All new customers have this question in mind at some point. What makes us different from our competition?
1. AAAA Generator Service’s clients have used us because we provided the right product, the right service and the right price at the right time. They stay with us and recommend us consistently to their friends and family because we are ethical, competitive and knowledgeable. If you would like to become one of our satisfied clients, please call us at 888.66.4A-Gen
2. Our prices are the best around. We can keep our labor rate low because we maintain very low overhead. We can do that because, as a company, we are very focused and our focus is very narrow: Mobile Generator Service , Mobile Generator Repair and Professional Turn-Key Installations.
a. Customers who’ve used other companies in the past are pleasantly surprised to find that there are no surprises with us. If we quote you $350 for annual maintenance, then your bill doesn’t come to $449.78 after filters, oil, tax, etc. Our Mobile Generator Service quotes include everything normally consumed in an annual maintenance so if we quote you $350, you only pay $350.
b. People calling for in-shop generator repair are often surprised to hear that we don’t have a large local shop. Our focus is Mobile Generator Repair.
c. People calling for generators are often surprised to find we have the best pricing on the largest local generator inventory. That, in turn, gives us a serious price advantage on the most Professional Turn-Key Installation available.
3. Service: What you see is what you get. We’re amazed at how many people get confused by the bait-and-switch of some larger companies that promise 100+ years of experience between their top 5 employees (often their salesmen). To that we always reply, “That may be, but who services your generator?” Most customers have no idea who will be their technician or how much experience or ability that technician will have. We’ve even seen competitors contract their extra work out to uninsured handymen with no generator experience or even insurance. AAAA Generator Services is unique in that our customers get a specific technician and not a random who’s-next-in-line. Our clients, especially larger industrial clients, find that it is very comforting to be allowed to interview the technician that will be servicing their generators before they sign a contract with us.
4.Installations: So often we’re called in only after an installation to oversee the startup of a generator, only to find that there was a serious flaw with the installation. It is never fun to have to tell the client that they need to replace their brand-new generator, that they need to have their newly filled trench re-dug and their piping or wiring upsized or that they need to have their transfer switch replaced. If you are going to hire anyone besides a generator specialist to do your generator installation, you should still have us perform a site survey before anything else. Customers ALWAYS find our site survey useful.
5. Emergency Availability: We at AAAA Generator Services understand that timing is critical for some customers. While we provide a two hour guarantee to our service contract customers, in the unlikely event that we have no technicians immediately available on short notice for emergency service, we are also proud to have contracts with several generator companies in the Bay Area to provide professional emergency service to our customers. We go the extra mile for our customers… always.
6. Those with Generac, Kohler, Gillette, and Multiquip generators should know that AAAA Generator Services is an authorized sales and service dealer (including warranty startup and warranty repair) of all these brands and more. Because of this, we carry a vast array of parts at all times and that means we can get your generator fixed fast.
7. We have a California General and C-10 Electrical Contractor License #914864. Many customers assume that their generator company has a contractor’s license only to find out that they’ve been skirting the law by operating without the proper license – and that puts both parties at risk.
8. One Year Warranty: If we improperly install a part or perform any works, we will correct our mistake at no cost to you. There is no local company with a better warranty or reputation!
A) Time and materials work: Parts used in time and materials work are only covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. If a part fails and we worked for time and materials, provided the part was properly installed by us, only the part will be covered and only by its manufacturer’s warranty, which may not include replacement labor, travel, shipping, customs, etc.
B) Bid price work: Parts installed as part of a bid job are covered by our one year guarantee in addition to any manufacturer’s warranty. So if a part fails during the first year and we worked for a bid price, there is no further cost to you for us to replace it.
Why NOT use AAAA Generator Services?
- Don’t shoot: It is not unusual for generator owners to be unwilling and/or financially unable to repair all their generator issues – that’s actually somewhat common. But what is amazing to us is when someone does not even want to know their generator’s issues. Because our technicians are trained in turn-key installations, we’re able to identify problems relating to the entire installation and not just what is in the generator’s enclosure. Almost always, our first visit to a site will uncover a myriad of previously unknown issues, many of which were present since the generator was installed. If blissful ignorance is your preferred coping mechanism, we’re the last ones you want to have scrutinizing your equipment. However, if we’ve already brought to light all the problems with your generator, please don’t shoot the messenger! Things we check for (that many other companies don’t) are too many to mention. Some examples include:
- Breaker sizing
- Transfer switch sizing
- Wire gauge sizing
- Ventilation
- Location
- Undersized gas lines. meters and/or tanks
- Undersized/oversized generators
- Permitting issues
- Animal access
- Do No Harm: If the generator is being destroyed by either a lack of maintenance or improper maintenance, we will not make it worse.
- Example 1: If the generator has not had an oil change at some point in the new millennium, please do not expect us to run it until we’ve at least changed the oil.
- Example 2: If the coolant level is low, we cannot run the generator until the coolant level is brought up to operating levels. Since our ‘Do No Harm’ policy is to not dilute coolants and/or mix different coolant types, if we cannot ascertain the type and condition of coolant present in the system, the only option we provide is to flush the system and install fresh coolant (of course, we do not object to the generator owner bringing the coolant level up themselves). If that is not of interest and unless you believe our mere presence will fix the generator (don’t laugh – generators love to work for the mechanics), then we are at an impasse.
- Requiring underperformance: Using coolant past its service life is the #1 cause of avoidable and expensive repairs for liquid-cooled generators. Because repairing failures adds up to more $$$ for service companies than simple preventative maintenance, many of our contemporaries are happy to neglect this critical chemical. Generator manufacturers typically recommend changing the coolant every 3-5 years, though some even recommend annual coolant changes. Again, if you will not be convinced that rusty coolant leaking from every pore of your generator is a bad thing, at least be convinced that new coolant every few years is much cheaper than a new generator every 10-15. That said, if you ask us to replace your water pump, radiator and rusted-through freeze plugs but then require that we put back the same 10-year-old coolant (you know who you are), don’t be surprised if we instead refer you to one of our contemporaries.
- Hostile atmospheres: AAAA Generator Services treats our employees well and does not tolerate otherwise. To remain a customer of AAAA, certain standards and boundaries must be maintained. This is a broad topic so this list is not conclusive:
- Nuisances: If your generator is being overrun by fleas, pests, poison oak or is under competing sets of thorn bushes, please schedule pest control, the gardener, etc. before our visit (and not after).
- Safety: If the generator was conveniently placed on the side of the slippery hill without a single step leading to it, we may not be willing to risk servicing your generator after a heavy rain or until a path or steps are installed.
- Bipolar and otherwise medicated: It is becoming common to encounter people on mood-enhancing drugs. Please be sure to be on your meds (and only on meds prescribed to you and only at the proper dosage).
- Unkind: Some think being loud, threatening and abusive are good negotiating tactics and they are not. Others have unrealistic expectations of what we will provide (this website took significant time to write so please know that we do try to be open and honest about what our service includes and what it does not). We strive to please our customers because we love hearing from our customers how much they appreciate our hard work, as much as anything else. Inevitably, there will be situations where there is simply nothing that we can do to accomplish this (i.e. generator that is expensive to repair, poorly made, poor past maintenance, unreliable, etc.). However, to remain a customer of AAAA, we require that all communication be friendly, if possible (and if friendly is not possible, to be professional, at minimum).