The Difference Between Selling and Serving
I know a lot about a few things and a few things about a lot of things. When I’m getting work done, the less I know, the more I wonder… Am I being “sold” or am I being “served”? When your AC Repair Tech tells you something, you shouldn’t have to wonder.
When I get my oil changed, and the mechanic tells me I also need to replace all the belts in my engine, how do I know that’s true? Most of the time, what your technician tells you is probably the honest truth, here are a few questions you can ask to make sure.
AC Repair Questions for your Assurance
1. A good “salesman” knows how to explain things in such a way that they seem better, when sometimes it isn’t. If you ask them, “Isn’t a bigger system going to do a better job?” A salesman will see this as an opportunity to up-sell. A servant will adamantly tell you the truthful answer. No! A bigger more powerful system can actually do worse than a smaller system.
An oversized system will cool the air too fast not allowing time for the air to dehumidify. Your air temperature will be cooler but feel warmer due to humidity and will promote mold growth in your system. An expert tech knows how to get you the perfect custom fit based on serving the needs for your space, not selling you a more expensive service to make more money.
2. If your technician tells you that you need a completely new system, he could be right. But that is a big expense to accept without at least an explanation and perhaps even a second opinion. Ask each technician to analyze their recommendation. “What are the pros and cons of repairing or improving my old unit vs. replacing with a new unit?”
Know The Difference
This is a true story that shows the difference between a salesman and servant. A young married couple’s AC unit stopped working. A tech came out and said his unit was so messed up, it would be cheaper to just replace it. He called another company for a second opinion, and the tech took one look at it, picked up a fuse that had wiggled loose and fallen out, pushed it back in, turned around and said, “Fixed.” with a smile. Then he popped in a few securing screws and adjusted the fan to decrease the vibrations. The unit ran quieter and more efficiently all in literally 10 minutes. To top it off, he said, “You have a top of the line AC.”
This tech served instead of sold and talked the couple through an analysis that laid out the pros and cons between replacing, repairing and improving the existing unit. A good AC repair tech and a good servant does that for every customer.
There are a lot of good techs out there, unfortunately it just takes one or two to sour the experience for the rest. I hope this helps you navigate through the facts and to make the best choice possible!
P.S. How do I know this story is true? It happened to the writer of this article!