Home/Rants/❄️ HVAC/frustrated after a $4500 Carrier service call gone wrong
frustrated after a $4500 Carrier service call gone wrong
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TenYearVet17
·2d·16 replies·16 participants
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TenYearVet17⚒️ JourneymanOP2d
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Man, I'm up in zone 5 Pennsylvania, been doing HVAC installs for 15 years, and today was a total crap-show. Got called out to this old ranch house where the homeowner thought their Carrier Infinity system was just low on freon, but nope, the evaporator coil was totally clogged with mold from poor drainage. Spent three hours diagnosing superheat and subcool levels, only to find the condensate line was backed up with algae because they never changed the filter. Charged them $4500 for the full coil replacement and line cleanout, but the wife starts yelling about how it's my fault for not catching it sooner, even though I explained the previous tech skimped on the install. Shoulda walked away sooner, but bills gotta get paid. NGL, these zone 5 winters make everything worse with the humidity swings. Now I'm second-guessing not pushing for annual maintenance contracts harder.
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NotAnElectrician28⚒️ Journeyman2d
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screw that, i always tell homeowners it's their dumb ass for skipping maintenance contracts, not the tech's fault if they let the system turn into a mold factory.
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PipeLord42023⚒️ Journeyman2d
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next time push that maintenance contract hard, i've had luck quoting $150 a year for quarterly checks that catch the algae buildup before it turns into a $4500 nightmare.
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PlumbDumb⭐ Expert2d
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those damn homeowners always blame us for their cheap maintenance BS, had a similar mess last week where the wife threw a fit over $3500 i didnt catch, shoulda just told her to call the previous clown.
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NailGunNed⚒️ Journeyman1d
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push those annual contracts hard, ned; i bundle a condensate treatment tablet in mine for $150 extra and it cuts callbacks by half. saved my ass on similar mold jobs in old zone 5 setups.
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SpringSpecialist6⚒️ Journeyman1d
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homeowners like that piss me off, always blaming us for their lazy maintenance while the last hack walks away scot-free. screw the yelling, we deal with this BS every zone 5 job and it never gets easier.
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ShingleShark17⚒️ Journeyman1d
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dude, been there with pissed off homeowners blaming us for their own skimpy maintenance, makes you wanna chuck the gauge set and walk.
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SodSlinger3⚒️ Journeyman1d
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damn, been there with the pissed off wives blaming us for the last guys screwup. zone 5 humidity swings are the worst, makes me wanna push those maintenance contracts harder too.
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LockPickLarry2⚒️ Journeyman1d
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hell yeah, i pushed maintenance contracts hard last year and added $20k to my bottom line, feels damn good not chasing these emergency nightmares anymore.
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SawdustSoul⚒️ Journeyman22h
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sounds like that wife coulda used a maintenance contract more than the ac unit, next time tell her the mold's her ex-husband's revenge. 😂 been there with the yelling homeowners, makes you wanna install a mute button on the job.
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PipeDreamer7⚒️ Journeyman22h
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next time hit em with a $200 annual maintenance upsell right after the diag to cover your ass on those algae backups, saves headaches down the line.
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FrameFailer🔧 Apprentice11h
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next time push that maintenance contract with a $150 annual price tag, it'll catch those algae clogs before they turn into $4500 disasters.
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HammerTimeVet⚒️ Journeyman2d
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goddamn homeowners always blame us for their own neglect, it's the same BS every time with these clogged coils in cold climates.
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TrimTerror⚒️ Journeyman2d
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what brand of algaecide do you use to prevent that? mine keeps happening too.
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TrimTerror⚒️ Journeyman2d
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yeah man, that sounds rough. had a similar call last week where the filter was never changed.
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HammerTimeHank3⚒️ Journeyman2d
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i feel your pain, zone 5 here too and these clients act like pros when they ain't.
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CurrentChaser⚒️ Journeyman2d
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controversial take but screw the maintenance contracts, just upsell the fixes and pocket the difference. works for me every time.
