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These guys are not tech’s theyre crooks giving us the real pros a bad name. Pisses me off they should go to jail!!
1993transam1 , the problem that the customers have, is that the crooks are in such large numbers , it is hard to find a good honest a/c repairman ! We try someone recommended by a friend but that friend seems to have a a/c crook in their lives too !
I just had a company two weeks ago try charging me over $300 for a capacitor and I refused for him to install it and found the same one online for $1.99… I bought two! I agree most of them are crooks just like car mechanics but there a couple decent ones still.
Techs don’t make 30 to 40 an hour
icecoldfire25, us “f******” understand a lot more than you know Slick. With an attitude like yours, I wouldn’t hire you to wash my dog.
Yeah, we get that you went to school and that wasn’t free. We get that you have to have a vehicle and insurance and those aren’t free. We even get that you have to carry parts and those aren’t free. We get a host of other things too.
But, would you rather have 5 customers recommend you because you’ve proven to them that you’re honest and reasonable in your pricing or would you rather have 50 customers that don’t? My Mother ran a business for over 25 years – all from referrals – never advertised, never even printed a business card. That’s the way I run my business too.
I guess you’ll come back now and tell me how successful your business is – and I really hope that’s the case. But, I don’t have any time for unscrupulous workmen – no matter how qualified they are.
Greg D, and you’re just another one giving the good ones a bad name. You were doing OK until you “signed off” with your “cheap f***”.
But, I guess YOU’RE good because of those Mexican caps you use.
Greg D, did you watch the video? You are actually taking up for those crooks?
Company, we stand by our employees on what, (Ripping People OFF)
almost sounds like cop, captains, i stand by my officers, for that shooting…we will investigate ourselves. This is what tv investigative reporters do Best, expose scumbags, love it!
This is why I am a consummate DIYer. Hell, even the $200 to fix a wire is a rip-off in my mind.
Call out out charge and hours labour mate…I wouldn’t go to a job for anything less well £120 in the uk
Adam Guinther I agree. We also do flat rate here in Connecticut and it usually is reasonable. We do 98.50 plus repair. Typically an easy repair will be less than $125. We have a full year part and labor warranty and honor manufacturer warranties for parts. Reputable companies may not be cheapest but will be honest.
Figure even a honest professional will charge $50 just for a house visit for a quick fix, and that’s still pretty cheap. If you have a rapport with the pro, like consistent or future business then maybe for free. DIY is all about how much you value your time. It’s important to be knowledgeable and fix small things yourself like this but there are some tasks a pro with his tools can do in a third of the time.
Pat good f*cking luck
I have been an AC Tech for a number of years, in the Mohave Desert, where for 6 months we are working overtime. I cannot believe this video.
I know it is true, but I still am flabbergasted by it. There is plenty of money to be made by providing quality, honest service. And plenty of people like me that provide it.
I’m not surprised. You have to understand that no matter what the average person makes it still won’t be enough in their minds. As income increases, so does liabilities and expenses. If you’re making 30K a year you’re paying for a house, car, and food for example. They bump you up to 40K and now you’re taking vacations and paying off a swimming pool for example. They bump you up to 50K, you upgrade to a nice expensive car, more vacations, more fancy dinners, more fancy technological gadgets. Every time the average person makes more money they find something new to spend it on. So they’re in a forever cycle of poverty.
People are not honest. They want more and more money.
Yep honesty is in short supply these days. I could go on but I’m sure you know the deal. Best to do it yourself.
hvac01453 sorry to have to break it to you but this is legit. Mechanics do it, service places do it. Best to do things yourself. I’m not HVAC, but I was a mechanic for a long time and have seen it first hand. I’ll be installing my own ac this summer. 9000 was what I was quoted at. Never going to happen. Worst case I can use my gi bill to learn how and be certified in 3 to 6 months.
Hvac01453 so glad you pointed it out-there is a nation wide conspiracy to make HVAC mechanics look crooked. You are one sharp cookie.
That kind of crap hurts everyone. Not just the customers. I agree with the person that stated there’s plenty of work for us all to make a decent living doing the right thing.
It’s clear to see that society seems to be getting more corrupt & selfish.
What ever happened to treating others as we would like to be treated.
We can choose right and we all win. Never to late to make the change.
A capacitor is not an expensive part. I replaced mine myself for $12. I’ve never worked on AC units before and a simple google search fixed my problem.
+TIKIMAN198
Same here. You Tube video showed the likely problem and for around $10 I fixed mine too.
aw YOUR SO SMART
You can buy BRAND NEW GOODMAN units for 1700 delivered and pay a tech 700 to install it if you don’t know how or have the pump and welding equipment. It’s so damn easy
The problem that they set up in this video, the disconnected low voltage wire, usually occurs in a real life scenario when the family dog chews up the wiring. I’ve also seen low voltage wiring break when the wire nut was twisted too tight weakening the wire and it eventually breaks and becomes disconnected. I would’ve repaired the wire, checked the refrigerant charge, amp draw on the compressor & condenser fan motor, as well as replace the air filter if necessary. And I would’ve charged 1 hour labor,($129) & charged for the filter. The supply and return air temperatures should be checked as well. The clowns in this video give us honest techs. a bad name. They should be ashamed of themselves.
+4wheeler
Your professional approach to your work is not that common. Fixing the wire plus checking the unit out for the customer for a good price. While on this unit all was well except for the wire, a tech would not know that for certain.
If you work in SE MI I’ll give you my business.
Actually it is common for most guys to do a decent job, at least around here it is. I have heard of a few overcharging asses, but most guys want lifetime customers and word of mouth advertising, so we try to be fair.
Moon Pie where you at in SE MI
These types of stings should be done in conjunction with local law enforcement. It would be awesome to see these bastards dragged off in cuffs and having their HVAC truck seized. This is the only way these will stop.
K0gashuk0 it’s not illegal to give “your” solution to a problem at your ptice, but this is unethical
K0gashuk0 james , what about gains by deception
James, familiarize yourself with the RICO Act of 1970.
K0gashuk0 you can’t haul people off for overcharging for service it is fraud, but so is a surgeon that’s charges 100,000 for a heart or lung transplant while the organ and blood are both Donated.
Jack Vanderpool Yes they can, if you can prove that they have committed fraud (which they HAVE and they have proof of it)
When it’s HOT, folks do and pay anything to get AC working. In my case, the HVAC Tech replaced a $30 switch and hooked only 1/2 of the 50 amp wires. This overheated and blew the compressor out within 5 months. I was charge $175 for this “rip off” that cost me $3k to replace with new HVAC
No,
They are not honest. It seems that the larger the HVAC company, the more dishonest they are. I had a repair company come in and rescramble the wires on my furnace. Then they tried to sell me a new furnace with the usual scam tactics “THE FURNACE IS OUT OF WARRANTY” , “THERE IS RUST ON THE PLATE OVER THE BURNERS”. At the time I did not have a background in furnace repair but I did have a background in automated circuit design. It took a few days to study the schematic and put the wires back in the correct places but once that was done the furnace was working perfectly. The C–l R-y technician connected the pressure switch from C-NO to NO-NC, rearranged the outputs on the control board, partially pulled out the flame sensor wire at the harness plug and shorted out the START-RUN wires on the main blower motor capacitor. The wires were supposed to go from COMMON to 7.5mf on the capacitor. When I called the company and informed them about the damage they caused, their service manager began screaming at me over the phone and slammed the phone in my face. I have since enrolled in an HVACR course to prevent this from ever happening to us again.
david
+Vivienne Pierce The school cost 25k??? I had a friend that built a 1000 square foot garage with a lift so know one would rip him off for 900 bucks again.His father in law paid for it and he nor I know what it cost him.
After the experience with C–l R-y (rhymes with FOOL HAY) I took an HVAC course. I now know how to diagnose and repair these systems and will not be financially victimized in the future. I made the mistake of thinking that dealing with an established business with a good reputation would provide competent and honest service. I was wrong on both counts.. Had I not jumped in and repaired it myself we could have been stuck with a $12,000.00 AC and Furnace replacement.
david
I noticed your post and I like to share my experiences…. you may know about this already but I want to spread the word.
I am on the rental business and got sick of being ripped off so I learned by watching techs and asking questions along with YouTube being a great help.
Some colleges offer courses for a VERY reasonable price btw.
I have just replaced my eighth complete ac unit. I buy from acwholesalers.com
My price is 1700 delivered and full of r410a. At first I would find a hungry tech and offer 700 to do the install….after I watched and helped twice……I bought a cheap vac pump, my welding equipment and some gauges and started going it myself. It’s so damn easy it’s not even funny.
$700 to replace a start capacitor shows that the company is dishonest for a part that costs around 20 dollars takes 10 to 15 minutes to replace is not a $700 Repair
Big Brownbass and you must not know how to comprehend. They (Luis and other guy) were arguing about parts’ prices, not anything thats about this video.
It is not dishonest to mark-up prices, like buying a car, boat, etc..
True, but there is such a thing as taking advantage of people. Especially the elderly and disabled. Many people aren’t really able to know better and they are preyed upon as easy targets. This is wrong and unscrupulous contractors mark these people all the time and they share their names with other contractors.
Although a swollen cap is always bad, some caps go bad without swelling. Only a capacitor tester can determine that in those cases, but caps are so cheap, swapping them out should be an afterthought, anyway.
I dont care how many employees, trucks, receptionists etc. you have to pay for, its not my problem….If the cost of a simple repair is too high im not paying you for it. 200 dollars to fix a wire is a goddamn ripoff, what a business has to charge to stay in business is totally irrelevant. Putting a wire nut on is NOT a 200 dollar job.
David Crandall it can be weak and not swollen
so they all scam people, but the reporter recommends having your unit inspected every year so they can rip you off every year ?
no if you get your unit inspected(which also usually comes with cleaning) you will have a better chance of knowing when its going to break down. A capacitor will degrade over time and when it gets below a certain percent you want to replace it. A weak capacitor can be hard on a motor which can also lead to issues. There are other things to look for too thats just one of the common ones.
CRAIGARRR yea you should call a tech.
Get it inspected be fore breaks down so they can’t hold that it isn’t working over up
John Doe Take some silica or drying powder and put it in the electrical cabinets. It’s often moisture aiding in the untimely doom of the electronics. This trick alone can save you hundreds of dollars.
Caps are the big $ maker for techs. They are simple to diagnose and simple to replace. If the fan on the outside unit quits running bit the compressor is making its usual noise….take a pencil and force the fan blade to move. If you do that and the fan starts up….the cap is bad. If the blade feels rusty or resist movement…..the bearings went out on the fan. You can buy this crap and install it yourself for less than 200 bucks….always install a new cap if you install a new fan ….preventative maintenence.
You should always clean your outside coils with a water hose to get the junk off of it and if you change your inside filters every month…..you won’t have any issues inside.
I change a capacitor for 60 bucks to show up and maybe 20 bucks for cap and half 30 bucks for labor. 700 bucks? damn they could almost get a new unit.. Also dont trust a guy wearing a white tshirt.
+Alan Obregon I put full system in 3ton, 90% 60k for way less than that.
He probably just got out of prison.
Jason Hunt $110 for literally a 10 minute job if you have the right replacement capacitor
A bad cap can be easily diagnosed just by looking at it. A homeowner can buy it and replace it too. Most people can’t do it because they are not trained for it.
I try to have my ” Unit Serviced ” several times a week !
PALADIN I hope you got a new unit by now
I don’t think you two are on the same “unit” per say……..
Jay Smith yea i get it i think a put a hurt on some jack when i first read it
If your unit doesn’t leak, service it until it does.
Really ironic how this is presented by NBC, who is owned by Comcast, the biggest known “scammer” of all contractors worldwide…
këk Thanks, Comcast big time scammers
What’s wrong with Comcast? I’ve used them for almost 20 years and never had a problem.
Comcast are certainly up there… but AT&T/Directv is definitely giving them a run for their money for the top scam artists.
You sound like a Donald Trump supporter. How many people have you ripped of. Y’all sob can’t handle the truth.
I know you’re trying to make a living but damn. No wonder we can’t get out of debt.
Hvac and car dealerships repair is a damn racket.
Comcast is great, Direct tv crap. You can’t handle the truth
këk k
To the people questioning the when he says “less than $200” at 2:02 I believe what he means is that is the maximum you should be charged based on call out fees and diagnostics lol. Give the guy a break! lol
I own an HVAC company in the Milwaukee area and in general, a lot people just don’t trust contractors. The reason is integrity challenged guys like these. However, there are some customers that will complain about any amount being charged to them. Yes, a part that costs $25 and 30 minutes to install, will be somewhere around $150-$170 to install. I pay a tech about a $50/hr loaded labor rate. Loaded labor is all costs attributed to that tech. Health insurance, 5% full match 401K, workers comp insurance, auto insurance, training, etc. Then that tech is driving on average 15 minutes between calls each day. We also make sure our trucks are fully stocked so that we can get you back up and going right away. The average service van has about $30,000 in parts on it. We also need to retain about 15% of our profit for the growth of the compsny. Unless you own or have owned a business, you will never fully understand how much money is needed just to stay alive. BUT the guys in this video are degenerate thieves.
The problem is that there are so many rotten son of bitches out there who are just outright thieves ! How would they feel if someone did to them , what they are doing to everybody else ??????? Nobody expects these people to work for nothing but the a/c repair industry is full of rotten thieving son of a bitches ! I am sure that there are some good , honest a/c repairmen out there but the rotten son of bitches seem to out number them at least 100 to 1 ! Its a shame that these people don’t take pride in an honestly done job for the pay that they get !
Chris It takes a lot of knowledge just to be a decent HVAC service technician. I don’t think you understand just how much is in the field. The name itself is a acronym lol.
Jerry Moody owning rental properties and accusing people of scamming……… tell me, who is paying off the mortgages if your rentals again? After they pay fo me years and they leave they have nothing
Not everyone can cough up the $ it takes for down payments and many people don’t want to own. When the ac/water heater/garage door malfunction…..the tenant pays for nothing, the tenant also doesn’t have to mow and keep the yard clean and the tenant can move anytime he wants. It benefits the people who will NEVER own a house, it benefits those that like to move, it benefits me and it benefits the bank. Scam? don’t be silly….scams take advantage of people when they are vulnerable or in your trade….hot….I know the costs and I know business…..you won’t be able to hoodwink a knowledgeable landlord…. of course yall get pissed when someone points out the scam. HVAC is not an attorney.
This is exactly why I got into HVAC repair. I got ripped off and decided to be the honest guy in the business.
Good on you. We dream, but you did it.
me too im 20 years old and i do hvac
In any community there are heroes that save people lives or money from criminals and scammers and you are one of the heroes. Thank you.