Opaque Pricing and Overcharging
Nottawasaga Mechanical sent a technician to diagnose an issue with my pool Heat Pump.
When booking, I was informed that the price included the first 40 minutes on-site, and additional time would be billed at $180.00 per hour in 15-minute increments.
The technician resolved the issue in under 30 minutes and replaced a capacitor. The manufacturers cost for the part, including shipping, is $60.00.
However, I received a bill charging me $270.00 for the part. I was not informed of the excessive markup or the cost of the part in advance. I expected a markup of around 30%, not over 400%.
Their explanation was that the part cost included 30 minutes of labor, despite it taking less than 5 seconds to install, and the entire visit being under 30 minutes. They did not mention any additional labor charges for a part that required no significant installation time. This charge amounts to $90.00 of labor for a part that is still marked up 300% from the original cost. They claimed it was a more expensive, better capacitor, despite it being the same spec capacitor.
If you need quick service, they responded promptly and resolved the problem. However, be aware of their charging structure, as their parts pricing is excessive.
They told me they weren't trying to profit excessively by charging $500 for the service call and capacitor. If this is their standard practice, it seems otherwise.
To their credit, they attempted to make things right but fell way short. They refunded me $60.00.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $500.00
- Company Response
Thank you for taking the time to review. Our technician did their best to resolve your pool heater problem on the first visit, with the parts he had available to him. With his 30+ years experience, he felt this in-hand, upgraded part was the best option for the job. I wish our service would have hit the mark for you.