Plumbers & Hvac?

ive wondered that my self. i think we should all write thank you notes to walmart for selling cheap digital thermostats. about 10% of service calls around here are due to them. i did a change out last summer because a guy "topped off" his 22 system with 134a from walmart....he even used a walmart automotive retrofit kit.

Plumbers are about on the same consumer scale as lawyers, there are too many rip-off artists that give people a bad impression and that causes the problem. If the associations and the plumbing boards would do their job and remove the rippers, this would change. Also people need to educate themselves to get estimates and acquaint themselves with a general knowledge of their systems. I've seen rip-offs that would make Dick Cheney blush, except they don't carry a gun.

Fear of being ripped off because they don't know plumbing or HVAC trade...By the way, $85 for a service call of two minutes includes a trip charge, and a minimum fee of what ever the market will bear, not to mention a well stocked service vehicle to provide one stop service...

Because so often they never call back. The real money is in new construction and many don't want to spend time on small repair jobs. Also the prices often seem absurd, when I was out of town on buisness my wife called for furnace repair. It took the guy 2 minutes to fix the furnace while my wife watched, He charged $85. A doctors visit costs about $85 , but the doctor spent $200'000 to learn his skill.

Because what we know costs money. Hay Morris, is 85 bucks worth keeping your wife warm while you are away? The guy probably has spent most of his life learning the the trade. Give us credit for what we do! Bruse K I have a question for you. If you have been an engineer for 40 years ,Why don't you have any concept of basic grammer?

Simple answers -

#1 Service call within 10 miles - $100 for first hour.

#2 Service call outside 10 miles - $100 for first hour, $60 per hour port to port, and $1 per mile travel charge port to port.

#3 Parts mark up, at least 100%.

#4 Freon mark up at least 300%.

#5 My commercial refrigeration service call are all of above x2.

Number of return trips, less than 1 in 100.

Time spent learning "the monster", lifetime, still learn every day.

Number of repeat customers is above 80%.

Number of systems that I bid , that I am low bid, less than 15%

Number of systems that I am high bid, above 70%

Number of systems that I get , that I bid. > 85%

You either have it or you don't. Be sure you don't call uncle Billy Bob's heating and lawn care because if you call them first my rates go up.

God bless.

to replace a condenser fan motor 208 volts, $350.00 you can buy at graingers for $35 - $75 . also as much as $900.00. now you call them. ac leak $ 6,500.00 need new system coil blown. repair evap. coil leak $300.00. who do trust?

WHY DONT THEY WANT TO CALL A DOCTOR EITHER? THE COST OF BEING A PROFESSIONAL AND OH, THE EXPERIENCE WE HAVE THAT THEY DONT. IT COST MONEY TO BE A PRO. THEY DONT UNDERSTAND THAT. WE IN THE LABOR PROFESSION WILL ALWAYS BE TREATED AS UNDERCLASS CITIZENS.