Quote:
Originally Posted by MTKrav911
My Central Heating and Air Conditioning unit has blown.
My house is only 8 years old and the first guy I called out said that the contractor used a generic make-shift AC/Heat unit. He found different brands of parts used, and said its almost like the contractor built the unit in his garage himself.
The first guy quoted me 2800 for a new unit.
Second guys I called were Sears.
Sears was more thorough and found my furnace was ****ed and also some jackass (not me), left a paper manual near the furnace and that the furnace was so shot it burned the manual sitting near the furnace. The Sears guy said I was lucky the house didnt catch on fire.
Sears was thorough, but said to replace everything would cost 15 grand. So I was floored.
I asked a friend of mine who's a hospital Maintenance Supervisor and he said Sears is always expensive because they sub-contract. My friend said it would be best to go direct to another direct contractor to get the AC fixed because even top of the line Residential AC units are 7,000-8000 max, not freakin 15 thousand.
So what do I do?
Go with sears? Or get more direct quotes from AC contractors? I guess I'm asking because I trust Sears more nationally but my friend said that's a farce because all contractors have to guarantee their work by law for a certain warranty period of time.
Suggestions Dr?
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Your friend is right. Sears, and just about any large home improvement retailer such as Home Deopt or Lowes, subcontract out all their installations of equipment or buildings. You have to pay the retail price for their "service" as well as the parts youre purchasing.
Now, with Sears, youll have warranties and someone to go to directly if something goes wrong. However, and this varies from state to state as to what is exactly required, anyone that contracts to work on a residence or building has to be bonded and liceansed as well as guarantee their work and parts for a certain amount of time. You will save money by goind directly to a HVAC contractor. You should be able to ask for references from anyone submitting a bid for the work and if they are a descent operation or a reputable contractor, they would be able to provide you with references to people they have already provided services for.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Sears is in the business to make as much money as they can...so you could expect them to not necessarily go with the most reliable subcontractor they find but the cheapest.
However, you said that the Sears guy was a bit more thorough on the inspection and his price estimate might include replacing more stuff than the first guy. Thats something to think about as well.
If you deal directly with the HVAC contractor yourself, you will have more leg work to do as far as finding the best value for your particular situation but that also gives you more control over who does the work and what they do.
I would try dealing directly with a HVAC professional before going with a big chain store like Sears.