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its8up t1_jdpreru wrote

If you don't have one already, get your epa 608 certification for funsies to totally cut out an entire industry of price gouging vultures. I got the study guide on a Mon, read bits over the next few evenings, and took the test that Friday, then went out of town. Came home to find a universal certification in my pile of mail. After spending few thousand in tools, I'm set. No more calling the hvac guy. The tools paid for themselves in less than a year by using them to tackle a few side jobs at a heavily discounted rate.

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TGIF-42 t1_jdpv0wn wrote

Whaddaya mean!? 2lbs of refrigerant is obviously worth a $300 service call.

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combatwombat007 t1_jdqhkat wrote

Around here, $300 is what it costs for someone just to show up and tell you that you need 2lbs of refrigerant. The refrigerant is another $300.

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An0mndr t1_jdqjnry wrote

Don't forget the environmental fee, that's another 50$. Oh and the refilling fee (which is not included in labor for some reason), which is another 80 bucks. Combine that with an off hours call (yes, it was only 2 pm when you called, but by the time we made it here, it was past 4:30 pm), so that's an extra 200. With tax (depending on where you are), that brings your total up about 1,050$. Will that be in cash or on a card? Oh you want to put it on visa? There's also an extra 2% fee for using a credit card instead of debit, it's only to cover the same cost we pay to use the system.

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age34act12 t1_jdqjo7c wrote

I can make good money doing things for homeowners for 1/3 of the price. It's crazy how much someone has to pay for the simplest of tasks in the northeast.

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