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Dear Friend,
Thank you for reading this article.
This free information will help you pick the
best contractor for you. The more knowledgeable
you are about the air condition industry, the
less problem you will have
Education is truly the first step to making a
good decision. You do it before you buy a house,
a car or anything else. Why not before you buy
your air conditioner equipment or hire someone?
You will learn why you should never pick the
contractor with the lowest price. You’ll
also learn why all contractors are different.
And why communication is so important.
This free booklet can make your service experience
painless and trouble free.
Sincerely,
Alex Soo
alex@coolserve.com
COOLSERVE Air-Condition Engineering
126, Joo Seng Road #01-13,
Gold Pine Industrial Building,
Singapore 368355
Tel : 6288 6316
Fax : 6288 6845
The most commonly mistakes people make :
The old adage is really true. "You get what
you pay for." This is especially true in
contracting business. If you want good contracting
you should decide to deal with a contractor because
of the overall value you receive, NOT because
they are the lowest priced.
Here’s why……..
Value = Quality + Service
+ Price
It is impossible for any company in any
industry to offer the cheapest price, have the
highest quality, and provide the best service
all the same time.
You can get high quality and super service, but
you can’t get both and still get the lowest
price.
Just like in your business, you hire the best
people and buy the highest quality product –
consequently, you have to charge more for your
services.
Total Value is all three. Quality, Service
and Price!
The 3 most common problems YOU WILL have when
you pick a contractor who only offers the lowest
price:
The first problem is that dirt-cheap contractors
don’t usually stand behind their work if
there is a mistake. Sure, other contractors might
do your job a little less money, but how will
they treat you when there is a mistake with your
job? To give the cheapest price, they usually
have low-wage, inexperienced employees that have
not been adequately trained. They also cut corners
by using cheaper material and labor to give that
low price. The end result is that you get what
you pay for. And a little bit of money you saved
ends up costing you more in the long run! Believe
me, this is a little saying we tell our customer:
"The good feeling of a cheap price is long
gone before the stench of poor quality is ever
used up."
The second problem with a contractor who offers
the lowest price is that they tend to also offer
the lowest quality. Your air conditioner is the
biggest appliance in your home. And, one of the
best investments you can make in your home if
done properly.
Plainly said, "Shoddy or low quality contracting
because of cheap price cost you money." No
amount of savings is worth this. You’ve worked
too hard and spend too much money on your home.
Why throw it away for the few cents you save on
a contractor?
And the third reason why picking the cheapest
contractor is a problem is that you might get
charged extra for things other contractors normally
include in their quote in the first place. You’ll
be charge extra for such things as filter, thermostats,
or application of permits. Cheap contractors nickel
and dime you to death. What seemed like a good
price actually ends up costing you more in the
end. This is just a tactic cheap contractors use
to get in the door.
To avoid buying on price alone, We suggest you
choose two or three contractors and rank them
in the order that is important to you such as
Quality first, Service second and Price last.
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Every contractor is difference. No two contractors
are really the same. Every contractor has different
equipment and different employee who know how
to do certain kinds of jobs well. Every company
has a different number of employees, each with
different abilities.
Contracting is art and craftsmanship combined.
Most people who hire contractors don’t truly
understand that despite all the technological
advances, contractors still use the same quality
work habit as twenty years ago.
Contrary to what a lot of people thinks, air
condition is not just banging on the air conditioner,
cleaning filters or charging refrigerant. It takes
craftsmanship to turn out quality work. Contractors
have to diagnose, measure and perform complicated
calculation before they can start a job.
- Ask what type of work they do.
- Ask how long they have been in business.
- Ask what is the timing require to finish the
job.
- Ask if they do the works or sub contractors.
- Ask if they are using skill technician or
cheap laborer.
- Ask any other questions that are unique to
your needs.
This will help you decide whether they are the
best contractors for YOU!
After you ask your question, it will become pretty
obvious which company you should choose. The company
that wants your business will prove to you that
they are the best contractors to do your work.
Take your time to decide which contractor you
would like to use – but when you decide,
you must be loyal to them (See Mistake #3).
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You may think this is good way to do business.
And it is to some extent. But here is why it usually
isn’t a good way to deal with contractors.
A good contractor has enough loyal customer that
they don’t have to deal with price shoppers.
Once you find a good contractor, you must be
loyal to them. If you flip-flop from contractor-to-contractor,
a good shop won’t be too motivated to keep
YOU as a customer.
Price is important. But price should not be more
important than good quality and good service.
This is what people like to do. They try to get
everyone fighting for the same piece of pie. This
might be a OK short term strategy because you
save a few buck. But, when you need a favor, or
super fast service – not one of these companies
will instantly bend over backwards to help you.
(And if you have been a price shopper in the past,
they will probably charge you more!)
Every contractor expects to bend over backward
for their loyal customers now and then. He or
she might have to work all night or a weekend,
to do a super rush job, or pull off a miracle.
Provided the customer is loyal, the contractor
will do all he can to help you meet your need.
All good contractors will be loyal to you if
YOU are loyal to them.
Keep loyalty in mind when you pick your contractor.
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Many contractor’s own great equipment, but
that doesn’t mean they know how to use it.
You can have the "latest, greatest technological
wonder gizmo", but if you don’t know
how to use it properly, you are better off not
even picking darn thing up.
Compare this to using all of the complicated
control on your VCR.
Studies show that half the people who own a VCR
don’t even know how to set the clock, let
alone use its advanced feature.
The same thing happens in the contracting industry.
Many contractors have tools that have a lot of
bells and whistles, but if he’s a technician
who doesn’t know how to use the new features,
you might as well go to a company that has old
equipment.
Make sure the technician is experience and trained.
This ensures your work will get done right the
first time. And on time!
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Mistake happen when you rush!
When you’re in a hurry, you may forget to
tell your contractor certain instructions. Or
you might make a mistake in judgment or purchase
decision because you were concentrating on getting
it done, instead of getting it done right.
Schedule. Schedule. Schedule.
Before you work on your contracting project,
talk with your contractor. Get your contractor
involved from the beginning because there might
be more efficient way to finish your project on
time that you don’t know about.
You can save time, money and headaches from the
very beginning by communicating with your contractor!
Why do most people do the opposite of this and
wait until the last minute to talk to the contractor?
Because everyone takes the contractor for granted.
Everyone thinks the contractor can easily take
care of his or her work. Most everyone thinks
the contractor is sitting around waiting for his
or her job to come through the door. This isn’t
the case.
You should think of your contractor as your "project
partner". Consult with your contractor. Let
them know in advance what you want installed,
or fixed. Ask them if there are any tips they
can give you to make your job go smoother.
You are not the only customer your contractor
has. When they walk in the door and you’re
saying you need it now, a contractor can’t
always help you. YOU need to work together.
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All reputable contractors guarantee their work
automatically. This mean if they make mistake
on your ob, they will re-do or fix your job at
no charge.
Unfortunately, There are unethical contractors
who won’t do this. Instead, they won’t
make good on your work and may not take any responsibility
for their mistakes.
An unethical contractor may hold your work hostage.
Or may say they will fix your job, but pin the
problem on you and tack on an extra charge. There
are about a hundred other things a not-so-good
contractor may do to you.
The best thing you can do is pick a contractor
who unconditionally guarantee their work. If it’s
not done right and it’s their mistake, they
will do it again or fix it.
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This is probably the easiest way you can avoid
any problems with a contractor. ALL good reputable
contractors will eagerly give you references.
Ask your contractor to give at least three names
of people who they have done business with. And
also ask them how long they have worked with this
customer.
Also ask them what type of job they did for those
references. Try and get the names of customers
who had similar things done that you need done.
This is the easiest way you can pick the right
contractor for YOU!
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Bonus! Bonus! Bonus!
Alright, this wasn’t one of the original
seven mistakes. But it IS important. It’s
so important, I decided to define eight of the
most common air condition terms so YOU understand
what contractors are saying!
BTU : (British Thermal Unit) – The amount
of energy that’s needed to change the temperature
of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.
This is what the heat removed from your home is
measured in.
Horsepower: One horsepower equal to 9,000 BTU/hr
(check with your contractors exactly how many
BTU/hr when they quote in horsepower)
Fan Coil: The air conditioner unit that is installed
inside the house. It takes the heat and moisture
out of the air as the refrigerant (what you might
know as gas) evaporate.
Refrigerant: This is the real name for what many
people call gas. It’s the fluid that evaporates
at low temperatures and pulls heat and humidity
out of the air.
Condenser: This is the unit outside the house
that’s usually making all the noise (at least
in the older models). This holds the compressor
that is called the heard of your system. In addition
it also transforms your refrigerant (gas) from
a gas to a liquid. Finally there’s a fan
discharging heat to the outdoors.
Compressor: The heard of your air conditioner.
It move the refrigerant from the condensing unit
to the fan coil unit and back to the condensing
to form a cycle.
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