This morning, I was assigned to help a customer with a residential AC repair.
The customer called because she heard a strange sound coming from the AC machine. The dispatch center wrote down all of the information on the call ticket. I called the customer before I left the workshop, so she was aware that I was on my way. I arrived about 30 minutes after my phone call. I quickly got started with the troubleshooting call. I remove the cover from the AC machine so I can check on the evaporator coils in the condenser. It didn’t take long before I realized that the AC machine was out of date and badly aged. I recommended replacing the AC system as soon as possible. Although the AC machine was working at the time, I felt strongly that it could break down and quit at any moment. The customer was shocked and surprised by my suggestion to buy a new air conditioner. She thanked me for my time and told me that she was going to get a second opinion from someone that knew what they were doing. I try not to be offended when customers don’t like my advice. People don’t expect bad news when they think the machine can be repaired. The customer never called us to replace the air conditioner, so I have no idea if she decided to get a second opinion or not. If she called another professional, I am certain they would give her the same exact advice that I did. The machine is ready for the junkyard.