I’m putting in a new gas forced air furnace and AC and getting away from heating oil at this house we bought. The gas company finally got the gas line run to the house and I’ve been going back and forth with the HVAC contractor in getting on his schedule. I’d gotten a quote for the whole thing back on March 9th, but he sent me a new one today, 2 months later and the price quoted has increased by $600. When I questioned him, he told me that all the equipment manufacturers are jacking up their prices “due to the Trump tariffs”.

Am I being bullshitted here? I didn’t realize they had even gone into effect yet! I’ve used this guy twice before and he does top-notch work, and has always seemed very honest with me. He’s a hunting buddy of my Dad, and I’ve known him for years.

This is over a 5% increase from just two months ago which kind of stinks to be honest.

Anyone else seeing this?

Did you have anyone else quote the job?
Did his initial quote outline that the quote was good for XX days?

Fret over $600, or find someone else. What is $600 across the cost of the whole job, and how hard was it to find someone who isn't a shitlord?

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
Did you have anyone else quote the job?
Did his initial quote outline that the quote was good for XX days?

Yes, the standard 30 days.

To be honest I think anyone else will be even higher. Last two times I went with him all the other quotes I got were MUCH higher. One guy was basically double the price for the same specs, he was looking for a sucker for sure.

I guess I need to just not worry about it.

Was it a quote or a contract?
I would tell him I'm going to have to get quotes from other providers if he can't honor the price. Then you will be in a position to negotiate.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
Did you have anyone else quote the job?
Did his initial quote outline that the quote was good for XX days?

Yes, the standard 30 days.

To be honest I think anyone else will be even higher. Last two times I went with him all the other quotes I got were MUCH higher. One guy was basically double the price for the same specs, he was looking for a sucker for sure.

I guess I need to just not worry about it.

If the guy does good work, I'm not sure I'd bust his balls about it, but that's up to you.
I paid significantly more for my HVAC replacement because I knew the contractor was the real deal. I could have saved a bunch of money with the lowball offer but that shit was scary low. On something like HVAC, for me at least, $600 isn't that big of a deal.

Yeah, unless you have good family / friends in a specific specialty area (HVAC, Plumber, Electrician, etc), expect to be bent over and abused to some degree.

And just wait until they start and you get the call "hey, we've got a problem here..."

$$$

We had an estimate done back in February to replace our gas furnace. We held off for a few months and did nothing. We received a coupon in the mail for $300 off and an Aprilaire filter system. Obviously the quote was no longer valid when we called to set up an install date two weeks ago. The price of the furnace did go up hundreds of dollars but the coupon brought the price back down. We did not ask why the price increase though. Of course, now the ac is on and we did not get to really test the furnace yet. It is a 96% efficient Carrier with a 10 year parts warranty and lifetime heat exchanger.

You are not being bull shitted. Prices are going up . I work for a Commercial HVAC company and we have had to really watch our bids as well as buy equipment early in order to preserve price.

Yes, everybody that has aluminum or steel as a product of their work is using this as an opportunity to jack up their prices. We are seeing huge increases in rebar, steel and storefronts because of this.

Since the tariffs are not actually imposed yet, we are battling the trade to take out the fear factor. Especially for out jobs that are 12 months out.

We are telling our contractors to take out the escalation but keep it to the side. If the tariffs go into effect we’ll review the increase. Otherwise pound sand until further notice.

Sounds like you have good long term experience with installer. I'd ask him straight up if that price is the best he could do and if that is what he needs to do the job just pay up. On hvac you're buying the installer so if this guy has a proven track record don't lose him.

Having dealt with many contractors in the past 10 years, the question I would ask is who do you trust to do the job, independent of price. Quality and price are not always directly related. Do your homework, and choose the one likely to do the best job, and be there for you after it is installed.

If you think the guy is the best for you, and is likely telling the truth, get it done now before it costs you $1,200 more.

This has always been an issue with import tariff increases. Good old 'greed', err I mean capitalism.

The greed is going to cost the greedy. If the U.S. companies increase their prices, then why would I not buy the foreign product at the same cost, all other things being equal?

Patriotism? ha, obviously American business do not care about patriotism, so why should I?

Was that original bid around $12000.00 ? How big a building is this? That seems pretty high for an average size residence.

I had a similar issue with pole barn steel. I fortunately got in before the hike but was told all prices were going up 15% on April 15th due to the tariffs.

Now that the tariffs are on hold shouldn't the increase be on hold too??

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:
Sounds like you have good long term experience with installer. I'd ask him straight up if that price is the best he could do and if that is what he needs to do the job just pay up. On hvac you're buying the installer so if this guy has a proven track record don't lose him.

Agree with that. Something you might ask is if perhaps he'd through in next spring's cleaning/AC start up for the extra bucks.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Yeah, unless you have good family / friends in a specific specialty area (HVAC, Plumber, Electrician, etc), expect to be bent over and abused to some degree.

Nice, not every business owner expects their clients to bend over while holding a jar of vasoline.

What all are they doing for 12k? Now 12.6k?

I call BS on the price increase.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig: ... he told me that all the equipment manufacturers are jacking up their prices “due to the Trump tariffs”...

I got a quote for a new system yesterday and was told pretty much the same thing. Something along the lines of new systems not contracted by end of May and not installed by mid June are going up ~5-10% across the board.

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.