May sound dumb, but here goes.

L

Lee308

New Member
I'm retiring in the next several months, hate my job.
i want to start a small company LLC, that is all most non profit fixing seniors only A/C And heat.
im licensed, bonded etc. will have other income.
$30 dollar trip/diaognostis cost. Quote to fix or options.
does that sound high?
Don't forget I have $1000's costs to maintain license , bonds, insurance, gas, vehicle, etc. tools cost hundreds of dollars.
i really like this work.
Ps, will not sell new systems.
pss, 30 years in the biz... and have to take CE's to maintain license.
 

I think its a great idea. There are a lot of us that would welcome this. Good luck. You might consider doing what a friend of my does. He has been an a.c/heating contractor all his life. I have always done his accounting and wondered how he decided on his prices as they were different for different people. For low income folks especially seniors he charged very little but his wealthy clients he charged the going rates. He did not overcharge them and for working folks he would charge a little below the going rates. He did this and still works everyday at age 70. He has cut back some as far as working as he ages. I always admired him for the way he does business. He also raises cows, remodels houses and finances them. He keeps me busy for sure.
 
Great idea... and not high at all.. We use a major Heat and AC company and they charge $89 just to come out and do a check and cleaning.. Other repairs and parts are extra. Just shelled out hundreds to replace parts in our AC in preparing for the Summer cooling season
 

Lolly said:
Great idea... and not high at all.. We use a major Heat and AC company and they charge $89 just to come out and do a check and cleaning.. Other repairs and parts are extra. Just shelled out hundreds to replace parts in our AC in preparing for the Summer cooling season
Click to expand...
There in lies the problem
i don't want to make you feel bad, but there are no parts that need to be changed to prepare for summer.
Clean the outdoor coil with water, check line temperatures, tighten electrical connections, put some bleach in the condensate line, that's about it. (Unless it won't run)
Seniors like us get taken advantage of, because most a/c companies pay a commission on parts sold, to "techs" and grandma just does not know any difference.
Im going to make a small difference.
 
Sounds like a good idea Lee. Based upon what Lolly said, maybe you should check what the going prices are in your area. If they are also $89 and up, perhaps you should up your price a bit. $40 - $45 in that case would still be saving the seniors money, which I'm sure they'd appreciate. Once the word spreads about you in the senior community, it would be a lot easier to lower your price than to raise it if you find the initial fee doesn't cover your costs.
 
Lee308 said:
There in lies the problem
i don't want to make you feel bad, but there are no parts that need to be changed to prepare for summer.
Clean the outdoor coil with water, check line temperatures, tighten electrical connections, put some bleach in the condensate line, that's about it. (Unless it won't run)
Seniors like us get taken advantage of, because most a/c companies pay a commission on parts sold, to "techs" and grandma just does not know any difference.
Im going to make a small difference.
Click to expand...

A reliable and affordable HVAC company should be a boon to Seniors. Prices can get quite high for these kinds of appliances/repair...especially for major servicers who advertise their services on TV, etc., and add those costs to their prices. Last year, over Memorial Day weekend, our AC unit died...the compressor froze up and was making awful noises. Luckily, we live in an area where there are several Mennonite businesses, and I called them, and they sent their tech out on Memorial Day. There was little he could do on a holiday, but he was out the next morning, Tuesday, with a new York AC unit, and evaporator coil to mount on the furnace, and by early afternoon, we had an entirely new AC installation...and the price was quite reasonable....he installed a new 4 ton unit, for less than places like Lowe's want for just the unit...with delivery and installation adding hundreds more. Now, a year later, everything is still working great...and we saved at least 25% over what a Big Box dealer would have charged us.
 
I would go with a fully loaded price and then offer a discount that brings the price into range for your target audience, like OED says you can always lower the price but it can be difficult to raise it.

You could also consider waiving the initial diagnostic fee if the trip results in a lucrative servicing or repair job.

Invest in some sturdy self stick labels with your company name, phone, etc... so you can strategically place them on the AC/furnace unit, they will help get calls for emergency repairs and repeat business.

Good luck!!!
 
Lee308 said:
There in lies the problem
i don't want to make you feel bad, but there are no parts that need to be changed to prepare for summer.
Clean the outdoor coil with water, check line temperatures, tighten electrical connections, put some bleach in the condensate line, that's about it. (Unless it won't run)
Seniors like us get taken advantage of, because most a/c companies pay a commission on parts sold, to "techs" and grandma just does not know any difference.
Im going to make a small difference.
Click to expand...

Our AC is over 20 years old.. the compressor wouldn't kick in. He added some sort of booster to give the compressor a jump start. Said we may get a few more years out of the unit.
 
First, let me say I do believe assisting senior citizens with unexpected costs such as heat & air repairs is commendable. Let me toss out some things to consider...

1.) If you charge half... or less... than the going rate for your area, can you stay in business? You mentioned license, insurance, etc. Will you have employees? If so, can you hire quality people when you are paying less than your competitors? Will your customers be disappointed with the "cheap service" and you end up losing those you are targeting?
2.) Where will you draw the line for "senior citizen", age wise? Let's say you make it 65 years old. Okay, a person retires due to health issues at 58. He/she needs assistance but your cutoff is a few years older. If you give the 58 year old the benefit of the senior citizen classification, why should not the 58 year old practicing attorney living high on the hog get the same discounted service? Who will be the judge as to who you serve and who you do not. If you tell an attorney he won't get the low price due to age... but give it to one of his clients that happens to be the same age or younger... that attorney will close your doors with a civil suit.
3.) If you make the cutoff age too high, you will starve. Why? More and more seniors are moving into maintenance free facilities. Condos, assisted living, rentals, etc. IMHO, you would be better marketing your services to every one and give a certain percent discount to those having attained a certain age. You will assist many with the discount and you will give hand-outs to some who could afford the higher cost. But, you would make up some of the difference with "regular" customers who employ your services.

Whatever you do decide, best of luck with the next chapter of your life!!!!!
 
I lived in my last house for 14 years. For 9 of those 14 years, the HVAC technician would say "you need to replace this; it's probably not going to make it through another summer/fall" whenever he would come out for the twice-a-year service call. When I sold the house, the system was still going strong.

When I get one of those technicians, be it HVAC, automotive, plumbing, whatever, who is younger than my favorite pair of lacy undies, I feel like they have a different outlook on life than I do. You know....."ugh, it's old, let's replace it with something new and shiny" rather than "well, it's got its bumps and warts, but there's some good years in the old thing yet!" I would welcome technicians who have been around the block a few times and will appreciate the beauty of something well made and capable of a few more years of use. (I like that in a man, too....lol)
 
No, it doesn't sound high. I wish you were in my area. I paid $69.50 last year for maintenance. I hate to see what it will be this year.
 
Lolly said:
Our AC is over 20 years old.. the compressor wouldn't kick in. He added some sort of booster to give the compressor a jump start. Said we may get a few more years out of the unit.
Click to expand...
In that case, he was right. (It would not run) called a hard start kit, or soft start.(start thermistor) It will get you more years of service. Thanks for the update.
 
Grumpy Ol' Man said:
First, let me say I do believe assisting senior citizens with unexpected costs such as heat & air repairs is commendable. Let me toss out some things to consider...

1.) If you charge half... or less... than the going rate for your area, can you stay in business? You mentioned license, insurance, etc. Will you have employees? If so, can you hire quality people when you are paying less than your competitors? Will your customers be disappointed with the "cheap service" and you end up losing those you are targeting?
2.) Where will you draw the line for "senior citizen", age wise? Let's say you make it 65 years old. Okay, a person retires due to health issues at 58. He/she needs assistance but your cutoff is a few years older. If you give the 58 year old the benefit of the senior citizen classification, why should not the 58 year old practicing attorney living high on the hog get the same discounted service? Who will be the judge as to who you serve and who you do not. If you tell an attorney he won't get the low price due to age... but give it to one of his clients that happens to be the same age or younger... that attorney will close your doors with a civil suit.
3.) If you make the cutoff age too high, you will starve. Why? More and more seniors are moving into maintenance free facilities. Condos, assisted living, rentals, etc. IMHO, you would be better marketing your services to every one and give a certain percent discount to those having attained a certain age. You will assist many with the discount and you will give hand-outs to some who could afford the higher cost. But, you would make up some of the difference with "regular" customers who employ your services.

Whatever you do decide, best of luck with the next chapter of your life!!!!!
Click to expand...
my business, my rules.
Nothing will be written down, as far as age discrimination, I'll just charge different prices by what I observe in the home.
Lawyers get an automatic x10 increase in prices. Hate them.
 

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