Sun Kool overcharging??
 

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”.

Thank you very much for the information.

Munn's clipped us for over $200 for part and installation. Won't make that mistake again!

If the HVAC unit had failed and they came out to repair it, I would not have a problem with the charge. But, if you had already paid them for an annual maintenence service, they should not have charged anything for it. If the unit was working, how did they even know that you needed a new capacitor? It could have been a routine upsell to increase their profit. Personally, I never pay an HVAC company for routine maintenance. And, if you only do it annually, that is not often enough to ensure that the condensate drain line will not clog. Capacitors and clogged condensate drains are two things that cause a lot of HVAC failures.

Same happened to me suggested replacement I said no 2 years ago still fine not replaced ordered spare just in case. Also had condensate overflow switch fail Munn’s wanted $150 to replace actual cost Amazon $12, 5 min replacement job. There has been a special interest story WESH couple of years ago advising of repairman scams.

So, apparently there was nothing wrong with the capacitor. You could have paid them for a new one, and it could have failed in a month. It happens with capacitors. If you are paying someone for routine maintenance, I would always request that they test the drain pan overflow switch and flush out the condensate drain.

So hard to trust people nowadays. Had a cashier at Winn Dixie try to keep $10 from my due cash back. When I went back to her after looking at the receipt she owned up to it right away. "It's so hectic around here" she says.

Sun Kool has been notorious for wanting to replace entire hvac systems when there is really nothing wrong with them. As far as Munn’s goes you may have been the victim of a subtle sales technique to get you to start spending your money with them. Call them back and ask the same question and I bet you get a different answer

sounds like a bbb letter should be in their future

If you believe you, and others are being scammed, or overcharged, you can always take your complaint to “Seniors vs Crime”. Advice the contractor of your intent. See what happens!

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.

The old business principle applies here. One satisfied customer will get you another. One unhappy or cheated customer will lose you 10.

Capacitors DO go bad, especially in hot climates where the AC is running on and off constantly. This is what I have been told by many technicians as well as a friend that used to own his own commercial AC business. When my capacitor went last year, I recognized the symptoms. I looked up the price of a new capacitor on the Internet and found that they vary in price, possibly by quality and origin. After I paid a technician to replace the my bad one and the AC worked again, I went on line and purchased one for the next time it went. I will replace it myself. YES, I did pay over a hundred bucks to have it replaced because I wanted it done immediately, not after I waited for a new capacitor to be delivered. We pay for expert service. How much will you pay for an auto mechanic to change your oil? How about change the spark plugs? How much will you pay to have someone fix your computer? Years ago, I charged $60 an hour during regular working hours and $120 an hour after regular hours. And that was over 20 years ago. If you pay a high price for professional service, that's on you. Some folks believe it's worth it. Personally, I think that paying $15 an hour, minimum wages(proposed) is too much to pay for someone to flip hamburgers. It's all about what someone is willing to pay for someone else to do the work. Personally, I would rather pay someone to replace a capacitor for a few bucks than to lie to me and tell me I needed a new compressor or a new condenser. A capacitor is about the cheapest you will get off on an AC repair.
It's not fraud if they charge you too much. It's called price gouging. Labor is getting expensive. Be happy that you found someone that could come out and fix your AC. Seems a lot of folks don't want to work and would rather stay home and get paid.
By the way, if anyone wishes to change out an AC capacitor themselves, BE VERY CAREFUL Capacitors can hold high voltage for an extended period of time and can give you a dangerous jolt if not handled properly.

With that background one wonders why you weren't troubleshooting and replacing the part yourself. I'm sure that's not the only time you'll be overcharged in the Villages.

The OP said that the capacitor was replaced during an annual inspection. So, it appears that he/she had already paid the contractor to come to the house and spend about an hour or so to inspect and do maintenance on a unit that apparently was already working. On their website, Sun Kool's HVAC maintenance list of things they do doesn't say anything about the capacitor, but it does include a long list of tasks, to even include washing and "waxing" the outside unit. We don't know if the contractor actually diagnosed a bad capacitor or was just replacing a properly functioning one. In either case, the part is less than $20, and it only takes about 5 minutes to install it. If the OP had scheduled the visit because the capacitor had failed, and the unit was not working, I think the $160 charge would have been appropriate. But, in my opinion, charging $160 to replace the capacitor during an extensive routine maintenance visit was excessive.