Chronicles of a Grown-up

On becoming a tiger negotiator, part 2

When I last left off, I had successfully negotiated a very expensive car repair down to the cost of parts only. In the same time frame I was faced with a second expensive repair: replacing the condenser coils of an air conditioning unit for my house. The unit is not even five years old and still, partially, under warranty. It suddenly developed a catastrophic coolant leak in the condenser coils. Once the full extent of the situation was apparent, I took action to minimize my out-of-pocket costs.

The diagnosis was accompanied by good news and bad news. The good news was the $3000+ part was covered by a five-year warranty on its last legs. The bad news was that the labor charge was going to top $1000! You have to understand the part equals about half the cost of the unit itself. An AC unit comprises the compressor and the condenser. The rest are on/off switches and other relatively minor items. After I recovered from sticker shock, I was infuriated. Why was I facing the cost to replace a clearly defective item? I had already paid for installing all of this once. Why would I have to pay again when the lifespan of an air conditioner is a lot longer than 4.5 years? The technician confirmed that this was “a very rare event” and that there were no obvious signs of trauma to the unit, which was leaking from the interior. Either it had been damaged during the original installation or during the manufacturing process. Either way I was being victimized.

A $1000 repair bill motivated me to make noise. It was one of these no-lose situations. I could suffer in silence or I could seek restitution. I started with a business database to which I have access and looked up the C-level personnel of Lennox Industries. In short order I had the name and contact information of the vice president over residential equipment. I wrote a firm, but polite, email to him explaining the premature failure of the product and my dismay in facing a large repair bill, and asking for attention to the matter. Not long after I received a phone call from one of his staff who heard me out and promised he would investigate the situation. I learned from him that labor costs vary quite a bit and the labor portion of my job might range from $500 to $2500 depending on the service company and where I live. I took that information to heart as I made a call to a second service company and was quoted a rate several hundred dollars less.

Now I was negotiating on two fronts: First, with Lennox Industries (who also happened to own the subsidiary who had installed the unit and was about to repair it), and secondly, with the local service company. I used the lower quote to negotiate a better rate with the initial service company. At the very least, I succeeded in lowering the out-of-pocket expense of the repair. In the meantime, I kept after my contacts at Lennox Industries. While initially responsive, I realized weeks were starting to pass and I was still hanging. The repair had been made and I had paid my bill, but phone messages were not being returned.

Honestly, one part of me was ready to let the matter go because now it was history and I had other things to attend to. Plus, no one really enjoys seeking out repeated confrontation. However, I was still irked by the whole affair and no one likes to feel the fool. There was no doubt I was getting the short end of the stick. I made the analogy to a car warranty. Image if your four-year or 50,000-mile warranty only covered the parts and a significant failure left you paying inflated labor costs.

In a final burst of frustration last Friday I sent a follow-up email to the vice president with whom I had made initial contact. I explained, once again in level-headed tones, that I was still awaiting resolution, that I did not think this part was intended to fail — after all, the company would go bankrupt if it repeatedly had to replace condenser coils — and, accordingly, I did not believe I should have been handed an out-sized bill and was expecting compensation.

Lo and behold, I received a phone call this morning from an area supervisor offering me a $500 refund. I told him I would gladly take it. It goes a long way toward easing my pain and inconvenience (no air conditioning for a week when the outside temperatures were in the 90s). It does not completely erase what should have not been in the first place, but I acknowledge we live in an imperfect world and that is the cost of being.

Final words: Yes, everything really is negotiable. Gather information, shop around, ask for a discount. Two,stand up and make noise when you feel you have been wronged. The squeaky wheel continues to receive grease, particularly when it is the voice of politeness and reason.