Once your AC goes out, it’s often only a matter of time before all of the civility leaves your home as well. So it’s understandable that you want it back up and running as soon as possible. But before you start thinking about giving anyone your business, consider these common pitfalls.
Beware the Lowest Bidder
Conventional wisdom is to always go with the lowest price. This sounds like especially good advice given the current economy. But conventional wisdom also tells you that you’ll get what you pay for. So, when you’re looking for someone to fix your AC, keep this in mind.
Sadly, a contractor who cuts costs is often cutting corners, as well. So you might save a couple dollars upfront, but you won’t be enjoying them for long, as you’ll need them for a bigger problem down the line.
One way around this dilemma is to have all potential repairmen quote you a price. With that price, have them include exactly what they recommend for your unit, as well. Have any of them with discrepancies explain their recommendations, and move on from there.
Lose the Yellow Pages
The days of going to the Yellow Pages for something you need should really be in the rearview mirror at this point. Going to the phonebook to find a contractor is like throwing a dart at it for the same purpose. You could very well get lucky and end up with a great repairman. However, you could also get the opposite. There’s just no way of knowing what you’re getting. Keep to the Internet, instead, where you can look up reviews.
Avoid any Candidates without Track Records
Without a track record, you really can’t know how good or bad a potential repairman is. Sadly, the HVAC field sees 1 in 5 companies close every single year. Part of that is just the nature of the business, sadly. But it could also be because that’s a way of getting out of honoring warranties that the companies may have offered. So, just because a company is “new”, doesn’t mean its workers are, too. Do adequate research to be sure that these are people you can trust. Of course, it would be much easier to simply choose a company that does have an actual history that you can plainly review.
When your AC unit breaks, it’s hard to think of much else than getting it fixed immediately. But, if you can concentrate through the heat long enough to consider the above, you’ll avoid creating a much bigger problem down the road.
