A common request reaches us in a particular shape. The caller is a son or daughter, at work, and the aircon in question is in their parents' flat across the island. The unit has been getting weaker for months, the parents will not complain, and the caller wants it sorted without the parents being talked into anything they do not understand.
The booking is easy. The part that needs thinking through is the visit itself, because the usual advice, "be home while the technician works", is exactly what you cannot do. This guide covers what a visit actually involves, who needs to be there, what to tell the person who is, and how to keep the decisions with you even when you are not in the flat.
What our published process asks for on the day
Our service pages answer the question directly: ideally you are home. The technician needs power supply access and water for flushing the drain, and we want to walk the household through any findings from the pre-check before quoting additional work. If you cannot be home, a household member aged 18 or above can be present.
So the real requirement is not you. It is an adult who lives there, who can let the technician in, point to the units, switch things on and off, and listen to what is found. For most parents that is entirely achievable, as long as they know what to expect and know what they are not expected to decide.
Before the day: what to put in your booking message
The driver sends a WhatsApp message or calls about 15 minutes before arriving. That is a sensible arrangement for a household that is busy, but it only works if the message reaches someone who will see it. If your parents do not read WhatsApp promptly, this is the first thing to fix.
- Give the number of the person who will actually be home, not only your own. Say who they are, for example "my mother, Mrs Tan, speaks Mandarin and Hokkien". A technician who knows to expect a non-English speaker adjusts how he explains things.
- Say how many indoor units there are, and which room each is in. The price depends on the number of units, so a wrong count is the commonest reason a visit ends with a different number from the one you were told.
- Say what you have noticed: weak cooling, a smell, water at the wall. It tells the technician what to look at first.
- Say that any extra work must be agreed with you first. We would be asking you anyway, but it is worth stating, and it gives your parents a one-line answer if they are pressed: "my son will decide, please WhatsApp him".
Our WhatsApp prefill includes the details we need. The button at the end of this post opens it with a line for the name and mobile number of whoever will be home.
Which job to book if you are choosing without seeing the unit
You do not have to guess. Every service booking includes a 9-point pre-check, which is part of the $45 minimum for one unit and not a separate charge. It checks power and the thermostat, the temperature drop across the unit, refrigerant pressure, drainage, the outdoor condenser, the blower, any corrosion or damage, and how dirty the filter and coil are. The result is an honest answer on whether the unit needs a general service or a chemical wash.
That is useful when you are arranging things from a distance. If you book a general service and the pre-check says the unit needs more, the person at home hears it first and you decide afterwards. Our published prices, as they stand on the pricing page:
- General servicing: $45 for 1 unit, $70 for 2, $95 for 3, $115 for 4, and $25 for each unit from the fifth.
- Chemical wash: $135 for 1 unit, $245 for 2, $345 for 3, $425 for 4, and $100 per unit from the fifth.
- Chemical overhaul: $200 for 1 unit, $370 for 2, $515 for 3, $640 for 4, and $150 per unit from the fifth.
The displayed price is the final price. There is no add-on at the end that was not discussed. If you want to read the logic behind the tiers, the full price list sets them out, and our note on hidden aircon servicing fees explains what to look out for with anyone else.
If your parents' units have not been touched in years, our guide to what a first service after years of neglect involves will help you set expectations. A chemical wash is the more likely outcome in that case, and the pre-check will confirm it rather than the booking assuming it.
Planning the day around the time each job takes
Our published times are about 30 to 45 minutes per unit for a general service, 60 to 90 minutes per unit for a chemical wash, and 2 to 3 hours per unit for a chemical overhaul. For a household of older parents, that matters in two ways.
First, a flat with three units on a chemical wash can occupy most of a morning. If your father takes a nap at noon or your mother has a clinic appointment, tell us at booking, not on the day.
Second, the rooms must be accessible. Furniture that blocks the wall under an indoor unit, a wardrobe pushed against a ledge door, or a bed under the unit all slow the work. A call to your parents the evening before, to ask them to clear the space under each unit and leave a step stool or ladder-safe floor, saves time. Do not ask your parents to climb anything themselves.
What to tell your parents so they are not pushed into a decision
This is the part nobody writes down, and it is the point of the whole exercise. A short script works better than a long explanation:
- "The technician will check the aircon first and tell you what he finds. You do not need to agree to anything."
- "If he says it needs more than the service we booked, say you will ask me, and he will message me."
- "Pay only for what was agreed with me."
- "If anything feels wrong, WhatsApp me before he starts."
Our process is built around the same idea. We diagnose first, quote second and do the work third, and if the pre-check finds a problem we cannot fix, such as a gas leak that needs a system replaced, a failed compressor or an electrical fault inside the wall, we say so immediately and the customer owes nothing if they decide not to go ahead. You can pass that on to your parents as a reassurance: the visit is not a trap.
Payment when you are not there
We accept PayNow, which is our preferred way, as well as bank transfer and cash, and card on request without a surcharge. Payment is on completion. The simplest arrangement for a household of older parents is that you pay by PayNow from your own phone once the job is done and you have heard what was found. That keeps the money decision with you and means your parents do not need to handle cash or a phone app at all.
If your parents would rather pay cash, agree the amount with them before the day, and keep it to the figure you have already been quoted. Ask for the receipt or invoice, and keep it. Our note on what a technician should show you before they leave is worth reading beforehand, because the same four checks apply when the person watching is your mother rather than you.
After the visit: how to close the loop from a distance
You were not there, so build your own record in the next ten minutes:
- Call or message your parents the same day. Ask what the technician said, not whether it went well. "Did he say anything was wrong?" gets a more useful answer than "was it okay?"
- Ask for photos. We take before and after photos on our own jobs, and asking whoever is home to take a picture of the unit with the panel open costs nothing. Your parents can send it to you.
- Ask your parents to feel the air and listen. Cooler air and no new noises is a good sign, though as the note above explains, cold air alone proves little. A smell that returns within days, or water at the wall, is worth a message to us straight away.
- Photograph the model plate while you are there next time. The rating plate on each indoor unit and the outdoor condenser carries the model and serial numbers, which is the first thing anyone will ask for if a warranty question ever comes up.
One thing worth planning for: access to the outdoor unit
In many HDB flats the outdoor unit sits on a ledge reached from a service yard or window. If your parents' unit is high up, tell us when you book. High-floor and ledge-access jobs can carry an extra fee, which is confirmed for the specific block before work starts rather than added afterwards. It is far better for that to be settled with you by message than raised on the doorstep with an older couple.
A simple checklist to send your parents the night before
- Someone aged 18 or above will be home from the time we agreed.
- Keep your phone nearby: the driver will WhatsApp or call about 15 minutes before arriving.
- Clear the space under each indoor unit.
- Do not agree to extra work. Say "I will ask my son or daughter".
- Show the technician where the main switch, the power point and a water tap are.
Common questions
Can I book an aircon service for my parents if I will not be there?
Yes. An adult household member aged 18 or above can be present instead of you. Give us their name and mobile number when you book so the driver's arrival message reaches the right person.
Will the technician do extra work without asking?
No. The 9-point pre-check comes first and any additional work is quoted before it starts. Tell your parents that any extra work is to be agreed with you, and we will treat it that way.
What if the pre-check finds a problem that cannot be fixed?
We tell the household immediately. If the issue is something we cannot fix, such as a gas leak that needs the system replaced, a failed compressor or an electrical fault inside the wall, the customer owes nothing if they decide not to proceed.
How do I pay if I am not at the flat?
PayNow is our preferred method, and bank transfer, cash and card on request are also accepted. You can pay by PayNow from your own phone after the job and after you have heard what was found.
How long will my parents need to be home?
Our published times are about 30 to 45 minutes per unit for a general service, 60 to 90 minutes per unit for a chemical wash and 2 to 3 hours per unit for a chemical overhaul, so a multi-unit flat can take a good part of the morning.
WhatsApp 9107 2601 to book a service for your parents' flat and tell us who will be home on the day, and we will confirm which job to expect before anyone comes out.
Related reading: full price list · aircon chemical wash · servicing an aircon in a rented flat · what your technician should show you