Costs of HVAC
Within the HVAC business, surcharges will come from events like:
Discovering electrical system defects that weren’t apparent during the quote process. Exposing system deficiencies in normally inaccessible areas. When new opportunities to improve the system performance are discovered during the course of a job, there is an ethical obligation to disclose the findings, price the repairs, and allow the customer to consider the need for the additional cost.
Construction projects use a change order to identify, document, and approve the scope and cost of changes that arise during a project that weren’t included in the original contract. A similar procedure should be used on a residential service project after the cost of an initially quoted repair when additional repairs are identified.
Misdiagnosis or Non-diagnosis -- The HVAC profession is highly technical and few of your customers have the knowledge to evaluate your service or replacement recommendations. That’s why most customers rely on the trust they hold for you and your company.
This trust requires you to perform effective and thorough diagnostics to assure your recommendations are accurate and complete.
Good diagnostics should be accompanied by a description of the problem expressed in terms and examples easily understood by your customer. Effective professionals have the empathy and communication skills necessary to discuss the results of the diagnostics with customers and address their concerns until they are confident enough to make a decision.
If the system is older, you have a responsibility to share the risk that other system components may also perform poorly and are at risk of future failure. This can be a touchy discussion to engage in. If you overemphasize this point, your customer may feel threatened, thinking they are being oversold. By not discussing what the risks are of not replacing system components and you’ll lay the groundwork for a disappointed and angry customer when the system does eventually fail.
If you read my articles, you are aware of the difference in equipment rated efficiency and the actual efficiency of the system once it is installed. The average installed system performs less than 60% of the equipment efficiency rating. The liability of decreased system efficiency caused by poor installation practices is increasing at an alarming rate.
A Change in Product Specifications -- If you need to change the product specifications, you ought to get agreement from the client beforehand. The day a project is completed is no time for your client to find you couldn’t or didn’t give the quality or efficiency laid out in the contract.
I referred an HVAC service company to an acquaintance of mine last summer with complete confidence. A month later, I received a call from the client that the contractor sold them a 20-SEER system, however only put in one rated for seventeen SEER.
The error was an oversite as a result of the manufacturer’s promoting materials representing the most efficiency of the series of equipment. However, the client was truly concerned with the appearance of a bait-and-switch tactic. Click HVAC Contractors to find a HVACR technician today!
