:: aka “either you want me or you don’t”

Notes for the week of 12.1.08 :: Working with an HVAC Contractor in an Emergency Situation

The Back Story

The early part of this week found me down in 21224, again. You may remember from the last post that I was getting one of our units ready for a December 1 “delivery.” And I won’t go into it too much; Thanksgiving weekend, and how exactly I found out that the heat wasn’t working down there. Nor will I waste time telling you how exactly I assured myself that we needed a specialist to fix the problem. I will tell you, however, that the new tenant was emailing, “Is it ready?” The answer, of course, “no.

Now, I don’t want to rant on this too much, either, but let’s just say that of all the guys out there, I am pretty apt to side with your small business contractor. I mean, despite all of what a builder might tell you, and despite what seems to be general consensus, these are the guys that are out there doing it; gettin’ er done. They are typically good at what they do; they work to put their kids through college. All, while fighting back complaints of how much they charge, only hoping to squirrel away a little money for retirement.

But this guy, this guy.

Boiler Guys and What I Know

Basically, there are two types of gas or oil-fired residential heat. Forced Air and/or Hot Water/Steam Radiant. Now, I have said this frequently, I mean, you can’t hardly walk down the street without bumping into a Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning guy that knows his fair share about your Forced Air furnace. The boiler guy, however, is a little bit more of a rare breed. His markings, with four wheels and the words on the side paired as such: “Plumbing AND Heating.

They are really not that different, the boiler and the furnace. Both require air for combustion, both vent noxious by-products, each requires electrical service to power electrical components, and each is a delicate appliance filled with gadgets and sensors. And in the case of our boiler, and on this weekend, it appears that a small sensor had failed.

Loyalty in Relationships

Between my wife and myself, and with the work week coming, we decided that she should coordinate the fix. But first, I made calls to some guys I know. Unfortunately, and with a tight deadline, these calls didn’t bare fruit. So we moved on to our next options. We decided to call a Plumbing and Heating company that we had used previously.

Several years had past since the first time they visited, and I can’t really remember how exactly we came to connect with them. But that time, they did average work, efficiently, at a price that was doable. We decided to call.

And this is really is the target of this story. This guy. Now, I am not going to out this company, but they are local, 21234, and they have been in business for some 20 years. On paper, it seemed like a pretty good option: I mean, it had been some 4 years, BUT we were repeat customers.

The Verbal

We had called them late on Sunday night, so we were surprised when they returned our call early on that Monday morning. And he was free later that morning. He warned us that 21224 was “slightly beyond his typical service area”, but he agreed to do it. Great. And my wife made the appointment.

He was on time as scheduled; came into the apartment, and quickly made his assessment. He gave my wife the verbal. Something like:

You are going to need a new flame sensor, and a new damper control. And I am not sure if I can actually find these parts. So we will have to order a universal part. And with universal parts, it always takes a little longer. It is probably going to take the good part of the day. And it is going to be over $1000, definitely.
. . .But I will call later to confirm.

The Formal Quote

And he called as promised, a few hours later. And there you have it. $1500 for x, y and z.

Now, if any of you know my wife, she is a fairly cool character, and, yes, she had already been on the phone with me several times that morning. She understood the situation, and realized she needed to keep this guy on the hook — just in case, what he spoke was, in fact, our only option.

But $1,500 — it seemed like a lot. So, she dialed me up again. She says, “$1,500 – it seems like a lot.” And agreed, but I have to admit, I was at work, generally numb about the apartment, and, well, what could I do? — I had already called my guys. For my part, though, I figured I’d call this guy — to see exactly what he was charging us for.

Before I call, I try to put myself into his shoes. As a guy, myself, that has worked up quotes, I know from experience that it is usually better to err on the high side.

And, you know, this thought definitely did not cross my mind — “Did he maybe see a cute woman, pulling up in her cute car to a rental property, on the first of the month. She probably doesn’t know anything about boilers, and she probably is desperate.

Though I didn’t think that this guy actually thought that, but if he had, he would have been right; my wife doesn’t know a thing about boilers. What she does know, however, is — to always call in for assistance.

For her that means “call her parents”. My in-laws, her parents, and though I generally don’t give them enough credit, have 30-plus years of property management experience. Needless to say, they know a thing or two.

The Second Opinion

My mother-in-law, specifically, has a knack for saving money, and well, her husband, can pretty much ghetto MacGyver anything. It’s a good resource to have. So, at the same time I am placing the call to this guy in 21234, my wife is on the horn with her mother. My mother-in-law’s first response, “Oh, no!”, or something along those lines. And she, in turn, gets sucked in on the fun.

Now, I am not exactly sure of how this transpired, but my mother-in-law got on the phone. She’s dialing one the guys that I had called earlier (and coincidentally hadn’t heard back from). She got through.

She had contacted a guy I call, Mike the HVAC guy. Now, Mike, and I won’t, for various reasons, go into this, is a service manager for a larger HVAC company. And he is exactly the type of guy you want to work with if given the opportunity.

He does side-work, he has lots of experience, he is friendly, loves what he does, and he generally cares about houses and the people that live in them. And this time, he agreed to give us a hand.

A Call Picked Up Somewhere in 212??

As my mother-in-law is coordinating with Mike the HVAC guy, I’m on the phone. I have some experience dealing with contractors, and usually know how to ease in, but this time, there was none of that. I go right into, “Man, $1500 seems high; what are you charging me for?”

This guy, nice enough, and I remember this from working with him four years ago, proceeds to tell me what exactly he is replacing. Not only is he quoting me $500 for two small parts, but he tells me that he also expects a full day’s work at $120 an hour.

Now, $120 an hour didn’t set me back; it certainly seemed near a fair market rate. But it was what he said next that dumbfounded me. He intended to bill for the time that it took to estimate, research, and order the parts we needed, approximately 3 hours ALSO at $120 an hour.

I guess I have grown insensitive to the marketing pitch, “Free Estimates”. But come on, I know a few things about “billing rate” and at $120 an hour — this certainly should have included the overhead, the legwork associated with this job. So I thought on these things for minute, (or maybe a little longer, babbling away) until I finally came to this conclusion — “You know what,” I said. “Put those parts you’ve ordered on hold; I want a second opinion.”

His response something like:

I’ve been in business for twenty years. And I say this to people all the time. . .either you want me or you don’t. I don’t need the work. . . .

The Resolution

I did have to take the time to meet Mike the HVAC guy at the apartment a few nights late. And I won’t go into too much, but one of first things that Mike said, and like most will try to avoid trashing their kind, he said, this particular boiler, a Columbia, is still manufactured and, believe it or not, right here in Baltimore.

He would be able to get the exact replacement part, and we can forgo all of this “universal” part talk. And yep, it was the flame sensor. A little plug-in solenoid switch, with a mercury tube on one end, and electrical connections on the other. And it was done. The boiler fired right up. About a half-hour of work, and even with Mike chit-chatting, and talking me through what he was doing, “$205 please.”

Now, are you kidding me — I paid him gladly. Even gave him a little extra. And he was pleased.

The Point Really

I’m not accusing this guy in 21234 of doing anything unethical and/or predatory. It was certainly within his right to charge what he wants to charge for his services. But I am saying, as a homeowner, you need to watch out, especially if the desperation of an “emergency” situation tries to overtake you. Get a second opinion, there is usually time for one, and there are always second opinions.

Funny, (and here is my shameless plug) but it sure is nice having a support network. Now, if only there were some company out there that would offer to make calls for you, help you research and weigh your options, and give you the support to get it done, all without blowing a wad of cash, wouldn’t you use them?

But alas, we are left waiting.

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