8 TIPS FOR HIRING THE RIGHT HVAC CONTRACTOR DEAN E-BOOK

Transcription

1 8 TIPS FOR HIRING THE RIGHT HVAC CONTRACTOR DEAN E-BOOK

2 Welcome to our E-Book. We have written this book with you, the consumer in mind. Our book is designed to give you knowledge, confidence, and the tools to make the correct decision in hiring an HVAC contractor. When it comes time to have some work done on the equipment in your house, everyone worries about choosing the best professional for the job. All contractors are certainly not the same. The experience you have when hiring a contractor should be a positive one. Follow these simple suggestions for making a more informed decision. Both NBC s Dateline and CBS s 48 Hours TV investigative news-magazines recently aired hidden camera sting operations exposing fraudulent heating and cooling contractors. A number of the companies they called out either bent the facts, or committed outright fraud on national television. The Better Business Bureau ranks heating and cooling as one of the highest complaint generating industries. Fortunately, most contractors are ethical, certified, trained and knowledgeable to handle all of your home s HVAC needs. The experience you have when hiring a contractor should be a positive one. Follow these simple suggestions for making a more informed decision.

3 2. RESEARCH, REVIEWS & REFERRALS Are they reliable? Dependable? Knowledgeable? Trained? Certified? Do they have the right tools for the job? Research is the best way to ascertain the contractors ability. The best companies have a strong presence on-line. There are websites that contain reviews of past customers with a description of their contractor experience. Here are some sites you can visit: Ask for referrals Ask friends, neighbors, and co-workers for contractor referrals. You can also contact local trade organizations for names of members in your area. Call references Ask contractors for customer references and call them. Ask about the contractor s installation or service performance, and if the job was completed on time and within budget. Is the dealer licensed, bonded and insured? Are you, the homeowner, at risk? By verifying that they dealership has a current license and they are bonded and insured removes the homeowners risk. If you don t see the information on their website, ask about their license bonding and insurance. Get the details. Establish and confirm facts. Reaffirm the results of previous work performed. Gather data from manufacturer websites. Do your homework!

4 2. QUESTIONS FOR THE CONTRACTOR As a homeowner, you need to not only protect your home, but also your family. Common complaints in the industry include technicians having bad hygiene, being inappropriately dressed, using profanity while working, leaving a mess in the house, and just plain making the homeowner feel uncomfortable. To avoid these problems, be sure to ask your contractor the following questions: 1. How many years has your company been in business? 2. Are you registered or licensed by the state/province or city to do heating and air conditioning work? 3. Do you carry both general liability and workers compensation insurance? 4. Are your technicians certified to handle refrigerant gas? 5. Are you a member of a national trade association? 6. Do you have a permanent non-residence place of business, and what is the street address? 7. Can you can provide names of satisfied customers in my neighborhood? 8. Do your service technicians wear uniforms & ID badges? 9. Do you offer 24 hour emergency service? 10. Do you have a refund policy if I am not satisfied? Clean appearance, company uniform, easily identified trucks and drug testing are standards for Air Conditioning Experts, Inc. There is no guessing; everything is marked and identified for your piece of mind. We treat you and your home like it was ours. Training is the most important responsibility of a quality service company. Any trusted heating and air contractor will have a training program and require continuing education. Our expert training continues on a yearly basis to ensure that our technicians live up to quality standards. A good company will have the tools needed to do the job. Be sure to explain to the company what type and brand of air conditioner and/or heater needs to be looked at and ask the company if it has a stock of spare parts for the unit. We are located next to the Trane warehouse which provides a nice advantage for our customers.

5 3. DO NOT ASSUME THAT A BRAND NAME DEALER IS A GOOD CHOICE. Choosing a dealer because of a brand name of equipment does not mean that you are getting the best dealer. Visit the manufacturer dealer locater website and enter your zip code. A list of reputable dealers will be displayed and their credentials. If the dealer is an elite dealer, you can feel comfortable. A dealer with the Specialist designation has met stringent qualification standards and is committed to being the best in every aspect of his or her business. These programs are for manufacturer s core dealers who are dedicated to excellent customer service and have agreed to exacting requirements to participate in the program. Most manufacturers require a 98% Customer Satisfaction rating to maintain they designation. Ask to see survey results. What happens when you are not satisfied? Fortunately, there are contractors who are ethical, technically at the leading edge, and also have business and customer service systems in place that ensure high levels of client satisfaction. Invest the time to identify a good contractor. It will be time well spent. Specialist designations by manufacturer

6 4. DON T BE MISLEAD - SERVICE OR REPLACE A quality contractor is more interested in serving you than in selling you. He builds his business on long term service relationships and referrals from extremely happy clients, rather than making the quick buck. He believes in truly solving his clients problems and only putting in systems that really work right, even if it may mean he initially sells new equipment to fewer homeowners. Diagnosing and then servicing any pre-existing duct and insulation problems, installing the new equipment to industry and manufacturer guidelines, then testing the work, takes time to do right. Many contractors will try to minimize the importance of a proper sizing calculation and diagnostic testing. Serving a system, even if they have done hundreds of houses, no two houses or duct systems are exactly the same. Each has different characteristics and unique problems giving you choices between servicing and replacing. Most contractors will only offer to replace your old equipment with the same size (or a bigger one), without performing any measurements, inspections or diagnostic tests. Because of the equipment profit markup, contractors make the most money per hour when they just cut out old equipment, connect the new equipment, start it up and move on. Up-to-date, conscientious contractors are in the minority. You must invest some time to find one. Don t be surprised if you have to speak with ten to twenty contractors before you find one who has both the ability, and the willingness, to follow the consulting and diagnostic process recommended by Comfort Institute, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and many consumer protection groups. Don t be misled by the many contractors who either don t know how to do it right, or just don t care.

7 5. VALUE VERSUS PRICE Many people are concerned by the up front costs of doing the job right. Especially if it was an unplanned expense, it s tempting to spend as little as possible on new equipment. The low price you see advertised or are quoted may not be the price you end up paying. Some contractors offer an unrealistically low price to get the job and then pressure you into paying a lot more after starting. That low priced contractor is rarely the best value. It usually ends up costing more, in terms of unreliable operation, an uncomfortable home, repeated visits to get problems resolved, higher utility bills, and even unsafe operation. As with any home improvement, watch out for high pressure salespeople. Automatically reject any company that tries to pressure you into signing a contract, or claims they overstocked on equipment and can therefore give you some kind of special free equipment offer. Remember consumer protection laws are in place to protect you. A good comfort system, when properly installed, can reduce the heating or cooling portion of your utility bills by up to 40% to 50%. The long term savings are the return on your investment. With the convenient financing plans that are now available, many people find their utility savings are often about the same as their monthly investment, so it really doesn t cost you anything. It s really the utility company that ends up paying for your new system. Do not choose a contractor that wants cash up front, tries to sell a new system over the phone or tries to give you free equipment. With no proof of payment, you will likely be unable to get any warranty repairs performed. Remember, all reputable companies need to meet with you and perform a Whole House Diagnostic to ensure the correct equipment is sized and installed properly.

8 6. THOROUGHLY RESEARCH REBATES AND INCENTIVES As this is a large purchase, be sure to thoroughly research special offers that may save you money, such as tax incentives and rebates from your local utility company for energy efficient appliance upgrades. Look for Manufacturer s Rebates. Most manufacturer will have seasonal promotions that include rebates and financing offers. Look for Energy Star. When purchasing heating and cooling equipment, seek out the Energy Star logo. Energy Star-qualified products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency, offering significant long-term savings. When comparing models, ask your contractor to calculate savings differences between models. Plan for a home evaluation. In order to ensure a system that meets your needs and is properly sized, your contractor should spend a good deal of time inspecting your house, taking into account size, level of insulation and windows. Good contractors will also check ductwork for leaks and insulation, and measure airflow against manufacturer s specifications. Make sure estimates are itemized. Don t hire an HVAC contractor without a written, itemized estimate, so you can compare cost, energy efficiency and warranty between proposals. Get it autographed. To protect against unexpected expenses, before starting work, get a signed proposal specifying costs, model numbers, job schedule and warranty.

9 7. DON T MAKE A RUSHED DECISION If your old equipment fails in the middle of summer or winter, you may be feeling pressed to make a quick decision, and just choose whoever could install a new unit fastest. Many people have felt that way. But what they ve often found is that the good companies are already booked right up serving their existing service agreement clients. The only available companies who can respond quickly are those that can t get work any other way. Additionally, you can end up wasting money for a system that will not work right. We recommend that all adults who will be involved in the decision invest the time to meet with your consultant during the day. Everyone is fresh and able to focus on the issues, and ideally while any children are at school or otherwise being cared for. Buy yourself some time. Even though it may be stressful, invest the time to identify one of the few top notch contractors, It s a small inconvenience in order to get a system you ll be really happy with long term. Sometimes a good contractor can put your new equipment in right away, and come back within a few weeks to complete the more labor intensive parts of your project (such as repairs to the ductwork or house insulation).

10 8. WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A PROFESSIONAL Your heating and air conditioning system is a complex mechanical system. Properly installing and maintaining them is not an easy thing to do. It requires education as well as skill. Too often, homeowners feel rushed by contractors who prefer to keep the process as mysterious as possible, because it benefits them. Let s face it: there are too many people out there who call themselves contractors but who aren t true professionals. This makes it harder on homeowners, because you can t simply trust everyone who says they can service your comfort system. Truly professional contractors care about your home s indoor environment system, because they care about your business and they want your referrals. True professionals offer: * Employee training * Provide state of the art safety equipment, * Ask you questions about your lifestyle needs * Provide options for service or installation * On-Time Appointments * 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed If you own a home in Atlanta, you will need to schedule heating or air conditioning installation, maintenance, and repair service eventually. Why wouldn t you choose the trusted, local service provider with over 150 years of combined service experience? And the #1 Ga Power Dealer? And a Trane Comfort Specialist? Contact Air Conditioning Experts today to see the difference that true expertise can have on your comfort.

11 ABOUT US Most companies are composed of employees who start as strangers with every person focusing on his/her specific job within the business, Air Conditioning Experts Inc, defies the stereotypical company. We are a Christan based company giving all credit to Jesus for blessing and prospering our company. Founded in 1995 by Bill and Heather Preston, the business began with the desire to give customers quality service that displayed the values that so many organizations seem to lack, as well as a satisfying and progressive work environment for their employees. Their first employee was brother-in-law Chris Allen, who stated in 1996 and later became a partner in Additionally, our company has employed multiple long time family friends who have been with the business since the 1990s. Our company expanded to Orlando, South Florida and Alabama after recognizing that the level of customer service we provided in Atlanta would do well in other markets. We opened the Orlando branch in September With the success of this office, Air Conditioning Experts, Inc. continued their growth opening the Alabama branch In May, 2014 and the South Florida office in June We have expectations to open in North Carolina and Jacksonville sometime this year. We have made it our goal to be a big part of the community. Everyone at Air Conditioning Experts, Inc is very involved in their churches. Chris Allen and his family are members of Mountain West Church of God and involved in similar organizations and ministries. Bill Preston, Eric Medina and their families attend the Dacula Church of God. Bill and Eric serve as comfort advisors, speaking on a local gospel radio program twice each month. We continue to grow and expand, providing unique customer service that is needed in this day and age. We have the very best team in the industry. We are a success because we represent the honesty, integrity and dedication our customers deserve. We strive to be professional, engaged, trustworthy and responsive to all of your comfort needs. To learn more about Air Conditioning Experts, Inc. visit us on the web at 869cooling.com or call 863-COOLING today. LEARN ABOUT US ON THE WEB