We had a technician from the same HVAC company that installed our unit five years ago come out yesterday. We noticed a lot of condensation dripping from the ductwork onto our basement ceiling, causing some staining. The tech laughed it off, claiming it was normal, and suggested we just run the unit at 75 degrees to prevent it. Despite having a coffee mug from their company stating that service calls were free for life, they charged us $144 for the visit. Then today, our unit completely broke down. When we called the same technician back, he took about 30 minutes and found a faulty relay. He said it was under warranty but wanted to charge us $275 for the service call and labor. My wife and I questioned whether we should pay for the service call since the technician didn't do anything useful yesterday and we have proof of the free service calls. This turned into a huge argument with him leaving abruptly. What's a fair cost for replacing a relay? I looked it up and the part is only $15.
3 Answers
If you’re unhappy with your current HVAC provider, it might be a good idea to get two more quotes from other companies. It’s always smart to compare prices and find someone who will treat you fairly.
Watch out for HVAC companies; they can be a real scam. They often charge high service call fees, sometimes around $100+. And don't get me started on the markup for parts—they might charge over $200 for a part that costs just a few bucks. Seriously, it sounds like they took advantage of you. If there’s no actual leak, most HVAC issues come down to a relay or capacitor, which are simple to replace if you're willing to DIY.
Yeah, costs have shot up, especially since private equity firms are buying up a lot of HVAC companies. Pricing can be pretty steep these days. Regardless of their practices, it sounds like your situation is frustrating. They really shouldn’t charge you for a service call if the issue wasn’t resolved, especially with that coffee mug claim. Still, a typical service fee is common, but for something as simple as a relay, they shouldn't charge you so much for the labor on top of that.
You're spot on. I get that service fees are standard, but the whole 'free calls for life' thing really has me questioning their ethics. I just wanted a straight answer about the relay cost.
Exactly! I’ve done a few repairs myself, and there are tons of videos on how to handle these easy fixes.