Sure they knew that their air conditioner was broken. They knew that their boiler wasn’t holding temperature. But they could not diagnose the problem. Now that you or your technician has told them what needs to be replaced, they decide it is time to save a couple hundred bucks and try to fix it themselves. And yes, they will call and want advice on how to put it in and what to do if the equipment doesn’t run quite right.

In the initial conversation after you have given them a price on a repair and after they have told you how cheap they can fix it themselves, you could have steered the conversation where it needs to go. Build value in what your company offers. Tell the customer that you take the time to order the parts from a supplier that you trust. Tell them about the warranties that you offer (maybe 3 months labor and 6 months parts). If your customer were to buy the part from www.partsripoff.com to save a hundred bucks and the part is wrong or broken, do you think they will be able to return it?

You provide an important service to your customers. You go through the headache of getting repair parts. You stand behind your repairs and the parts that you sell. That $400 fan motor isn’t just a $400 fan motor. It was a diagnostic service call. It was an expert coming to troubleshoot a complex piece of equipment. It was a repair that makes your family or your business comfortable or a chiller keeping machinery cool enough to continue production. It is a promise that the part will work.

Build value. Convey that value. If  a customer wants to save a a couple hundred dollars and try to handle everyhing for themselves, than that is your choice. You will not have to track down the parts, and you will not have to fight it out with an online retailer who won’t stand behind their product. But take the chance to sell your services and always convey the value your company adds to your customer.