Beware of the high cost of the low priced handyman
There’s an old saying that maintains “the bitter taste of poor quality lingers far longer than the initial sweetness of a cheap price.”
In the air conditioning business, it might be more accurate to pronounce “the bitter taste of poor quality, damaged property, stolen money, immense medical liability and ponderous inconvenience lingers far longer than the low cost of an unlicensed contractor.”
Everybody wants a “good deal”. That’s why homeowners looking for a “good deal” on air conditioning repairs or replacement often turn to a local handyman or “moonlighting” service technician. They assume the handyman can do the same work that an established company does, and he won’t charge nearly as much.
While that’s sometimes true, it can often be risky.
There are reasons a handyman can appear to offer his services for less. He’s probably cutting important corners and he’s likely to be unlicensed, untrained, uninsured, incompetent or even a criminal. Let the buyer beware!
Stories abound concerning unscrupulous of unqualified repair people. Search the internet for “contractor sting” and you’ll find dozens of stories about local government efforts to weed out unlicensed contractors. They’re not conducting these stings just to collect fines; they’re doing it to protect the community.
Because these pseudo-contractors often have no training, no insurance, no license and no “real” company, It’s the homeowner who takes all the risk.
Even if everything goes well with the initial job, when a faux-contractor does the work it’s not unusual to experience problems soon after. When that happens, the culprit is not very likely to come back and take care of the problem. Heck, he’s not even likely to answer his phone.
While homeowners may not care what it costs to run a legitimate business (it’s expensive), They do care about what they pay. Since it’s virtually impossible for a licensed, insured contractor to compete with a fly-by-night might appear to be the better choice. Saving a little upfront can become very expensive down the road.
When consumers use a legitimate company, they are protected by the company’s licensing, insurance, permits, training, uniforms, office staff, phones, vechiles, etc. Of course, these costs have to be passed along to the customer.
The good news is, when doing business with a company like this, customers receive something else of tremendous value in return; they receive quality assurance and peace of mind.
If your budget is strained, like so many are these days, you still have options. Any honest company can usually provide you with several cost-effective repair solutions. There are legitimate ways to lower your price, without reverting to shortcuts that are in-effective, unreliable, or just plain dangerous.
The next time you need a home repair, whether it’s on your air conditioning, plumbing, electrical system or anything else, don’t be enticed by the low price of the local “jack of all trades.” You could end up paying a whole lot more than expected, and risk your home, health, and safety at the same time.
