I awoke on Tuesday morning with my AC not working. I checked the thermostat and breaker box. The thermostat was not registering anything. Breaker box was fine. Since I’ve used Benjamin Franklin Plumbing many times, I called their associate company, Minuteman for help. They were booked, but put me on a “list” for service. I then call another company and was also put on their “emergency wait list”.
Minuteman called back first within about an hour or so and had a technician on his way to my home. The other company also called back at the same time and left a message.
Jeremy arrived soon thereafter. He checked the thermostat and thought the batteries were dead. I gave him new batteries and he said the thermostat did not come on. (Didn’t see if it did or not). He went to his truck and got to different thermostats. One was priced at $406.00 and the other at $1300.00. He installed the $406.00 thermostat. Checked & cleaned the inside unit and outside compressor. Total charges, with “senior”discount, $454.00.
Please understand that none of this is the technician fault. He was very nice and knowledgeable about his job.
After the technician left, I went online and priced the thermostat. It’s retail priced at between $40.00 - $60.00. Lowe’s also has a very comparable Honeywell priced at $29.99.
There are no words that can come out of anyone’s mouth at Minuteman that can justify the percentage of markup on the thermostat hanging on my wall. They, most likely, purchased a care of 12 for less than what they charged me for one. It actually gives “price gouging” a whole new meaning. This is the second time this organization has ripped me off. It’s also the last time.
I used Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for many years. I had great confidence in them. Their associate, Minuteman AC, destroyed that. I will never use or recommend them again.
I should have waited and talked to the other company before using Minuteman.
In the future, I will get a “price list” and the technician can go sit in his truck while I do online research to determine “fair pricing and acceptable markup” before anyone installs anything in my home.
People…………Buyer Beware…………