$20,000 For An AC Repair??
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I just had to spend $10,800 for HVAC work…
BUT… - Our next family trip is completely covered - We’re an Amex family now - It’s a schedule C as a write off.
Here’s the story on this 👇
There’s a part 2 that I’ll post later where I deep dive into the genius sales strategies that ALMOST had me paying 20k for this service.
But for now I’ll breakdown the 10k version we went with.
THE REFERRAL:
After getting quoted 20k, I reached out to a smaller business. My neighbor used him and spoke highly of the service.
In the area I live there’s a big gap between this industry.
There’s a couple BIG names and then a bunch of smaller “mom and pop” shops. Without a referral, you don’t really know who’s who.
THE BIZ:
1 owner, 5 employees and a handful subcontractors.
He worked in the industry for other companies prior to going out on his own in 2007.
We all know what happened in the following years.
He battled through it and came out ahead.
I called him on a Saturday and he was at my house on Monday taking measurements.
1 week following that, we have a new AC.
THE TAKEAWAYS:
The owner was real and genuine. He wasn’t trying to sell me on anything and talked to me about the industry and personal experiences.
In a roundabout way, that’s the best way to sell.
While there’s a ton that can be learned from the sales strategy of the BIG names, in the end, people can smell 🐂 💩.
It was good, I’ll give them that, but something just didn’t feel right. And that’s why I went with another service.
THE BENEFITS:
10k is a hit. We don’t just go dropping that much on a regular basis… or really ever… but with a pregnant wife, 2 other littles and summer coming up. This was needed.
So HOW could we make this work for us?
Did some resesrch and found some credit cards with bigger perks for large purchases in the first 6 months.
Amex Marriott Bonvoy popped up.
We like Marriott and already had a trio planned later this year to stay in one.
With this purchase, that stay is taken care of on free nights and points
But that’s not all…
My wife works from home as a bookkeeper.
While I am NOT a CPA, and you should consult YOURS for any tax related advice, I spoke with mine and she said the AC repair can be in the Schedule C as a write off. 🤔
ENDING NOTES:
There’s wasn’t really any way around this purchase. It had to be done. But it doesn’t always have to be done by the BIG name guys.
Being upfront and genuine goes a long way in business. I know this from the business side, but being on the customer side it never ceases to amaze me how true that is.
Sometimes you get bent over with expenses. #HomeOwner. But there’s ways to make it more beneficial for you like we did with the CC points and tax write off.
I’ll write the next part on the blueprint for how this BIG name company ran their sales tactics on me.
