I was talking with a mechanical engineer from Airco about the time Christian Brothers charged me $375 for 4.5 lbs of Freon.
The guy from Airco said that HVAC service companies tell the techs to find a charge for over $300 or $400 no matter what they do to justify the time on the job. Christian Brothers charged me $455 for the service charge and the Freon.
Just one guy. About 1.5 maybe 2 hours at the most. It was awhile back. I really don't remember.
I'm getting my a/c serviced in February and I'm not calling Christian Brothers. If it needs another 4lbs of Freon I'm getting a new one instead.
Well obviously grossly marking up Freon is common.
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Christian Bros. has the right to charge what ever they want but I'm a potential long term customer that is going to need a new system very soon. Do you think it's a good idea to charge me that much?
I'm in the city limits and Christian Bros. is local.
Doesn't matter. I pull my prices straight out of my flat rate price book, and yes the labor is included in the book price. If you want a discount, then you buy a service agreement.
">>I was talking with a mechanical engineer from Airco about the time Christian
Thats beside the point. They charge what they do, because thats what it costs to keep their doors open, keep the service trucks on the road. pay salaries and make a small profit.
No! I think they should have done it for nothing! This way they can go bankrupt and no longer give you quality service. What in the hell are they thinking!?!?!
Oh brother! If they want to stay in business they will charge a reasonable charge. A 1600% markup is far from reasonable. It's not like it took the guy all day to do it. After I gave him the ok he had it done in less than 15 min. He got his service charge + the 1600% markup. There is nothing that could justify that.
It's interesting how you're trying to confuse facts with reality.
There's different ways to price products and services. No two companies operate the same way. There's also the fact that MANY companies don't price their service correctly and run themselves right out of business. A fact that MANY people operate their business in different ways. Loss leaders, selling equipment instead of making a repair, etc, etc...
You have to make money, period. Or you simply go under and are no longer in business. That's a fact that you can't get around. Now there are companies that subsidies their operations everyday. That doesn't mean that the service you received was over priced. It just mean you didn't find one and are now pissed that you paid $455 for a repair. I assume you approved the repair? If it was so EXPENSIVE, why didn't you pay the service call and get a second opinion?
If you want to take your little $455 repair as a complete lesson on how to run a business, so be it. I on the other hand have the knowledge, skills, experience and understanding that it takes to know how to run a profitable company. But if you want a CHEAPER price on your next repair/installation, I suggest you call GM/Ford/Chrysler... they will be able to met your needs, at a price you can afford and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Then we can wait for the next Federal bailout plan for the automotive industry.
Hey dipshit, it's like my other posts states... there's different ways to price products and services.
Your bill: Service Call $80 Refrigerant $375 ============ Total repair $ 455
Do you really think his labor and overhead only cost him $80????? If so, you're a complete idiot.
Would it comfort you if his bill was as follows: Service Call $80 Labor costs $300 Refrigerant $75 ============== Total repair $ 455
What did you say, you only make $10-15-20 an hour working for someone? If so, ask your employer what he charges for your time. If he can't or won't tell you, just think about the cost that are attached to your employment.
401K Health Plans Dental Coverage Workmen's Comp. Social Security Liability Insurance Paid Vacations Paid Sick Days Paid Personal Days Holiday Pay Christmas Bonus
Place to work Utilities Property Insurance Tools Inventory Service Vehicle Vehicle Insurance Vehicle upkeep Fuel/oil/tires/brakes/etc Delivery fees Office supplies Postage Training
Other employees wages Stock personnel Secretary Accountant Lawyer
It's all part of the bigger picture you fail to see... clients pay for everything. If not, you're subsidizing your business, period!
Are you starting to see that a $80 service call fee isn't going to cut it??????
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