Caveat Emptor

It was time for the seasonal H/AC check-up, so I dutifully called and made an appointment with my usual company...with whom I've been doing business for quite a few years. The good news was that almost everything was in good shape. The bad news? There was a leak. Water was dripping when the furnace came on, and it had created a rust spot in the works. The technician told me that it wasn't something I had to hurry to fix, since the heating season was about over and there'd be no dripping when the heat wasn't on, but that I'd want to get it fixed before the next winter or further damage would result, eventually resulting in the need for a new furnace.

So of course, Nervous Nellie that I am, I said I wanted to get it fixed right away.

They sent me an invoice:

Well, perhaps needless to say, that took my breath away. I had been thinking "Minor repair, maybe a hundred bucks or so." 

When I was finally breathing again, I called another company I'd dealt with...the ones who had installed my air conditioning unit last summer. I hadn't gone the maintenance program route with them because they were more expensive than my old company and because they had to book about a month out when I called them about a maintenance plan.

Much to my surprise, a technician arrived a few hours after I'd called. He took a look at the "damage," said it was no big deal, and showed me where a drain seal had gone bad. He took about ten minutes to reseal it and close everything up. Might have even been five minutes. And the bill?

Looks like I just made $1,674. 

Holy shit, man! I am always getting a second opinion from here on out.