Written by a Thermacon Customer
I often find myself asking this funny but true question to people: “What do you call a person that graduates last in their class at medical school?” The answer is that you call them Doctor. The point of that question is to illustrate the absolute fact that a title is nothing more than that… a title. Be it a Doctor, Mechanic, or in this case an A/C technician, it’s the person behind the title that makes the difference.
I recently decided to update my home A/C system and based solely on reputation I called Thermacon Service Co. for a quote. My call was answered and within minutes I had an appointment set up for later that afternoon. Bring in Lance the sales guy… As far as salesmen go he was right up there with the best of them, minimal BS factor and no “hard sale” tactics. All qualities that I expect –and suspect are across the board with this company. The process went without any problems and after a thorough review of my home’s needs, we sat down to go over which air conditioning system options I had available. I was given a choice between four adequate systems ranging in price from budget to Bill Gates.
Now came the part of the process where I told Lance that I needed to get some more quotes on the system. This is where Lance’s job gets difficult… He knows that he can match the equipment costs with his competitors. But he also knows that his labor costs are higher. I understand why he is worried about this because times are financially tough for everyone these days. But what he does not know is that I am willing to pay a premium for Thermacon to do the air conditioning system installation (Refer to my above comment). To summarize the bids: Thermacon – $8400 / Comp A – $8270 / Comp B $7570.
“Pay me now or pay me later, but you’re going to pay me”… I heard this comment many years ago from an A/C technician while I was on a construction site. It relates to my point in this way – When dealing with advanced technologies like those that are used in modern HVAC systems there are many factors beyond the equipment costs that must be considered. I could save money up front and risk getting a less than perfect installation; this could end up costing me money and inconvenience in the future. I chose to pay a little bit more money on the front end to have the peace of mind knowing that Thermacon’s reputation was behind the work. From being factory trained to being prompt and courteous, they are a group of technicians that are professional and highly motivated to fulfill the needs of their customers.
I can say some less than desirable things about Thermacon, too. An honest review would not be complete without some complaints … I think they need to update their website to reflect current products, I don’t like their radio jingle, and I think their email domain is too long (@themaconservice.com)… That’s not a long list of dislikes, but it’s honest.
My experience with Lance and Thermacon has lived up to every expectation that I had for them. They are a service oriented company that has cultivated a loyal and happy customer base for good reason- They provide excellent service and charge accordingly. Another saying that has stood the test of time is “You get what you pay for”. When a statement hangs around for generations it’s because it is true. As I said at the top – Service matters and when it comes to your home HVAC system… You need to pay for it!!! Or pay later…
Frank Trevino
Orange County, Texas
