Hello, all.

A few weeks ago the compressor fan motor on our 3 ton Trane heat pump apparently died. The unit was only 4 years old, so the part was covered by the Trane warranty. However, the labor to replace the part was not covered. (For what it's worth, the model # of the heat pump is 2TWB0036A100AA.)

I called the company that originally installed the unit to perform the repair. The initial technician diagnosed the problem, called his dispatcher, and then left. Another technician showed up a few hours later with a replacement fan motor. Thirty minutes after showing up, he declared the problem fixed. The bill for this repair was $485.

The company refuses to itemize the diagnostic charge, travel charges, or installation labor. They simply lump it into one fee of $485. When questioned further on the phone, the supervisor told me that his company does not penalize customers if the technician is slower than average. Instead, they charge a blanket fee for that type of repair based on the average time it has taken over the years to do such a repair. The whole thing sounded fishy to me.

When I asked Trane what the ballpark cost of such a repair should be, two weeks later I got back the following generic e-mail response: "Since our products are applied products and are sold to equipment owners by local independent Trane dealers, there are many variables as to the total investment an equipment owner will make in their central home comfort system due to the nature of the installation, etc. We, therefore, do not establish a manufacturer's suggested retail price. Your pricing will be established by your local independent Trane dealer. You can find him in your local Yellow Pages or by using our dealer locator on our web site. I appreciate your contact."

The bottom line: what should the labor for the replacement of a compressor fan motor cost in a relatively modern Trane heat pump?

esquire1

For a fan motor or compressor.That would be very high for labor to replace a fan motor in my area. If it's the compressor probably close, maybe a liitle high for my area but not off by much.Much more involved in changing compressor than fan motor.

Lowtax4eva

If they already did the work and you didnt ask for an estimate up front you simply have to pay whatever they billed you. It's possible they billed you the "list price" and if you had asked up front or negotiated they might have charged less.

It does seem a bit high, but it's your responsibility to question why the price is so high BEFORE the work is done.

ssavett

Thanks for such a quick response!

I wasn't home at the time, but the symptoms that prompted my wife to call the HVAC repair service were an intermittent loud buzzing noise coming from the outside unit and the lack of cold air coming from the registers. I don't have the invoice in front of me, but I'm pretty sure they replaced only the fan motor. The whole repair was 30 minutes once the guy showed up with the part. Is that too quick for a compressor replacement?

When I was questioning the labor charge with the manager at this HVAC company, he said that the technician was on the clock for the trip back to the parts warehouse, and then his 45-minute wait for the part at the warehouse, plus some paperwork at the warehouse, plus the trip back to our house to finish the repair. Is that typical in the industry? Thankfully, this is the first time I've had to call for an HVAC repair.

Thanks again! Your input is greatly appreciated.

esquire1

If that is for fan motor I would insist on seeing an itemized statement. That is way overcharge. Most techs would have a motor on there truck. It has been a long time since I've made a call and didn't have a motor on truck to replace bad one.

EdgarB

cost to replace Air Compressor Trane TTD742A100A0

Toyo

You got shafted if thats for the fan motor. Thats about a 30 minute job once the guy is there. In regards to you paying the 45 minute time at the counter is crazy. I think they need to reimburse you at least an hours worth of time.

DRAKE4ME

There Are Alot Of Flat Rate Company's Out There But B-4 Any Repair Should Have Been Done The Should Have Got Your Approval You Should Not Be Penalized For Them Not Having The Right Part On Their Truck We Are A Flat Rate Company With 33 Trucks On The Road And All Our Trucks Are Fully Stocked If We Don't Have The Part We Have A Min Wage Driver To Go To The Supply House Our Techs Are Not Allowed In A Supply House