(Customer) My A/C has stopped cooling. I don't know why it is not cooling efficiently.
(Pat) I got you. What's the address? We can have somebody there between 11 and 12.
(Customer) Ok. And uh, what are your charges?
(Pat) The charges are $95 to show up and diagnose, find the problem, and let you know if it needs something, and if it needs something, we'll let you know what it would cost at that point to make the repair.
(Customer) So, usually, you need to diagnose and then repair it.
(Pat) Yes, It's $95 for the diagnosis.
(Customer) What if I want to avoid getting into a diagnostic? I want you to replace it.
(Pat) Do you want to replace it?
(Customer) Yeah.
(Pat) Well, if you need repair, let's get it repaired.
(Customer) Instead of doing the diagnostics, right? So if we don't know if it can be repaired, let's replace it. Why should I pay that $95?
(Pat) Ok? So one or two things: either we show up with you saying I want a new air conditioning unit and we don't charge you, and we give you a price for a new air conditioning unit, or if you say, my AC unit doesn't work, and I want to know why it doesn't work, then we charge you $95 for our services to tell you why it doesn't work. And then with that, if it can be changed in 20 minutes and you're still in your first hour of $95, you pay the $95 plus the part. So it depends on what the problem is.
(Customer) So my tenant, who lives there, says it is the freon or something needs to be added.
(Pat) I got you. So if it's low on freon, it would be one hour for the service plus the freon we put into it. How old is the unit?
(Customer) Pretty old. It's about 20 years old probably.
(Pat) If it's R22, you're at one hour and $50 per pound. If it's R410A, you're one hour and $20 per pound.
(Customer) How many pounds do you need in it?
(Pat) If it's low on Freon, you have to decide if you want to charge it or if you want us to look for a leak because if it's low on Freon, it has a leak. So that's up to you. If, you say, I want to put freon into it for now and see how long it lasts. Or, if you want us to do a leak inspection where we use an electronic leak detector, find the leak, tell you where the leak is coming from, and then give you a price to replace that part. A leak inspection is $250 because we go through the entire system.
(Customer) How much it would cost to replace the unit?
(Pat) Again, you could replace the unit, but if the leak is in the coil, then replacing the unit will not help the freon situation.
(Customer) Yeah.
(Pat) I'm not just trying to tell you something; I'm trying to help you. So, if it's low on freon, most of the time, the freon leaks from the coil. Where are the furnace and coil located?
(Customer) It's not the heat. It is; it is the air conditioner.
(Pat) I understand that, but where is the furnace located in the house? In the attic, in the closet?
(Customer) Yeah, it's in the closet.
(Pat) So where that furnace is on top of that furnace is what's called an evaporation coil. And that coil is what the AC unit outside pumps the freon into that coil in the same closet as the furnace, which is usually where the leak comes from.
So, if the leak is coming from there, we can give you a price to replace that coil. Where the furnace is, the coil will be on top of the furnace or the bottom of the furnace one or the other.
(Customer) Ok. But if you want to go ahead, you normally do a free diagnostic.
(Pat) No, not at all.
(Customer) So you give a free estimate but not a free diagnosis.?
(Pat) No. As soon as we come out and the technician gets their tools out, use their experience, volt meters, gauges, and all that, I mean, every company will charge you; nobody would be making money if they didn't. But it's all included in the repair. We charge you for the Freon, and if it takes two pounds of freon, you know, you're one hour and 20 per pound, which is $40 plus a $95 hour because it will take him only a short time to do that. If you want to look for the leak and find out where it's leaking from, you should add $250. Sometimes people say, well, I don't want to put the freon into it if it's leaking; I'd rather fix it and then put the freon into it so I don't waste money. Still, ultimately, you need a professional opinion there to tell you what's going on, you know, and then go from there. Still, if you're not trying to pay a diagnostic fee, that doesn't get somebody there qualified to do it, to do a good job.
(Customer) Ok. $95.00. Let's make an appointment then.
