Is this AC quote fair?

Published prices for the usual repairs

Part or job	Who published it	Installed price range
Run capacitor	This Old House (Apr. 2026)	$80 to $400; typical $175
Run capacitor	Fixr (Jan. 2026)	$100 to $400
Relay or contactor	This Old House (Mar. 2026)	$100 to $450
Contactor alone	Fixr (Jul. 2026)	$150 to $400
Outdoor fan motor	This Old House (Mar. 2026)	$300 to $800
Recharge only	Fixr recharge page (Jan. 2025)	$250 to $900; typical $400
Fix the leak, then recharge	Fixr (Jul. 2026)	$200 to $1,600; typical $800
Compressor swap	Fixr (Jan. 2026)	$600 to $3,000
Compressor swap	This Old House (Mar. 2026)	$1,000 to $3,000 and up

These come from national cost sites, so they are neither Buffalo averages nor anyone's bid. Where two sources disagree we list both.

Most of what you pay is time on site, not the part. This Old House says the capacitor itself runs $8 to $45, and labor is most of the bill. Refrigerant is the exception: Fixr has R-410A at $12 to $25 a pound and the discontinued R-22 at $50 to $80, which is why an old R-22 system gets expensive to refill.

Warning signs the FTC lists

From the FTC's guide to avoiding home improvement scams:

• A contractor shows up unasked, saying they are working nearby.
• You are pushed to agree on the spot.
• They want the full amount before starting, or will only take cash.

The FTC's advice is to hold the last payment until the job is finished and you are happy with it. I'd add two Buffalo-specific ones: a price that climbs after the technician goes down to the basement and comes back without a reason you can follow, and a whole new system pitched for a symptom that the tables above put in the low hundreds.

What to ask before signing anything

1. Which part failed? Can I see it, or a photo of it?
2. What does that one repair cost, written down by itself?
3. Does the trip or diagnostic charge come off if I approve the work?
4. For refrigerant: where is it leaking from, and are you fixing the leak or just adding charge?
5. What is the warranty on the part, and separately on the labor?
6. Inside Buffalo city limits: does the company hold a City heating contractor license? For anything touching refrigerant: does this technician have EPA Section 608 certification?
7. Is a permit needed, and who files it?

For a compressor, a coil or a full replacement, a second company's opinion is normal, not rude. Turning down a quote is always allowed.

Three days to change your mind

Under New York law, installing air conditioning or heating equipment counts as home improvement. When the contract tops $500, General Business Law 771 requires it in writing, signed, with your copy in hand before work begins, and it lets you cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing. Money collected before the job is done has to be deposited or bonded the way the Lien Law says. The FTC's separate Cooling-Off Rule offers a similar three days for some sales made in your home, but it does not reach a service call you requested yourself.

A room unit built to be pulled out without altering the house falls outside the state's home improvement definition (General Business Law 770).

When a job goes badly

Put the complaint to the company in writing first, and hold on to the contract and your photos. If that stalls, the New York Attorney General's office accepts consumer complaints against home improvement contractors.