It seems like the cost to get anything fixed, where home or auto, has gone crazy.

Examples so far this year:

1. Toyota Avalon - had alternator replaced at dealer. I figured $500-$750 for repair. Nope - $1410. The dealership
just said that spent several hours to remove parts to get to the alternator. Really?
2. AC Compressor Dual Capacitor - replacement cost $289. I found the exact part later online for less than $30.
3. Had Gas furnace flame sensor and igniter module replaced today - $440. Took technician 10 minutes to
replace. Afterwards I found the parts online for $75.
4. 6 year old refrigerator that wasn't keeping temperature. Tech replaced dual evaporative valve for $1350. That failed after two weeks and had to buy new refrigerator. Technician was a fraud.

I some technical skill, and I guess I need to check out more youtube videos to do the work myself. Seems like since Covid, labor rates have gone crazy. End of rant.

Quad Dog said:

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Here's a fun video showing what they have to remove to get to the alternator in an Avalon. They don't design cars to be easily reparable anymore.
You have to remove a belt, drain coolant, and a bunch of other stuff just to get to the alternator.

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There's some truth to that.

I recently had to replace the alternator in my wife's newer-model Ford. After hearing that my B-I-L had just had one replaced in the same model for a cool $800, I decided to do it myself. I mean, hell, unless you're a BMA, $800 will buy a lot of peanuts and beer.

Took me the better part of a day, and I spoke the Queen's English in new and different ways while doing it.

By comparison, I replaced the alternator in my older Mercury Grand Marquis in about 20 minutes.

But, I do think the OP makes a good point. When I hear of people paying $1,600 just to have a damn water heater replaced in their home (not in an attic either), I just shake my head.

And, maybe some of those high-dollars bills can be justified IF someone competent is doing the repair. I've been very disappointed in the competency (and sometimes honesty) of modern 'techs'.

And I'll agree, YouTube videos are a great training source. I'm constantly amazed how I'll watch something from what appears to be a backwoods Arkansas hillbilly and that MF'er knows what he's doing at the PHD level. Don't judge a book by its cover.

It is ridiculous. I paid $500 to have a dishwasher drain pipe replaced last month.

A good friend (fairly well off) in central PA is putting a 20x20 addition on his house. Just a two story box on the side of his house. Necessary to carve out a decent amount of dirt due to grade drop off.

He got a bid for excavation (just dig, foundation drains, grade and a small retaining wall)...$40k. He called someone else, apples to apples comparison of work...$13k.

He has a very nice house and property, so I do believe he gets a 'nice house upcharge' whenever he gets work done. But the moral of the story is that you have to shop around. Contractors are busy and are going to throw possibly outrageous prices out there. If you can afford to be patient, you can hope to still get reasonable work done for a reasonable price.

Somewhat related- Any company who needs your zip code before giving you a quote is full of it. ABC Pest pulled this even though they are located all around the city. Will they provide a better service based on where I live? Doubt it.

Tradesmen gotta make a living too. Think about your work days. Do you ever think that your employer may have overpayed on a few occasions for the work you did that day? Relative to how much work you actually did that day. Street goes both ways.

BiggiesLX said:

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Somewhat related- Any company who needs your zip code before giving you a quote is full of it. ABC Pest pulled this even though they are located all around the city. Will they provide a better service based on where I live? Doubt it.

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I would imagine asking for a location has to do with pricing, not the level of service.

BiggiesLX said:

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Somewhat related- Any company who needs your zip code before giving you a quote is full of it. ABC Pest pulled this even though they are located all around the city. Will they provide a better service based on where I live? Doubt it.

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It's a thing. I don't know where all ABC services but pricing between San Antonio, Houston, Austin, and Dallas is notably variable. A mid sized house roofed in Austin will cost $6,000 more than the exact same house in San Antonio. ABC is asking for the zip because pricing varies across cities and even across zips in the same city. Their supplies will cost more in expensive zips and your cost will be more as well to reflect that. It may make folks uneasy, but It's part of maintaining A profitable business.

Jason_InfinityRoofer said:

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BiggiesLX said:

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Somewhat related- Any company who needs your zip code before giving you a quote is full of it. ABC Pest pulled this even though they are located all around the city. Will they provide a better service based on where I live? Doubt it.

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It's a thing. I don't know where all ABC services but pricing between San Antonio, Houston, Austin, and Dallas is notably variable. A mid sized house roofed in Austin will cost $6,000 more than the exact same house in San Antonio. ABC is asking for the zip because pricing varies across cities and even across zips in the same city. Their supplies will cost more in expensive zips and your cost will be more as well to reflect that. It may make folks uneasy, but It's part of maintaining A profitable business.

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Jason, I'm curious to learn why $6k more? Is it labor rates, cost of materials, travel costs? All?

I'm in the northeast in the cabinet business, and cost of materials don't really change from one supplier to another by more than a few percentage points. Maybe because it is a crowded area and competition for business from suppliers is strong?

Labor rates can vary a little from eastern Pa where I am, to central NJ, but then it goes bonkers when you step foot in NYC. Same with travel to NYC, nightmare.

Usually for cabinetry, a lower price usually means a sacrifice in quality. I was curious as to what it means in the roofing business.

I just looked and I am going to have to remove the battery and air cleaner box just to change the headlight bulbs on my truck. I wish I still owned my 83 silverado. Took about 3 minutes to change those bulbs.

If it's a roof I'd imagine that some areas are tougher than others to deal with. Everything too close together, don't allow a dumpster or large trailer for the tearoff so they have to use multiple small trailer trips, maybe an extra local permit that has to get pulled. Could be a lot of things.

Daughter had a Ford Escape while at A&M and when she called and said the battery was dead, we got into it pretty good when she couldn't jump it and then subsequently replace it. She had a friend come over and try to take it out also and he couldn't do it (I'm sure I said some choice words about his daddy raising him). I was pretty rough on her until I called it up on youtube DIY at which point I called and apologized profusely. Similar to the video above.

We were out in Sedona and a young lady had her battery go down in a remote camp spot. We were in a rental so no cables and when I saw it was an escape, I told her she should just push it off the cliff and claim insurance.

I've tackled a lot of stuff and man those videos help. Now I'm at the age if I'm laying down with a cabinet edge in the middle of my back or having to use my left hand exclusively to remove a bolt 1/64th of a turn at a time, I'm calling in the cavalry.

62strat said:

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BiggiesLX said:

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Somewhat related- Any company who needs your zip code before giving you a quote is full of it. ABC Pest pulled this even though they are located all around the city. Will they provide a better service based on where I live? Doubt it.

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I would imagine asking for a location has to do with pricing, not the level of service.

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I think that's his point....

They're asking for zip code to upcharge "expensive" zip codes. His question...since they're upcharging, is he getting better service?

htxag09 said:

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62strat said:

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BiggiesLX said:

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Somewhat related- Any company who needs your zip code before giving you a quote is full of it. ABC Pest pulled this even though they are located all around the city. Will they provide a better service based on where I live? Doubt it.

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I would imagine asking for a location has to do with pricing, not the level of service.

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I think that's his point....

They're asking for zip code to upcharge "expensive" zip codes. His question...since they're upcharging, is he getting better service?

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that's a stretch. they are asking for zip code because 50 miles away is more time and money than 5 miles away… to physically get there.
Also the tax rate is different.

62strat said:

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htxag09 said:

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62strat said:

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BiggiesLX said:

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Somewhat related- Any company who needs your zip code before giving you a quote is full of it. ABC Pest pulled this even though they are located all around the city. Will they provide a better service based on where I live? Doubt it.

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I would imagine asking for a location has to do with pricing, not the level of service.

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I think that's his point....

They're asking for zip code to upcharge "expensive" zip codes. His question...since they're upcharging, is he getting better service?

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that's a stretch. they are asking for zip code because 50 miles away is more time and money than 5 miles away… to physically get there.
Also the tax rate is different.

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See his example, ABC pest, they are located all over Houston so highly unlikely that the difference in distances is substantial.

I completely believe that charging more in nicer neighborhoods is a thing. I just moved to a "nice" neighborhood, realtor told us it was a thing and we've already seen it.

Tony Franklins Other Shoe said:

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Daughter had a Ford Escape while at A&M and when she called and said the battery was dead, we got into it pretty good when she couldn't jump it and then subsequently replace it. She had a friend come over and try to take it out also and he couldn't do it (I'm sure I said some choice words about his daddy raising him). I was pretty rough on her until I called it up on youtube DIY at which point I called and apologized profusely. Similar to the video above.

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I replaced the battery in my wife's Escape when she had it. Yes, it was a MASSIVE pain in the ass.

htxag09 said:

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62strat said:

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htxag09 said:

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62strat said:

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BiggiesLX said:

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Somewhat related- Any company who needs your zip code before giving you a quote is full of it. ABC Pest pulled this even though they are located all around the city. Will they provide a better service based on where I live? Doubt it.

---

I would imagine asking for a location has to do with pricing, not the level of service.

---

I think that's his point....

They're asking for zip code to upcharge "expensive" zip codes. His question...since they're upcharging, is he getting better service?

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that's a stretch. they are asking for zip code because 50 miles away is more time and money than 5 miles away… to physically get there.
Also the tax rate is different.

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See his example, ABC pest, they are located all over Houston so highly unlikely that the difference in distances is substantial.

I completely believe that charging more in nicer neighborhoods is a thing. I just moved to a "nice" neighborhood, realtor told us it was a thing and we've already seen it.

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I will say this;
Semi related anyway.

I order food off the mcdonalds app now and again, either at work, or at home, which are two very different locations.

Several times (enough to where I've done it on purpose now to confirm) I'll put an order in my cart, and add lettuce or tomato to a burger that doesn't otherwise come with it and it's no charge

Then before confirming order, I realize the location is wrong; I'll change it and prompts me to say that prices in the cart have been updated, and sure enough, now lettuce and tomato are $0.30-$0.50

But here's the kicker, it charges for these extras near my work, which is a very low income housing area. The extra toppings are free near my house, which is top 10 wealthiest counties in the US.

I've done it both ways where there is a charge for the toppings because the location is my work, but I'm at home. So I change it, and those extra topping charges go away.

In both cases, the menu prices are the exact same.


So yeh I do believe this happens, but it's not always in the manner in which seems obvious (gouging the wealthy)

It's not like McDonald's corporate is setting the price. Each franchisee has different costs, so the food has different prices depending where you go.

MGS said:

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It's not like McDonald's corporate is setting the price. Each franchisee has different costs, so the food has different prices depending where you go.

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Either way, the franchisee in the poor neighborhood is charging almost $1 to add lettuce/tomato on a burger that doesn't come with it, while the franchisee in the wealthy neighborhood isn't.

Goes back to exactly what we're talking about; a company asking for a zip code to give a quote. You may think they want to know if they can add on a 'rich' tax, but it may not necessarily be true. Things cost different depending where you go, even locally.

There are all sorts of reasons including but not limited to regulations, material prices, labor prices, permit prices, etc etc. All those little things add up.

It's a trickle up thing though. In Austin, for instance, the cost of living is higher than say, San Antonio. So, materials cost more because local labor and salaries cost more because those guys have to make more to live locally. That eventually trickles all the way up to you, the consumer, who complains it costs too much and then go ask your boss for a raise….and then your employer pays you more so his costs go up and round and round.

That's why it pays for everyone to research and figure out what costs are or should be without sacrificing quality.

It's also why 99% of my work is insurance related. I don't have to compete with pricing. I like it that way. Only service and quality of work matters. The price is already set. I get paid a determined amount for each Project from the insurance company. Your price is the same regardless of whether you have a Ferrari in the drive or a 23 year old truck.

But this thread has highlighted two important things when it comes to out of pocket pricing:

1.). If you have a 1M dollar house and a Porsche sitting in the driveway, your price will probably be more from someone selling to you door to door. We shouldn't pretend that doesn't happen.

2.) A carpenter, for instance, will be and should be paid more in some areas than others.

Two of your examples are pretty well known services that charge high (maybe Gouge) hvac and Car dealerships service departments. You should not really be surprised there.

I have gone through a stage where our cars have mostly been under warranty and therefore take them to the dealer mostly. I will sometimes knowing pay for them to do nonwarranty items at a higher cost than I know I can find elsewhere because they already have the car, I have their loaner and the convenience is worth the difference. BUT you need to have an idea of how their prices compare.

Last year, my 2013 G37 needed a power steering pump/motor and some other stuff. Took it to the dealer to have them check it over because soon it would be going to college and I wanted it checked out. They quoted around $1500 for the powersteering and found a vacuum tube fitting that had broken and wanted around $600 for that. Called the local mechanic that my Dad used for 35 years and he did the PS for $450. I fixed the fitting with a $2 cpvc 90 fitting. If your car is out of warranty, you really should find an honest local mechanic and never take it back to the dealer!

HVAC companies historically upcharge on parts a lot. Before Ecommerse was a thing you basically could not even buy parts without a license. They had a nice thing going.

I can generally fix just about anything if I want to mess with it. It comes down to savings versus hassle and desire. The college car came home last weekend with a drivers door that wouldn't open. Never even heard of that being a problem. Was amusing to me that daughter had to crawl across from the passenger side for a week. She was not amused. Google found the problem for me. Youtube provided some guidance for the fix. It wasn't hard, if you have tools and some mechanical aptitude, but it was a few hours and a pain in the butt. I decided it was worth my time to save a thousand dollars.

As someone who has worked in trades and whose current business is consulting which is trade like in income, I understand why they do what they do. Some push harder than I like. But I can tell you that the associated expenses are a lot more than you think. Most small companies/sole proprietors aren't charging you enough to get rich and keeping up with inflation is tough.

There is also a lot of value in the knowledge/expertise component. Youtube and ecommerse are game changers if you are inclined to buy some tools and DIY. Mot things are not that hard to fix. But sometimes diagnosis is tough. Sometimes a simple rookie mistake could be deadly and the chance of messing something up worse is always there (been there done that.)

Regarding asking for location before quoting. I do it, now since I inspect houses, I could say I have to have the address and it IS helpful. But I suppose, I could quote without that. For me it is more about drive time and distance and if the house is in the area I want to serve. Yes, I charge more if you are an hour away than if you are down the street. Time is money to these small businesses. I don't doubt that some companies adjust prices for higher income areas. But that is their right. If you don't like it, call someone else.

The pricing difference by area is very common. Targets in Bryan and College Station chate different prices, I know...or did Christmas before last.

Unless something is fully covered by a warranty, I rarely ever step foot in a dealership. My local honest mechanic doesn't charge near what their hourly rate is. He only has to make enough money to keep his auto repair shop open. Most car dealers now days, only make profits in service, not sales. So all that sales staff and fancy buildings have to be paid for by something. Guess what it is? Your repair work on your vehicle.