You sign up for a home warranty, you pay a little each month and, if anything goes wrong with your air conditioning, plumbing or any other appliance, the repair or replacement is totally covered.

How can you go wrong?

The problem is, you pay your monthly fee then, when something breaks down, you quickly realize the contract you signed is filled with fine-print exclusions that leave you responsible for much of the cost of the repair or replacement. In fact, the vast majority of homeowners who sign up for these warranties will pay far more in premiums, service fees, and uncovered repairs than if they didn’t have a warranty – that’s the business model.

With a home warranty, you don’t get to choose who does the repair, so you never know who’s going to show up and the technician that does show up works for the home warranty company so they’re incentivized to take the least expensive route like using the cheapest parts available or doing temporary fixes that keep the appliance running when it should be replaced.

These contracts also state that the home warranty company is not responsible for the negligence or conduct of the workers they dispatch.

Common homeowner complaints include denied claims, repairs performed incorrectly, and repairs taking days or weeks to schedule or complete. Additionally, hold times for reaching a customer service can be an hour or more. In some cases, when covered items can’t be fixed, the company refused to pay the entire cost of replacing the item offering only the wholesale price.

American Home Shield, the largest U.S. home warranty company, has been the subject of nearly 10,500 Better Business Bureau complaints over the past three years.

Avoiding these home warranty companies will not only save you money, it will give you the freedom to choose the best way to address a breakdown, and allow you to choose the best repair company available, not someone who is willing to work for one of these home warranty companies.

With Sarasota summer right around the corner our air conditioners will soon be working much harder to keep us cool.

Just like normal upkeep on your car, your Sarasota air conditioning needs regular maintenance to ensure it continues to run efficiently.

During the AC preventive maintenance visit, skilled technicians carefully inspect all essential components of the air conditioner. They will make sure that your unit is in the best condition possible. Any damaged or worn parts can be replaced before further deterioration of them would damage other components or impede the operation of the unit.

A little prevention now will keep you cool all summer and save money in the long run.

In 2018, the U.S. Senate designated May 15 as National Senior Fraud Awareness Day.

They took this action in order to raise awareness about the growing number of fraudulent activities specifically directed at older adults across the country, to encourage the implementation of policies designed to prevent these scams, and to improve protections for seniors.

Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating can’t stop IRS impersonation scams, charity fraud or identity theft, but we can help stop predatory HVAC contractors from taking advantage of seniors in our community by teaching them how to spot a con so they can protect themselves.

Common scams include:

• Offering you a low-priced inspection then trying to sell you unnecessary and expensive repairs.
• Using scare tactics such as the threat of mold to sell additional services or extended warranties.
• Promoting free service calls then overcharging you for repairs you didn't need in the first place.

We’re so committed to fraud awareness and prevention that we created a website called Americas Repair Force (www.americasrepairforce.com) and a series of humorous videos designed to protect you from predatory contractors and help you avoid scams.

Don't be fooled, call Sean McCutcheon's Air Conditioning and Heating at 941-921-7208, whenever a deal sounds to good to be true!

#CommunityInformedProtected

A new AC System can significantly reduce your electric bill, but the initial expense can be intimidating.

Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating can help make that very worthwhile investment a little easier for you with a new clean-energy financing program.

Sarasota County Homeowners can now take advantage of the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing Program which allows them to borrow up to 20% of their home’s value to finance energy-efficient heating, cooling, and ventilation systems.

Homeowners can take up to 15 years to pay back the loan and, thanks to an agreement between the PACE Providers (the financing organizations) and the Sarasota County Property Appraiser and Tax Collector’s office, the amount to be repaid is included as a non-ad valorem assessment on your annual property tax bill instead of a monthly payment like most other home expenses.

The first of four PACE Providers, Renew Financial, is now able to provide PACE Financing to homeowners in unincorporated Sarasota County, the City of Sarasota, and the City of North Port.

Homeowners in the Town of Longboat Key should be able to access the program soon.

In order to take advantage of this financing program, your contractor must be an Approved PACE Contractor. PACE Contractors are trained on regulations related to the PACE program, they conform to a code of conduct, and their licenses and insurance are checked.

Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating is already approved and we’re ready to help homeowners like you make their homes more energy efficient.

If you’ve been thinking of a new AC System but weren’t sure how you were going to pay for it, give us a call at 941-921-7208, we’ll gladly answer any questions so you can decide if PACE Financing is right for you.

Since 2016 Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating has been working hard to help consumers avoid predatory contractors.

We even created a humorous video series featuring the fictional A.C. Winterbottom, Agent for America’s Repair Force, and an accompanying website (www.AmericasRepairForce.com) that is full of information on how to spot a scam.

Unfortunately, as this recent news story illustrates, there’s no shortage of dishonest contractors trying to take advantage of unsuspecting homeowners…

The Florida Office of the Attorney General is currently investigating Bruno Total Home Performance, formerly known as Bruno Air, in Bonita Springs for allegations of shoddy work, overselling and overcharging for products and services, performing unnecessary work, high-pressure sales tactics, and unscrupulous loan practices - including forging customers' signatures on financial documents.

Court records also indicate that Louis Bruno, LLC (d.b.a. Bruno Total Home Performance) has filed at least 3 foreclosure actions and over two dozen liens against property owners in Lee & Collier counties!

Predatory contractors will try anything to separate you from your money.

They’ll claim to find mold and tell you your family is in great danger - some will even claim that they can’t “legally” leave an AC system running in such bad condition. Other companies will strongarm you into signing documents and even refuse to leave before you do - obviously, they don’t want you to get a second opinion. The list of scams goes on…

But there are many ways to see if a company or contractor is reputable.

Consumers can verify licenses with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) online at www.myfloridalicense.com, by calling 850-487-1395, or by downloading the free DBPR Mobile app. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is also a great resource for information and ratings on companies and your local Chamber of Commerce can recommend a business.

Another way to avoid falling prey to unethical contractors is to ask around.

Contact friends and neighbors to see who they recommend and do a little research on the internet – online reviews from Google and others are a great way to get a consensus opinion and see where a company’s strengths and weaknesses are. And don’t just look for high ratings, look for companies with more than a handful of reviews which could have come from their friends and family. Finally, it never hurts to get a second opinion before spending a large amount of money on something.

In the case of Bruno Air, the DBPR shows 2 complaints against Bruno's contractor's license which is “current with probation”. In a rare move, the BBB revoked Bruno Air's accreditation in November of 2015 based on what it saw as a "pattern of complaints;" the new company, Bruno Total Home Performance, has never been accredited. And their online reviews, literally, scream “STAY AWAY!!!”

Click here for more information:

Five things to know about the state investigation into Bruno Total Home Performance
(link to https://www.news-press.com/story/news/local/2019/01/17/bruno-total-home-performance-state-investigation-5-things-know/2603815002/)

Attorney general's office investigating Bruno Total Home Performance in Bonita Springs
(link to https://www.naplesnews.com/story/money/business/local/2019/01/15/law-enforcement-presence-bruno-total-home-performance-bonita-springs/2580545002/)

Homeowners shed light on state inquiry into Bruno Total Home air of Bonita
(link to https://www.naplesnews.com/story/money/business/local/2019/01/16/bruno-total-home-performance-still-open-business-day-after-law-enforcement-seized-documents-offi/2591820002/)

Small Business Owners Ask Attorney General to Investigate FPL's Business Practices Argue Company is Using Public Assets to Enter Private For-Profit Markets 

Link to Original Story 

The Florida Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (FRACCA) and a statewide coalition of mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors, the MEP Coalition for Fair Competition, today asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the business practices of Florida Power & Light (FPL). Specifically, the groups claim that FPL is misappropriating regulated public assets to enter private for-profit markets.

"FPL is using utility ratepayer funds and assets to buy their way into HVAC, electrical, plumbing and other industries and their goal is to put small local companies out of business and control these markets," said Jaime DiDomenico, the President of Cool Today, an HVAC, plumbing and electrical company based in Sarasota, and a member of the MEP Coalition for Fair Competition. "We hope the Attorney General will intervene to protect local businesses, jobs and consumers."

You may have seen a recent Herald Tribune article about a group of Southwest Florida air conditioning contractors that have organized in opposition to FPL’s expansion into for-profit home services.

Perhaps you just saw the headline, “Private contractors organize coalition to oppose FPL’s new services”, and decided, “this doesn’t affect me”, but here’s why you should be concerned…

Florida Power & Light (FPL), the largest utility in the state (and the 3^rd largest in the country), recently purchased Jupiter-Tequesta Air Conditioning, Plumbing and Electrical and re-branded it as FPL Energy Services. This unregulated subsidiary is leveraging the assets of its state-regulated parent and improperly accessing the data of its 10 million customers to offer them services like surge protection, water heater and plumbing protection, and now air conditioning maintenance.

Tucked neatly in your utility bill, you’ll find a too-good-to-be-true AC Maintenance offer from FPL Energy Services, but that’s just what it is – too good to be true…

The following is the press release from MACCA:

***PRESS RELEASE***

COALITION LAUNCHES TO OPPOSE FPL’S PREDATORY EXPANSION

A state-wide small business alliance called the MEP Coalition for Fair Competition launched today to oppose Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) predatory practices. Specifically, the coalition stated that the company is using its public resources for private gain in the home services market including air conditioning, heating, plumbing and electrical services. MEP is an acronym for mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors. www.MEPCoalition.org
Coalition organizers include the South Florida Air Conditioning Contractors Association (SFACA), the Southwest Florida Air Conditioning Contractors Association (SWACCA), the Manasota Air Conditioning Contractors Association (MACCA) and the Florida Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (FRACCA).

Did you recently receive an offer for air conditioning maintenance from FPL Energy Services?

You probably thought this was a new service that Florida Power & Light (FPL), the state-regulated utility that delivers energy to your home, was offering. After all, FPL Energy Services has a similar name, it uses the FPL logo, and the offer came in your FPL bill so why would you think anything else? But FPL Energy Services is not Florida Power & Light, and it is certainly not regulated in the same way.

FPL Energy Services is a for-profit subsidiary of Florida Power & Light (FPL). FPL is taking advantage of the relationship they have with its 10 million customers across half the state to sell them services like surge protection, water heater and plumbing protections, and now air conditioning maintenance through unregulated subsidiaries and affiliates that have not earned your trust.

FPL recently purchased Jupiter-Tequesta Air Conditioning, Plumbing and Electrical and re-branded it as FPL Energy Services (FPLES), but FPLES does not have their own technicians, they use contractors from outside the area who are desperate for any work they can get to offer services to unsuspecting customers who think they are dealing with FPL.

Local contractors work hard to build relationships in their communities, their kids go to school with your kids, they support youth sports in your community, and they help clean local parks and beaches. They know their customer base and they know they have to earn your trust every day.

Florida Power & Light doesn’t have to earn your trust, they’re the only game in town. They can afford to lose money by undercutting local contractors, many of whom have achieved the highest levels in their profession, then overcharge the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during a state disaster or raise your prices to recoup their losses.

Government subsidized businesses should not be allowed to operate unregulated for-profit businesses that target a captive audience. This is an unhealthy market disruption that does not bode well for local businesses or consumers who would be left with inferior service at higher prices, and fewer choices.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season is currently defined as the period between June 1 and November 30.

This All-Hazards Planning Guide has all the information you need to prepare for any disaster, in particular, another hurricane. Stay Safe Sarasota!

Prepare Now

This guide is produced by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council in partnership with your County Emergency Management Agency.

1. Make Your Family/Business Disaster Plan
2. Pull Together Disaster Supplies
3. Brace for Hurricanes
4. Discuss Your Evacuation Plans
5. Help Your Neighbor
6. Keep Your Pets Safe
7. Take Steps to Protect Your Home/Business
8. Review Your Insurance
9. Know Your Disaster Safety Tips
10. Know What to Expect After a Disaster

With the exception of those with “high-end” majors, skilled apprentices in the U.S. earn more than the average 4-year college graduate over their lifetimes, According to Dr. Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

In addition to their higher lifetime-earnings potential, an apprenticeship allows workers to earn money while learning a trade and get the hands-on experience that employers are looking look for so they are at a distinct advantage over those that are coming straight out of a classroom.

In contrast to earning as you learn, many who attend 4-year college institutions enter the workforce with staggering amounts of debt.

So why is it that less than 1% of workers in the U.S. begin their careers as apprentices?

Colorado recently became first state to offer a statewide youth-apprenticeship program. The program dubbed “Careerwise Colorado” was instituted because industries in the state were facing a severe shortage of “middle-skilled” workers. Middle-skills are those that require more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree.

This shortage of tradespeople is not unique to Colorado and it remains to be seen whether the success of Careerwise Colorado will lead to an increase in apprenticeship programs.

Scammers will often target neighborhoods with high concentrations of senior citizens then go door to door claiming to have spotted something in need of immediate repair like a hole in the roof, but this is only the first part of the scam.

Some scammers will use this tactic to simply gain access to a home. Often working in pairs, one of the supposed workers will distract the homeowner while the other enters the home and steals money or other valuables.

Some will demand payment up front then pretend to do the work they were hired to do or they simply won’t come back after they’ve received payment. Others will claim that, upon further inspection, the problem they had diagnosed from the street is more severe and will therefore cost more to repair.

Bottom line, good contractors are in high demand and they do not go door to door looking for business. These scammers are not licensed and they do shoddy work which can do more harm than good.

For more information on avoiding scams visit America's Repair Force

Thank you to all our wonderful clients who took the time to vote for Sean McCutcheon's Air Conditioning and Heating in the Herald-Tribune’s Readers’ Choice poll.

We love online shopping as much as the next guy, but there are some things you just shouldn’t buy online and one of them is an Air Conditioning Unit.

Lately, there’s been a surge in the number of people calling to find out how much we charge to install an Air Conditioning unit they bought online.

The short answer is $0.

Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating will not install a unit we did not purchase directly from the manufacturer and neither will most reputable Air Conditioning and Heating companies. You may be wondering why we wouldn’t just charge you for the labor and be glad that we didn’t have to deal with the hassle of loading and unloading this very heavy piece of equipment?

Air Conditioning and Heating systems are not “plug and play” like ovens or refrigerators. If you can save a few bucks by purchasing an oven or a refrigerator online, go right ahead. Air Conditioners, however, must be installed by skilled technicians who know how to purge the system, how to pull it into a vacuum, how to charge it with refrigerant, how to adjust the airflow, and much, much more.

But we have the skilled technicians, so what’s the problem?

The complexity of an Air Conditioning system installation gives online retailers a lot of room to shift blame, when a problem does occur, to issues related to the installation rather than a defect in the unit itself. This means they can easily get out of honoring the promises they make at the point of purchase and leave you holding the bag!

Manufactures don’t want to warranty equipment purchased online either…

Most manufacturer will not warranty equipment purchased online “unless installed by a licensed contractor”. This means you are covered, right? Well, not really. Because it is often hard to determine whether a problem was caused by a mistake in the installation, improper sizing of the unit, airflow issues or the equipment itself, the manufacturer can easily get out of honoring their warranty.

If you hire a licensed contractor and authorized brand dealer, like Sean McCutcheon’s Air Conditioning and Heating, to supply and install a unit and a problem arises, it does not matter whether the issue was caused by the installation or the equipment because, either way, you won’t be left holding the bag. The dealer that installed the unit will determine the cause of the problem, then work directly with the manufacturer to resolve the issue.

What happens if the equipment is damaged in transit?

Let’s say you do find a licensed contractor willing to install the equipment you purchased online and you agree on a price. The contractor clears their schedule, a crew shows up with all the additional materials required to get the job done, and they open the boxes only to find out that the equipment was damaged in transit and needs to be returned. Then what? If you guessed “I have to pay the contractor the agreed upon price”, you are correct!

You’ll also have to contact the retailer and return the unit yourself (hopefully the blame game hasn’t started yet). You may have to pay the contractor you hired to uninstall any equipment they already installed and then you’ll have to pay again to get the replacement unit installed.

What if the problem arises years after the initial installation?

Service companies, especially the ones that are not the most reputable, have a very high failure rate so it’s entirely possible that the company you used is no longer in business when your unit fails. Had you purchased the unit directly from a licensed contractor in your area, the manufacturer would be obligated to honor their warranty through another authorized dealer for their brand.

But what if I buy an Air Conditioning unit online from a company that offers installation?

Companies that provide installation for online purchases used to show the list of subcontractors that they essentially sold the lead to. This practice has fallen out of favor because online buyers quickly realized that these middlemen were not using top-rated companies. They use start-ups and other struggling contractors who need these leads to stay afloat.

This list of reasons why you shouldn’t buy and Air Conditioning unit online is by no means comprehensive but, hopefully, we’ve given you enough reasons why you should never buy something as intricate as an Air Conditioning system from anyone other than a licensed contractor in your area.

Don’t fall for insurance companies that offer policy’s that supposedly will repair or even replace your AC when it fails. They never replace the system – they will just keep sending people out to patch it up and keep it barely running.

According to Angies List “Historically, home warranty service companies have been one of the "worst graded" categories on Angie's List. Members misunderstanding or disagreeing with what their warranties cover and the quality of repair work are cited in the majority of complaints.”

Read the fine print. Some home warranty companies claim to cover major appliances but will in fact only cover a small portion of the total repair cost. They will also most likely send an Less than quality contractor out for the work.

The average cost of a basic coverage plan ranges from $350 to $600 a year, plus $50 to $75 per service call. However, consumers frequently expect more from these plans than they deliver. Home warranties aren’t insurance policies. They’re service contracts.

Some reasons not to use a Home Warranty Program:

• Don’t assume your policy will replace a faulty component. The warranty company may insist on repairing it instead.
• You may not be able to call your favorite service provider. Home warranties usually require you to use a contracted servicer.
• Home warranties rarely cover the entire cost. Claims may be rejected because of “pre-existing problems or insufficient maintenance”.
• When your AC breaks down in the middle of the summer you will wait a lot longer for it to be repaired because the HVAC contractors who work for the home warranty company will always take care of their own customers first. Also, most established air conditioning companies refuse to work with home warranty companies because there are very low margin, pre-determined, diagnosis and repair payment rates.
• The warranty companies have relationships with parts suppliers and usually want to provide the parts used for the repairs. The problem is they typically buy the cheapest part they can get…parts a technician would not put in his own AC unit because; “you get what you pay for”.
• Repair vs. Replace: There are conditions where repair is just impractical and if dealing directly with the customer, my advice as a technician would be to replace the equipment for improved comfort, efficiency, and plain common sense. The home warranty company however will only replace a unit that is unrepairable (very rarely is a unit unrepairable). Even when deemed unrepairable, they provide the cheapest, least efficient “pieces” of new equipment, not complete new “systems”.
• If you think that in the event of a catastrophic failure of your HVAC equipment you’ll be covered for a whole new central air and heating system…you’re probably in for more frustration and disappointment than you bargained for.

Find a good HVAC contractor to provide your maintenance and minor repairs as necessary, and when replacement time comes, you’ll get to choose the right system for you, your budget, and your needs.

Don’t trust anyone contacting you out of the blue with an unbelievable offer.

Reputable companies don’t go around promising free services or massive discounts. After all, they’re in business to make a profit. When someone makes you an unbelievable offer, you should maintain a healthy suspicion.

Be Cautious of Big Discounts or Phony Offers, especially when a company tells you they will give you cash for your old equipment. Most of the old equipment can be recycled and any coolant should be properly extracted from the unit and that can also be cleaned and recycled, but any reputable contractor will have already built this cost into their replacement estimate.

Any HVAC contractor who say’s they will give you $1,000 towards your new installation in exchange for your old equipment is makig up that money somewhere.

After all, this isn’t an old car you are trading in – once it leaves your home it will not be reinstalling it somewhere else. If an HVAC contractor is offering you cash for your old equipment this should throw up a huge red flag. This means that they are inflating the actual cost and overcharging you the amount they claim they are paying you.

It takes time, expertise and much work to properly dispose of HVAC equipment and nobody is going to do that for free. It’s Illegal to dispose of your own AC equipment, and only a trained professional will be able to remove the materials safely and according to specific regulations.

And even if the company is not offering cash back but the price seems too good to be true - make sure they aren’t cutting corners just to get the work and always get at least two quotes. It costs a lot of money to buy and install the best equipment and hire quality installers. Be sure the company you choose is not using second-rate equipment or taking shortcuts.

Today most of us shop on the internet – it’s quick, easy, and usually cheaper than any store.

However, sometimes attempting to save a few bucks can cost you plenty down the road.

Avoid HVAC discount websites - you are just asking for trouble. Those Too Good to be True cheap Internet deals usually do not carry a warranty! It’s standard for HVAC manufacturers to void the warranty on any system that was purchased online. This is because buying equipment online almost always leads to poor installation, which will, in turn, negatively affect how the system performs and how long it lasts. There is a very good reason reputable AC Techs are factory authorized – and that is mainly to protect you the consumer!

When you buy online, you’re taking on enormous risk.

HVAC is expensive and it’s tempting to try and look online for a good deal. However, without the advice of a knowledgeable HVAC specialist, you may get a lower price for the equipment, but will experience major consequences in the long-run with inefficient performance and replacement costs.

When trying to buy an HVAC system online the average person will not know which unit to get and will end up with something too large or too small. If the equipment is too small, it will never efficiently cool your home during the summer. If a system is too large, it will start to short-cycle until it breaks down prematurely. A qualified HVAC contractor will perform calculations to determine the right equipment.

Complicated systems need smart installers

Finding a quality contractor is just as important as having the right system, but professionals won’t install equipment that was purchased online because a warranty doesn’t cover it. They know what kind of risk the system is already running.

Even if you buy an energy efficient air conditioner at a lower price online, without proper installation, you can never expect it to work at the peak of efficiency and save you money. With HVAC, proper installation is critical for the best performance of your system.

When you go searching for a deal online, the lower price tag does look appealing. After all, installing a heating and air conditioning unit is a costly process. However, don’t let the lower price tag fool you. With no warranty, the wrong size, and improper installation, you are going to end up spending much more money trying to maintain your “bargain” system. That doesn’t sound like the smart thing to do. In the end you will always get what you pay for.

We are delighted to hear that Gold Star Father Kris Hager will be attending our Memorial Day lunch. Kris is the chairman of Gold Star Fathers of Florida, Inc. and he regularly speaks at events honoring our fallen soldiers. His son, SSG Joshua R. Hager, was killed in action on Feb. 22, 2007. Please join us as we honor fallen heroes like Josh on Thurs. May 25 from 11 to 2 at our shop at 5696 Pinkney Ave in Sarasota.

https://www.facebook.com/Gold-Star-Fathers-of-Florida-Inc-231305513653776/

2017 Sarasota Herald Tribune Readers Choice Finalist.

Sean McCutcheon's Air Conditioning and Heating is honored to have received the Angie's List Super Service Award for achieving and maintaining a superior service rating on Angie's List throughout 2016.

This achievement is particularly significant as Angie’s List experienced unprecedented member growth in 2016. More than 1.6 million consumers, many of whom were eager to quickly hire highly qualified service pros, joined Angie’s List after the company added a new, free membership tier.

“Companies that can meet higher demands without missing a beat in their exemplary performance standards truly do stand apart from their peers,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “Only a fraction of the HVAC companies in Sarasota, FL were able to do it.”

Angie’s List Super Service Award 2016 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, which include an “A” rating in overall grade, recent grade, and review period grade. The SSA winners must also be in good standing with Angie’s List, pass a background check and abide by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

High quality Air Filters can reduce the energy consumption of your Air Conditioning system by up to 16%. Quality filters may cost more in the short run, but they pay for themselves with lower energy bills, fewer repair bills, and cleaner air. Air filters with higher MERV ratings will remove more household allergens.