Terry Caliendo

ON June 8, 2019

A/C Hard Start Kit: A $1,600 Per Hour Story

POSTED IN:

It was a hot day out here in sunny Las Vegas, and it was time for my annual Air Conditioning inspection.

The Inspection Sales Pitch

During the inspection, after he finished checking the first unit, the technician said to me, "You should think about investing in 'Hard Start Kits' to increase the life of your A/C units".

I hadn't heard of that yet and asked what was a "Hard Start" kit. He told me that its a piece of equipment that gets attached to the a/c unit on the side of the house and that it increases the power (I later realized he was technically wrong about that) at startup of the compressor, which in turn extends the life of the air conditioning unit.

This is a "Hard Start" Kit:

Compressor Saver Hard Start Capacitor Model CSR U3
Hard Start Kit for Air Conditioner

Installation Cost

I asked him how much it would cost.

He said $450 per air conditioner and followed up with "its well worth it as it will save you thousands in repair costs as the unit ages".

Sales Pitch

As soon as I heard that line, I knew I was being sold something. That's what the kids in the sales business call a value qualifier. Use a big number to to make the sales price seem small.

I told the tech that I'd think about it and he went back and started on the second unit.

Research

While he was out there, I Googled "Hard Start Kit" to find that the kit cost $40 and my jaw dropped. There was no way he was going to charge me $410 to install a $40 kit, was there?

Understanding

When the technician finished the second unit I asked him, "How much do the parts on the Hard Start Kit cost? Is it really just $40 or did I find the wrong thing?"

He admitted, "Yeah, that's it."

I queried further, "So your company charges $410 in labor to install a $40 part?"

"Yep. Sorry. That's not me. It's insane, I know. I don't set the pricing."

I appreciated his honesty and we had a laugh. I then followed up with a sheepish, "How long does it take you to install it?"

"I can get it done in less than 15 minutes, especially on a newer unit like yours" he bragged.

That's over $1,600 per hour in labor!

As my brain nearly exploded, and with my eyes nearly popping out of my head, I blurted out the rough math that could not be contained in my head, "Four hundred times four... that's over $1,600 per hour in labor!"

He laughed.

I said, "I'm sorry but I just can't get screwed like that on principle, I need to do more research and decide if this is something worth 'investing' in".

And before he left, I had to ask one more question, "How much commission do you get on that $410".

"About 25 bucks".

How do you sleep at night?

I very jokingly replied, "You're company bills you out at over $1,600 per hour and you get $25. Is it worth it? How do you sleep at night knowing you are screwing people over like that?"

He laughed and said, "Well actually, I hate it. I know people are getting ripped off, but it's just what this industry is. That's what every company charges. I'm actually leaving this company next week anyway to go back into commercial work. Less guilt".

We shook hands, I wished him the best of luck and thanked him for his honesty.

I'll do it myself

Then I went back to my desk and spent an hour looking up "How to install a 'Hard Start Kit' in an air conditioner". It seemed pretty easy. Three wires and a couple of screws was all there really was too it.

But being me I needed to make sure I really understood what I was doing. After all, if I did blow something trying to install the kit, it would be incredibly expensive to get someone out here to fix my mistake... potentially to the tune of $1,600 per hour!

So I spent a few hours watching videos and learning about the "Hard Start" kit and how to install one.

Well... not yet

I meant to give it a try, but something kept holding me back. Just the fact that they charged $410 to install it. There must be some real reason for that big of a labor charge.

A few weeks later, I noticed that the drywall on the corner of on of the vents in our kitchen was wet (actually I had noticed it for a year and finally decided to look into it). I looked up in the attic to try and see the issue from above and the vent was at the edge of the house where the roof angle of the roof gets really narrow so I couldn't easily get back to it.

Not really knowing how to navigate around the attic (there are no floorboards and the insulation is like a Wisconsin snowstorm). I decided to spend the $90 to have an A/C tech come out and inspect the issue (and of course I watched him navigate through the attic and I now know how to do it).

When calling for service, I asked for a "highly experienced tech" as I figured this might be a difficult diagnosis. They obliged and actually sent a senior tech.

A new friend

The tech that came out was a really nice guy and I started asking him about the "Hard Start" kit. He confirmed that it was an expensive install for an inexpensive part.

Ultimately, I hit it off with him and ended up getting his cell phone number because thought he could find me a contact to call to get the fire sprinkler system fixed, which was the actual root cause of the leak I called about.

Confidence

Ultimately he gave me some incredible pointers that gave me the confidence to install the Hard Start kit myself.

Documentation

I wrote a "how to" article that includes everything I learned on "How to Increase the Life of Your Air Conditioner by Installing a Hard Start Kit".

6 comments on “A/C Hard Start Kit: A $1,600 Per Hour Story”

  1. Haha, I read your article an hour too late. The tech just left my house with $399 for my brand new hard start kit installation.

    I must blame it on my renewed commitment to stop procrastinating. Sometimes procrastination pays off.

    Oh well, chalk another one up to experience.

    Thanks for the article!

  2. You know, many HVAC companies are doing this sort of business strategy. We do not engage in these practices but I personally know exactly where you're coming from here. $1600/hr is obsurd

  3. Read the second part of the article first. My initial thoughts were that you are a sales rep for the company selling the capicitor. I then found the beginning of your story.
    Wow, Gotta say you sold me. Gonna order them right now infact

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