The Pulaski Pass

If you're driving along the 295 up near Oceanway, doing about 72 in the right lane, and someone flies past you at around 90, slams on their brakes, and then exits, you just got Pulaski Passed. This happens at both Alta and Pulaski, but it is more prevalent north bound for some reason. Normally, there is nobody directly behind you, so the passer could have obviously gotten into the right lane to exit, but waiting to get back to the manufactured home and twenty fenced-in pitbulls wasn't an option. Maybe the meth cooker was left on. Maybe the kids were left alone all day. Maybe the last 40oz bottle of Steel Reserve is being held at the liquor store.

I call it the Pulaski Pass because the Alta Pass doesn't sound as cool. Also, it's frustrating and kind of dangerous, but not as annoying as getting San Pabloed.

It Was the Economy, Stupid

I read this interesting article about economic indicators and why they can be wrong that shed some light on several recent national and local elections. The factors that drove people to demand change are real, but the indicators the government uses has trouble catching those factors, so many politicians kept telling us the economy was fine. Here's a summary of several economic indicators and how they could be misinterpreted:

Unemployment rate

We've had record low unemployment, but people who work part time, are underemployed, or who have long-since give up on finding employment aren't counted as unemployed. When you add those people, the rate may double.

Weekly earnings

Per-capita income looks good for Americans, but this indicator only counts full-time workers. Our incomes drop over 30% as a nation if you count part-time (which we should if we say they are not unemployed).

Consumer Price Index

This indicator tracks prices for 80,000 goods and services, but it seems some of those goods are luxury items, and some services aren't used by the middle class. Basically, it's not just a price index for necessities, but that's what those of us who are middle class are concerned about. Rolex watches might have only increased 1%, which is great for the 1%ers, but if eggs have increased 100%, that is a bigger concern to most of us. We probably should exclude some goods and services from this index if we want to get a true sense of why people feel like they don't have enough money.

GDP 

Import, exports, housing, etc. In general, people know that a healthy Gross Domestic Product is good for the economy, but if housing is expensive, it's not necessarily good for YOUR economy. I assume GDP was super-important during the post WWII manufacturing boom, but when we are in the middle of a retirement boom, not so much.

So What?

If you were frustrated with the government because of your cost of living, you more than likely voted in a way that you hoped would fix the problem. It may not get fixed with inflationary policies like tariffs, but not doing anything and just saying the economy is fine doesn't help, either.

Warranty AC Repair Costs $1,000?

I did not see this one coming, but maybe writing about it will help someone else. I had two heat pumps installed about five years ago, and I've now had the third service call on them. The latest call was a warranty issue, so I figured it would cost less than the typical capacitor replacement (maintenance?). Instead, my "free" warranty part came with a $1,000 labor charge and a good helping of confusion, brought to me by Waychoffs.

The short history is that I chose Wackoffs to install my two heat pumps in 2020. It cost about $10,000 for two heat pumps and installation. I had a couple of capacitors go bad since then, and it's my fault I didn't just order spares and try those repairs myself, since they will cost either $500 each to repair or $50 if you DIY. But the real kicker was when the blower motor went. I figured it was the blower motor, after I watched all the YouTube videos I needed in order to successfully diagnose and replace the unit. I found the official replacement part online for about $500. But then I typed in my serial number on the Bryant website because a blower motor seems like it might be a warranty item. I could see that I had a 10-year warranty (it would have only been 5 without registration). With this information, I decided to try Waychoff's service once again. If it was under warranty, I figured, getting a skilled tech to do the job made sense.

When I called Waychoff's, I was told it was likely a warranty item and would probably be free if that was the case. I was cool with a $150 service charge or whatnot, but free was even better, so I made an appointment. When the tech got to my house, he confirmed that it was the blower motor. Then he tried to get people from the warehouse on the line to get the part, but they'd gone home for the day. No big deal, I thought. But since he couldn't contact anyone about my warranty status, he had me sign three options: free if I had one warranty, $1,000 if I had another warranty, and $2,000 if I had no warranty. He claimed he didn't know which warranty I had, but I knew from looking up my serial number that I at least had something through the manufacturer. I told him I hadn't paid extra for any other warranty, but he implied some customers get that better warranty even without paying, so I still had hope.

The next day, I set up another appointment. The same tech showed up again and did the work, never mentioning which warranty status I had. (Actually, the scheduler also did not mention this.)1.5 hours. He said I was all set, and I was ready to be pleasantly surprised, but then he said all I had to do was sign and pay the $1,000.

Really? $1,000 for less than two hours of work. Here's what the Bryant website says about this predatory behavior: "Even with the standard parts warranty, repair labor bills can range from $100 to $1000 or more." The charges, according to Bryant, can include: "labor, warranty processing fees, service call charges, etc."

Imagine taking your new car in to the dealership with a broken blower motor, only to pay 20% of the cost of a new car to get the car fixed. When I questioned the charge, I was told I could use another authorized repair place, but I'm sure it's a standard practice to stick it to anyone without an extended service contract. 

Just think about how easy it is to sell new AC units when fixing ones out of warranty costs $2,000. Remember, I only paid $5,000 for a brand new unit installed, so if my heat pump was totally out of warranty at 5 or 10 years (depending on if it was registered), then it's hard to justify a repair that costs 40% of something brand new. 

My impression is that manufacturers are fine with this scammy practice for the very fact I just related: instead of losing money sending out free blower motors for warranty repairs, they can make money on full system replacements with one of their new heat pumps. I bet I don't have the right to pull the blower motor out myself and request a new one, either, so that means authorized dealers are the only ones with the ability to assess the warranty repairs, and they sure aren't losing any money the way the scheme is set up.

Yes, I totally messed up by not forcing the company to give me a definitive price quote before the installation, but it's still quite dishonest for two employees to imply the repair could be free (because that's how most of us understand warranties). The second day, two employees had the chance to make amends and come clean, but I'm sure the policy is to avoid talking too much about price until the service is completed. 

In the end, I am ok with what happened because I learned for the future. If I had gotten the estimate and said no, I probably would have still been out $200 for a service call and then $500 for the part, so $700 instead of $1000.

I'm sure I probably said no to an extended warranty at some point (they should have told me that was the case, since I was a returning customer). It probably included free cleanings and free warranty fixes for $50 a month per unit, so like $1200 a year. I guess I'm happier to be angry once after five years than once a month for five years. Unless it was only $20 a month per unit... I'm not really sure what it costs.

My advice:

1.  Buy several capacitors for your heat pumps

2. Pour bleach (or vinegar/water) down drain tube once a month or at least when you change filters

3. Don't count on the manufacturer's warranty

4. Don't count on the company that installed your AC to be dedicated to keeping you as a customer once the installation is paid for

5. Always know the actual charges before you say yes, even if the company implies it might be free, because almost nothing is free

Please Call if You Find This Bertone Wheel Cover

If you happen to find a six-sided, plastic, silver wheel cover with the word "Bertone" printed on one edge, please let me know. 

After years of not using the hub caps (because they always fall off and I only had three), I bought a used one online. Within a month, I noticed one was missing. It's probably somewhere between Kernan and the Beaches.

These are called the Tron hub caps because they look like something out of a 1980s video game. I wouldn't say they are the best looking wheel covers ever, but they are what came with my Bertone X 1/9. 

For now, I've just taken the other three wheel covers off the car. Not a big deal. But if you find it and don't have a use for it, let me know. 4145876740