So Jenny and I made an offer (and it was accepted) on a house recently. At the time of the offer, there were no thermostats in the house so we were unable to check the AC units functionality. This wasn't a big deal I thought, I can wire those up without much hassle, so off to the Home Depot to pick up a couple programmable thermostats so I could check out the AC units during the inspection period and not have to wait for the bank to get it done. (As a side note, we've made many offers and this is the first one accepted, we're trying to get it done as smoothly and quickly as possible so didn't want to go back to the bank to install them).
I had no luck on the install. The wires weren't labeled and I couldn't figure them out when I looked in the units on the roof. We were having an AC tech come out and evaluate the units, and had no idea how much we were about to get raped. I attached my letter to the company, I think it explains it all well enough:
Hi Susan,
Yesterday Rafael came out to a house I am in the process of purchasing to evaluate the 2 AC units and install thermostats for both of them. The service went find and I think Rafael did a good job of determining the state of the units and letting me know what needed repair on them.
While at the house he also installed thermostats for both units, a pretty minor job by most accounts. When my wife called, she was unable to get an estimate on the installation of these as it can vary depending on the thermostat the tech has on hand, or that was the reason she was given. Despite this, we decided to go ahead and have Mears AC install them anyway, as Thermostats typically range from $30 to $50 and take 15 minutes or so to install. Were we ever wrong in our assumptions on cost, or more precisely, how Mears would bills us for the costs. Rafael installed two Honeywell Pro 5000 thermostats at a cost of $188.46 each. When doing research online I found that this is typically a $50 thermostat, the most expensive I could find it for was $80.
As a customer, I don't like to have to shop around and when I find a company that provides good service at a fair price I stick with them. I also have no problem paying more to get better service, and don't have a problem with that. I do however, know when I am being taken advantage of and will not return to a company that participates in those types of practices.
With new parts for the existing AC units needed within the next few months I was disappointed with the extremely high markup on the thermostats, as now I will have to get another estimate on the repairs to determine if the cost provided was reasonable. My wife and I had also budgeted to replace both units within the first year of living at the house, and what could have been a certain sale for Mears is now almost entirely out of the question.
And that's about that. I shall wait for their response, should they have one. If I don't hear anything I'll find out who owns the place and make sure they hear my venting :-|.
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