[wira]

I posted about my thermostat two days ago. I finally gave up and called a HVAC technician in. He says the capacitor for compressor and transformer for air handler needed to be changed. He said these parts were very expensive. I let him fix the problem. He also wired the thermostat properly. Well I was charged $635.00 for part and labor of capacitor. $ 312.00 for part and labor of capacitor. Went online to check prices of parts. The transformer is about $100.00 and capacitor at most $50. The company is A-1 American. I am furious that the labor (he was here for one and a half hours) cost me almost more than $700. I called the office. Office manager is supposed to call me back to "explain it to me" is this the normal cost of labor if it is then I need to change professions.

[justcurious55]

Didn't they give you an estimate or anything first?

[wira]

No. I was given quotes as part + Labor

[justcurious55]

Now I'm even more confused. I re-read your first post and you gave two completely different prices for parts and labor of the capacitator. What were the quotes for the parts and the labor? Did they charge you more than they quoted you?

[wira]

Sorry, the $635 was for parts + labor of transformer and 312 Parts + labor of capacitor

[siberianair]

That seems real high for those parts and labor... I would have been about 1/3 of their price to do repairs.

[s_cianci]

$700 for 1 1/2 hours of labor does sound exorbitant, I must say. However, unfortunately, I don't think any crime's been committed here so if you're hoping for legal recourse I don't think you have any.

[wira]

Could I argue the information given to me was deceptive. When I asked how much the parts cost he said very expensive. He also did not itemize anything verbally or on the invoice. I believe that if he had I would have just paid the service fee and looked for another company. Are there no regulations in this profession about how much you can charge for labor per hour?

[s_cianci]

Without a written estimate you have nothing to fall back on. There are certainly standards regarding labor charges but not regulations per se. You were obviously way overcharged ; whether with malicious intent I really can't say. Chalk this one up to experience and vent on Craig's' list and any other similar forums you can find.

[T-Top]

Sounds high but we don't know what all was done. You already gave the name of the company and talked them down. Run a scan of the invoice and show us, so we can see what you was charged for.