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A Tinners Porch - hvac equipment ,this bugs me

drizz1234 - Apr 11, 2008 - 11:48 AM
Post subject: hvac equipment ,this bugs me

i recentally bid a job to put in a central air condition system in a home, the home owner went online after and was able to calculate the cost of the equipment vs my labor, then offered to buy it himself to save money . at that point i was ready to say bye bye, i dont need to work for free, but trying to be professional i said, your not going to get it cheaper than me, well i was wrong and i am pi$$ed. a online web site is able to sell the fan, condenser, lineset and free shipping for less than i could buy it at my local supply house that i do a lot of biz at. I went to the equipment manufactors website (goodman and rheem) and they all say we do not honor warranties for online purchases, but somehow these online wholesalers are able to obtain it. kind of like yeh we stand behind contractors ,but hey we can make a dime here. I understand that the homeowner cant install the stuff they buy, but its not fair that they can break your estimate down and say oh my god your making two thousand dollars of me when they dont see the whole picture of our overhead. I hope equipment manufaturers get sued. anyone want to weigh in on this or am i being a baby?

Stickman - Apr 11, 2008 - 01:06 PM
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This is true with electronics and appliances also....BUT all this stuff needs repair sooner or later. Try calling the local appliance dealer or TV shop and get your on-line purchase fixed. This is when you make your money and they lose their savings on their purchase. AND maybe you won't even get such quick service ethier. I really think most people reealize this when they see the low price on the internet. Locally here the HVAC installers won't install equipment they don't sell.

zagman - Apr 12, 2008 - 12:11 AM
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I completely I agree with you drizz. It's hard enough to compete against other HVAC contractors. With these online sites It's like you have to compete against a potential costumer. It's a bunch of BS. Personally I wouldn't install any equipment that I didn't supply.

MattM - Apr 15, 2008 - 01:21 AM
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No, don't install customer supplied equipment without talking to your insurance. You might find you are liable for any problems with it. Better to wash hands free from this kind of nickel and dime game your customer is playing with you. The only people that benefit from cheap are the guys that end up making it expensive for someone else.

tintailoruk - May 18, 2008 - 12:06 AM
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forgive me if am mistaken, but could you not purchase the kit yourself from the internet, or the worst possible way let the customer purchase the kit, the customer then responsible for warantees etc, and you as the contractor supply labour and sundries, only gauranteeing your labour, nickels and dimes sure, but nickels and dimes make dollars, with luck win an annual service contract

MattM - May 18, 2008 - 04:03 PM
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It varies from state to state and sometimes city to city. When a professional installs a piece of mechanical equipment here they assume some responsibility for the equipment unless a contract is expressing that this is not the case. This is why a certified auto mechanic here will charge you their healthy markups on equipment you bring to them even though they did not buy the equipment; wise ones generally write a disclaimer (albeit non-binding) on their receipts to try and ward off problems. In this state you can have an oral agreement witnessed by a third party mutually binding for up to $10,000 that would help cover your apples. I don't know how it is in your neck of the woods.

tintailoruk - May 19, 2008 - 12:42 AM
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thanks Mattm, I did not realise the contractor is responsible for mechanical quipment, only for the installation either free issue or contractors purchase, as for insurance liability for contractors including sub contractors public liability of 250,000-00 pounds stirling in the UK, in passing can I ask if whether or not in the USA,are there many ductworkers paid on pricework

tintailoruk - May 19, 2008 - 12:44 AM
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oops yes the contractor responsible for the quality and effiency of the mechanical but not either gaurantees and warantees, surely the manufacturer is responsible

MattM - May 19, 2008 - 03:15 AM
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Pricework is pretty normal on small activities. Not so much on larger projects. One bad bid could really tank your shop.

locklin - May 22, 2008 - 05:59 PM
Post subject: Selling equipment to Joe Blow

Does your State have any laws relating to consumers buying A.C. equipment? I believe they can be fined pretty heavily for selling to individuals who don't have the proper CFC certificate, and Contractors license C-20. How did they legally sell this piece of equipment?

MattM - May 24, 2008 - 01:14 AM
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Not all A.C. equipment is equal. You can buy smaller units at Menards. Smile

Bud - May 24, 2008 - 09:11 AM
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In Wisconsin, at least in the southeast area can not sell units at the home supplies, BuilderSquare once did, but I'm not knowing anyone who actually got to the cash register and paid for one with out license verification - Home Depot here has Trane, but they're a referral to local Trane dealers only and they charge a pretty penny for the referrals...

MattM - May 24, 2008 - 11:02 PM
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Windows shakers are self contained. They don't sell the central air units at retailers. Perhaps the self-contained units fall under different rules.

drizz1234 - May 27, 2008 - 01:46 AM
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these were no window units, five ton goodman and rheem equipment, cheaper than i could buy,guess what ,cancelled my account and went with a new brand.

johnl45 - Jun 08, 2008 - 02:57 PM
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I charge the same price even if the customer supplies the equipment!