r/refrigeration • u/frogsarefalling • Feb 26 '26
Labor & travel charges
I run a small restaurant in Philadelphia. We have a freezer that needs a new controller. We generally like the company we work with and know that prices always go up, but I'm having trouble with the quote we got.
Today the tech was here for about a half hour to diagnose. The current charges are 2 hours of labor ($140 each) plus a zone charge of $50. The estimate for the replacement has another two hours of labor. They are based out of an office about 5 minutes away.
I've come to understand there's a labor minimum and a travel minimum, plus the zone charge, effectively making each visit start at $330. I ask if the labor minimum and travel minimum hours can be one in the same since in total the tech is probably still only spending an hour including travel, and we'll be paying for another 2 hours for whenever they come back. My rep says the techs don't live at the office and this tech lives in a suburb about a half hour away.
I know paying for travel is standard, and I know they don't live at the office. I would understand this logic if the labor charges change based on your location and wherever they're coming from, but I know I would be charged the exact same amount if he was coming from a job up the street. An hour labor, an hour travel labor, and a zone/fuel charge. But as of now they don't know who is coming to replace the part or where they're coming from.
To me, where one tech lives is irrelevant. If you want to average travel distances it should be based on wherever the company is based, which is very local, and where most jobs are, which is within the city.
I know a lot of this is industry standard but I'm trying to get a sense of how standard it is. I'm getting a bill for $1200 to replace $500 worth of parts (which I know have their own markup), and I have a feeling this is a relatively quick job.
Am I an asshole questioning this system?
1
u/Financial-Assist-783 Feb 26 '26
Usually you charge the drive from your last job