Finding a Quality Heating and A/C Provider

Hello Everyone! I hope you had a fun and safe holiday. This week’s blog subject is about finding a quality heating and air condition provider and to answer why some folks think the prices for repairs and replacement equipment is too high.

Let’s start off with how to pick a quality contractor. 

Some key points to consider:

• Ask your friends and neighbors who they have used and what their experiences were with that company.
• If you are new to the area and haven’t met your neighbors, Google air conditioning providers in your zip code.
• When you have found a name of a contractor/provider; go online to the Better Business Bureau site and see if the company has any issues and how they were resolved and if they were resolved.
• Go online and check to see if they have a contractors’ license and a tradesman license. This site will also tell you if there have been any complaints filed against the company. http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/regulantlookup/
• Visit the company’s web site and see if it is a professional site that is useful to you. It should have testimonials, coupons, information, etc. If there is no web site, be very weary of the company as they may not have been in business very or long or have other issues.
• When you choose a company, be sure they are insured and have workman’s compensation insurance and business liability insurance. If they have it and all quality companies do; they can give you the insurance company name and policy number or show you a copy of the Certificate of Insurance.  This is the best proof, just be sure your check the date to make sure it is current.
• Be sure to ask if their technicians are N.A.T.E certified (North American Technical Excellence) or R.S.E.S certified (Refrigerant Service Engineer Society). Having certified technicians means the company cares enough to invest in their employees so they are a cut above other technicians.
• Be sure the company you choose performs background and drug testing of all their employees. This helps to ensure the people they send to your house are safe and don’t have prior criminal or sex offender records and are not on drugs.

By taking the steps listed above, you should be able to find a quality provider in your area that will stand behind their work.

The next question you may ask from time to time is, “Why are your prices so high?”Most people, unless they own a business or are aware of true business costs really don’t know what it take to operate a business.  It is very expensive to operate a quality business and these costs are part of the price you pay for excellent service and quality parts with guarantees.

A small sampling of the costs to run a business are:

• Business insurance
• Workman’s Compensation insurance
• Health, dental, vision insurance
• Office supplies
• Computers, software, and upkeep
• Furniture
• Mortgage/rent/utilities
• Vehicles (loans, upkeep and fuel cost)
• Inventory
• Uniforms
• Paid benefits for all employees
• Payroll and payroll taxes, etc.
• Continuous training and education

The point of this article is to point out that there are many more costs than just the part and labor, dispatch and testing fees to install it. If these costs are not paid; the company will not remain in business to serve anyone or honor their warranties and guarantees.

The next topic is, “Why does the new equipment cost so much; my old one was less than half that price?”The answer is the above costs increase (internal costs for the manufacturer, the distributor, and the dealer) and the cost to manufacturer to produce the new equipment has sky rocketed due to the rising commodity markets. The last six or seven years have had significant increases. The good side is that the air conditioning and heating equipment has become very energy efficient and continues to get more efficient. Our industry is changing rapidly with the focus on comfort and energy conservation. Hopefully, the markets and economy will level out and the prices will begin to as well.

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog, see you next week and if you have a particular topic or subject you would like answers to, please contact us (757) 421-9790 or by email allseasonshvac@cox.net.