We did a major remodel on our house about 2 1/2 years ago and had central heat installed as part of the contracted work. Last month the heater inducer motor went out and the heating subcontractor confirmed it was a bad part and that the part was covered under warranty. He didn't charge us for the part but we just got a bill for $200 for his labor. Our blanket warranty for the general contractor guarantees that any problems that were not caused by us are covered. I have not pulled out the original contract as I have not had time and am at work but my husband an I do not think we should have to pay labor for a bad part. Are we wrong?
Yes, you are wrong. A bad part wasn't the fault of the contractor either. At fault is the maker of the part and you are covered under their warranty.
It would be different if the part failed the first time you fired up the system but two years later you are going to have to pay labor.
You'll have to look at your specific contracts. I know when our newly installed ac went out within months of install, that bad part was replaced free of charge. When it went out 2-3 years later, the part (different part) was covered under warranty, but we still had to pay the labor charges. Our warranty only covered the parts themselves, not the labor to install the parts.
Actually, I DO think you'd have to pay labor on a bad part. It's not the contractor's fault that the part went bad... it's the manufacturer's. And the manufacturer won't reimburse the contractor for his time. If the contractor had to provide free labor for anything that went wrong with a product he doesn't make himself... that would be a lot of risk for him to assume.
I had something similar happen. I had new windows installed several years ago and they fogged up due to the altitude and intensity of the sun. It was a warranty issue and the manufacturer replaced the windows at no cost. But I still had to pay the installer to take the old ones out and put the new ones in.
Generally, labor isn't covered under the warranty its the part itself. In addition, it was over 2 1/2 years ago. Yeah, I think the charge for labor is legitimate and you will have to pay. However, I would check your original contract. My bet however, is that labor isn't covered.
Of course, review your contract but I believe that Yes, you are responsible for the labor.
So the part went out, that sucks, but you still have to pay someone to repair it even if the part was under warranty.
The fact that you were billed for labor only obviously means the manufacturer warranty covered just the part. So then it falls to the warranty the contractor gave you at the time of completing the work. I think that typically a contractor's warranty is no longer than 1 year (some not even that long). Pull out your contact and check the warranty, if it is over then you are responsible for the bill.
I will be very surprised if you don't have to pay it. How is it they contractor's fault that a part went bad 2 1/2 years later? As long as the part didn't go bad because of the way the contractor installed it you should pay and you probably can't prove he installed it incorrectly.
Labor cost is rarely covered under a normal warranty unless the labor itself was improper and caused the problem. Sometimes extended or special warranties will include labor or define a lower set amount.
You need to check your original policy of course, but my guess is that you will be paying that bill.
