OP
ultrarunner
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2004
- Messages
- 24,207
- Tractor
- Cat D3, Deere 110 TLB, Kubota BX23 and L3800 and RTV900 with restored 1948 Deere M, 1949 Farmall Cub, 1953 Ford Jubliee and 1957 Ford 740 Row Crop, Craftsman Mower, Deere 350C Dozer 50 assorted vehicles from 1905 to 2006
Sorry… I left out it’s a gas pack and crane included in price…You can't buy a 7.5 ton package heat pump in pretty much ANY brand with an economizer for $9,500 let alone with a curb adaptor
What the trend now is large investment firms are buying 20 man plus operations paying the owner a good sum to either retire or generally to "stay on" for a couple of years. They then bring in bean counters who know nothing about the HVAC industry to run the company. A standard residential job that they sold for 10K is now going for 20K. This happened before just before I moved to NC in 2001. It was kind of funny, the companies that sold out in 1999, and 2-4 years later the original owners bought their companies back for pennies on the dollar. If this new surge of investment bought companies will last, time will tell.
One big player in the "buy out game" is Alpine investments, ironically located in San Francisco. Their subsidiary company who "specializes" in HVAC is Apex Partners. I can tell you this for a fact... last couple of years one of the largest HVAC companies in NC and AZ sold out to a investment company in NC which I NEVER thought possible (I knew the company in Arizona pretty well). I just happened to look at their website, and they talk about the original owner, and the two brothers who later bought the company to make it a success, but nothing about new ownership by a company in NC. What I can tell you is that given time, the original owner / owners of the company that sold really isn't happy with the direction his "new company" is going, but since he sold out, he generally doesn't have a say in running the show anymore.
The MO of most of these companies are to keep the same local company name, same phone, same website, and make it seem like you're still buying from your local HVAC company. It's sometimes kind of funny. Know a guy who lost out on a simple changeout. 1/2 days work, small residential tonnage heat pump, he came in at 8K for the job. Problem is, investment company "A" came in a 15K and investment company "B" came in at 12k. The end user thought the guy who came in at 8K was a hack because he was the cheapest price by far.
Thing about HVAC is there are so many moving parts as to exactly what work needs to be done to either replace an existing system or install a new system that you need to ensure you're comparing apples to apples on the quote. Then you also have service. Take a small one man show company who can have the best price, and then couple of years need service, see how long it takes to get that same guy to come out when it's 90 plus degrees and your system is down to get out to you...
Carpentry is not my skill set by far. I had to have a very large IMO 3 story deck replaced (I could probably of had a Geothermal HVAC installed for the same amount LOL). I'm too ashamed to say what I paid for that deck, but I can tell you this, the guy I chose was actually at the bottom tier pricing per quotes, he laid cement for the ground instead of replacing it with wood, and very happy with his work. Thing is, we knew we would have the replace the deck, and we had plenty of time to get 6 quotes for the deck and compare the pricing and what we were getting.
Thing is, when it's 100 degrees outside or below freezing and your HVAC goes down (be it residential or commercial) exactly how much time can you have like I had with getting my deck redone? Generally in the summer or winter, you don't have months to choose the right HVAC contractor, but days.
That said, HVAC is the wrong business to get into. People will ***** and complain about 10-15K to replace a entire HVAC system, but have no qualms spending 15-35K for a bathroom remodel. I know, as noted, wood working isn't my forte, and the last 3 years I had the master bath and guest bathroom remodeled from head to toe (really needed it since the house was built in the late 80's).
I’ve run into the buy out in Olympia WA… the family company that installed my heat pump was sold… nothing about the sale until I asked for the owners wife office manager and told retired then asked for her daughter… no longer works there???
The person said new owners but website still had the family story?
Anyway what I could do with a phone not possible now..
Service must be paid for at the time of service in person.
No over the phone and no invoice and they do not bill property management companies.
So someone with credit card has to be there and I’m 800 miles away.
Oh… every month they send me online specials and finance offers… why when I have to be there?
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