I had an appointment with Comfort Masters to get my air conditioner for its annual review. When I scheduled the appointment, I asked for the 10 am to Noon slot (May 13). On that morning, I started to look for CM at around 9:45 am, silly that I was thinking they’d be early. At Noon, I wondered if I had the right day. I called CM at 12:45 am and the dispatcher apologized for the inconvenience (not her fault) and said the technician will arrive shortly (whatever that means). A moment later, the service technician must have found my number and said he’d arrive within 10 minutes. I was glad not to be forgotten but still disappointed no one called me before Noon to give me an update that he was running late that day.
James arrived a little after 1 pm and nothing was mentioned about his tardiness. I did not comment on him being late, even though I wanted to, I think I was simply interested in how the maintenance was going to proceed. I walked him to the furnace area and before he began his review, he mentioned a drain alert might be a good idea for a mere $135. Note taken.
I went about my business and James called me over to the outside air conditioner stating it was running at a high capacity. For a mere $258, I could have a more efficient unit so I just listened to what appeared to be a sales pitch. His gauge showed a high level although without knowing about his instrument or what appears to be a high level, I didn't know what to think. Considering the air conditioner is only 7 years old and last year there were no high readings (with a mild summer), I contemplated if he was leveling with me.
I took note of this and went about my business. As I walked away I wondered if these guys are more into sales than repairs. Sell instead of fix or maintain. Would it be cynical of me to think he was a former salesman in the HVAC or another industry and has evolved into a technician?
He reminded me of that one salesman at Sears many moons ago who chased me around the refrigerators and stoves, trying to get me to buy. With his age and physical stature while wearing several vinyl badge holders around his neck ensured my success.
Once James brought his back of tools back to his truck, he was finished with the repair, so I wondered if I could get things back to normal. He then sat a good 10 minutes in his truck doing paperwork. WTF. All the while my air had been set to 60 degrees and I had grabbed a jacket to keep warm, he never told me he was finished. As I walked by my basement staircase, my evaluation of his service took another hit as all the lights were still on in the basement. Just a mild annoyance but I'm not too sure if you should have to put up with any annoyances when it comes to service technicians. One other thing to factor, if the demand exceeds the supply, chances are you will sometimes experience technicians who are not necessarily customer-centric.
James comes inside after finishing his paperwork and wished me a good day. Before departing, he asks me if I have Facebook or Gmail and I nodded toward Google. He then said, "if you don't mind, I get $25 for a good review." I just listened.
Perhaps he’s tone-deaf; not realizing that the service I was given was at the very best, mediocre. If you’re running late, either admit your error or don’t ask the consumer to write you a good review. It’s off-putting. I know you make money when you upsell but perhaps be a little more selective when doing so? And please be a little more conscious about ensuring things are put back in place before you leave and if not, don’t ask a customer for a review.