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He looked at me oddly, and I told him he didn’t give me the bill

I wasn’t sure if the HVAC technician was really an HVAC technician. He was making so many mistakes that I was afraid he was going to break the furnace more than it was already broken. I talked to him and started asking some questions about the furnace and how long he had been an HVAC technician. He asked if it showed? I wasn’t sure what he was talking about until he said he had only gotten off his apprenticeship and I was the first repair he was making without his mentor. I knew everyone had to go out on their own at some time, but I couldn’t believe he was this nervous. He said he loved being an HVAC technician, but it was much easier when he had someone there to talk to. While I was talking to him, he went through the inspection process, and figured out what he was doing wrong. It didn’t take long for him to figure out what he had done wrong, and how to repair it. After another fifteen minutes, he was done with the furnace and getting ready to leave. I stopped him before he walked out there and told him he forgot something. He looked at me oddly, and I told him he didn’t give me the bill. He laughed and said he didn’t need to take care of that when his mentor was with him. That was one mistake that was justified, and I let him get away with it. He explained what he did to the furnace, and talked me through the bill, but he wasn’t able to take my credit card without calling the HVAC company.

 

ductwork

After being away for two years, he was finally coming home. He had no idea how much we all missed him, but I missed him most. He was my twin brother, and I was used to spending time with him every day. Calling on the phone, or talking over the internet, wasn’t the same. When he showed up, he had a friend with him. He asked mom to put them in the warmest room in the house. Their winters weren’t much cooler than our summers. It was 91 when he got off the plane, and he felt like he was stepping into a freezer. Even with air conditioning, the temperature doesn’t go below 80 in their huts. I was sure sixty-eight was cold. I got a space heater and put it in the den where he and Moe were going to be sleeping. I asked him why he brought his friend home. He said he didn’t have anywhere to go. He was on his own, which is why he joined the Marines. I had a feeling there was more to it than that, but Bill was freezing. I turned on the space heater and turned up the thermostat to help them get warm. Later that evening, I thought I was going to suffocate when I walked into the den. My brother and Moe were drinking a beer and enjoying the warmth. Bill told me Moe was the friend who used to whistle whenever he saw me on screen, and couldn’t wait to come home and meet me. Once they both got more used to the cold and snow, we were all going to go skiing.

cooling workman

I called the HVAC company at least ten times in less than an hour, but no one answered. I thought maybe I was calling too late, but I also thought the HVAC company should have an answering machine. I waited a couple of hours and started calling again. They still weren’t answering the phone, so I went online. I wanted to see if they had an alternative phone number, or if they had a place on the website where I could ask questions and make appointments. When my husband came home, he asked if I had called the HVAC company? I told him I tried, but no one was answering. I called the HVAC company at least fifteen times, and then I went online. He checked his phone and said they had an after-hours answering machine and called the number. Ten minutes later, he was talking to someone at the HVAC company and making an appointment to have the furnace checked. He asked why I was having such a difficult time when he got right through? I couldn’t understand it myself. I looked at the phone and asked him what number he called. The number he gave me was completely different from what I had been calling, and I couldn’t understand it. He looked at the number, and then he went down through his phone. I had been calling the HVAC company that closed down about three years earlier. I spent half my day calling the wrong number and felt foolish. I’m sure my husband will be teasing me about this for many weeks, or months, to come..

a/c serviceman

Two weeks ago, I called the HVAC company.

I knew I needed to get some help with my furnace, but I wasn’t sure how much it was going to cost.

The HVAC technician came to the house and gave me an estimate about how much it would cost if I needed a new furnace, and one for if it was just a repair. I thought the price he gave me was a little over inflated to account for anything he had forgotten, so I let it go. I liked the estimate for repairs much better. When the HVAC technician arrived two weeks later, he told me I was going to need a new furnace. I grimaced when I looked at the estimate, and swallowed hard. I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay the price, but I couldn’t go through the winter without a furnace. I told him to do the work, and we would take care of the payment when it was done. A week later, the estimate became a bill and it was almost 20% higher. I asked if he was sure that was the right price? He told me he double checked the numbers and it was right. I asked him what happened to the over inflated estimate he gave me two weeks earlier. He told me that was just an estimate and not a quote. If I wanted a quote, I should have asked for one. He showed me everything that was different between the bill and the estimate, and asked if I needed help paying.

 

Are you sure that’s the right price?

If you have a new HVAC unit, chances are, it is covered under a manufacturer warranty. The limited warranty usually covers standard parts of the unit for 5 to 10 years, and it requires that the homeowner register the equipment after it was purchased. Some manufacturers wouldhonor a warranty if the home transferred ownership during the warranty period. Each HVAC manufacturer offers different limited warranties and most of them cover issues with the compressor. Typically, the warranty will cover any malfunctions that weren’t caused by human error, everyday wear and tear or issues created by human neglect. In the first few years, it’s not often that an HVAC unit will break down. With proper care and maintenance, most breakdowns can be avoided. And this is why it’s always important to get HVAC units serviced every year by a licensed technician. I have been using my technician for about 5 years now and he was the person who installed my HVAC unit when I purchased it. At the time of installation, he also offered a limited warranty that covered any issues that came up due to the installation. Thankfully, the HVAC installation went well and after all these years, I have not yet used any of the warranties that I received. My warranty will expire in about 5 years and prior to that happening, I might consider getting a service agreement with my HVAC provider. However, it all depends on if my unit begins to malfunction frequently. I am so grateful that I have not had any issues to date and I am hoping that in a few years, if anything does come up, that the standing warranty will cover the cost.

central air conditioning