When it comes to home repairs, it pays to get a second opinion. I don't think that all companies are shady or crooked but unfortunately, there are some dishonest companies out there.
I got a call from my tenant the other day because the air conditioning was not working properly. It's not too hot right now so and it generally wouldn't be an issue except my tenant has health problems and when she gets really hot, she gets sick. Needless to say, it was important to get the problem taken care of as soon as possible. I called a large local air conditioning repair company and scheduled them to go out the next day.
I had planned to meet them to go over the damages but I was too busy at work to get away. I called the company and advised them to call me once they found the problem and I would give a credit card over the phone. The tech called me within 30 minutes of being there and told me I would need gadget A, gadget B and gadget C (I forgot the names of the items) and the cost would be $1200.
Needless to say, I did not give him authorization to repair the items and told him I would need to call him back. About 5 minutes later, my tenant called me and asked what the technician said. She told me she did not have a good feeling about this guy and I should not let him do the work. I told her I would get someone else out as soon as I could. If the next company told me the same things were wrong, I would go ahead and authorize the repairs.
The next company came out and did a thorough inspection and advised me that it would cost $250 to get the air conditioning working. He sounded a lot more knowledgeable and explained exactly what was wrong. I gave him the okay and about an hour later, he called to tell me the repairs were completed. About 2 hours after that, my tenant called me to tell me it was nice and cool.
Don't be afraid to get a second, third or even fourth opinion when it comes to home repairs. Some companies will try to take advantage of an unaware buyer.
It is especially frustrating in the internet/phone industry. The sales people cannot talk straight. There is always some "other" item that has to be bought!
Thanks,
Nate
Nice!
Great job on saving money! It's usually a good idea to get another opinion on high-dollar spending like that. Good for you also that you have a good relationship with your tenant.
The 1st guy probably didn't know what was wrong so he was going to replace everything. LOL
Good thing you and your tenant communicate well. Congrats on the easy/cheap fix!
Nice - I like it when I can get someone who knows what they are doing to fix the problem and do it for less!
I have had a fair amount of trouble in the past with car repairs and try to get multiple opinions. Hopefully next time I can find someone who knows what they are up to!
Maybe that first technician was a laid-off Wall Street broker.