What should you actually look for in an HVAC Company?
If you are old enough to remember the yellow pages you might also remember opening the pages to find that every service ad said “Licensed, Bonded and Insured”. This was highlighted on every ad because of its importance. In today’s world if you hire a reputable company with a AAA rating from the BBB you are virtually assured that the company meets these requirements. Additionally most insurance companies require background checks on each employee and most companies will also do drug screens as a condition of employment. Which leads us to what we should actually look for in an HVAC company?
Honesty, Integrity and Character
The number one question customers should be asking their potential service company is, what additional things is your company doing to protect my family, our home and our assets? What I would really like to know is, how the company is promoting honesty, integrity and character into their company, or are they promoting dishonesty?
Consider this homeowners experience:
A customer just purchased a water heater on special promotion from Company NSH (Not So Honest). While Company NSH was working in the customer’s home they informed the homeowner that the furnace was creating CO (Carbon Monoxide), it was dangerous and could endanger their life. Company NSH turned the furnace off and applied big red banners across the front of the furnace saying “danger do not use”. Company NSH quoted the homeowner an exorbitant price for a new furnace with air conditioner and tried to get the homeowner to schedule this installation. The good news is, she didn’t schedule but chose to give her regular HVAC company, Company Aplus, a call. The homeowner was upset with Company Aplus because they had not found any problems during their preventative maintenance service a few months earlier. The homeowner felt Aplus had allowed the homeowner to use an unsafe furnace and therefore had endanger their life. Company Aplus immediately came out and did a complete combustion analysis with CO measurements, pressures, drafts and temperatures. Aplus compared them to the readings recorded during their previous preventative maintenances and the measurements had not changed, No CO detected (0-ppm), no cracks in the heat exchanger, and absolutely no problems with the furnace. Fortunately, Aplus had measurements from previous trips and used real measurements to prove that the information from Company NSH was in fact Not So Honest but rather completely false and misleading.
Commissioned Employees?
Unfortunately, this is a frequent scenario and results in a sale for an unsuspecting homeowner. The underlying question is why do technicians do this and what should I look for or what question should I ask. Call the company and ask if they commission employees to sell you something or require the employee to sell a quota. Money or the fear of losing your job is often the undercurrent of this scenario. Find a company that does not commission or require quotas. Call and talk to the company to see how they operate. Check their reviews and if possible ask someone who really knows them.
At Beebe Heating & Air Conditioning, our employees aren’t commissioned and have the safety of your family as their highest priority. If you need a trustworthy HVAC company for a repair or installation, don’t hesitate to get in touch!