Editor’s Note: The following remarks were made on The NEWS’ group, The NEWS Network, on LinkedIn. These comments are on whether a/c distributors should have a certification that shows they’re only selling to certified contractors.

It’s About the Money

Does the contractor have money? If yes, then sell to them. It’s about money for the distributor and what the size of the share is and what programs the distributor can sell to the contractor. As long as the warranty numbers are in an acceptable range, the distributor couldn’t care less.

Clinton Martin
Service Director
Airefco Inc.
Greater Seattle area

Don’t Warranty Units Installed by Just Anyone

What exactly does certification really mean?

Manufacturers who prefer taking on the responsibility of certifying dealers are already doing so. Why should a distributor handicap themselves by requiring certification above what manufacturers of products require?

Some of the worst installs I have inspected were done by “certified” contractors. There is nothing that says adding another layer of bureaucracy to the process will ensure anything as far as the installs are concerned.

So what if a distributor certifies contractors? Is someone from the distributor going to inspect every system that they sell? Is that distributor going to tell a company buying a million dollars of product each year that they are not going to continue selling to them because their installs are not up to snuff?

Robin Boyd
Consultant
H-VAC Consulting
Lancaster, Pa., area

Publication date: 12/19/2011