Wow, that is not always an easy question to answer. There is always the chance you are going to get something you don't need. That is the problem when most residential a/c technicians are paid based on commission. Sometimes it is so obvious when someone calls me or sends me an email telling me what service they had done or the line that came out of a tech's mouth trying to sell something. Other times it is not that obvious. Here are some ways you can protect yourself and keep out of the sights of a scam A/C company.
1. If you get that 'funny' feeling just stop and get a written bid and say thank you. You can always call or write into me to see if it passes the sniff test.
2. Never feel pressured to make a decision NOW!! Oh my goodness you are in imminent threat of death or dismemberment if you don't get a new unit. Ok, you get the idea. Now I know in July in Phoenix it is tough to put off someone when all you want is to make dinner and get the kids to bed and your a/c is out. Trust me, companies know this and capitalize on it. Slow down, take a deep breath, is it reasonable what I am being charged? Does the malfunction the tech explains make sense or are you back to #1 on the list????
3.Get educated. I hate it when people call me to ask about a fix or a price and they don't bother to learn the basics on how the system works. It really is not rocket science. If you live next to the beach and you have very little need of A/C than good for you. More than likely if you are reading this you do not and like most of us, you need cooling like you need hot water. Phoenix would not be the metropolitan area of 3 million plus without it. Watch some videos, poke around your system, otherwise you are just a mark. Above all ASK QUESTIONS!!!
4.Ratings services (angie's list, yelp, etc) and even the BBB and the Registrar of Contractors do not help when weeding out the bad apples. The ratings services are based on 'customer reviews.' Wow, it takes me (and I am a little slow) all of 2 seconds to realize how that can be fraudulent or falsified. The BBB is also not a guarantee. It is also a paid membership, so yes a small conflict of interest. Last the ROC or Registrar of Contractors. They regulate who gets a license to do any residential or commercial HVAC work. They do a pretty good job of following up on complaints but like any government agency they get swamped. Also just because you hire a 'licensed contractor' does not mean the tech that comes out to your house didn't just get out of trade school. The company is licensed but the guys in the field may be the bottom barrel in troubleshooting or need to boost their sales to keep a job. I have seen better work by unlicensed guys that work under the 'handyman exemption' (jobs under $1000) than I have by many licensed contractors. It all comes down to the individual. Get referrals, talk to people and if you are not sure - CALL ME!!!
Now in defense of the honest contractor out there:
They run a business and it is very competitive. For an honest contractor, you compete against all the dirt bags that hack up jobs, low bid on everything and up sell the rest. They have to charge what is fair. There is a flat-rate book out there. Ask for it. It gives pricing for repairs and should be a guide for contractors, not a starting point.
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