And, I’m not going to just say call Homesense Heating | Cooling. (Though, that’s not a bad answer.)
As we’ve discussed before, Homesense is not big enough to service every customer in the Indianapolis area who needs their air conditioner looked at – but we can help every Indianapolis homeowner become a smarter consumer. So, below you’ll find our steps to being a smarter Indianapolis HVAC shopper.
1) When you search online for a term like “Indianapolis Air Conditioning” or “HVAC service in Carmel”, make sure to read the reviews carefully. First off, Google and other review sites do a good job ensuring those are legitimate reviews. Second, good or bad, it shows what sort of activity an HVAC company is doing.
2) Get out your notepad. Go to your furnace or air conditioner and attempt to find your Model and Serial #. I recommend calling your top 3-5 companies, giving them your system info and describing your heating or air conditioning problem. Ask them for their opinion of the issue, and if they have any idea what the solution might be.
3) Before having them come out to your home, get a clear idea of the company pricing structure. (Why? We just had one customer call us after having another company out. They had been charged $590 for a furnace blower & coil clean. We would have charged about $100.) Some companies have trip fees, then start charging as soon as they get there, then charge labor & part fees to attempt to fix the problem. Ask them about their policies up front.
4) So, at this point you should have a clear idea who you’re going to call. Even the best companies can drop the ball in communication. So, when the technician arrives, restate to him the numbers you were quoted over the phone. As well, be clear with him that you want him to perform only the diagnostic on your air conditioning, then report to you what he thinks the issue is. At that point, you should ask him, how much will it cost to perform that fix. Depending on what he says, and your ability to pay, you can either have him perform the fix, or ask him to leave and call out another company. (At Homesense, if we give a quote, that estimate is good regardless if we have to come back out. Most companies will charge another trip fee, trying to pressure you into buying on the spot.)
This process clearly has some work required. But, the last place you want to be is standing in front of a technician paying way more than you expected. If you get caught there and want a second opinion or any advice, feel free to give us a call.