A routine AC maintenance call turned into a jaw-dropping bill. One homeowner's story from the r/hvacadvice subreddit had many readers shaking their heads in disbelief.
It started as a simple check-up on a roughly 20-year-old AC system in a small townhouse. But the situation blew up when the technician flagged a long list of problems. The original poster said they included a "big refrigerant leak and massive restriction in refrigerant lines" and "extremely high amp draw."
The OP said the tech insisted that the whole system needed to be replaced. Then came the price tag: $20,000. The contractor did dangle a same-day "discount" to shave a couple thousand off if the homeowner signed immediately.
The poster later added: "I feel very [gaslit] and lied to."
The sentiment echoed among Reddit users. Many urged the OP to get a second and third opinion before committing.
For readers and homeowners, this is a cautionary tale.
A service call meant to fix something minor, a clogged drain, ended with a proposed full-system overhaul and a five-figure quote. If your AC seems old or underperforming, it can pay to pause, take a breath, and explore other contractors and options. If you are conscious about environmental and financial impact, there are other options.
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Every month 📆 One Reddit user joked, "A good method you can tell when an AC guy is lying: their lips move."
If there's a takeaway from this story, it's this: don't let immediate sales pressure dictate what your home needs.
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