Just REPLACE IT!!!!

So today my day ends with changing out a compressor on a 20 year old air conditioner for a famous fast food place that is cheap as hell, and stupid about it.

3 months ago I changed the first stage compressor, and told them about the other one, and recommended replacing the unit at that time. I told them the 2nd stage compressor was going out, and now here I am changing that one. It's insane, these idiots decided to spend a total of $8500 in repairs over 3 months on a 20 year old piece of equipment as compared to $10,000 for a brand new unit with WARRANTY!!!

I'm pretty sure I'll be back there within a month or so to replace the condenser fan motor I told them was going bad. $250 at the time of other repairs will now cost them $600 in the future when that fan fails.

That's why you pay $12 for lunch at 'the crazy chicken' translate that to spanish...

That sounds like where I work. It’s a fancier restaurant but the building has been a restaurant since the 1950s and they don’t want to spend money on maintenance, so they have people come in and fail to fix things and then they just pretend everythimg got fixed. There comes a point when you need to just theow something out and then replace it or don’t. Having a bunch of broken equipment everywhere is just stupid. The same 3 coolers are broken more often than they’re fixed. The spend a few grand to have a guy fix them and they work for a FEW DAYS then they sit broken for a month before someone comes in again to “fix” them. Ridiculous.

a reply to: Vector99

That's why you pay $12 for lunch at 'the crazy chicken' translate that to spanish

But their macaroni and cheese is to die for! IF this is the same place that has a franchise across (at least) Central FL: El Pollo Loco.

a reply to: Vector99

Enjoy the fruits of the extra revenue.

Call it an idiot bonus ...

originally posted by: Timely
a reply to: Vector99

Enjoy the fruits of the extra revenue.

Call it an idiot bonus ...

I like that.

a reply to: Vector99

That AC unit is going to put your kids through college.

Just smile and take their money.

Probably older people who own the shop-the older generation didn't replace things-they fixed them. Guess they still don't believe in built-in obsolesence. They really believe old things were built to last-even though it is obvious their ac unit is dying-maybe they are relating to the slow death of their machinery and refuse to give-in and face reality.

A fool and his money are soon parted.

a reply to: Vector99

It's called "job security".
However at some point the electricity being used as the unit struggles, outweighs the cost of new equipment. Plus the load it's putting on their existing wiring, I would think?

Had to get new HVAC a couple of years ago and was in absolute sticker shock, but got over it the first winter when was quite comfortable at a MUCH lower thermostat setting!! Plus the quietness of the new unit was stunning.An yes, like your customers I had to be drug kicking an screaming into the new century.

Totally worth it.

a reply to: Justso

Not sure what you mean by "older people". I'm 53 and while I agree that there is a time to bite the bullet and just get new stuff, we " old folks" DO try to fix things before we just throw it away. I have younger neighbor ( late 20s ) who was just going to throw away a 2 year old Snapper weed eater that was running terrible. He said" I'll just get a new one" and I took the "bad" one home with me.
Took it apart, cleaned the carb and fuel lines, a new spark plug and fresh fuel and was using it the next day.

a reply to: Vector99



It is a whole idea/movement

en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: Vector99

There are some people who are soooo cheap they don't realize their habit of trying to save money will actually cost them more later. I know a lot of people in my own inner circle who are sinfully cheap about everything. It can really become obnoxious at times when these people feel the need to pocket sugar packets, napkins and table condiments after having dinner at a restaurant. What's sad is all of these people have jobs who are being paid above average salary wages!

Its like my yard brush... its 20 years old has had 4 new staffs and 3 new brushes.. it will last forever

Would they have to close the place down while the work was being done? It probably would not be a good idea for them to try and make their employees work in a hot kitchen with no AC in the Summer. It sounds like it might be an all day job (or more) if it's a rooftop unit. How much money would it cost them to shut down for a day?

I'm not saying it does cost them more but it sounds like it could.

My last landlord, a family friend, ended up sinking a hell of a lot of money into a unit close to 30 years old.

Try finding replacement parts THAT old affordably.

His HVAC repair guy he used for his rental properties did manage to find the replacement parts 3 times, to his credit. But it cost more in parts costs and labor than a new one did, and the guy was honest before he touched it the first time and guesstimated that much. Turned out, he was very right.

In my old LL's defense, he wasn't a fool, he was going through a very low & dirty divorce, in which he sued for it because she shopped him broke, didn't bother paying her share of bills & at one point, he was suddenly without electricity in mid-summer because she didn't pay it for 3 months and owed a grand, took the rent checks for herself instead of paying the mortgages and HOA dues on properties, and skimmed from his construction company.

Then ran off with his pool maintenance guy (not kidding) for the pricey properties, and moved back in to the house the bank took from them because she stopped making payments long enough for them to finally get pissy, and then declared squatter's rights and legally obtained the house back. She damn near ruined him financially & mentally, and it did make him very distracted and prone to stress-spurred, ill-thought out shortcuts like repairs on the crazy-old AC that cost him a fortune in the end.