Response from Magic Touch Mechanical
BEING YOU TOLD US ON THE PHONE YOU WERE GOING TO "BE SURE TO LET THE PEOPLE OF ANGIE'S LIST KNOW OF OUR OUTRAGEOUSLY HIGH PRICES"; I KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE. YOU CALLED US TO GET A PRICE TO INSTALL A MINI SPLIT AIR CONDITIONER YOU PURCHASED ELSEWHERE (ON LINE I ASSUME). WE PROVIDE FREE IN HOME ESTIMATES FOR A REASON BUT YOU WANTED A "PRICE OVER THE PHONE". WE CAN'T DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF LABOR, MATERIALS, ACCESS ISSUES, ELECTRICAL NEEDED, REFRIGERANT PLUMBING NEEDED, SO-ON, SO-ON...WITHOUT SEEING THE JOB. ALSO THE LADIES WHO ANSWER THE PHONES ARE "CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS" THEY SET UP FREE IN HOME ESTIMATES, REPAIRS, EQUIPMENT INSTALLATIONS, WARRANTY SERVICE, MAINTENANCE SERVICE, ETC. AND DISPATCH THE PROPER TECHNICIAN OR INSTALLATION CONSULTANT ACCORDINGLY. THEY ARE NOT INSTALLATION CONSULTANTS. THIS IS THE EQUIVALENT OF CALLING A LOCAL CAR DEALERSHIP AND TELLING THEM YOU HAVE A NEW TRANSMISSION YOU BOUGHT ON LINE, NOT TELLING THEM WHAT KIND OF CAR YOU HAVE AND DEMANDING A PRICE FROM THE PERSON WHO ANSWERED THE PHONE. NOT TO MENTION DID YOU EVEN BUY THE RIGHT TRANSMISSION FOR YOUR CAR IN THE FIRST PLACE? LET'S DISCUSS THAT TOPIC NEXT; ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WE SCHEDULE A FREE IN-HOME ESTIMATE IS TO PERFORM A LOAD CALCULATION TO DETERMINE WHAT SIZE EQUIPMENT IS NEEDED TO SATISFY THE "LOAD". WHAT THESE ON-LINE SELLERS DON'T TELL YOU IS YOU CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROPER SIZE OF A NEW SYSTEM MERELY BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE SPACE. WE SHOW UP WITH A LAPTOP LOADED WITH THE BEST SOFTWARE MONEY CAN BUY (YES IT WAS EXPENSIVE BUT I WON’T CALL IT "OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE" BECAUSE YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR) NEXT WE MEASURE THE SPACE, THE WINDOWS, THE INSULATION FACTOR, RADIANT HEAT GAIN, OCCUPANTS, EXPOSURE, ETC. AND THEN...PER EVERY MANUFACTURER, UTILITY COMPANY, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, ACCA, ETC...ENTER THAT INFORMATION INTO THE SOFTWARE TO DETERMINE WHAT SIZE YOU NEED. THEN WE DETERMINE HOW MUCH ELECTRICAL IS NEEDED? CAN THE ELECTRICAL PANEL SUPPORT THE ADDITIONAL ELECTRICAL LOAD? IS THERE AN ATTIC OR DO THE REFRIGERANT LINES NEED TO BE RUN UP EXTERIOR WALLS? DOES DRYWALL NEED TO BE REMOVED? IS THERE AN HOA WHICH WILL NOT ALLOW FOR CERTAIN APPLICATIONS IN THAT COMMUNITY? IS A PERMIT FROM THE CITY REQUIRED? IS THERE ANYWHERE OUTSIDE TO FIT A NEW CONDENSER PAD? UNFORTUNATELY I'M NOT ALLOWED ENOUGH WORDS IN MY RESPONSE TO CONTINUE. NEXT, ALL YOU HAVE IS THE UNIT. LET'S DISCUSS MATERIALS NEEDED. A COPPER REFRIGERANT LINE SET (10 FEET OR 200 FEET, YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS OURS), REFRIGERANT (WHAT TYPE, HOW MUCH), A CONDENSER PAD (WHAT SIZE), CIRCUIT BREAKER, WIRE, CONDUIT, FITTINGS, ELECTRICAL DISCONNECT, FUSES, WELDING MATERIALS, COMPRESSION FITTINGS, ETC. THEN WE HAVE TO DETERMINE AFTER SEEING ALL THESE THINGS WILL IT TAKE TWO INSTALL TECHS 4 HOURS OR 4 INSTALL TECHS NINE HOURS. AGAIN I AM NOT ALLOWED ENOUGH SPACE TO LIST ALL THE FACTORS THAT GO INTO THE PROPER INSTALLATION OF AN HVAC SYSTEM. OF COURSE WE ARE NOW FACED WITH THE WARRANTY ISSUES OF YOUR NEW SYSTEM, WHAT IF IT IS DOA, WHAT IF IT HAS A REFRIGERANT LEAK, BAD CAPACITOR, CRACKED FAN BLADE, ETC. DESPITE WHAT THE ONLINE SELLERS CLAIM YOU HAVE NO WARRANTY! READ ANY MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY, MOST SAY SPECIFICALLY "(FILL IN COMPANY NAME)...WARRANTY IS VOID AND NO WARRANTY GIVEN TO PRODUCTS PURCHASED ON THE INTERNET". I HAVE A COPY OF GOODMAN’S MINI SPLIT WARRANTY SITTING NEXT TO ME RIGHT NOW...FOURTH PARAGRAPH, FIRST LINE! IN FACT A FACTORY REP JUST TOLD ME THE OTHER DAY ON THIS SAME SUBJECT "WE CAN TRACK EVERY SERIAL NUMBER EVER ISSUED, IF THE EQUIPMENT WAS NOT PURCHASED BY A CONTRACTOR, ALL WARRANTIES ARE CONSIDERED VOID". HE ADDED "I'D BE HAPPY TO REITERATE THAT PERSONALLY, FEEL FREE TO GIVE THEM MY NUMBER". THIS DISCUSSION TOOK PLACE AFTER DISCUSSING AN INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS STUCK WITH AN INOPERABLE SYSTEM PURCHASED ONLINE THAT THE SELLER IS REFUSING TO TAKE BACK, REPAIR, OR EVEN SUPPLY REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR. THE COMPANY WHO INSTALLED IT "OUTRAGEOUSLY CHEAP" DID A MICKEY MOUSE HACK JOB INSTALLING IT AND ARE CLAIMING THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE BECAUSE THE EQUIPMENT WAS FAULTY. SO TO SAVE SOME MONEY (EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE HAS HAPPENED) THIS INDIVIDUAL HAS NOW SPENT THOUSANDS ON INOPERABLE EQUIPMENT THEY CANNOT RETURN, FRANKLY HAVE NO RECOURSE AND NOBODY TO BLAME EXCEPT FOR THEMSELVES. WE HAVE TWENTY SEVEN A+ REPORTS ON THE LIST FROM PEOPLE THAT HAVE USED OUR SERVICES. WE EARNED ALL OF THOSE A'S BY PROVIDING EXCELLENT SERVICE AT A FAIR PRICE AND BACKING IT UP. RICH MORGAN / PRESIDENT