Air conditioning that works correctly can make your home a much more comfortable place to live during the hot sticky summer months.
Air conditioning is just like anything else mechanical.
It can break down and stop working.
Your air conditioner is a complicated piece of machinery that requires a contractor who knows what they are doing to do the make the right repairs at a reasonable rate.
Depending upon the repairs that are needed it can also quickly run into a large amount of money so it is important to hire a contractor that you can trust to complete the work correctly.
Just as important, you need to have the work completed on time and be able to trust the people that you are letting into your home.
So hiring a contractor requires a bit more than opening the yellow pages and calling the first name that catches your attention.
This is especially true if you are looking for an air conditioning contractor to do repairs in your home.
While a simple fix might be able to be done by most anyone, the more work that you are needing to have done, the more careful that you need to be when you are hiring a contractor.
1.
Family And Friends A good place to start looking for a contractor is by checking with your family and friends.
These are always a good source for names of contractors that they have worked with because they know you and would not want to refer anyone that cannot do the work.
2.
Ask Your Neighbors If you live in a condo or if there is a home owners association where you live these can also be great sources of air conditioning contractors names.
If you have neighbors that have the same type of air conditioner they can probably give you some information about hiring a contractor that can do the work and just as importantly, who you should avoid.
3.
Ask The Contractor For References Any contractor who has been in business for any length of time should be able to give you referrals of customers that they have worked with.
Then you need to check the references.
Be careful about referrals that are unwilling to give referrals or that will only give lukewarm responses to your questions.
This could be a sign that they are avoiding saying something negative.
Make sure that any referrals are current and recently completed.
4.
Check With The Better Business Bureau Once you have chosen a few contractors that might serve your needs check the names through the Better Business Bureau.
See if there are any complaints that are filed against the companies.
Just because there are a few complaints should not totally put them out of the running.
It is not unusual for any company to run into people that they are unable to satisfy.
Equally important is to see how the contractor handled the complaint.
5.
Check Their Licenses Make sure that anyone you are considering is licensed to do the work that you need completed.
Check to see that they are licensed with the city that you are located in and are approved to do the work.
6.
Permits Ask about whether there are permits that are required for your work.
If the contractor suggests avoiding getting a permit when one is needed then you should be very careful hiring them for any work in your home.
Any contractor that is willing to avoid getting a permit is probably going to be willing to cut other corners in their work.
Conclusion Hiring a contractor does not have to be a problem.
There are a lot of skilled people who can do the work for you.
Just make sure that you do your homework and you'll be sure to get your problem solved without creating another one.