I have had just an awful summer. I was informed that my mother has cancer and her boyfriend might have cancer as well. So there were three surgeries in one month and then we found out that my mother might have to go through chemotherapy as well. I was staying out in the suburbs for two weeks to be with them.
Heat is my kryptonite. I'm thermostatically challenged: I need it to be cold. The heat makes me so sick and I get migraines, too. And I've entered the glorious stage of my life where I'm having hot flashes on top of already just running hot. I have gone to doctors so many times about it and they always just say, "That's just you."
So after a really stressful two weeks, I came home and I was like, "Wow, I thought I left my thermostat on at 64; I guess I'm just having a hot flash." And then I put my glasses on and realized that it was actually 86 and my a/c had broken. I was kind of working with borrowed time. The unit was 17 years old and I just kept on putting FreeOn in it because I didn't want to replace the unit.
So I called my normal provider and they arranged for someone to come out. The technician from there was lovely. He did some numbers, but told me that the sales person would have to come give me a final quote. There was cancer all around me in the middle of heat wave and it's in the high eighties in my apartment. This salesman comes and I just asked him some questions because I think it's a large investment since I'm looking to replace the heater and air conditioner, and he stormed out.
It was a "gimme": I was just going to give him my business. This was not competitive. I was hot and I just wanted the job done. He stormed out because I was asking questions and told me I should find somebody else. He did not even leave me a quote. So I called that company. It's a small company, so I was going to talk to the owner. I called the scheduling person to find out when owner would be back and she told me I need to find somebody else. I was like, "What the heck is going on?" I said, "This is not your business to turn away. You don't own this company."
I remembered a couple years ago I had people out to look at cracks in my furnace. I had ended up just installing a carbon monoxide thing since half the time I don't even turn my furnace on in winter. But I remembered this lovely woman named Kathy from Besco Air Inc., who I was really impressed with. That was two years ago, but I still had her folder. So I called the number.
They had Joe at my house within thirty minutes. And it was in the middle of a heat wave! It was so hot here that I was dripping sweat. And it's dangerous for the dog to be in such heat. I have a small dog, a Shih Tzu, with a pushed in face that makes it harder to deal with the heat. Joe came over and was so knowledgeable and made me feel so comfortable. He was so informative and gracious. Nothing was too much of a problem for him--nothing. He gave me a quote, and I will admit his quote was higher than what I had received from the first company. But I just really liked Joe, so I scheduled an installation date.
Then the owner of that first company called me very perplexed by what had happened. He couldn't understand it, nor could he explain it. I do believe when you buy something you have right to ask questions. I'm paying in cash and I negotiate for a living, so I try to get whatever I can. I told him what had happened and he was very apologetic and asked if he could get me a quote, would I look at it.
I need an ambient kit because I need to run my a/c in the winter and need to put something on there so doesn't break. My current furnace was 110 BPUs. Besco was giving me 100 and saying it was more efficient. I basically read everything to the owner of that first company so he knew. I was really clear with Joe when he came. I told this owner exactly what I needed as well. He said he would have a quote to me by end of day. He didn't, but the next day I had it.
He gave me numbers I told him I need to see a written quote. So imagine my surprise when I get a quote and the ambient kit is left off. It's sloppy work. Plus, the BPUs for the furnace were 70 not 100. It was supposed to be apples to apples. That's when I went, "Forget it." Then somebody said to me, "I have somebody who can do it for cheap." This third company wanted to put in a three ton Trane condenser.
And then, of course, my boyfriend has to prove that he's the smartest one on the block and can get the best quote. The company he found did come in with the lowest quote. Besco was $5,500 and they were $4,500. But I did not feel a connection there. I felt like one of a gazillion people. When I asked if they outsource their repair work, they told me if they couldn't get out there, they would send someone from Trane. Hello, that is outsourcing! I had had some previous issues with their service as well.
So I was really overwhelmed. On one hand, the price was a lot less, and the difference between $5,500 and $4,500 is a big one, but on other hand, I really liked Joe. I had sold real estate a few years back, so I had my inspector come out and take a look. He told me I did not need the three ton compressor. He said that was for a much bigger house and that it would be constantly damp in there. I did not know bigger was not better. The fact that they were recommending a three ton compressor, which wasn't the right thing, made me uneasy. He told me to go with who I felt most comfortable with, so that's what I did.
My feeling is, if you're not on the ball when you're trying to sell something to somebody, once you close the deal why would you be any better? I don't trust somebody who is sloppy closing a deal to follow up on the promises made. Happily, I had never cancelled my appointment with Besco. Joe talked to me on Sunday on the weekend during his spare time.
To make matters worse, I had to be out there at 7:30 in the morning and was staying out in the suburbs and am also currently in physical therapy as well because I fell on my boyfriend's un-carpeted wooden stairs. Joe told me not to worry and that everything would be okay, and I believed him. I cannot believe he kept picking up the phone and responding to me. I had so many questions because I don't know anything about heaters or a/c units. He had patience for everything. Nothing was a bother.
Sure enough, he put the a/c unit in. I'm at 58 right now; I'm cold and happy. I have a follow up interview with Joe soon. I love him. I have recommended him already. I like him so much that even if people don't ask me I'm like, "By the way, I know someone." When a/c is your top priority, and I cannot be hot because I really do get physically ill, something like this really makes a difference. And he showed me also how to keep the fan going so air will circulate. I think my bills are going to be lower, too, because a lot of times I would just keep the a/c going, but this is so much better.
I love that they were rated so high. Truth be told, though, Joe was enough. I didn't like that the cost was higher, but he did throw in a year warranty and gave me the service call from the other company back.
He had a good product, he believed in his product, and he made me believe in him and his company. I like that he was an installer too and knows what he's talking about.
I had a very positive experience and I'm happy. Now I feel really confident in my unit. Having the peace of mind that I don't have to worry about this matters; it's important. It's so stressful when my mom's not feeling well. I can't worry about this; I need to be there for her. And I don't anymore. I would have if I had bought it from anybody else.
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