On 15 Dec 2004 14:03:33 -0800, "Matt" wrote:

hehehe yeah man, I know. I work at a plumbing shop...... the struggle
of the right pricing paradigm is never ending. Flat rate pricing is
good in some situations, not in others.... hell, you know all the
pros/cons.

Me, as a customer, I don't give a rats ass either way. I expect the
service company to make a reasonable profit, and in return I expect a
job done right.

If it wasn't done right, I expect an explanation as to why - and not
some excuse. As you said, I'm human (I think I am anyway), and I know
things don't always work out the way they were planned. But I have a
very sensitive bull**** detector, and the only thing that sends me
through the roof more than a job poorly done is - a job poorly done
followed by a lie. It would be SO refreshing to have a tech come in, or
get a call from the company - I'm sorry sir, WE SCREWED UP. Those 3
words would pacify me completely - provided of course they aren't
repeated indefinatly!

In the case of my Lennox, I came out on top because I held them
accountable, and refused to pay for ANY repair. I didn't have an
extended warranty, but given the ongoing nature of my problems with it,
didn't feel I needed one. In the end, I'm covered - I didn't **** with
it. On the other hand, the company that did **** with it got their feet
held to the fire, which is as it should be, IMO. Any further problems
with it are their problem, not mine, and I have the documentation to
back it up.

[Note to tripntx: If you swap parts on this thing yourself - not only
are you the one who has to pay for the part if it was the wrong one
(and no, they don't take returns; assuming you could get someone to
sell you the parts in the first place) - but you will be VERY hard
pressed to find a company that will even come near your furnace again.
And trust me, one look and they will KNOW you ****ed with it. Even if
they agree to fix it, you are now going to pay about double what you
originally would have if you would have just called them in the first
place. Technicians have a special place in thier heart for "homeowner
repaired" situations.]

Agree with the frustration of watching customers **** away their money
- but on the flipside, look at it from a customer point of view. I
spend top dollar, smile and nod at all the BS the salesman gives me,
don't haggle one bit on price ..... what do I get? 3 teenagers on the
initial install.... open splices in the power feeding the furnace (no
joke - open splice with wire nuts hanging in the air. Kid tells me -
oh, that won't ever hurt anything. I almost **** right there). So
already, I feel like I got screwed. This of course followed up in the
first summer by a leak in the coolant lines, subsequently followed by a
heating failure every winter.

Im rambling and venting...... I just wish that people would have a bit
more pride in their work......

Ah well.

Merry Christmas!

I understand totally. I did a short stint with a company that sent us
out as "hired hitmen". Salesmen in techs clothes. Then when it sold
the "kids" went out and installed it. Id be back there that night
fixing their screw ups. They got paid by the install so they were in
and out in nothing flat. It really wore thin after a while.
I still like the flat rate most. "Here is your price. You like it
great. You dont like it, you tell me to leave". No suprises (in theory
anyways) The pricing has to be followed by the book or its just a
glorified time and material book. It does work but Ive seen it futzed
up too.
Unfortunately, the customer has the burden of finding the good tech.
Its a pain but even a little bit of research goes a long way. Friends,
family and co workers can help tremendously. Even call the warehouse
and ask who they would have to come out and fix their unit.
Looking through the yellow pages on a saturday evening because you are
freezing is NOT the time to find a hvac company.
Merry Christmas
Bubba