Thanksgiving has come and gone. For some it was a nice 4 day break from work. For others it was an opportunity to get deep discounts on all of those things you have been longing for or to get some Christmas shopping out of the way. But for all of us, I believe, it was a time to get together with friends and family to be thankful for all the memories of past, present and to come. We can all agree that its a great feeling to be surrounded by people who share a common interest and genuinely have our best interest in their mind, so why does being thankful only get one day reserved for it?
When it comes to the service side of things, many of us become reserved and skeptical of who is doing the work. Questions begin to arise, like:
- “Am I getting a fair price?”
- “Am I getting quality work?”
- “Does this person really know what they are doing”
- “What sort of guarantee is there?”
Even more questions are out there but all of them can be derived from the real question, “Does this contractor have my best interest in mind?” This is where the thankfulness kicks in, at least when it comes to the HVAC industry. You have your average contractors out there who will most certainly handle your concern but be careful what you ask for because that is typically what you’ll get. Think you need a new Air Conditioner or Furnace, a contractor might be quick to just sell you a replacement. Think you need a simple tune up, a contractor may provide you with just a tune up. After all, that is what you asked for so they aren’t in the wrong and maybe it makes you feel more comfortable about the situation in that you aren’t being hassled or yanked around like going to the mechanic. However, when contractors take the route of only doing what they are asked it can often lead to return service calls which will only cost you more in the long run. So now lets make this content relate-able…
- Do you enjoy being asked a thousand questions to self diagnose your problem and then pay someone to finish your work?
- Do you enjoy wondering how the contractor can be so certain the work being completed is going to actually fix the problem?
- Do you enjoy being handed a bill and taking the word of the contractor that particular work was done?
- Do you enjoy being told your problem has been resolved only to find that its still lingering? Maybe it lasts a year or maybe it lasts a month, a week or even just an hour?
- Do you enjoy having to call for service on your HVAC equipment multiple times a year?
I feel confident saying that no one enjoys any of the above experiences so maybe hearing our options is not such a bad thing when we start to relate it back to whats really in our best interest. THANKFULLY there are Home Performance Contractors out there that specialize in your best interest and no this isn’t just blowing smoke, these are everyday people just like you or I who have your best interest in mind. These contractors have gone above and beyond to receive advanced training and invest into specialized equipment to meet all of your requests with unmatched accuracy. Prices are similar to what you were going to pay for an average contractor anyways except the results are much greater.
So lets break it down:
Average contractor service call: You call your local contractor with the problem you are facing, they collect information about your problem over the phone to help them get started, they come out to your home and verify the issue you originally called about, they begin performing the work, the contractor verbally tells you what work was completed, you receive the bill and hope for the best after they leave.
Home Performance Contractor service call: You call with the problem you are facing, they collect information about your problem over the phone to help them get started, they come out to your home and verify the issue you originally called about, the ask questions to really understand your home, they test your home and provide you with the results to assist you in making the best decision, they begin performing the work, the contractor shows you what work was completed with the testing results to prove why the work was necessary and that it was completed (i.e. before and after), you receive the bill and feel comfortable after they leave.
Lets take an often seen example of just how this seemingly insignificant difference can be in your best benefit. If you were to call in thinking you really needed a new unit then odds are an average contractor isn’t going to fight you on it if the unit is older than 3-5 years and new units are not cheap. So you buy a new unit and guess what? In a couple years you are facing the same challenges even though that unit was supposed to last 10+ years. A home performance contractor is in the business of uncovering underlying problems and not just those on the surface, so you call in thinking you need a new unit and they test your home to find out your unit isn’t the problem but your ducts are super leaky or your insulation is lacking or your home is out of balance. They not only say this but they back it up with test results they can physically show you and conduct with you in the same room to prove the authenticity. You have not only saved on the cost of a new unit but you have now extended the life of your equipment by resolving the real issue in your home; so its cheaper now and its cheaper in the long run.
So next time you are having issues with your HVAC equipment, be thankful there are contractors out there that genuinely handle your home and best interests as if they were standing in your shoes. That’s a priceless difference that you may not even notice on the bill if you were to compare between an average contractor and a home performance contractor.