40, that's it.

And, as stated before, I guess we must take into consideration the cost of doing business.  Can you really say that the cost of doing business is the same for a doctor and a plumber?  Both are essentially small business operators, but I truly believe the start up fees and operating costs are much higher for the healthcare provider.  I'm pretty sure the difference in insurance costs of doing business alone would tip those scales dramatically.  

Oh, and suturing yourself up, or calling a friend or cousin over doesn't quite get the job done when your handkerchief is saturated with blood.  There are certain things that many of us have to leave to the professionals.  No argument there from me. 

As for the rest of the cost (non doctor) of providing medicine.............  That's a whole other thing.   

[Oss]

Gary

The PCDS (Property Disclosure law) says seller can "shut the f up" about the property and give a $500.00 credit at closing
It is malpractice for me or any lawyer to not advise the seller to give the credit and bump the price by $500.00 for luck

(I suppose an exception would be if client was moving out of the country never to return  but I should not be told that       )

I love youtube.  It has helped me repair my dishwasher and diagnose problems.  Stiil I pay a trusted professional to do the work if it involves electricity or plumbing beyond connect-disconnect

It probably helps that I have so many clients in the building trades as well as building supers who owe me favors and money to fix my roof and carpentry work like replacing and shoring up the pool deck

Call me this evening as Andy wants to move the poker game to next week.

[JimC]

Call me this evening as Andy wants to move the poker game to next week.

Gary,
There is your answer to the whole issue.
Win a bunch of Evan's money in the poker game and you can afford to hire anyone you want, and leave a tip

Jim

[t-man403]

170 bucks for less than 1 hour and not fixed for more than 1 day of heat is reasonable?
I say that 170 bucks, all of it besides small 2nd trip charge,  should be carried over to the permanent fix.

Pretty sure I said that already! 

You did read where he order the part online and is now doing the repair himself didn't you? What is the difference between carrier not selling him the parts but being ok for the net to sell them? You act like homeowners should not be able to domtheir own repairs. Yes I understand you work in this field and want all the business you can get. I will not pay your prices for something I can do myself. I'm waiting for the day that our government says we can't do our own home repairs and have to have a licensed contractor to do anything. I have it easy though, my cousin owns his own HVAC company so I can get whatever I want whenever I want and 9 times out of 10 he will just show up and do it for me for free. I also have family with plumbing license and contracting license and me with my electrical license.  Guess I'm all set in the home repair area.

Yes I read his comment fully and I really don't care who fixes what!
You as an contractor yourself have most likely seen and repaired goofs made by home owners who thought they could do it on their own.
Just because the kit was available on line doesn't make it right and Carrier protected the business of their licensed dealers/contractors. Wholesalers are not retail outlets.  I can go to home depot for example and buy complete venting/exhaust kits that they sell to joe home owner that are completely against building codes! Home owners don't know the codes and that why you and I are here.

Quote from: G-Man on Yesterday at 04:08:01 AM

I understand the costs of doing business.  I was a locksmith for a few years way back when and I am very familiar with "service" calls and being paid for the van, gas, knowledge, storefront/office, etc.  But I'm sorry, $170 for less than an hour is a excessive.  THAT's why homeowners attempt to do things themselves, because the services charged by companies are too high.  It is also why many times the technicians make deals to come back on their own and do it for half price.

It's also a real good idea to ask companies their rates. Techs that make deals to make the repair on the side are the real thieves and are part of why service cost are so high. Also, you called a larger company that has way more overhead than the little guy.

Quote from meathead
It's a common theme, not just with HVAC or other contractors. People seem to think they should pay less for everything, unless of course it is a product or service they provide. I think eye exams and glasses should cost $10. Some only believe in the "free market" when it benefits them. If I had a nickel for every time someone has said to me "meat costs too much, I only paid $.99 for it in 1970", I could retire.

Bingo!!!

[Wizzard]

I have no beef with being charged when the job is done right the first time. But I have had to fix too many things that were not done right for relatives (they all know I know how to fix stuff right) that I refuse to call a service guy. I remodeled my kitchen 8 years ago from the bare studs up and put in a new electrical panel just for the kitchen. I had a retired union electrician come over and inspect it when I was done and he told me it was perfect, so I had some confidence. I like doing stuff myself, but that is just me. I sure wish I would have taken some pictures of my SIL's HVAC that she paid lots of money to a supposedly good contractor. It was so bad she fired the guy halfway in and I went over and looked at it, told her of a retired friend of mine (retired from HVAC) and he agreed to do it. She paid him for a job well done.
Again, I do not mind paying a fair price for work well done and I hate to see others pay good money for shoddy work.