One of the ways to keep your furnace in top working condition throughout the heating season is to have an HVAC contractor inspect and tune it up. Unfortunately, HVAC companies don’t come cheap. If you are operating on a budget, you must be wondering, can you negotiate HVAC prices?
The cool thing is you can do it. Most homeowners believe that negotiating the price will vex the contactor triggering him to deliver poor quality services, but this isn’t the case.
Remember, you can’t live beyond your means, so it’s healthy to negotiate about the price. \
While this is the case, avoid undercutting the contractor too much as this can create a bad relationship or even put them off that they don’t want to work with you.
Remember, the purpose of the negotiations isn’t to win, but rather reach an agreement favorable to both of you. To achieve this, you need to observe these negotiating tactics:
Be aware of the average local price.
If you thought all HVAC contractors charge the same price everywhere, you are wrong. Different companies have different prices depending on many factors, one of them being the area the company is serving.
How can you know the average contractor prices?
Easy:
Ask for quotes from different heating companies serving your area.
As you are giving the companies information about what you want to be done, be as thorough as possible. This not only makes the contractor’s work easy, but it also shows you have done your homework, and the contractor will be cautious about giving you an overly-priced estimate.
Give the different companies the same details of the services you are looking for, then sit back and wait for the quotations to roll in.
Normally, you will have companies with ultra-high prices and ultra-low prices, but most of the quotes will be in the median range, and these are the ones you need to keep an eye on.
It’s always wise to avoid extremely cheap companies as they often provide cheap, low-quality services. Most companies also tend to have underqualified technicians, so you can’t have a good night’s sleep or have confidence in your heating system as you aren’t sure about the quality of the services rendered.
At the same time, it’s wise to stay away from ultra-expensive companies. While the companies tend to provide top-notch services at most times, sometimes they are exploitive.
Armed with the average price charged by contractors in your area, you can now negotiate with the technician you are looking to work with. Whenever they seem to veer off to the high end, remind them of the average price in your area, and you will definitely get a great deal.
Take advantage of the off-season.
Every industry has an off season and heating companies are no exeption.
Heating companies are busy in winter as this is the time most heating systems stop working. Since the companies have plenty of options at this time, they are less likely to take your negotiated price.
To have an easy time negotiating, do your furnace tune-ups in the fall or spring when most contractors aren’t too busy. At this time, the contractors are likely to listen to you and offer you additional discounts that will see you save even more money.
Suggest a quick payment option
Like everyone else, contractors don’t like waiting to get their pay, and you can take advantage of this. As you are negotiating the price, tell the contractor you will pay in cash or credit card if they agree on your price.
Offer to send referrals.
Every HVAC technician knows they are better off with many clients paying an average price than a few clients paying a premium but working with them once or twice a year, so if you sense the contractor is uncomfortable with your suggested price, let them know you are willing to send them referrals.
Remember, don’t commit to sending them a given number of clients. Tell them you will talk them up to your friends, relatives, and workmates about their services.
You can also offer to leave a positive review on Yelp, Google, Facebook, or even their website.
Yes, you can negotiate, but don’t undercut the contractors too much.
You can get a great deal when you negotiate with your furnace repair service Long Island but don’t undercut them too much. As mentioned above, this can make them provide poor service that you aren’t looking for.