Advanced Heating And Cooling

I will start by saying that I have been using Advanced Heating & Cooling for HVAC installation & service at multiple properties for many years. Up until Monday, I have experienced as their website claims: «outstanding customer service that has been our hallmark for the past 25 years.» Helen is the absolute best!
After receiving a $ 150 bill for a 20 min service repair to clean a flame sensor rod at 4:30 pm last Friday, I requested a conversation with the CEO to negotiate a more reasonable price, and to discuss his policy about my furnace’s full warranty only applying if I purchased the yearly service check at the cost of $ 89/​yr, which I didn’t find out about until after installation.
I experienced an even bigger disappointment with the phone call response to my concern about the high cost for such a simple repair to detect & fix that I watched the tech perform. A full furnace cleaning and tune-​up is $ 70.
Mike D’Andrea was argumentative, demeaning and outright arrogant in response to my complaint — He tried to use every sales technique in the book to justify the supposed value I received despite my continual objection — including reference to an article about «firing your customers.» He insisted that the HVAC industry sets the standard for fair prices and perceived value, despite what the local market demands. He continually tried to «educate» me with sales pitches about «flat rate price formulary books» that provide powerful sales tools to increase profit margins with higher service invoices using opaque mark-​ups.
This practice is outlined in «Setting Your Flat-​Rate Prices» by Charlie Greer who touts that he helps «contractors become Millionaires every day» on
. Despite ‘Flat Rate’ business model promises of incredible profit margins, reduced costs, simplified accounting, etc. – the savings don’t seem to be shared with repeat customers. It’s a deceptive make-​money-​quick scheme designed to cover up an outrageous marked-​up hourly rate.
Buyer beware – itemized invoices are segregated in order to protect the consumer from unfair billing and up-​charges by the service provider. Enlightening responses to consumer complaints about Flat-​Rate Pricing practices can be found on Angie’s List.
I definitely will be taking future business to a company committed to making a good faith effort to resolve consumer complaints.
Lesson learned.