Douglas Heating Supply

On a Friday night in August, a bearing in our air conditioner condenser fan motor started squealing. The motor was a sealed type with non replaceable bearings and the shaft had developed about 3/16 of an inch front to back 'play', so I was going to have to replace it. Douglas Heating Supply was the only place open the following morning (Saturday) and their website claims they sell wholesale to the public so I thought that sounded pretty good. I called with the motor info and was told they didn't stock a direct replacement but they had a universal replacement that should work for $109. My wife went to pick it up and when she got there she was told it was $120 + tax ($7.20 more). She noticed a price of $107 on the box that had been crossed out. She felt like they were taking advantage of her gender. The new motor worked fine and the only modification required was splicing the wiring to the old motor's connector so I had the A/C back up and running in less than an hour. Afterwards, I wondered about the price inconsistencies so I Googled the Wagner Motors part number that they sold us and found the same motor available for $65 + $15 shipping and handling from several on-line suppliers. So they only get 2 stars from me. Yes, it's convenient that they are open till noon on Saturday (especially if you're making repairs on the weekend). And yes, the Wagner Motor seemed like a good quality product. However, their pricing isn't as good as their website would lead you to believe. During the week, I would recommend shopping around for a better price. Unless paying $47 extra for their 'wholesale to the public' price sounds like a good deal to you. I don't mind paying a little bit more to support a local business and for Saturday morning support, but $47? really? Maybe their website should say wholesale and a half pricing on Saturday mornings? Also, my wife feels that when they are aware that a female customer is dealing with a mechanical breakdown, they have no reservations about putting the financial screws to her. We will make every effort to avoid doing business with them again.

I was in MI last winter at a buddys house when his furnace blew out. Right away we knew we had to call someone or we were going to freeze in his house. We called Douglas Heating and Supply and they came out very promptly and professionally, got the furnace fixed and charged us very minimally for the problem.

Woud Suggest Douglast Heating and Supply to anyone whos in the Kalamazoo area.

Thanks,

Erik