Why You Should Be Wary of Bargain HVAC Repairs

“You get what you pay for.”

It’s a saying we’ve all heard many times. We might have even used it ourselves on occasion. But it’s a piece of wisdom we often choose to ignore, no matter how well we understand the idea behind it.
Taking the cheap and easy way is one of the bigger mistakes people make when confronted with malfunctioning HVAC systems. We fear the cost of repairs so much we become desperate to find a bargain, and we end up hiring fly-by-night operators who will rip us off and leave us holding the bag.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

When hiring service people it’s smart to shop for quotes. But there is no law that says you have to select the lowest one, and needless to say there are many circumstances when it’s a very, very bad idea to do so.

Unfortunately lots of people have chosen HVAC companies offering cut-rate prices on repairs. In far too many cases they’ve been rewarded with cut-rate quality of service, leading them to quickly regret their decision to take the cheapest offer.

If you choose bargain-basement HVAC repair services here’s what you could be letting yourself in for:

Bait-and-switch schemes

You’re given a quote for one type of service, but after examining your HVAC system the technician suddenly announces something else is wrong and it’ll cost you a few hundred dollars more in parts and labor to get it fixed.

Incorrect installations that are impossible to detect

HVAC systems are complex, technically sophisticated and at least partially enclosed. If a service technician installs a part incorrectly you’ll never know it until that part fails and the problem you thought was fixed comes back again with a vengeance.

Totally unnecessary repairs or replacement of parts that were working just fine

You won’t realize you’ve been had until you start doing business with a more reputable HVAC company, whose technicians can analyze the past work you’ve had done and let you know if it was bogus or legitimate.

Repeated visits when they can’t get it fixed the first time

When you hire technicians who aren’t really qualified the chances of them figuring out what’s wrong the first time—and actually repairing it successfully—are relatively slim. That means they’ll have to come back again and again (if you let them). So all those wonderful cost-savings you were anticipating will never materialize, since none of these extra service calls will be on-the-house.

Know Who You Are Hiring

Before you do business with any HVAC company investigate them carefully. Pour over their website, talk to their representatives over the phone or in-person and insist on seeing the credentials of their service technicians. Read any reviews you can find online, and check with the Better Business Bureau to see if they’ve ever been the target of complaints.

If you find any red flags move on to another company and don’t look back, regardless of how much money they claim they can save you.

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