Normal Service Area

So my normal service area is central Contra Costa County. If you go to my website there’s a link on the menu that says “Company Info” and then there’s a link at the bottom left of that page that says “Service Area” and that will explain my normal service area in more detail. I’m usually willing to travel farther if it’s not too busy, but I may charge extra when I do.

So first I’ll explain how much extra and how paying that extra will probably save you money. Then I’ll explain the scheduling limitations that come with work performed outside of my normal service area.

So my minimum fee within my normal service area is $200. My minimum fee when traveling farther is usually between $250 to $350. Now I know that seems like an awful lot. But even so, you’ll probably pay less in the end and let me give you just three examples of how that can happen.

For example, many highly-rated contractors will race to your house for $100 no matter where you live. And then to replace a very basic circuit board they’ll charge you $1,000 or more. I’ve seen it as high as $1,200. Whereas with me, I may charge you $300 to come out if you’re out-of-area. But then for that same circuit board I’ll charge you $750 out-the-door. So, in the end, you save $250.

Another real life example from two winters ago is the customer who needed a new variable speed exhaust fan. That customer’s first call was to a large and very slick looking contractor who has thousands of reviews and a nearly five star average. They wanted $3700 to replace it. I did it for $2000. That customer saved $1700 and not because I’m cheap. I’m not cheap at all. I’m just not out to make a killing on every repair. Nor do I use artificially high repair prices to push you into replacement. In fact, at this point, I don’t even do replacement. 

Speaking of which, how many times has some highly-rated contractor said a furnace or AC had to be replaced and I had it fixed on the first visit? Too many to count, I can tell you that.

I could go on, but you’ve got the idea. A lot of contractors, almost all of which are highly rated, seduce you with a low trip charge and then nail you with an incredibly high repair bill, if they’re willing to repair at all. I do exactly the opposite. I start off with a minimum fee that’s higher, then end up with a repair bill that’s not cheap, but it’s certainly fair.

And sometimes, thanks in part to the higher minimum, there’s no meaningful repair at all. For example, what if I go out and find a loose wire, snug it up, and that’s it. Don’t get your hopes up, but I’d say 5 to 10 percent of my repairs end up costing the minimum. And since I charge two or, if you’re out-of-area, three hundred dollars to come out I’m content. I do the minor repair, look it over, and I’m gone. 

Now this is a bit of a tangent, but I want you to get the big picture. Think about the repairman working for that large highly rated contractor who comes up first in search results. That repairman is on commission. He’s got quotas to make. His numbers are openly compared to his coworkers, meaning he knows what his coworkers’ sales numbers are and they know his. He can’t afford to be consistently ranked at the bottom of the pile or they will cut his hours back until he quits. His company’s $100 trip charge does little to meet his quota, so he’s under tremendous pressure to embellish minor repairs. And once he’s embellishing a little, it’s not long before he’s embellishing a lot. I know. I know. That’s a bleak picture, but for the repairman who works for a shiny five star mega contractor, that his reality. 

So, anyway, now you understand the thinking behind my pricing and a little bit about their thinking as well. There’s lots more thinking on my website. There’s really nothing like it. It has tons of trade secrets and I mean that. I’m the guy who says the quiet part out loud. So please check it out.

Ok. Let’s move on to the two limitations related to working outside of my normal service area.

The first limitation is that I’m not going to or from Blackhawk or Berkeley or any other far out place, at least far out for me, during rush hour. Therefore, in most cases, I’m going to make an out-of-area appointment for the middle of the day.

The second limitation is on the speed of follow-up appointments and let me explain that with a story. 

A couple of years ago I repaired a furnace in the Blackhawk area. Late that same day I got a text saying, “Hey John. It ain’t working again. Can you swing on by?” Well by then I was nearly home and there was no way I was driving two hours round trip on a Friday evening just because they wanted me to. Luckily, we figured it out over the phone. Turns out there were workmen in the attic not long after I was there. Someone had stepped on the thermostat cable and that caused the furnace’s low voltage fuse to pop. So, with my guidance, the customer installed a new fuse and I didn’t have to go back there at all. But if I had gone back, there would not have been any warranty coverage at all. You don’t get warranty coverage on a completely new issue just because it happened within hours of me being there.

But… What if? What if the new part I had installed had been defective? I’m sure that was the customer’s first thought and it’s certainly possible. I mean mass produced stuff fails once in a while. Well I would have covered it, but I still would not have gone out that evening. I work some weekends, but not all. So I might not have even gone out that weekend. I give all customers the same integrity and skill and coverage on parts, but out-of-area customers don’t always get the same speed.

So in the unlikely event that you need a follow-up appointment, and regardless of the nature of that appointment, if you’re an out-of-area customer you probably won’t see me again until both of our schedules and the commute all line up. That might happen quickly, and it does sometimes, or it might take days. That’s a limitation you have to expect if you want me to work outside of my normal service area.

And one last quick thing. You know how most repair guys get annoyed when you watch? I get annoyed when you don’t. Seriously. Unless it’s physically impossible to do so, I want you to see the diagnosis and maybe even the repair as it happens. You don’t have to be mechanically inclined. You just have to be willing and patient. You may not understand everything I tell you, but you’ll understand enough that you’ll feel good about the repair. And then, should you need a follow-up appointment, you’ll feel good about that as well. Like it says on my website: Hang around, watch, and ask questions. I insist.