The repairman said over $450 for the inducer blower and motor plus service call and labor $550-600 total--I ordered the part off e-bay last Tuesday. Same factory brand for Heil furnace, $195 shipped to me, got it Friday and put it in my furnace Saturday. It was pretty easy to install and I saved possibly $400. Thank you also internet!
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After reading Craigs post I need to upgrade on my furnace repair--
- Thread starter Flysure1
- Start date
Way to go, Rod. Put that money saved away for future mustang stuff!
crustycurmudgeon
Well-Known Member
Nice, but I don't think I'd be comfortable using a repairman to diagnose the problem and then doing the repair myself.
AzPete
Well-Known Member
I see no issue. If the repair price is to high.....one has to do what he has to. Maybe more of this would change things.
A local company wanted $85.00 for a service call to tell me if a water softener was functioning on a house. On line operators manual was hard to follow. I complained of the price for them to drive 50 feet out of there way (they had another call 4doors away) and spend 5 mins. according to there words. I said I would find someone else.....they dropped the price to $25 and all was happy. The guy spent less than 5 mins. too.
I just replaced a shallow well pump and motor....$650 plus install locally....$334 on line and it came with instructions and a longer warranty.
I always search on line for repairs if for no other reason than to know what the repair person is talking about.
A local company wanted $85.00 for a service call to tell me if a water softener was functioning on a house. On line operators manual was hard to follow. I complained of the price for them to drive 50 feet out of there way (they had another call 4doors away) and spend 5 mins. according to there words. I said I would find someone else.....they dropped the price to $25 and all was happy. The guy spent less than 5 mins. too.
I just replaced a shallow well pump and motor....$650 plus install locally....$334 on line and it came with instructions and a longer warranty.
I always search on line for repairs if for no other reason than to know what the repair person is talking about.
Just to be clear, there are very real costs to operating a service business. That guy who shows up to do that repair needs to be paid. His boss has overhead to cover. That van he drives has to be purchased, maintained, insured and fuel put in the tank. There is a little thing known as insurance that is not cheap. Being licensed and bonded has it's price.
When your furnace goes out at 5 on a cold winter night that part you need to get it up and going that your repairman has in stock comes at a cost. The more parts they hold on the shelf the better they can service you but that cost big money to carry that inventory. When you break it all down and compare it to the hourly rate they charge it is usually not too outrageous. Parts mark up is where you make the real profit dollars. It's that way in every business. Same at your car dealership.
Having a guy come out and diagnose a problem and then sending them away without having the repair done doesn't cost them money but they sure don't make any either. Is it wrong? No. Should you do it as practice? I wouldn't. The way Rod's scenario went seems kosher to me. In most cases, you can avoid calling anyone and figure it out yourself anyway. Just takes a wee bit of knowledge and a computer.
When your furnace goes out at 5 on a cold winter night that part you need to get it up and going that your repairman has in stock comes at a cost. The more parts they hold on the shelf the better they can service you but that cost big money to carry that inventory. When you break it all down and compare it to the hourly rate they charge it is usually not too outrageous. Parts mark up is where you make the real profit dollars. It's that way in every business. Same at your car dealership.
Having a guy come out and diagnose a problem and then sending them away without having the repair done doesn't cost them money but they sure don't make any either. Is it wrong? No. Should you do it as practice? I wouldn't. The way Rod's scenario went seems kosher to me. In most cases, you can avoid calling anyone and figure it out yourself anyway. Just takes a wee bit of knowledge and a computer.
First he never "diagnosed" my problem, he confirmed the problem on the phone after I said I was pretty sure what the problem was--I also fully planned to have him fix it until he told me the price--I had no problem with him as I have used him before and found him fair--I have a problem with the supplier trying to jab me for over a 150% markup. I believe him when he said that was the price quoted to him. I would not have called him and had him come out and diagnose a problem then do it myself either."crustycurmudgeon" said:
AzPete
Well-Known Member
In my case....other companies operating from a further distance would do the exact same task for a $45.00 service call including the check out of the softener. When I told the one I had on the phone that....they made decision to lower the price....I did not demand they accept less.
As a business in today's electronic powered world, I would think they would be aware of on line competition and offer more than "free delivery" with a price difference of $315 such as the local pump and well company offered me.....and I was up front about me doing the install from the start. There install would have been in addition to the pump price. Oddly enough....the pump I ordered on Amazon came from a small store front business in central Fl. and sold them out the door for the same price that I paid....no reason the local had to be so high priced.
I usually get an rough estimate over the phone and decide if it is worth me doing or paying a repair shop.....same with the vehicles.
Just another form of competition with so much on line info.
As a business in today's electronic powered world, I would think they would be aware of on line competition and offer more than "free delivery" with a price difference of $315 such as the local pump and well company offered me.....and I was up front about me doing the install from the start. There install would have been in addition to the pump price. Oddly enough....the pump I ordered on Amazon came from a small store front business in central Fl. and sold them out the door for the same price that I paid....no reason the local had to be so high priced.
I usually get an rough estimate over the phone and decide if it is worth me doing or paying a repair shop.....same with the vehicles.
Just another form of competition with so much on line info.
Couple weeks ago I was out in the garage working on Red and I kept smelling gas. Getting a little worried about it, I called my local HVAC guy.
His reply over the phone was "well,,,,maybe should've been more careful in what you ate last night" :shrug :yah :wtf
His reply over the phone was "well,,,,maybe should've been more careful in what you ate last night" :shrug :yah :wtf
sgtjunior
Well-Known Member
"cmayna" said:
Obviously he knows you :roll
crustycurmudgeon
Well-Known Member
"Flysure1" said:
Thanks for the clarification.