You would think that an authorized dealer gets better pricing through the manufacturer's distribution chain. Not always true and doubtful even if the better pricing is available that it is passed along to the consumer.

Some of the majors have certain standards they must meet to become an authorized dealer. It is not clear how often these standards are met and enforced periodically in a renewal process. Dealers are often changing their allegiance to brands mainly due to problems with a specific brand as well as monetary incentives they feel will benefit their business.

It is my belief that the dealer authorized network does not mean much as compared to the general reputation of the dealer in the area/community it serves.

Now if there is a serious problem with a new install, I think the homeowner has a certain small measure of insurance to get a satisfactory resolution through the manufacturer assuming you are not getting the type of response/resolution you require through the dealer. But that in itself unfortunately can be a time consuming and difficult process.

At the end of the day, it's important for consumer to get educated. Hopefully forums like this help in that regard.

IMO

Carrier has Authorized and Factory Authorized dealers listed on their web site.

I believe Factory Authorized dealers must send a percentage of their techs for training on Carrier products. It is something like 50% of the techs at 30 hours per year. These dealers are supposed to guarantee satisfaction or you will get a full refund.

I am not sure what it takes to be a Carrier authorized dealer. There may be rules such as NATE certification and some training. There may be also rules about carrying other brands.

In my opinion I would rather use a contractor who installs one brand of equipment and knows it inside and out. The guys who work with several brands may be good, but I don't want them opening the installation manual in the middle of the job. I think your chances of getting a better installation when you use an authorized dealer, but there are always exceptions.

LOL @"but I don't want them opening the installation manual in the middle of the job."

Thanks both

Well, that could happen......"LOL@".....not all repairmen or installers know what they are trying to do.

I had an a/c repairman sit for a long, long time on my dollar trying to read the schematics on a/c panel.

Yes, I called the repair service and told them I would not pay for the repairman's time learning to read schematics, and to send someone out that knew what they were doing.

It was a simple repair and I knew what the problem was, same thing happened in the past. Do you think the repairman would check the part I mentioned that was most likely the problem, no, just spent ages trying to read the schematics.