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verbal
Cole
Joined: 24 Oct 2002
Posts: 2418
Location: C-Town
  
Votes: 9
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 Posted: 03 Mar 2008 08:42 PM Post subject: |
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| RandR wrote: | | verbal wrote: | | How can a consumer know or protect themselves from a company who cuts corners? |
Most times you won't realize that a company has cut corners until your AC starts having problems right away and the company claims those problems aren't covered by the warranty or refuse service all together. |
What is covered by most warranties? Which AC's offer the best warranty?
Are Valley AC companies defrauding consumers by not honoring warranties? |
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RandR
Boot Camp
Joined: 11 Oct 2007
Posts: 312
Location: CLX
Votes: 4
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| Posted: 04 Mar 2008 01:00 AM Post subject: |
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| verbal wrote: |
What is covered by most warranties? Which AC's offer the best warranty?
Are Valley AC companies defrauding consumers by not honoring warranties? |
A "10-5-1" warranty is pretty standard. 10 year warranty on the compressor (the heart of your AC and the most expensive part to replace), 5 year warranty on the parts (motors, capacitors, etc ... really everything that is inside the box that is your AC), and 1 year labor (the labor fees invlolved in any repairs your AC needs).
Some brands are terrible but popular, like York, which only offers a 30 day warranty on labor. The best warranty in the market is from Maytag, which has a warranty that covers everything -- all parts and all labor fees -- for 10 years. You buy one of those and literally don't need to worry about breakdowns for a decade. They are extremely expensive and unfortunately no longer being distributed in Southern California.
The best brand is Lennox. Very quiet and efficient machines, but very expensive as well. |
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elchrist
See-thru Afro
Joined: 09 Oct 2002
Posts: 7303
Location: Calecia.com
Votes: 14
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| Posted: 04 Mar 2008 02:59 PM Post subject: |
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| RandR wrote: | | The best warranty in the market is from Maytag, which has a warranty that covers everything -- all parts and all labor fees -- for 10 years. You buy one of those and literally don't need to worry about breakdowns for a decade. |
I wish the same could be said about their refrigerators. I've had the same 3-year-old break down on me twice in the past 6 or so months.
Currently waiting on the compressor which is covered by their 5-year warranty. Gotta pay for labor though, so that's like $200 bones.
Haven't had a working fridge for over a week now. Waiting on parts. |
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RandR
Boot Camp
Joined: 11 Oct 2007
Posts: 312
Location: CLX
Votes: 4
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| Posted: 04 Mar 2008 08:41 PM Post subject: |
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| elchrist wrote: | | RandR wrote: | | The best warranty in the market is from Maytag, which has a warranty that covers everything -- all parts and all labor fees -- for 10 years. You buy one of those and literally don't need to worry about breakdowns for a decade. |
I wish the same could be said about their refrigerators. I've had the same 3-year-old break down on me twice in the past 6 or so months.
Currently waiting on the compressor which is covered by their 5-year warranty. Gotta pay for labor though, so that's like $200 bones.
Haven't had a working fridge for over a week now. Waiting on parts. |
That sucks. I should have written that you don't need to worry about PAYING for breakdowns for a decade with a Maytag AC. They've got the best warranties, but that doesn't mean they don't break down. The mfg rep told me the company that manufactures AC's using the Maytag brand (Nordyne) would no longer be selling in Southern California because of excessive warranty claims. |
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verbal
Cole
Joined: 24 Oct 2002
Posts: 2418
Location: C-Town
Votes: 9
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| Posted: 06 Mar 2008 05:01 PM Post subject: |
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I grew up hearing people say that Maytag was the best (in most appliances), but lately all I hear is Maytag is an overpriced company that makes inferior products.
Appliances technicians like to say that one paid for the name and recommend a less expensive model or company that is a better buy.
So what is that company or model number that Calecianos need to know about? In a sense, what is the best buy? |
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RandR
Boot Camp
Joined: 11 Oct 2007
Posts: 312
Location: CLX
Votes: 4
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| Posted: 06 Mar 2008 06:16 PM Post subject: |
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| verbal wrote: | I grew up hearing people say that Maytag was the best (in most appliances), but lately all I hear is Maytag is an overpriced company that makes inferior products.
Appliances technicians like to say that one paid for the name and recommend a less expensive model or company that is a better buy.
So what is that company or model number that Calecianos need to know about? In a sense, what is the best buy? |
I honestly think it is Westinghouse, which is the brand my company carried for the past three years. When registered, the warranty was eight years for parts, labor, and compressor. Plus it was roughly forty percent cheaper than a Maytag and in three years we had only four minor warranty claims. Unfortunately this brand is made by Nordyne, which is no longer distributing its products in So Cal.
Now, it's hard to say. The brands sold in the Valley are Heil, York, Rheem, Coleman, American Standard, and Trane. Of those, Trane is the best quality, but it's expensive. The rest are all pretty cheap and are so so when it comes to quality. That's why you have to feel good about the company replacing your AC. A bad installation job will destroy even the best quality AC's. |
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verbal
Cole
Joined: 24 Oct 2002
Posts: 2418
Location: C-Town
Votes: 9
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RandR
Boot Camp
Joined: 11 Oct 2007
Posts: 312
Location: CLX
Votes: 4
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| Posted: 07 Mar 2008 06:34 PM Post subject: |
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Good stuff. I see a lot of industry ratings, they change from year to year, but Lennox, Trane, and Carrier are gernerally the top brands. The top brands from that link were Carrier and Bryant, which are made by the same company -- think Ford and Mercury. Those brands are very nice, but those prices were way off. A contractor might pay those prices. They also don't currently have a distributor in the Valley. The company that was distributing Carrier and Bryant (US Air in El Centro) switched to York. |
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verbal
Cole
Joined: 24 Oct 2002
Posts: 2418
Location: C-Town
Votes: 9
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| Posted: 10 Mar 2008 11:03 AM Post subject: |
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Distribution?
Can a consumer order the AC unit and have it shipped to their residence? Then have the local company install it? Or would that cut your profits? Would that void the warranty?
Any state laws that we should know, especially since CA is a trying to be a green state? |
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RandR
Boot Camp
Joined: 11 Oct 2007
Posts: 312
Location: CLX
Votes: 4
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| Posted: 10 Mar 2008 12:28 PM Post subject: |
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| verbal wrote: | Distribution?
Can a consumer order the AC unit and have it shipped to their residence? Then have the local company install it? Or would that cut your profits? Would that void the warranty?
Any state laws that we should know, especially since CA is a trying to be a green state? |
Damn, verbal, you keep asking good questions! Yeah, the way brands sell their AC's is through distributors who sell only that brand's family of products to contractors (example: the distributor that sells Carrier would sell every sub-brand carrier makes like Bryant and Heil).
But the industry is changing. There are some websites I've heard about that sell central AC's direct to consumers. You could buy your own unit and then get a contractor to install it. You would have trouble getting a company willing to do that installation, I'm sure.
Another big change is that some brands are selling direct to consumers as well. Trane is a major brand that no longer uses distributors.
The future of this industry is supposed to be in big box stores. Home Depot sells Trane. The el Centro store has had trouble getting a contractor willing to perform the installs, I heard. But with a lot of local AC companies struggling through over a year of sluggish sales, that might start changing.
Finally, the EPA requirement for AC's is that it be rated at least 13 SEER. You should also be wary of buying an AC that uses R-22 refrigerant since it is being phased out of the market and will no longer be produced after 2010, meaning you better pray you don't have a refrigerant leak after 01/01/10. |
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