Reasons To Avoid Hiring A Cut-Rate HVAC Contractor

At Access Heating & Air Conditioning, we understand the concerns of Treasure Valley homeowners. That’s why we take the time to talk with our customers and answer any questions they may have. We also know that price is a major factor that people consider before they hire a Boise air conditioning company. Most of all, we know that plenty of companies out there offer the lowest prices possible. However, it’s essential to know that comparing quotes isn’t always apples to apples. That’s why we’d like to provide you with the following reasons to avoid hiring a cut-rate HVAC contractor.

Shoddy Workmanship

In the HVAC business, our Boise air conditioning technicians see shoddy workmanship all the time. Seriously. Nearly every day. Why? Well, when contractors compete on price, people are led to believe that AC installation, maintenance, and repair are commodity services with the same results. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

In reality, not all HVAC companies provide the same kind of services. Some are driven by cheapness and quote the lowest price possible to land a job. Others are driven by greed and will try to sell you everything under the sun, regardless of if you need it or not.

Instead, you should look for a company like Access Heating & Air Conditioning that takes the time to examine your home and HVAC equipment as a whole. Companies like these avoid using subcontractors and take strict quality control measures to ensure each job is done right.

Lowest Quote Consequences

Imagine hiring a home builder to build you a house. This is a house that you’re going to depend on and live in every day, so it needs to be perfect. What if the home builder only lays the foundation but hires subcontractors to get the rest of the job done? What’s wrong with this scenario is that the subcontractors weren’t there when you told the home builder your requirements or when he laid the foundation. While they may say this is okay, things are far from okay because they aren’t going to have any idea what you want or what the home builder did to finish the job correctly.

This happens all the time in the HVAC industry when homeowners price shop for installation and repair services. Some Boise air conditioning companies hire subcontractors because it’s cheaper than hiring skilled technicians. When this happens, people end up hiring an entirely different company to fix a problem if something else breaks once a job has been completed. Then they end up hiring another inexpensive provider after that, and the cycle repeats itself.

Common lowest quote consequences include:

• Improper HVAC equipment sizing or system components. If a system is too small, it won’t be enough to cool your home during the summer when temperatures reach double digits. If it’s too big, you’ll end up paying more for equipment that doesn’t work as it’s intended.
• Low-quality equipment that won’t last. Whether it’s cheap components or poor-quality installation, HVAC equipment won’t last as long as you need it to.
• Zero attention to your home environment. Many Boise air conditioning companies don’t view your home as a system. Instead, they just sell and repair equipment. This results in not achieving optimal comfort and efficiency.
• You end up paying more by hiring the cheapest contractor. When an inexpensive repair is done poorly, it can end up costing you hundreds or even thousands for real professionals to fix poor workmanship that causes additional problems.
• Dangerous conditions. Improper installation of HVAC equipment can release carbon monoxide into your home, start fires, etc.

While not every inexpensive Boise air conditioning company does poor-quality work and makes these mistakes, it’s important to know that price shopping puts you at a greater risk for these problems. The bottom line: When cut-rate contractors compete on price, you as the consumer often lose.

The Access Heating & Air Conditioning Difference

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Access Heating & Air Conditioning is only saying this because they want to set themselves apart from the competition.” That part’s true! We do want to set ourselves apart from the competition. But we do this by using building science and performing energy audits before making any hasty recommendations or trying to sell you different products. This sets us apart from cut-rate contractors because it results in the optimal comfort of our clients and maximum HVAC efficiency throughout your home. We’re not always the cheapest, and we don’t try to be. We pride ourselves on doing everything the right way, the first time. We simply don’t cut corners on the safety and longevity of our repairs or installations.

Check out the video below on additional ways to hire the right air conditioning contractor or give our Meridian office a call at 208-231-8456 to talk with our professionals and to get a free quote.