Help! I Need Somebody…

We’ve all been there, you need a repair executed in your home. How do you know you are hiring the right contractor for the job? Well, let’s start with the basics. Does the contractor in question have all the proper licenses? That seems like a no brainer right?

I can tell you that in my travels, at least once a day I see a white van with a bunch of numbers plastered on the side that says license # 66494394249 – this is not a proper contractor license. Licenses start with CAC for air conditioning, CFC for plumbing and CGC for general contractors and those letters are followed by six to seven numbers. You can check to see if a contractor has a valid license by going to www.myfloridalicense.com and if the company you are thinking of hiring isn’t on that site they are likely not a valid licensed contractor. So you know the two C’s stand for Certified Contractor.

Ok, so the company you have called has a license that’s great, what happens when they show up? Let’s say it is an AC call for your unit that is not cooling. It all starts at the front door; you should expect someone in uniform, with an ID badge, and a truck that proudly displays who the company is. Beware of unmarked white vans and guys in t-shirts and shorts who are not presenting themselves as overall professional.

The next step in a good service experience should be a question and answer phase. When did the problem start? Has it happened before? When was the last time you had the unit serviced and by whom? A good technician needs to know these things and more to accurately assess the whole problem. If the person who is there to take care of the problem just says take me to the equipment without asking a lot of questions this could be a red flag as well.

The technician shows up, goes right to the equipment, and comes back five minutes later and says the aeon flux capacitor is bad, the rotors are out of balance, and you need a new Q-36 space modulator. Buyer beware! (None of those things exist in an air conditioner by the way, but it sounded impressive right?) No one can diagnose a problem in five minutes, and you as a buyer of services should be able to understand what repairs are needed and why. The good techs in the world can show you what is wrong in your situation, and can explain in laymen’s terms why the repair is needed. If you’re confused after you speak with the repair person, they haven’t done the most important thing in making you understand what’s wrong and why, and in this case you might want to seek a second opinion.

Next up, has your service person given you options for the repair? Every situation is different, however 99 times out of 100 there is more than one option for the repairs that are needed. You have the basic repair that will get your AC system back up and running. That repair option only addresses the immediate situation and may not address any possible future problems. There should also be options all the way up to a package that will take your AC system back to as close to new as possible.

We are the professionals, and our job should always be to educate our consumers on what can be done and let them tell us what they want to do. Choices are part of what made this country one of the greatest places on Earth, and a good service provider will always give you choices. If you have a problem with plumbing, air conditioning, sprinklers, or electrical call us at Art Home Services today at 1-800-475-1504 or visit www.artplumbingandac.com to schedule your choices today!

House Whisperer out!!