Quote:
Originally Posted by drstevens
I was recently charged $159.30 for a capacitor on a carrier air conditioning unit during an annual inspection. As a retired professor of electrical engineering who has taught motors and controls theory (including compressors and motors as large 2500HP and capacitors for circuit design and power factor correction) for 37 years and also owned an electrical contracting company, I was very familiar with the component, but not current prices. I thought the price was high when similar capacitors used to sell for $15-$20, but I paid it anyway. Afterwards, I found the identical capacitor selling for $17.10 on the internet. Realizing the price was exorbitant; I called a competitor, Munns HVAC, and was told their price was $65, which I thought was reasonable. This included installation, when performing an annual inspection. Believing I was overcharged, possibly by mistake, I called Sun Kool and was told this was their price and there would be no adjustment. Interestingly, the same technician serviced my neighbor's unit and he also told her the capacitor needed replaced. Coincidence, possibly; scam, maybe. Although not a lot of money, the implication of such an extreme mark-up on parts forces me to use other contractors.
I am posting this for informational purposes only, “Caveat Emptor”.
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A few years ago I had a similar problem with my AC unit. I called Sun cool and they came and I told the technician that I was pretty sure it was the capacitor that was bad. He checked it, and said it was. I asked him how much and he told me $150.00. I agreed, so he replaced it. He went back to his truck to write an invoice and brought it back to me. It was for $258. I asked him why so much and he told me there was $100 diagnostic fee. I will never use them again. Also, when I needed a new AC unit, they were $3000 higher than the company that I purchased it from.