"D O G" wrote in message
.net...
Better have a large balance in your checkbook if you're going to get a
GE
motor. The people that will sell to HO's charge a lot more for GE's IF
you
can find them.

What I find quite interesting is that you and quite a few other people
alluded to the fact that I would get a better deal on the motor then if I
buy it myselft. Do not get me wrong, it may well be but it goes totally
contrary to my experience with contractors/repairs in any other area.

Thats New Jorsey fer yaz.....LOL



I have no doubts, that the contractor himself, buying wholesale will get a
better deal on the motor (or anything else for that matter) then I ever
could, but I do not have any reason to believe that he will pass the
savings
on to me.

Happens all the time.
Unless of course, you use Chris up in NY...now..hes illegal, so he has to
sell you the motor for what he paid for it, or he becomes a contractor..and
can get busted.


Just like everyone else he is in business to make a profit, he
knows wholesale prices, he knows retail prices, he knows that HO in most
cases have no idea about prices, but that he (HO), his wife, kids and dog
are awfully hot without A/C. If this is not a perfect chance to
overcharge,
I do not know what is.

Ah...but most of my customers DO have an idea about what parts
cost....retail. When they get a quote and the entire quote is under what
they expected to pay...then something amazing happens.....they suddenly
realize how bad the trade was getting.
My electrician called the other day...needed a pool pump motor. He could not
find one for under $200 for the particular model he had.
2 phone calls, and I had one for $90. His customer was getting prices of
over $225 for the motor, and when Ray installed the motor for $160, everyone
was happy..


I just took my car to a dealer, was quoted list price for parts and 8
hours
of labor. Went to an independent mechanic and got list prices for parts
and
5 hours of labors. Bought absolutely the same parts (OEM, new) on the
internet and paid about 40% of the list price.

Well...this is a no brainer...really.
Your independent guy MIGHT be as good (assuming your dealer is up to date
and really cares..I know...rare) as the dealer.
The dealerships make most of their profit in the parts and service
department...(percentage wise) and the idea is that you have a factory
trained tech that knows your car better than the guy down the street. Thats
the logic in the higher prices.....per hour anyway.
Truth is simple....your local independent surely has less overhead, and does
not need to charge as much per hour to remain open and in biz. Having been
in the automotive industry (even today in a small way) all my life, thats
the cold hard facts there. Most independents I know are pretty good. There
are good and bad in all trades...every one...its what you feel comfortable
with.


And generally speaking you guys draw a very rosy picture of working with
pros. They show up on time, fix it, charge for 1 hour of labor and below
retail price for parts, do a perfect job and send you a christmas card.

Some do...we do....the one hour labor thing...depends.
Keep in mind...if that was a VS motor, it would be an EASY $500 to replace,
and the markup would be about the same at THAT price if it was $200 for a
standard replacement. Some are very expensive.


How about an unfortunately more typical schenario - they schedule an
appointment any time during the day and you have to be home all day to
wait
for them. They do not show up. When they eventually do show up a few days
later having you wasted one more day, you are totally at their mercy. You
already owe them money cause they charge $75 just to show up. They take 2
hours to diagnoze, then they claim that 5 parts need to be replaced. They
also claim that the parts are very hard to get to, so the labor cost will
be
high. They also quote you the price of parts twice as high as what it
should
be. On top of it they say that they do not have the parts in stock and
they
would have to come back some other day.

No call? No work. Period. If a service comapany is not there, there are
others you can call.
Some do not charge service or truck fees....sometimes it takes 2 ormore
hours to locate the problem correctly. There are times, when there is a
problem that you MUST be 100% sure that all the bases are covered, or else
you will be back again in short order. Sometimes, 5 parts DO need to be
replaced...that Variable speed motor I was talking about.....motor goes, you
might need a controller too....and thats not cheap either...its not always
the tech trying to make a buck...its the way things are done...in the unit,
that require such a pain in the ass troubleshooting techneque and parts.


You of course have no way of knowing whether they are being honest. What
you
do know is that if you do not accept their terms, they will charge you for
2
hours of labor and leave you with a mess.

3 words..

State Licence Board.


You would have to start all over
with another contractor and chances are quite good that other contractor
will not be any better then the first one.

True, and this is why you are starting to see a huge swing of self policing
in the trades.


When it is finally done, they leave you with a $600 bill, the motor is
noisy
and vibrating and they would not come out and fix it unless you pay for
the
labor again.


Umm...3 words...

State Licencing Board.


Obviously this is not personal and has nothing to do with HVAC people per
se, the whole scenario is unfortunately way too common in any field - be
it
car repair, construction, remodelling or anything else. Even doctors and
lawyers do it all the time to their customers. And the advice of getting
good references/word of mouth etc is as old as it's often useless.


Of course not...and you know..there are times when as a contractor, you
wonder why you cant prescreen customers from time to time too...