Air conditioners have become a necessity in every household because of the extreme heat due to Global Warming. Because the earth is being cooked, people prefer to remain indoors than outdoor and the only consolation to relieve from the heat is to switch on the air conditioner. The intense heat wave had increased the sale of air conditioners to such an extent, that there was a period when two air conditioners were sold in a minute. People have been rushing to buy air conditioners. Nowadays air conditioners are not considered a luxury but a necessity.
Am I Being Scammed????
If you have purchased an air conditioner or planning to purchase one, the most important factor you should consider is not being scammed by the air conditioning technician.
"My air conditioner was not cooling properly. I called the technician, and he said the compressor coils need to be cleaned. However after even cleaning condenser there was no difference in performance and I spend $250 for no reason.. On a second opinion I found out that the problem was not with the coils…………am I being scammed?"
"My air conditioner developed some problem. I looked up in the yellow pages and called an air conditioner technician. The guy told me that there was something seriously wrong with the unit itself and the only alternative is to buy a new one, which I did. I then came to know that my old air conditioner needed only a minor repair and that it was in a perfect running condition…………….am I being scammed?"
These are complaints that we hear very often from air conditioner owners. In such cases either the technician might not be an expert in air conditioners or it is a ploy by the technicians to make you buy a new unit by purposely making your air conditioner work less efficiently. Since you don’t have much knowledge about air conditioners, naturally you won’t know whether the technician is repairing it or spoiling it.
Don’t Get Fooled by Such Offers
Installing refrigerants and oil additives, helps you save 20% of energy consumption. Actually it does not. If it is so, the top equipment manufactures would have promoted it.
Adding a device known as “Refrigerant Management Devices” will help you save energy consumption and increase the cooling efficiency of your air conditioning unit. This is not true. Any air conditioner will work efficiently if its filter is not clogged, if the heat transfer surface is clean, if the refrigerant is not oil clogged and there is proper air flow across the evaporator and condenser. If this is ok, your air conditioner will perform well, you don’t need add on devices.
There are many technicians who tell you that to improve the cooling efficiency of your unit you should fit a high efficiency air filter. They then purchase these filters from small contractors who sell expensive filtering systems. This is not necessary. You can ask a good certified technician to clean it for you, a get a good one from reputed manufactures.
Some technicians fool the home owners by asking them to fit high efficiency capacitors. Do not let a technician fool you with this trick. If the capacitor fails the fan or compressor does not start. In this case you can replace it, by asking the opinion of a certified technician.
SUMMARY
It is quite easy to get scammed by technicians. They are just waiting for a chance to fool you and make money out of you. So it's time you become alert and don’t fall for their gimmicks.
First of all be aware of such technicians. If your air conditioner develops a problem, don’t just call any technician, from the yellow pages. Always look out for technicians from established companies. Also go through the Better Business Bureau to check the reputation of the company. Stay away from companies that offer you low price for an air conditioner unit and servicing.
It would be better to call a technician who has been recommended by a friend or relative. Check whether the technician is NATE certified, TSSA certified and have 313D licence. Also ask for fixed price before the work begins.
Usually consumers looking for low cost repairs are more vulnerable to be scammed. If you are a little careful and cautious, you can avoid being scammed by an air conditioner technician.
