Dear Parts Counter Guy
We See You. We Appreciate You. And Yes, We Forgot the Model Number Again.
We see you.
It’s 7:43 in the morning.
You just walked through the door.
Coffee in one hand. Keys in the other. You haven’t even fully turned the lights on yet.
And somehow there are already four HVAC technicians standing at your counter.
How?
Nobody knows.
One guy needs a capacitor.
One guy needs a contactor.
One guy has brought you a motor that hasn’t been manufactured since the Reagan administration and would like:
“Whatever crosses over.”
And one of us has a picture of a data plate that is somehow both blurry and missing the model number.
You haven’t even logged into the computer.
You look at us.
We look at you.
Good morning.
You put your coffee down.
Turn on the computer.
And begin another beautiful day in HVAC distribution.
Then the front door opens.
You look up.
Oh no.
It’s a homeowner.
Meet Tammy
Her name is Tammy.
We don’t actually know that.
But today, her name is Tammy.
Tammy is holding a capacitor in a Ziploc bag.
She walks directly to the counter.
“I need one of these.”
You look at it.
Yep.
That is definitely a capacitor.
You politely explain that this is a wholesale HVAC supply house and you only sell equipment and parts to licensed contractors.
Tammy does not care for this answer.
“Why?”
Well—
“It’s just a capacitor.”
Yes, ma’am.
“I can buy one online.”
Also true.
“Then why won’t you sell me one?”
Because we only sell to contractors.
This answer has somehow become less acceptable every time you’ve said it.
But it turns out Tammy doesn’t actually need a capacitor.
Not yet.
Tammy needs something else.
Tammy needs answers.
“Can I Ask You Something?”
You already know you don’t want her to.
But here we go.
Tammy lowers her voice.
“The AC guy at my house says I need a new capacitor.”
Okay.
“He wants almost $400.”
Ah.
There it is.
Tammy pulls out her phone.
“Is that what these cost?”
And just like that, at 7:48 in the morning, you have been involuntarily appointed independent arbitrator of an HVAC service invoice.
You try to explain.
There’s the cost of the part.
But the contractor also has a truck.
Insurance.
Licensing.
Payroll.
Fuel.
Diagnostic time.
Travel time.
Training.
Tools.
Overhead.
Warranty responsibility.
And, presumably, the knowledge required to determine that the capacitor in Tammy’s Ziploc bag was actually the problem in the first place.
Tammy remains unconvinced.
Because Tammy has done research.
She turns her phone around.
“It’s $18.47 online.”
There it is.
You knew it was coming.
Somewhere across town is an HVAC technician in a spotless white shirt who has absolutely no idea that his entire pricing structure is currently on trial at your parts counter.
Tammy pulls up the invoice.
“Does this look right to you?”
Sir.
You sell capacitors.
You did not go to law school.
You don’t know this company’s overhead.
You don’t know what they diagnosed.
You don’t know what else they’re doing.
You don’t know their warranty.
You don’t know their pricing structure.
You don’t even know Tammy.
You met her six minutes ago.
But Tammy needs answers.
She just wants to know if the technician in the white shirt is ripping her off.
And somehow this has become your morning.
Meanwhile, There Are Now Seven of Us
Tammy’s investigation has attracted an audience.
Behind her are now seven HVAC technicians waiting to buy parts.
Nobody is happy.
One guy keeps looking at his watch.
Another is staring at the floor because he desperately does not want to become involved in this conversation.
A third guy is absolutely listening because he wants to know:
“Damn. White Shirt’s getting $400 for capacitors?”
He files this information away for later.
Tammy is still talking.
You haven’t taken a sip of your coffee.
It’s 7:56.
Welcome to the parts counter.
And We’re Not Much Better
We shouldn’t pretend Tammy is the only problem you have.
Because then you have to deal with us.
And we’re terrible.
We walk into the supply house with the confidence of people who know exactly what we need.
“I need a blower motor.”
Okay.
What unit?
“Carrier.”
Which Carrier?
“It’s a three ton.”
Fantastic.
We’ve narrowed 40 years of HVAC manufacturing down to a brand and approximate capacity.
You ask for the model number.
…
It’s in the truck.
Of course it’s in the truck.
We’ll be right back.
Or We Show You a Picture
We’re getting better.
We have smartphones now.
So instead of remembering the model number, we take pictures.
Unfortunately, the picture looks like it was taken during an earthquake.
You zoom in.
Enhance.
Zoom again.
Nothing.
The model number is cut off.
But we did get an absolutely spectacular high-resolution photograph of the UL logo.
“Can you tell what this is?”
No.
No, you cannot.
And frankly, you shouldn’t have to.
We’ll go back to the truck.
Again.
We’re Also Always in a Hurry
Nobody casually strolls into an HVAC supply house at 2:30 on a July afternoon.
We’re on a mission.
Because somewhere 30 minutes away is a homeowner sitting in an 87-degree house.
We’ve diagnosed the problem.
We’ve looked them directly in the eye.
And we’ve said:
“Yep. We should be able to get that fixed today.”
There was tremendous confidence in our voice when we said it.
We sounded like men who had already confirmed parts availability.
We had not.
Now we’re standing at your counter.
Our entire reputation is suddenly in your hands.
“Please tell me you have one.”
You start typing.
We watch.
You type some more.
We lean slightly closer to your monitor as though this somehow improves inventory.
You click.
You stop.
You make that face.
We know that face.
Don’t say it.
Please don’t say it.
“Jacksonville has one.”
Son of a—
You Have Saved More Service Calls Than You Will Ever Know
Here’s where we’re actually serious.
The homeowner sees us.
They don’t see you.
They see the service truck pull into the driveway.
They see us diagnose the problem.
They see us leave to get a part.
Then we come back with exactly what their air conditioner needs.
To them, it looks simple.
But there’s an entire world behind that repair they never see.
And a lot of the time, you’re standing right in the middle of it.
We walk into your store carrying some completely ridiculous component.
“They don’t make this anymore.”
You start crossing numbers.
“I need this board today.”
You check the other branches.
“The homeowner has been without AC for two days. Is there anything that’ll work?”
Now you’re making phone calls.
Sometimes the answer is no.
But sometimes you find something.
A superseded part.
A compatible motor.
Another branch with one sitting on a shelf.
A replacement that requires a different harness.
Something that gets this air conditioner running today instead of three days from now.
Then we drive back to the homeowner’s house.
We walk through the door holding the part.
The homeowner looks relieved.
“Oh my gosh. You found one!”
Yep.
We sure did.
Definitely us.
Please don’t ask follow-up questions.
You Know an Uncomfortable Amount About HVAC
Every technician eventually learns there are several levels of technical information.
There’s the installation manual.
There’s the service manual.
There’s manufacturer technical support.
There’s the distributor.
And then there’s:
“Call the parts house and ask Mike.”
Because Mike knows.
Mike knows they changed that board halfway through 2021.
Mike knows the new board needs a different harness.
Mike knows that compressor superseded twice.
Mike knows the motor you want isn’t available anymore, but this one will work.
Mike knows the capacitor isn’t included.
Mike knows the factory says it’ll ship Tuesday.
And Mike has been doing this long enough to know:
It will absolutely not ship Tuesday.
This isn’t information you necessarily learn from a book.
It’s institutional knowledge built from watching thousands upon thousands of parts move through that counter.
And yes.
Sometimes we call you before technical support.
Don’t get cocky.
Then There’s Warranty
Oh, warranty.
Nothing brings contractors and counter guys closer together than the shared misery of warranty paperwork.
We walk in carrying a dead component.
You ask for the model and serial.
Got it.
Look at us being professionals.
Then you ask for the installation date.
…
We’ll find it.
Homeowner’s information?
Hang on.
It’s in Housecall Pro.
Original part information?
Probably.
Registration?
Maybe.
Proof of purchase?
Okay, now you’re just being difficult.
You stare at us.
We stare at you.
Neither of us wants to continue this conversation.
But we both know we’re going to.
Together.
The Supply House Is Also Somehow Our Break Room
You probably never agreed to this arrangement.
But it happened.
We come in for a contactor.
We stay for 35 minutes.
There’s coffee.
There’s air conditioning.
And most importantly, there are other people who understand exactly why our morning has gone completely sideways.
Somebody starts complaining about a manufacturer.
Another technician joins in.
Then somebody brings up a ridiculous service call.
You complain about contractors.
We complain about homeowners.
Someone complains about engineers.
Now we’re all participating.
For approximately 20 minutes, no HVAC work occurs anywhere in the county.
Then somebody looks at his phone.
“Shit. I gotta go.”
And suddenly everyone remembers they have jobs.
You See Everybody
The homeowner will probably never know this.
But the parts counter is one of the few places in the HVAC industry where everybody eventually passes through.
The one-man contractor.
The giant company with 70 trucks.
The old technician who’s been doing this since R-22 was the new stuff.
The apprentice who barely knows what he’s asking for.
The installer.
The service technician.
The business owner who still runs calls.
You see all of us.
You’ve watched apprentices become technicians.
You’ve watched technicians become service managers.
You’ve watched technicians start companies.
You’ve watched those companies grow.
You’ve watched a few disappear.
And somehow you’re still there.
Behind the counter.
Slightly irritated.
Probably hungry.
Answering the phone:
“Supply house. Hold please.”
And Eventually, You Know Us
This might be our favorite part.
Hundreds of contractors come through those doors.
But eventually we don’t need the introduction anymore.
We walk in.
“Klein. Your stuff’s over there.”
Beautiful.
Sometimes the order is already pulled.
Sometimes you remembered something we forgot.
Sometimes we’re halfway across the parking lot and you already know exactly why we’re coming.
And sometimes we open the door and before we’ve even said hello:
“It didn’t come in.”
We haven’t asked yet.
You just know.
That’s a relationship built over years of orders, warranty claims, backorders, emergencies, early mornings, late afternoons, equipment changes, supply shortages and frantic phone calls.
And somewhere along the way, you become part of our ability to take care of customers.
The Homeowner Will Probably Never Know Your Name
That’s the weird part.
Tonight, somebody’s house is going to be cool again.
Their kids will stop complaining.
They’ll sleep comfortably.
The homeowner might leave us a five-star review.
They might write:
“Klein Cooling went above and beyond to find the part and get our AC running the same day.”
And we’ll appreciate it.
But they probably won’t know about the guy behind the counter who searched three branches for the part.
Or the warehouse employee who found it.
Or the driver who moved it.
Or the distributor employee who figured out the old part number had been superseded.
They’ll never meet you.
But we know.
So, Seriously: Thank You
We give you a hard time.
You give us a hard time.
That’s sort of how this relationship works.
But the people working behind HVAC supply-house counters are an enormous part of what allows the people in the field to do our jobs.
So thank you.
For finding the motor.
For crossing the board.
For calling Jacksonville.
For telling us we need the harness too.
For processing the warranty claim we absolutely did not bring enough information for.
For pulling our order before we arrive.
For knowing which part we’re talking about when we barely know which part we’re talking about.
For saving the service call.
For making us look considerably more competent than we occasionally deserve.
And for somehow maintaining diplomatic relations with Tammy while seven HVAC contractors silently begged you to make her leave.
We see you.
We appreciate you.
And we’re sorry about the blurry data plate.
The model number is in the truck.
We’ll be right back.
Oh—and Tammy?
She ordered the capacitor online.
It’ll be here Tuesday.