I allowed American Home Maintenance to come to my residence and perform an inspection of my air conditioning system. The technicians emerged from the attic and told me that my secondary condensate (safety) pan was rusted out and would require replacement. The estimate of the repair was around $500 for the pan itself and an unspecified additional amount for the labor to install it. They charged me $80 for the inspection.
Wary of this information, I contacted another reputable a/c company in Phoenix for a second opinion. Not to my surprise, fixing the rusted pan would not have solved the problem as the true cause was a clogged primary drain. If I had paid American Home Maintenance to replace the pan, they would have only fixed the symptom and not the cause.
In addition, I found a supplier on the internet who sells the condensate pans online for $180 shipping. These pans do not cost anywhere near $500 and are easy for the average homeowner to replace themselves. I don't mind paying a reasonable markup for parts but when I can get one for $180 retail there is no excuse to charge a customer $500 for the same part.
Beware of American Home Maintenance business practices and you won't get burned for $80 inspection and faulty diagnosis.
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