By Ayman Adly/Staff Reporter
Technicians at workshops repairing air-conditioners (ACs) have had their hands full for the past few months due to the sweltering conditions in the country.
However, many customers complain of “inefficient service” by some mechanics that does not guarantee a quality and reliable job. Besides, the labour charges demanded by technicians are not well-defined and depend on factors like the time required to do a job, they point out.
With both temperatures and humidity levels soaring during this time of the year, keeping air-conditioners in running condition is given top priority. In particular, the humidity levels have been very high over the last few days, increasing the load on ACs.
“The AC is generally considered the most important gadget at home, without which it is impossible to survive during summer. However, the problem is that most workshops get a lot of business now and ask people to wait. Customers are ready to let anybody who claims to be qualified to do the work for them, with no guarantee of a quality job,” said a young local man.
The cost of repairing or servicing ACs usually starts from QR100, it is learnt, and can increase significantly depending on the complexity of the job.
The job can be done at home or at the workshop, with the latter involving higher charges and more time.
“With high temperatures and humidity levels, the demand for AC services is very high, especially when it comes to low-quality machines, which often start giving trouble within a year. Sometimes, the repair charges and cost of spare parts become so high that customers prefer to opt for a new AC instead of getting the old one fixed,” said an expatriate director of a workshop.
Explaining the high repair rates, he said the charges are reasonable as the operational costs of workshops have also increased. Besides, they spend most of the winter without adequate work to incur costs such as staff salaries, rent and others.
“Also, it pays to give a decent sum for a qualified technician and get a good job done rather than picking somebody with no real knowledge of the work at a low cost,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, an Asian technician said a common problem with split ACs was water dripping from the indoor unit.
“Sometimes, the problem is simple and it is only a blockage in the hose that needs to be cleared and routine cleaning has to be done, which may take up to 15 minutes. However, if the technician is not good at his job and is a manipulative person, he may spend hours looking to figure out the problem and then ask for higher charges,” he added.
