For food service businesses, keeping mission-critical HVAC & Refrigeration equipment in good condition with regular maintenance helps reduce operating costs and prevent business disruption. With commercial HVAC & refrigeration maintenance agreements, you get the best price and a trusted service partner to support your business.
Maintenance agreements (also called service contracts) come in different types and have a wide range of prices. It can be challenging to figure out which one is right for your needs.
Here’s everything you need to know to choose the best HVAC & Refrigeration maintenance agreements for your business.
Types of HVAC & Refrigeration maintenance agreements
An HVAC maintenance agreement covers your heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment, while a Refrigeration maintenance agreement covers all refrigeration units in your kitchen. Agreements generally cover preventive maintenance and some types cover some repair costs. These are the types of HVAC & Refrigeration maintenance agreements you can choose from:
- PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE: This is the least expensive maintenance agreement, which covers a number of scheduled maintenance visits each year. The number will vary based on your equipment and your operation, but many restaurants will need quarterly maintenance to keep equipment in good condition. During these visits, a technician thoroughly inspects and cleans your equipment, and tests the components for proper operation. When needed, worn parts are replaced.
- FULL LABOR: In addition to maintenance, a full labor maintenance agreement covers all the labor needed for repairs. However, you are responsible for parts. This type of contract costs more than one that only covers maintenance.
- FULL COVERAGE: This refrigeration maintenance agreement is the ultimate insurance policy, because it covers all parts and labor, emergency service and preventative maintenance. This level of coverage costs more, but can save you a lot of money if you need expensive repairs. A full coverage contract also gives you peace of mind and allows you to budget for your HVAC & Refrigeration service expenses with no surprises.
TIP: Maintenance agreements should be customized to meet the specific needs of your business.
What else affects the price?
The prices for maintenance agreements can vary quite a bit, making it tricky to compare with what your peers may be paying for service. Here are the factors that affect the pricing of HVAC & Refrigeration maintenance agreements:
- Number and type of equipment items that require service
- Age & condition of equipment
- Number of maintenance visits you need
- Included maintenance tasks
- Distance the service provider has to travel
- Night or weekend service requirements
How to spot a good maintenance agreement
To ensure you’ll be getting quality service that delivers the benefits you need, here’s what should be included on a maintenance agreement for HVAC or Refrigeration equipment:
- A complete list of covered equipment items
- A list of tasks performed at each maintenance visit (these HVAC & Refrigeration maintenance checklists can help you compare)
- How often maintenance will be performed, and during what hours
- Post-maintenance reports you can expect
- Description of included parts and labor
- What’s not included, and what you will be charged for labor that’s outside contract terms
- Procedures and cost threshold for repair estimates
- How appointment scheduling works
- Process for renewing the agreement
- Payment options
Red flags to look for
You can tell at a glance if you’re looking at a poor maintenance agreement:
A single-page agreement. Maintenance agreements should include all the details listed above. There’s no way to fit all that on one page.
Tiny type. We see lots of contracts with all the terms & conditions squeezed into one dense paragraph in 6 point type. This is a common practice when the vendor hopes you won’t read it.
Lots of legalese. If you’re not a lawyer, this type of language makes it hard to understand what you’re agreeing to. It’s meant to protect the vendor, not you.
A price that’s too good to be true. Our advice: you’ll get what you pay for. And, it’s surprisingly easy to figure out if that’s true by doing the math. Start with the price of the contract and divide that by the company’s hourly rate for service. That’s how many hours of service you’ll be getting. Now divide that by the number of visits, and again by the number of equipment items covered. That’s how much time the company plans to spend on each equipment item. You might be surprised to find out that this low bidder will spend 4 minutes on each piece of equipment.
Why choose one service provider for HVAC & Refrigeration maintenance?
Did you know that HVAC problems can affect the performance of your Refrigeration equipment, and vice versa? That’s just one reason to choose one service provider with expertise in both HVAC & Refrigeration maintenance and repairs. And there’s more:
- Reduced paperwork
- Simpler communication
- One dedicated account manager devoted to your business
- Coordinated planning for service and equipment replacements
- Best response times in an emergency
Here in the New York City metro area, hundreds of food service professionals trust Arista to take care of their HVAC and Refrigeration equipment. Give us a call to discuss your needs.
