As we get older, our understanding of the difference between good and bad—right and wrong—evolves. This understanding often first takes on the form of playing cops and robbers or superheroes and bad guys in our childhood. As we grow, especially as we navigate adolescence and adulthood, we apply the labels “good” and “bad” (or “friend” and “enemy”) to a much wider span of people and experiences we encounter in the real world, like the person who cut you off in traffic or the neighbor who continually reports you to the HOA. 

However, as our perception of good and bad is developed over the years, it shapes how we react to certain situations, how we treat certain people, and how we make decisions—namely, who we choose to view as “enemies,” why we classify them as such, and how we decide to interact with them.

We’ve Probably Been “the Enemy” Before 

At one point or another in your life, you may have held a job that required you to do certain things that no one looked favorably on and be “the enemy.” Examples would be repossession services, parking ticket enforcement, and customer service at the local grocery store. 

If you’ve worked jobs like those, do you remember how that made you feel? That you were getting paid to cause misfortune to others, or that you were on the abuse end of enraged customers due to company policies you were being required to enforce? 

At the end of the day, we are just trying to make ends meet, whether to provide for our families or survive the day-to-day. As humans, we are emotional creatures, and with that comes the baggage of how we interact with each other on a daily basis. Sure, we can hide these seemingly menial interactions between each other, co-workers, and upper management, but eventually, they eat away at us. 

Enough about the psychology of the human condition—how does any of this relate to the HVAC industry?

The HVAC Industry’s “Enemies” 

Now, let’s get to the title of this article. I once worked for “the enemy.” Yes, I’ve been pretty open about the fact that I once worked for an HVAC manufacturer. I will let you guess which one.

“Enemy” is a harsh term and does not reflect my former employer; however, it is a term that a lot of technicians can relate to in the field when they have to tell the customer a part is no longer under warranty on their 5-year-old piece of equipment. The number of enraged end users and contractors who do not get the support they need to maintain what we in the industry call “brand loyalty” is overwhelmingly high. 

Customer frustration is the real enemy that harms everyone. When contractors can’t give their customers a positive experience with the manufacturer’s equipment due to a lack of support, the reputations of the contractor, the manufacturer, and the industry as a whole all tank.

So, for a manufacturer, the question then becomes: are the policies focused solely on profits and designed to snuff out small businesses? This would be an awful business strategy for both long-term and short-term profit, as well as sustainability within the industry. 

If not that, then why doesn’t the manufacturer help out with incidentals, repeat warranty callbacks, or general support of the product when faced with overwhelming adversity with the product? After all, the product is the one creating frustration for all parties, isn't it?

What Are Contractors Left Working With?

As it stands right now, a lot of the burden falls on the contractor to know the rules and work within them. Before even THINKING about asking for a new unit under warranty, you have to have done a lot of homework. Ask yourself, realistically, how well-versed you are on the warranty policy for the product you sell or are loyal to selling. 

It feels like you need to be a lawyer to understand the entire policy! And it sometimes seems like local support is notoriously unhelpful. Can you even trust the manufacturer’s local representatives to point you in the right direction? A great local salesman, especially one who has worked in the field as a technician themselves, can be a huge help. But not every location has someone who really knows the policy AND wants to support contractors. For every one of them, there are several who deny claims that should be covered or make false promises based on a twisted representation of a black-and-white policy—and who suffers when that’s the case? The contractor and their customers. 

There is a divide in the industry between those who know what their rights are with a piece of equipment and those who just don’t have time to read a 50-page warranty legal disclosure. (At worst, some may believe that the manufacturer is just out to get them.) 

What if I told you that there were items that you could be reimbursed for but never knew about? Frustrating, isn’t it? 

Having worked for a manufacturer, I will say that there is a problem with manufacturers dropping the ball in terms of educating contractors about what their policies cover. Manufacturers are also not particularly quick to adapt those policies to reflect changes in their products’ quality, durability, etc. 

This is the part when you say, “Well, what are you doing, then? If you know there is an issue, then fix it!” 

Unfortunately, the larger the company, the longer the process to adapt the changes needed due to the sheer number of products or people involved. This does not make change impossible, but it does create frustration.

Where Change Begins

This is where your local service support from the manufacturer steps in. I cannot speak for other manufacturers; however, when I worked for one, local representatives had the discretion to decide what to cover the cost of based on each unique scenario. Therefore, the gaps in coverage or repeat issues you are experiencing should be taken up by your factory service provider, as it is their job to lift that burden off of you as a contractor in whatever form that may be. 

Unfortunately, that is not the popular opinion among manufacturers, but this is where the change we talked about comes in. 

In the meantime, you can give yourself the edge to fight back against recurring costs you’ve once absorbed by arming yourself with the tools needed to work within the system that you have placed yourself in by purchasing a specific manufacturer’s equipment. There is no reason for a manufacturer to deny a valid warranty claim if you’ve done your homework and taken the steps you need to get a replacement. 

Remember: manufacturers do NOT have the same business structure or financial motivation as an insurance company, which is in the business to collect payments, not pay out on policies. However, misinformation plays a huge role in feeling like you have no other option but to swallow the cost (which is not what we should be allowing as an industry). Most of the claims and support mentioned above do require site visits and system evaluation, but if you have followed all the best practices, you should have no concerns. 

Now, enough of the manufacturer side of things—back to what this article is really about.

Working WITH Each Other, Not Against Each Other 

A great author (Stephen R. Covey) once wrote that “to be understood, we must first seek to understand.” Before we try to get our point across regarding an issue, concern, or general theory, we must first seek to understand the other person’s point of view. Only once they have felt that you fully understand where they are coming from can you then relay your opinion about the subject. What does this do? Opens up the dialog to have unpleasant conversations that lead to a word that we are still learning to apply to our lives on a daily basis: compromise. 

As the industry grows and we move forward with new technologies, there are pain points that were not present in the late 1990s, particularly related to quality, both on the manufacturing side and the tradesman side. How do we address these issues as an industry? Yelling and screaming about how one brand is garbage over another because of repeat failures or perceived lack of quality manufacturing? Telling contractors “to do better” on installation quality and proper applications when they are dealing with a labor shortage from a workforce that does not want to buy into the current way things are in this industry?

There is a reluctance to communicate and collaborate on both sides. Whether this reluctance started as one interaction that snowballed into a perpetuation of misunderstood policies in place or something that was said by a representative from a manufacturer in a training class, the fact of the matter is that we’re not working together as well as we could. 

So, what is the way forward that not only supports the manufacturer (the perceived “enemy” of contractors, in some cases) and the contractor but also the consumer? The way our industry finds this symbiotic relationship is by finding a series of compromises between the relationship that has only become more strained due to parts shortages and price increases:

• Improving the quality reporting system to address repeat failures 
• Making active product changes in real time and not several years down the road
• Having manufacturer warranties cover the cost of incidental materials used to make repairs covered under warranty
• Empowering contractors to seek out the proper training and education on both installation and application of the particular equipment they are selling

These compromises could all help to unburden the Mom & Pop HVAC contractors that are loyal to the products they have come to love. In turn, these steps could help reduce failures associated with quality OR improper installation, use, and service. 

Sounds Nice—How Do We Do It?

Where does change start? Some will argue that it only takes one person to evoke change across the industry. Others will argue that they are just one person—how could they really make a difference? 

There are those of you who have been advocating a similar type of change that coincides with this one for many years. It’s a position that may have set you apart as an outcast, motivated not by compensation for your efforts (because there has been ZERO) but by feeling that it is the right thing to do. Change comes from seeking to understand both points of view—the contractor’s and the manufacturer’s—and asking the simple question: “How can I help?” 

There will be companies and those in the industry that will continue to look out for themselves and ignore the change that needs to happen because they feel it does not directly relate to or affect them. However, they will eventually realize that this model we have created is not sustainable for either party. Anyone who thinks there is no longer room for improvement is only denying their own harsh reality that there is always room for improvement.

So, let’s kick off that conversation by asking each other these questions: 

• What needs to change and why? 
• Where are the pain points?
• What can be done by both parties to find a mutual solution that benefits the industry as a whole and leads to increased sustainability? 

Yes, manufacturers are bound by rules and regulations to limit liability in an industry that has progressed into a sue-first-ask-for-help-later mentality, which only exacerbates the issues caused by a lack of support. What’s the source of the problem? It’s the old mentality of blaming the manufacturer and not accepting responsibility for a failure tied directly to poor practices. If poor practices are indeed to blame, the only way forward is for contractors to acknowledge the problem, admit the need for help, and seek out better training.

With that said, manufacturers also need to stop denying costs associated with a product design flaw or defect and scapegoating contractors when there are no real installation issues. What I think that no one seems to really grasp is that we are all in the same boat trying to survive and feed our families. So, starting from this point on, be a part of the change—no longer accept the normalcy of the way things have always been done.

While there may be some tension between manufacturers and contractors, we really have more in common than not, including a common enemy: frustrated end users, poorly functioning equipment, and a less-than-stellar industry reputation. Instead of seeing the other side as “the enemy,” let’s start working together to defeat the real problems the industry faces. Manufacturers, contractors, how far are YOU willing to go to create this change that we desperately need?

I am willing to fight for what needs to be done to create a prosperous future for my children. I want to know how I can help contractors and manufacturers alike. If you have any ideas or questions, you can always reach me at roman@hvacrschool.com. Let's be the ones to start those discussions and spur change from there.

—Roman Baugh