There’s A New Trend in HVAC – Beware These Trends
The HVAC industry is a rewarding, fast-paced industry, and Help!! is proud to help keep our customers cool in the summer or warm in the winter. Service techs build relationships with their customers over the years, and, in most cases, our customers are happy to see us. Especially during maintenance calls when there are no inconvenient HVAC emergencies to worry about. In my decades of experience, I’d say that most HVAC business owners and employees are good people. Despite sometimes having differing business philosophies, we all share the same desire to help our customers. One goal we share is offering our customers the best solutions at the best pricing available so that we can make you a lifelong partner. Unfortunately, there are some companies that only care about the sale. These companies have developed certain habits of which we advise all of our readers to be cautious.
Trends in Technician Pay – The Dangers of Product Incentives
If you take anything away from this blog, it should be that Help!! is not a sales operation. We are a repair, installation, and maintenance operation. We do not incentivize our techs to upsell customers more expensive products with the promise of commission. Unfortunately, some companies do offer product commission to service techs, which is where HVAC service can get pretty messy.
So what happens when techs are paid per part they charge? Well, it incentivizes techs to take advantage of repair situations to sell more parts. There are some companies that teach their techs that they must hit a certain service number to reach their desired salary. Personally, I believe most techs are good people that would not willfully extort their customers. But when your paycheck depends on the amount you’re selling, I’ve seen lines get a little blurred. I’ve even heard of techs changing perfectly good fuses and claiming they are “weak.” (Fuses don’t weaken. They are either good or bad. There is no in-between.)
Help!! guarantees that we tell our techs that we will only offer products that people will benefit from, or if it’s something they really need to fix. Not only is it the honest thing to do, but it helps us keep track of the health of your HVAC system. Help!! adamantly rejects the system of charging per part because the practice encourages professionals to take advantage of customers who trust us to keep their home comfortable.
How to Know Which HVAC Professionals to Trust
Trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Talk to your tech and ask how long he or she has been with the company. If a tech frequently bounces from company to company, you should ask why. We all understand that our techs deserve to be fairly paid for their labor. Companies that pay techs by commission sometimes boast salaries that exceed $50 an hour because they encourage their techs to pad their services. Is this ethical? Personally, I don’t think so. I wasn’t raised that way and expect the techs who work for Help!! to treat our customers honestly and ethically.
Typically, the source of your HVAC woes is one defective part. If the service tech at your house gets pushy with trying to get a sales rep to your house, or keeps changing his story so he can add more to your invoice, you need to start asking questions. Keep the old parts and have a professional you trust check those parts for you. In most cases, only one part causes a unit to quit working. If a tech comes to you and has a list of parts that needs changing, he’s not the guy or company you want in your house. In some cases, we do need to replace a part before we can check the rest of the system for any deficiencies.
A good example of parts that need to be replaced together is motors and capacitors. But a reputable HVAC professional will never advise you to replace your motor, capacitor, contactor, and pressure switches. This is way too many parts for one repair. Make sure they quote you everything before making repairs and hold them to that price. No one should ever get stuck with surprise charges.
Help’s Ethical Repair Guarantee – Honesty is the Best Policy
Help!! has been around for over 50 years by giving customers a company they can trust, and we’ve built strong relationships with our customers by giving them honest opinions about HVAC life expectancies, maintenance tips, and recommended replacement times. If you’re experiencing any doubts about your tech, simply ask how they get paid. Ask them openly if they receive extra money per part they charge. Some warning signs are if the company calls it “performance-based pay” or “enhanced pricing structures.”
Another way to gently ask about a tech’s salary is to ask how many calls they run a day. If they only say three or four calls, they probably pad their invoices. A true HVAC tech feels gratified running multiple calls per day and understands that the job sometimes means working late.
About HELP!! Air Conditioning
Build a relationship with your techs, and they will take care of you for a long time. I even have customers that have known me throughout my complete journey in the HVAC industry. They welcomed me into their home when I was just starting my career, and they trust me to keep their homes comfortable year-round.
HELP!! Air Conditioning is a local family-owned business that has been servicing the New Orleans metro and surrounding areas for 50 years. Kenny, Keith, and Korey Knobloch are continuing what their father started and that is providing great customer service while helping customers stay comfortable during our sweltering summers. Our Service and Installation Technicians are the best because we demand the best for you. Your satisfaction is our #1 Goal.
