Put $800 into a storefront air conditioner that barely cooled the place down

I run a small retail shop in Hamtramck and last summer I got desperate when the heat hit. Found a used commercial AC unit on Facebook Marketplace for $800, seemed like a steal. Guy said it worked fine, just needed a minor refrigerant top-up. Hired a local HVAC guy for another $200 to install it and check it out. Turned it on during a 90 degree day and it barely dropped the temp 5 degrees after two hours. HVAC guy told me the compressor was shot and it'd cost more to fix than the unit was worth. Ended up renting a portable unit for the rest of the summer and saving for a proper system. Has anyone else gotten burned buying used equipment for their shop?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordancoleman5d ago

$800 for a Facebook Marketplace AC and the compressor was already toast? Man, that hurts to read. I feel like half those guys selling "just needs a recharge" units know damn well the compressor is gone. You paid $1000 total for a lesson in trusting strangers with HVAC gear. I've seen people sell dead units as "lightly used" and walk away smiling while you're stuck sweating. At least you caught it before summer really peaked, some folks get stuck with that junk for weeks.

mason_lee4d ago

And it's not even just HVAC gear, @jordancoleman, this whole "lightly used" thing is a scam that runs across every marketplace. I swear I see people selling mattresses with springs poking out described as "gently used" and couches with cat pee stains called "vintage charm." It's like nobody knows what words mean anymore. People slap "like new" on anything that still has a barcode or hasn't been set on fire yet. That compressor thing is brutal though because at least with a stained couch you can see the damage, but with AC gear it's all hidden until it's too late. You're right that he got off easy catching it before the real heat hit, because I've seen dudes sit on a broken window unit for three weeks in July thinking they just need to recharge it over and over.