Service contract thoughts

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BigJohnfromCT

BigJohnfromCT

Feeling the Heat
Dec 29, 2012
325
Danbury, CT
History: Stove (Quad Mt Vernon AE) was dealer installed in March 2011. With the exception of an igniter failure, which I replaced, I have had absolutely no problems with it. At the end of every season I have the stove serviced by the dealer. I do this becaue I'm not really crazy about going up on the roof and I'm not as flexible as I used to be, I.e. bending and twisting to get around the stove to really clean it. That service costs $199.00.

Yesterday, I received a postcard from the dealer offering a service contract for $399.00. The price includes end of season cleaning, one midwinter cleaning, parts and repair. While it I initially sounded like a good deal, I'm beginning to have second thoughts.

One example, I have a problem midwinter, I troubleshoot (I have the service manual) get the part, hopefully the same day install it and I'm up and running. Of course, if I get the wrong part it might not be returnable.

Same situation, but I use the dealer. He gets the call, puts me on the list for service and I wait while my propane furnace runs. If he puts in the wrong part it's his problem. I would really appreciate your thoughts on the matter. Thank you.
 
You are going to spend a extra 200.00 but they said parts and labor didn't they? The igniters are cheap on a AE but what about if the control board goes bad or if that heavy cast iron heat exchanger breaks? There is some high priced parts in a AE and at some point they will fail.. You also get the benefit of professionally cleaned and as we get older the crawling up on the roof looks less appealing each year. Whats a broken leg cost these days? Bet its more then 200.00. I used to paint buildings for a living and height never bothered me. But as I got older I know my reactions got slower and decided it was time for the investment of a bucket truck. This allowed me to keep working but in a safer environment until I decided to retire. During the past few years I visited with a few do it yourselfers who injured themselves and they all said that 200.00 is a bargain.
 
Im not a big fan of service contracts but in your particular case it may be the way to go. You are spending 200.00 each year anyway. The service contract covers that cleaning so the real cost of the contract to you is $200 not 400. for 200 a year you get an extra cleaning (which is good for the stove) and after that if just one thing breaks a year you made out. if nothing breaks in a particular year you broke even.

For myself, it would be a huge waste as i do my own cleanings. I could take that $400 and invest in spare parts to have in stock in case of emergency. I actually did do this and over the past 2 years always keep a spare motor (auger, combustion, convection), gaskets and other parts. Only thing i dont have extra is a control board.
 
One question would be how much do you burn a year? If you only burn a ton, then 1 cleaning (at the end of the year) is plenty, so that extra $200 might not be a good deal. If you burn several tons a year, then that mid-season cleaning just might make it worth it.

Are the Parts and Repair for things found during the cleanings, or are they for any and all services calls that season? My thought is it is for the former, not the latter. As a contract analyst, my suggestion is to get clarification on that (or maybe it is spelled out more thoroughly and you condensed it in your post?).
 
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Learning to make your own repairs is fairly simple and you can save money fast doing that. I do all my repairs and cleaning myself. Most of the time you can just about predict the items you will eventually need and keep a extra for that moment. The AEs were know for igniter failure and they aren't expensive so I would keep a extra. One important thing is remember to unplug the stove in the summer. One hit by lightening can cost you a control board which is around 500.00 or more on most stoves
 
bogieb said:
One question would be how much do you burn a year? If you only burn a ton, then 1 cleaning (at the end of the year) is plenty, so that extra $200 might not be a good deal. If you burn several tons a year, then that mid-season cleaning just might make it worth it.

Are the Parts and Repair for things found during the cleanings, or are they for any and all services calls that season? My thought is it is for the former, not the latter. As a contract analyst, my suggestion is to get clarification on that (or maybe it is spelled out more thoroughly and you condensed it in your post?).
Click to expand...

Typically I burn 4 tons. Last year, 5 tons and a few bags.
 
rona said:
Learning to make your own repairs is fairly simple and you can save money fast doing that. I do all my repairs and cleaning myself. Most of the time you can just about predict the items you will eventually need and keep a extra for that moment. The AEs were know for igniter failure and they aren't expensive so I would keep a extra. One important thing is remember to unplug the stove in the summer. One hit by lightening can cost you a control board which is around 500.00 or more on most stoves
Click to expand...

Yep, agree with unplugging. I also disconnect the OAK to keep humid air out of the unit.
 
rona said:
One important thing is remember to unplug the stove in the summer. One hit by lightening can cost you a control board which is around 500.00 or more on most stoves
Click to expand...

For my Harman the board is $200 at one of the local dealers (at one of the better local dealers).

But yeah, as soon as heating season is over the UPS gets turned off, gets unplugged.
 
My opinion is its a waste of money. Sounds like you werent doing a complete cleaning mid season and were fine, so your getting a mid season cleaning you dont need. You have propane heat it wont break the bank to wait a few extra days to figure out what is going on if the stove quits.
 
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