Found a way to get same-day HVAC repair without the emergency fee

Our AC died last Tuesday in the middle of a heatwave and every company wanted $150 extra for same-day service. I tried calling three different places and got the same story. Then I asked a local plumbing company if they knew any HVAC guys who did side work and they gave me a number. The guy came out in two hours for a flat $80 and fixed the capacitor in 10 minutes. Has anyone else had luck asking tradespeople for referrals like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopherw341mo ago

Wait, are you serious that an $80 fix and a two hour wait is all it took? That's wild how much the big companies try to squeeze you for emergency fees. I had the same thing happen with my furnace last winter and it was a nightmare, everyone wanted an extra $200 just to show up. Honestly, this is a genius move I never would have thought of, asking a plumber for a rec like that. It's crazy how much of a markup there is just for "same day" when these guys are probably just sitting around waiting for calls anyway. You saved a ton of cash, good for you man.

shane_hayes1mo ago

And @christopherw34, you're not wrong about them just sitting around waiting. I once called a big-name company for a leaky pipe and they quoted me $400 just to walk through the door. Told them no thanks, went to the hardware store for $12 in parts, and fixed it myself in about 45 minutes. My wife still jokes that I'm only good for climbing ladders and breaking things, but hey, I saved us a trip to the poor house that day.

gavin4691mo ago

$12 in parts sounds about right, but 45 minutes for a pipe fix is pretty fast unless you already had the tools and knew exactly what you were doing before you started. Most people don't have a backup plan for when that first trip to the hardware store turns into three trips.

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