Should the shop have known? (AC)

SV reX said:

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

I'm not saying they did a bad job. I'm saying they did a bad job communicating and managing the customer's expectations. 
 

That's still their job. 

Agreed.  I used to be so bluntly honest with customers, and it ended up being an under-promise, over-deliver scenario.  I think too many shops undercut to get people in the door and then they look like upselling crooks when they call back with "it's actually going to cost..."

I used to give customers multiple scenarios

• we diagnosed a bad compressor.  If that's the only problem it will be $xxx
• we can do a full leak test with dye to make sure it's just a bad compressor, and that costs an additional $yyy
• or you can do the whole kit and caboodle for $zzz  (which is usually less than X + Y combined)

Some choose the step-by-step hoping that they'll get lucky, but I also explained to customers - even showing them the book hours - about how labor is far less if you do additional things while you're in there.  If they had explained to your friend that the 1.2 hours (or whatever) for evac and recharge would be charged again for the condenser replacement on top of the 0.7 for the replacement labor, he may have chosen to just go ahead and spend the money.

Again, it would have been your friend's choice, but at least it should have been explained to them instead of randomly saying, "this will fix it."

Long story short,  I basically told customers:

• We can start with $500 for a compressor and see if that does it
• Or we can do a full system for $1000
• Or we can do $500 for a compressor knowing that it might be $2000 until we keep re-doing it in pieces,

They almost always choose the $1000 option.  That gives us the room to properly diagnose and fix it all, and that ALWAYS brings customers back.

SV reX said:

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

I'm not saying they did a bad job. I'm saying they did a bad job communicating and managing the customer's expectations. 
 

You're assuming that based on what you have been told. What they said, and what she heard, could also be different. If they originally quoted $1500 vs $1200 was the $300 a deal breaker? I'd assume not and just accept it was a $1500 job from the start. 

In reply to Steve_Jones :

Umm... nope. I was there. 

This is why I won't buy a car with broken AC, it may never work again for a reasonable price, even if the experts are fixing it. 

In reply to SV reX :

Ok, your posts were cryptic. So what did they say when you were there? The compressor will fix it? The compressor should fix it? If A, then I'd complain a bit. 

In reply to Steve_Jones :

I think I've already said that the help here was useful, and that she won't be complaining. I needed a little education to help my friend and I got it. No need to dig further or look deeper for a villian. 
 

Thank each of you for the help. 

This is why I don't like air con work.  It is very difficult to ensure everything is correct when the car leaves the shop.  A leak small enough to leak out the charge in two months is next to impossible to find, but is an unacceptable repair.

Without charging, and running the compressor, it is very difficult to know whether the rest of the system is functional.  

I just don't like that lack of confidence in my estimate, or my repair. I generally try to inform my customer of than lack of confidence.