These are the terms and conditions under which AirCare Solutions Hong Kong, (hereinafter referred to as AirCare) will undertake HVAC services. AirCare reserves the right to update/amend the below Terms of Service at any time.

1. Booking Policy

A formal Booking Policy is essential not only to assist with facilitating smooth operations – it is simply a sensible  business practice when labor costs are high, schedules must be kept, logistics must be in good order, and above all, because it is the very foundation of the first touch point of the customer service experience (aside from our truly spectacular administrative team!) – and that is that our personnel typically arrive quite punctually.

Rather than describing in depth all of the many justified reasons for us having a robust Booking Policy in place, it is probably easier explained with a simple example of one of the many other times where customers are required to pay a deposit in order to confirm their reservation: Valentine’s Day. Any popular venue that is inevitably fully booked for Valentine’s Day weeks in advance will require that guests (whether they’re regular repeat guests or not) settle a deposit to confirm their booking. This ensures that the restaurant can make the best use of their space, that the Chef orders the correct quantities of the specific ingredients that are required for the Special Set Menu(s), that the restaurant bookings are staggered so that the kitchen is not overwhelmed, etc. etc. all of which contribute to ensuring a quality experience for guests, as well as ensuring the financial success of the venue on one of the most important events of the year.

How is that relevant to our business? Well for us, we’re very heavily booked from mid-February right through until late November. Even the so called ‘off season’ for us isn’t exactly ‘quiet’ (far from it actually) as we still have our commercial clients HVAC systems to take care of during the colder months when the residential business is slower. So we’re operating like it’s Valentine’s Day pretty much all year ’round – except nobody is taking us out to dinner, and nobody is buying us any flowers! :o)

Now, over to the nitty gritty – and if you’ve landed here, you’ve likely been directed here by our Admin, so we’ll take this opportunity to thank you for investing a few minutes of your valuable time (and for your interest!) to understand more about our business practices – the remainder of our Terms of Service is predominantly quite ‘dry’ and ‘formal’ but at least one of our clients has expressed to us that he “Thoroughly enjoyed reading the Terms of Service” (yes, we laughed too, and no, he was not joking! And yes, this is a true story!) so we’ve now endeavored to spice things up a little and have injected a little humor here and there too. Poor guy – now he’s so curious that he’s going to have to read through all of it again. You know who you are!

Booking Rescheduling Policy / Booking Cancellation Policy – Cleaning Appointments
If a previously agreed and confirmed (orally or in writing) AirCare booking is rescheduled or canceled less than 48 working hours before the agreed appointment, AirCare reserves the right to charge the client up to a maximum of 20% of the total gross billing amount (for the avoidance of doubt, AirCare reserves the right to retain the Booking Deposit in the event of cancellation on short notice. In the event of last minute rescheduling, we reserve the right to charge a 20% penalty fee). Provided that at least 48 hours advance notice is given in the event of cancellation, the Booking Deposit is fully refundable. Provided that at least 48 hours advance notice is given in the event of rescheduling, the Booking Deposit can be carried forward to the rescheduled appointment. When a client makes a confirmed booking with us, we schedule our teams for the day accordingly, and if we are not provided with adequate notice then it is often impossible to fill the gap at the last minute. This results in exceptionally high labor costs.

Last minute amendment of total AC’s booked to be cleaned: AirCare reserves the right to charge up to a maximum of HKD 250 for any AC unit(s) that is/are cancelled on short notice of less than 48 hours. For example, if a client has booked 10 AC’s to be cleaned, and then advises AirCare the day before the booking that only 4 AC’s need to be cleaned (for example the justification is that the other 6 are “perhaps not as dirty as we thought”) then AirCare reserves the right to charge 6 x HKD 250 for the AC’s that have been cancelled on short notice. Furthermore, AirCare reserves the right to reschedule the booking to a later date if we deem it necessary in order to ensure that our personnel are fully booked on the affected date.

AirCare Solutions reserves the right to decline to clean any additional ACs that may be requested to be added to a booking without providing at least 48 hours notice – as the acceptance of additional ACs in the absence of having adequate time to communicate with other clients who will be affected, may result in loss of revenues as compensation to the affected party/parties, or worse, the loss of a client altogether. Adding additional AC(s) on short notice will not negate any applicable surcharges from the original invoice.

For each and every confirmed booking, AirCare Administration Personnel consider several factors in order to provide an accurate assessment of the arrival time of our personnel, and the duration of the appointment. Factors such as proximity of car parking, worker registration process upon arrival, traffic conditions, etc. are all taken in to account. Our objectives are to ensure that our cleaning personnel are punctual, that our clients can count on still being able to plan their day, and just as importantly, so that we can ensure that we manage our labor effectively and efficiently. If a client has booked for 10 AC’s to be cleaned, we therefore allocate our personnel and timing accordingly. We trust that our clients can appreciate that if we have allocated 4 hours for the cleaning of 10 AC’s, but then on short notice (or no notice) we’re advised that only 4 AC’s need to be cleaned that it will present a significant challenge to fill the ‘spare’ time that has been freed up.

ACs that cannot be cleaned: AirCare reserves the right to charge HKD 250 for any AC unit(s) that were booked for cleaning, but we discover cannot be cleaned. There are many reasons that this can occur, and whilst we endeavor for the below list to be a comprehensive and complete list (the list is updated from time to time) even we can be surprised:
– AC has not been used for several months, or has not been used since the previous summer, and is no longer working (this is just one of the many reasons that all clients are informed of the ‘Preparations before our arrival’ requirements).
– AC is not cooling and/or has a fault that requires technical inspection and/or repairs that cannot be completed right away. As a general rule of thumb we do not clean ACs that are not in working order.
– AC cannot be cleaned owing to how it has been installed. Much to our disdain, this occurs all too frequently in Hong Kong. More often than not, this is usually the consequence of an interior designer being so focused on aesthetics that they negelect to ensure that the AC is accessible for cleaning/maintenance/repairs (and is many cases they just don’t know anything whatsover about ACs). We’ve come across all manner of mistakes, but the most common are: (a) Split-Type AC casing cannot be removed (b) Fan-Coil AC essential components that require regular cleaning are inaccessible – components such as the cooling coil and/or drainage pan and/or drainage line and/or fan motor, etc (c) Window-Type AC casing cannot be removed.
– AC is inaccessible. It’s all too common in Hong Kong to find that Fan-Coil Units (in particular) have been exceptionally poorly installed with no regard whatsover for cleaning/maintenance/repairs.

Booking Rescheduling Policy / Booking Cancellation Policy – Technical Services Appointments
If a previously agreed and confirmed (orally or in writing) AirCare Technical Services booking is rescheduled less than 48 working hours before the agreed appointment, AirCare reserves the right to charge the client up to a maximum of 50% of the Deposit amount (for the avoidance of doubt, AirCare reserves the right to retain 50% of the Booking Deposit in the event of rescheduling on short notice. Provided that at least 48 hours advance notice is given in the event of cancellation (provided that no materials and/or AC systems were purchased), the Booking Deposit is fully refundable. Provided that at least 48 hours advance notice is given in the event of rescheduling, the Booking Deposit can be carried forward to the rescheduled appointment. 

In the event of cancellation of technical services where materials and/or AC systems have been purchased for the required works, AirCare Solutions reserves the right to withhold the amount of the deposit that was expended on materials, and the client will be responsible for bearing the costs of returning the AC systems directly to the supplier, as well as liaising with the supplier directly to make such arrangements. AirCare Solutions will not process any refunds for any returned AC systems until such time as the supplier has notified AirCare Solutions in writing that the goods have been safely returned, and have been confirmed to be in perfect condition. Any damages to the goods that may occur during the returning of the goods via the transportation arrangements that the client has made, are solely the responsibility of the client. For the avoidance of doubt, once AC systems have been received by the client, the safekeeping and care of the goods are solely the responsibility of the client. When a client makes a confirmed booking with us, we schedule the relevant technical services personnel for the day accordingly, and if we are not provided with adequate notice then it is often impossible to fill the gap at the last minute. This results in exceptionally high labor costs.

Punctuality: Typically our Cleaning Personnel are very punctual as we do our utmost to ensure to gather complete information from clients prior to their appointments, as well as advising clients what they should do in preparation for our arrival to ensure swift, efficient, and thorough service. However, it should be noted that clients do occasionally miss-communicate information which can lead to more time being required to complete an appointment (such as a lack of clarity on car parking availability and/or car parking location, incomplete or incorrect addresses having been provided to us, incorrect AC types, and all manner of other miscommunications). Furthermore, technical issues can arise which require deeper investigation and more time. As we allow for a certain margin of additional time to compensate for any unexpected issues, in the rare event that our cleaning personnel are running late, it is seldom more than 20 minutes. More often, they’re running ahead of schedule and we may contact you to inquire if our personnel can arrive earlier than scheduled. However, whilst we have worked exceptionally hard to develop and maintain an excellent reputation for our punctuality, nevertheless there will be unavoidable (and exceptionally rare) occasions where our personnel are running considerably behind schedule. Whenever we first become aware that our personnel are running behind schedule, even if it as little as 10 minutes late, we always endeavor to communicate an updated estimated time of arrival to our clients immediately. In the event that our cleaning personnel are running in excess of one hour behind schedule, clients have the right to reschedule the booking without forfeiting their deposit, however, it should be noted that as we’re heavily booked throughout the entire year, the next available date/timing could be several days to several weeks away. Clients who have a limited window of time for their booking to be completed (i.e.: there is a pressing need for the appointment to commence on time and finish on time) are forewarned that it’s far better to book a morning slot as opposed to a late afternoon slot – owing to the fact that any unforeseen delays that may occur earlier in the day are likely to have a knock-on effect for the remainder of the day. There are times when our personnel may skip lunch entirely of their own volition in an extraordinary and valiant (under no pressure from management!) effort to get back on schedule – so we’re sure that you can imagine how appreciative they are to be greeted with a smile on a blistering hot summer day even if they have arrived behind schedule.

In regards to Technical Services bookings – please note that Technical Services is an entirely different matter in regards to scheduling, duration of appointment, and punctuality. The timing that is indicated on the Invoice is an approximate ETA, and the duration of the appointment is our best estimate based upon the information that we have. The very nature of technical services means that all manner of variables and unexpected challenges may arise. As frustrating as it may be, this is why many companies will advise a window of time that their personnel will arrive. If you have lived in Hong Kong for long enough, you’ll probably be familiar with PCCW; “Our technician will arrive sometime between 2pm to 5pm”. However, we’re typically on time (+/- 20 mins) as we can typically gather enough information from the client prior beforehand (diagnosing AC technical issues is similar to a doctor diagnosing a patient through first understanding their medical history, and asking the right questions about the patient’s symptoms) so that a reasonably accurate duration of time can be allocated. Furthermore, it should be noted that our work vehicles are not mobile hardware stores – technical services may require from time to time that one of our personnel has to step out to find a local hardware store to purchase something, or go to the nearest HVAC supplier to purchase something that is AC specific. Our technical services personnel may also have to stop on the way to the appointment to collect any additional materials that may be required from HVAC suppliers – thus this may also result in a later arrival time than has been scheduled.

Accurate address information: The client is responsible for ensuring that we have accurate details so that our personnel are not inconvenienced. If a Google Pin has been specifically requested, kindly please provide an accurate one as the Google Pin has been requested for a reason – so that we can do our best to ensure that our personnel arrive on time at the address. For example, in the New Territories, village houses can be difficult to locate. Furthermore, there are many occasions where the car park or loading bay entrance is not located at the street address of the building – the car park/loading bay entrance may be located on a side street or an entirely different street. A good example of this is The Belcher’s in Kennedy Town. If one searches for The Belcher’s on Google Maps, the location provided on Google Maps will provide directions to the entrance on Pok Fu Lam Road which is for Residents Only. In actuality, in order for our personnel to park and access The Belcher’s efficiently, the car parking is located at The Westwood – which is a 7 to 10 minute drive from the residential access on Pok Fu Lam Road.

2. Car Parking

It is our position that our clients are able to benefit from the most professional service in the industry, at a very reasonable price, and that we should not have to bear the expense of costly hourly parking. Furthermore, the operating equipment that is required for professional deep cleaning of ACs weighs in excess of 30kg, and in addition to that, every team must also carry two ladders. Wherever on-site car parking is unavailable, this means that one personnel will need to be dropped off at (or near to) the location, and carry 30kg of operating equipment & two ladders to the appointment, whilst the second personnel will park the van at the nearest hourly car park. This adds considerable workload and time to the appointment, and thus the car parking fee partially offsets the impact that a lack of convenient car parking has on the total number of ACs that a team can complete in a days work.

It should be noted that where hourly on site visitor car parking is available, that car parking fees are charged at the prevailing rate – so do please notify our administration personnel via WhatsApp on +852 97498899 of what the actual hourly rate is, and the invoice will be prepared (or amended if already issued) accordingly. Clients who are located at residential developments which have convenient on site hourly car parking available may also benefit from a 10% Discount – please click here to find out if your development is entitled to a 10% Discount, as well as what the requirements are for a 10% Discount to be applicable. Do please also note that residential developments which have convenient hourly car parking very close at hand may also be considered for a 10% Discount – a few examples of developments that do not have on site hourly car parking, but do still enjoy a 10% Discount: The Belcher’s (parking at The Westwood), Baguio Villas (parking at Market Place), The Waterfront (parking at Elements). So if your residence is above (or directly adjacent) to a shopping mall that has convenient hourly car parking available – your building may also be considered for a 10% Discount. Our list of residential developments that are automatically awarded with a 10% Discount (conditions apply) is always growing – so if you believe that your residential development meets the criteria to be added to our list, then please don’t be shy and do please bring this to our attention!

If there is no free visitor parking available at the service location, parking expenses will be borne in full by the customer at the prevailing hourly rate whether the car parking be on premise, or at a nearby public hourly car park. If there is no car parking available within reasonable proximity to the service location (within 100 meters), we would request that you inform your security desk of our arrival time and that we will drop off our operating equipment at that time – we will then find a nearby public hourly car park and return promptly and punctually to your address. Should our personnel need to stop illegally on the roadside in order to drop off the equipment, and be required to park in an hourly car park in excess of 100 meters away from the service location, an additional discretionary handling charge of HKD 100 may be applied.

By default, AirCare quotes HKD 30 per hour for car parking expenses if there is no free visitor parking available at the service address. Our clients are encouraged to let us know if the hourly rate for visitor parking at your residential address is less than HKD 30 per hour, and we will be happy to amend the Invoice accordingly to reflect the actual hourly rate. Furthermore, if the nearest Public Hourly Car Park charges less than HKD 30 per hour, please advise our Administration personnel accordingly and we will adjust the Invoice to reflect the actual hourly rate.

From time to time we are advised by our clients that there is ‘free’ street parking nearby to their residence. Please note that there is no free legal street parking in Hong Kong with the exception of a small handful of designated car parking areas in Country Park areas. Parking a vehicle (except for loading/unloading, picking up/dropping off passengers) anywhere other than a specifically designated metered car parking space, or in a designated car park, is in contravention of HK Transport Department parking regulations and the offending vehicle is liable for a HKD 320 fixed penalty parking fine. For further information, please see here and here. Furthermore, please note that due to recent amendments to illegal parking regulations in Hong Kong, that an illegally parked vehicle can be charged HKD 320 for every 30 minutes.

Please note that visitor parking can be quite limited at some residential developments, and thus although visitor parking is technically available, nevertheless our personnel can occasionally be informed by security personnel that there are no remaining visitor parking slots available. In such cases (should there be no public hourly parking within 100 meters of the service address) our personnel may need to park illegally in order to arrive punctually to the appointment as well as to ensure that they remain on schedule for the remainder of the day ahead. Should our personnel have no other choice than to park illegally owing to the unavailability of car parking (only in cases where we had been specifically informed by the client that visitor parking is available) then the client will be liable to bear the full costs of any fixed penalty car parking tickets that may be issued, up to a maximum cost of $320. A copy of the fixed penalty traffic fine will be provided to the client to show that the location, time and date corresponds to the relevant appointment.

Metered car parking: Please note that our personnel cannot rely on parking the vehicle in metered car parking spaces as they are seldom available and they cannot wait around in the hope that a space becomes available. If it so happens that our personnel are fortunate enough to stumble across an available metered car parking space when you have otherwise been invoiced for an hourly car park rate, please note that car parking fee will not be amended on the invoice. “Well that’s not particularly fair!” we hear you say. And yes, on the surface we would have to agree with you (well, we would agree with you if we were there to teach a piano lesson), however, the reality is that our personnel often neglect to top up the meter as they’re focused on taking care of your ACs and it’s not exactly convenient to be scrambling to get a phone out of their pocket, whilst balanced on a ladder, with a high pressure water gun pointed in the general direction of sensitive electrical equipment, to try to open an App with wet slippery hands…..only to drop the phone from height, crack the screen, AND end up with a car parking ticket after all of that anyway. “Ha! Ha! Ha!” we hear you laugh….or “Hee Hee” we hear you playfully giggle….but our MD wasn’t laughing at all on the third occasion this exact same sequence of events happened. He can laugh about it now, because now neither he nor any of our personnel are returning to their vehicles to find that inspector plod has left them a non-returnable gift that left their wallet $320 lighter.

New Territories Village Car Parking: Car parking in villages in the New Territories can be a delicate matter. If you have ‘village parking’ available, sure thing, we’re happy to park in an available space – the operative word being available. Our personnel probably don’t reside in your village, so it’s quite likely that they won’t have any clue as to whether they’ve parked in an available space, or whether they’ve parked in the Village Chief’s mother-in-laws space who’ll undoubtedly hurl some abuse despite that the company number is clearly marked on all of our vehicles and so she could have just called and asked nicely “Hey, get the hell outta my space!”. So, if you would like us to park in an available space, then either the space must ‘belong’ to you (i,e,: the space is included with your rent, or you’re renting the space) or you must have obtained permission for our personnel to park there. Whatever the case may be, we’ll need you to send us an accurate Google Pin of your residence (village house numbering seldom makes any sense whatsoever) as well as any other additional information and/or directions that will be helpful for our personnel. If there are actually no available car parking spaces in your village, but you have your own dedicated car parking space, then we kindly and respectfully request that you allow our personnel to park in your own space for the full duration of the appointment. There’s actually a very good and justifiable reason for this – our personnel will inevitably be asked to move their vehicle at some point (and often several times!) during the appointment which is considerably inconvenient, adds additional time to the appointment, and is often upsetting for your neighbors.

Lastly, though this a rare occurrence, some clients may raise a concern and communicate to us “I don’t believe that I should be paying for your car parking – shouldn’t this be included in your pricing? We’ve never been charged for car parking before”. We’d invite you to consider that you most certainly have been paying for the car parking – other service providers have just incorporated car parking fees in to their pricing structure, so it’s in there, it’s just not a separate ‘line item’. They have not structured their pricing arbitrarily and loosely based on ‘market’ rates – they will have conducted a cost analysis to ensure that their pricing structure correlates with the gross operating profits that their business needs to achieve in order to remain a viable business with potential to grow and expand. As our repeat clients know very well – we are very detail oriented and meticulous with everything we do, and this includes how we have structured our pricing. With car parking fees varying so greatly (from as little as HKD 12 per hour to as high as HKD 150 per hour at the loading bays of several residences in Mid Levels and The Peak – where this no visitor parking as well as no hourly car parking within a couple of kilometers) we prefer to charge parking fees as a separate matter. By charging car parking separately, we are able to keep our pricing as low as possible, and it’s also just one of the reasons that we only recently increased our pricing after 4 years with no adjustments for inflation, rising labor costs, etc.

3. Discount Codes

Solely at AirCare’s discretion, we may issue our clients with their own unique Discount Code (*conditions apply). Unique Discount Codes may also be issued for some high-rise building locations, managed properties, as well as for particular villages or districts in the immediate vicinity of our Franchisees and/or Personnel. Upon receiving your Booking Inquiry, we will inform you if a Discount already applies to your residential development or your location. For the avoidance of doubt, only one discount offer can be applied per booking.

4. Booking Deposit

We pride ourselves on our booking process as it ensures that we provide an accurate estimate of the time taken to complete your service(s), as well as ensuring that we are punctual for all of our clients, and that adequate manpower has been assigned. For all bookings, whether residential or commercial, a Booking Deposit of 20% of the Total Gross Fee is required. The Booking Deposit must be settled within 24 hours of the client receiving our Quotation/Invoice. If the Booking Deposit remains unsettled, we may follow up with a reminder, however, we reserve the right to reallocate the booking date/time to another client solely at our discretion as we operate on a First-Come-First-Served basis.

Should you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, we require a minimum of 48 hours advance notice. Provided that at least 48 hours advance notice is provided in the event of cancellation, the Booking Deposit is fully refundable. Should you be rescheduling your appointment, the Booking Deposit will be retained and carried forward to the next appointment.

Settlement of the booking deposit, as is noted on all AirCare Solutions invoices, confirms the client’s acceptance of AirCare Solutions Terms of Service in entirety

5. Preparations before our arrival

20 to 30 minutes before our personnel’s arrival, please turn on all of the AC’s that have been booked to be cleaned. Please set to the lowest temperature (coldest) setting, and to auto fan setting. This is to ensure that pre-cleaning assessment can be conducted swiftly without delay, as well as to ensure that all of the AC’s are operating without any technical issues (except where we have been previously advised of any technical issues). If any of the AC’s are dripping/leaking owing to blocked drainage or other reasons, there is no need to turn those units on in advance of our personnel’s arrival. Please ensure that all remote controls are clearly visible, operational, and placed in an obvious location near to the AC’s. It is important to note that many AC operational faults/symptoms may not be immediately apparent when an AC is first switched on, for example: An AC that is low on refrigerant can often appear to be operating normally for anywhere up to 20/25 minutes before various symptoms are notable (such as icing up of the coil, and/or error codes appearing, and/or the AC automatically shutting down). Hence why it is important that the AC’s are turned on 20 to 30 minutes prior to our arrival. It is the client’s responsibility to demonstrate that all of the AC’s to be cleaned are in good working order (unless AirCare Solutions has otherwise been previously advised of any technical issues that we have agreed to inspect and/or resolve) prior to cleaning being commenced.

Before our personnel’s arrival, the client is to remove all furniture/obstacles from around/beneath the appliances/objects/surfaces scheduled to be cleaned to ensure that the cleaning process is unencumbered, can be safely executed, and so that our personnel may commence work promptly upon arrival. For the avoidance of doubt, our AC cleaning personnel will need adequate floor space directly beneath the AC in order to place down a ladder or working platform safely. It is important to note our personnel are working at height with tools such as screwdrivers, inspection cameras, and cordless drills. Whilst all of our personnel take great care with their operating equipment, accidents can still occur on the rare occasion, so we recommend that any fragile furniture, electrical appliances, or other fragile/valuable items are well clear of the area(s) to be cleaned.  Should our staff be required to move a significant amount of furniture and/or other items in order to safely access the items that have been scheduled for cleaning, an additional fee of HKD 100 may be applied per occurrence. Should curtains/blinds/curtain rails need to be temporarily removed from beneath an AC in order to make adequate room for wastewater catchment bags and/or to ensure that deep cleaning can be carried out without risk of mess, an additional fee of HKD 100 may be applied per occurrence as additional time and labor is required. It should be noted that whilst our personnel are able to move items of furniture, wardrobes, curtains, blinds, electrical appliances, etc. out of the way in order to be able to complete AC cleaning and/or repair work, moving such objects out of the way is not a part of their job description and we reserve the right to decline to move any such objects should there be any concerns that something may get damaged in the process, or should something be too cumbersome or heavy to move that it may put our personnel at risk of physical injury. Furthermore, should our personnel be required to move heavy items of furniture, whilst they will of course do their best to take great care when doing so, AirCare Solutions personnel cannot be held responsible for any damage to furniture, electrical appliances, walls, carpets, or flooring – our personnel are HVAC specialists, not furniture relocation specialists. For the avoidance of doubt, we have only allocated sufficient time for our personnel to carry out thorough deep cleaning of the AC systems that have been booked (we have not allocated additional time to rearrange household furniture, electrical appliances, etc) – so we reserve the right to request additional nominal fees for any additional work that may be required in order for our personnel to carry out the specified works. For the avoidance of doubt, AirCare Solutions does not accept any liability whatsoever for any furniture, electrical appliance, artwork, fragile items, or any object/item whatsoever that a client has not removed from being directly underneath an AC system that is to be cleaned or repaired.

Our personnel will also need to utilize a washroom (ideally with a bathtub, but a shower cubicle will also suffice) to pressure wash the various components of your appliances (filters, air conditioner covers, drain pans, louvers/vanes, etc.) and we request that you clear the bathroom of delicate items accordingly to provide us with adequate room to work unencumbered, as well as to safeguard any fragile belongings.

Bathroom Drainage/Plumbing: Client’s who have any pre-existing drainage issues with their bathroom plumbing should advise AirCare Solutions personnel accordingly. However, it is a Standard Operating Procedure for our personnel to test bathroom drainage prior to commencing the washing of AC components and AC filters. Should our personnel encounter any drainage issues, they will bring this to the attention of the client before any cleaning commences. Our personnel can often resolve any pre-existing drainage/plumbing issues on the spot. Should there be any concerns about bathroom drainage/plumbing from either party, every effort will be made to identify an alternative location to wash the AC components and filters – such as a different bathroom, a suitable balcony area, or a suitable outdoor area. It should be noted that our personnel are trained to ensure that the debris from the washing of AC components and AC filters does not cause any drainage/plumbing issues.

6. Additional safe operating equipment

If any of the air conditioning units (or other appliances to be cleaned) require working at significant height, additional safe operating equipment may be required. Accordingly, additional surcharges per instance may be applied depending upon the type(s) of additional safe operating equipment that is required. Please ensure that we are informed well in advance so as to ensure that our personnel bring additional safe operating equipment for your appointment. For reference regarding work at height safety, please see here.

7. Minimum Charges

After checking and evaluation, if it is found that the air conditioner unit(s) do not require internal cleaning or are unsuitable for internal cleaning, AirCare reserves the right to charge up to a maximum of HKD 250 per unit for a nominal ‘inspection fee’. Units that are deemed as unsuitable for internal cleaning are those that are of advanced age, badly damaged, malfunctioning, found to be inaccessible, or where the plastic may have become too brittle to be dismantled without causing significant damage to the casing and/or components of the unit(s). For the avoidance of doubt: If a client has booked for 6 ACs to be deep cleaned, then we will have allocated and committed the personnel and the time required – should we subsequently find upon arrival that any of the ACs cannot be deep cleaned for any of the aforementioned reasons (or owing to any unforeseeable technical reason that renders cleaning impossible or too high risk) then AirCare Solutions reserves the right to charge up to a maximum of HKD 250 per unit for a nominal ‘inspection fee’ as our labor costs remain the same, and we cannot get back the time.

Our minimum booking fee is HKD 1,100 (i.e.: if you wish to book us to clean a single air conditioning unit, we will still need to charge HKD 1,100). For the avoidance of doubt, we have a minimum booking requirement of 2 x AC’s or HKD 1,100 for cleaning services. Professionally cleaning air conditioning systems requires significant operating equipment in excess of 25kg, and significant time to unload/load for each job, thus there needs to be a minimum fee for the cleaning of a single air conditioning unit to be commercially viable. In cases where any applicable discounts may bring the total fee for 2 x AC’s down to less than the $1,100 minimum booking fee (such as discounts applicable for Landlord’s and Real Estate Agents), please note that the $1,100 minimum booking fee will still be applicable. Please note that the minimum booking fee for Marina bookings is HKD 2,000. This is due to far longer unloading/loading times in addition to more challenging & time consuming work. The minimum Marina Fee may not be applicable for some repeat clients where we have previously assessed that there are no particular challenges for the vessel and/or the AC systems on the vessel.

8. External Condenser Cleaning

Cleaning of the air conditioner condenser (the external unit typically fixed to the outside of the building) is not included unless otherwise stated. If cleaning services for condensers are required, a separate quotation can be provided.

External condensers on high-rise apartments are sometimes accessible via a nearby window and our personnel can utilize specialized equipment to apply cleaning products, as well as an extension wand to perform the high pressure washing. In such cases, scaffolding is not required.

Please note that external condensers are designed to be quite resilient, and do not need to be cleaned anywhere near as frequently as indoor units. In most cases we recommend the deep cleaning of external condenser units every 2 to 3 years to ensure that mold, dust and debris is removed from the coil. However, for condensers that are located in an area with higher exposure to contaminants (for example, located in close proximity to a restaurant exhaust system) then these may need to be deep cleaned more frequently. Please refer to our YouTube Channel here for how to recognize when an external condenser unit is in need of a cleaning service.

9. Surcharges: ACs that are recessed and/or located behind decorative grilles / ACs sealed with silicone / ACs in confined spaces – and other situations that require the use of custom-made wastewater catchment bags

It is common for air conditioning units to be recessed and/or located behind grilles for aesthetic purposes. In order to deep clean an air-conditioning unit that has been recessed behind grilles, the grilles must be removed in order to access the unit as well as in order to be able to remove the casing of the unit. This additional removal process incurs additional work and time, as well as the necessity of utilizing costly non-standard custom-made wastewater catchment bags which are cumbersome and time-consuming (and wherever possible we also clean the mold and dust off of the grilles after removal) thus an additional standard fee of HKD 200 per occurrence will be incurred. Our Online Booking Inquiry Form clearly indicates and raises a query about whether or not any ACs are Recessed and/or Installed Behind Grilles for these specific reasons, so in the rare instances where a client has neglected to indicate that their ACs are Recessed and/or Behind Grilles, our personnel will do their best to seek your approval to proceed with the cleaning as the surcharge will be applied. Ideally they will try to speak with you directly, however, quite often clients may be working and are unavailable. In which case we will send a message by whichever method we have been primarily communicating with you beforehand (WhatsApp or email for example). Our personnel cannot afford to sit around idly awaiting for a response, and we work on the assumption that our clients have paid a deposit to get a job done – so our personnel will proceed regardless of having received approval or not. AirCare personnel are exceptionally careful with the removal of grilles, however, AirCare accepts no liability for damage to paintwork, plaster, or to the grilles themselves. Wherever possible, AirCare will clean the grilles as part of the service, but should we be concerned that cleaning the grilles may result in damage to the paint, we will refrain from cleaning them. Please also note that should our personnel be required to also remove the framework of the grilles, or any other similar decorative components in order to be able to access the AC for deep cleaning, a further nominal discretionary surcharge may be applied for the additional time and labor. For the avoidance of doubt, please note that the applicable surcharges are not primarily related to the physical removal of the grilles themselves – so whilst we appreciate that some clients will offer to remove the grilles themselves with the assumption that the surcharge can be waived, this is not the case. Our price point for all of the various types of ACs has been calculated with two primary considerations: labor & time required. Thus for ACs that are installed in such a way that the labor and time required is significantly increased, additional fees are required. It should be noted that this is no different to how the vast majority of service providers and contractors charge their fees – whether it be plumbers, electricians, painters – all charge for the work required, as well as the time that is required. Furthermore, it is also important to note that manufacturers such as Daikin and Mitsubishi (for example) also have cleaning technicians available – these companies (as well as the majority of other manufacturers who have cleaning technicians) will flatly refuse to clean ACs that are recessed and/or behind grilles. And they have good reason for this: There’s a right way and a wrong way when installing ACs in such a manner (even the brand of AC and how its various components are put together has to be considered) and unfortunately it’s commonplace for these types of installations to be very poorly executed by interior designers, the contractor, and the AC installation personnel. Poorly installed recessed ACs suffer from far more frequent maintenance/repair issues – and companies such as Daikin and Mitsubishi would rather steer clear of these than to be blamed for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It should also be noted that we sometimes find that split type air conditioning systems have been recessed without leaving adequate clearance around the unit – in some cases rendering the removal of the casing impossible.

Above images: The image on the left is of a Split-Type Air Conditioner that is recessed and located behind a grille. The image on the right is of a Split-Type Air Conditioner that has been recessed – in both cases, special waste-water catchment bags are required which results in significantly more time being required to clean these AC’s, thus a HKD 200 surcharge will be applied per occurrence. 

Below image: Another example of an AC that has been recessed and installed behind a decorative grille.

 
It should be noted that any AC that requires the use of a custom-made wastewater catchment bag, as as result of the AC being in a confined space that has rendered the fitting of a standard wastewater catchment bag impossible, may be subject to a nominal surcharge for the additional time and labor required to deep clean the AC. Just two examples: (1) ACs that are installed directly above wardrobes where the clearance between the base of the AC and the wardrobe (or other similar furniture/fixtures) is less than 30cm. (2) ACs installed in a narrow space where a standard wastewater catchment bag cannot be fitted. These are just two examples – there are a variety of other installation issues, encumbrance issues, and unusual circumstances that will necessitate the use of a custom-made wastewater catchment bag. Should any additional surcharges be applicable that were previously unidentified during the booking process, our personnel will do their best to communicate this to the client before proceeding with dismantling and cleaning. However, if for any reason the client is unavailable or uncommunicative, our personnel will proceed as per the quantity of ACs that were booked – provided that the applicable surcharge(s) per unit are no greater than HKD200 each. Should a situation justify surcharge(s) any higher than HKD200 per unit for the additional time and labor required, our personnel will not be able to proceed if the client has not agreed to the surcharges either verbally or in writing. In which case an additional booking may be required in order for our personnel to return to complete any unfinished work.

It is quite common in Hong Kong for the covers of air conditioning units to be sealed to the wall with silicone for the sake of aesthetics. Deep cleaning an air conditioner unit properly means that the external plastic casing must be removed. Should our personnel need to cut through silicone in order to remove the plastic casing, they will do their best to seek your approval to do so beforehand. Ideally they will try to speak with you directly, however, quite often clients may be working and are unavailable. In which case we will send a message by whichever method we have been primarily communicating with you beforehand (WhatsApp or email for example). Our personnel cannot afford to sit around idly awaiting for a response, and we work on the assumption that our clients have paid a deposit to get a job done – so our personnel will proceed regardless of having received approval or not.  This additional removal process incurs additional work and time (especially if the silicone has been significantly hardened after being painted over), thus an additional fee of HKD 100 per occurrence will be incurred. Our personnel are exceptionally careful when cutting through silicone, however, it should be noted that minor cracks in the paint/plaster/filler surrounding the AC can occur and we accept no liability for this whatsoever.

 

10. Liability

AirCare cleaning work is carried out with the utmost care & professionalism; however, minor damage may occasionally occur through no fault of AirCare personnel. The plastic components on older appliances (as a general rule of thumb, various plastic components of an AC begin to deteriorate and become brittle after 6 or 7 years…AC’s that are more exposed to UV rays from sunlight may deteriorate faster than this) can naturally become brittle and/or weakened over time.  It should also be noted that hinges and clasps on AC filter covers are frequently poorly designed – often requiring the application of significant force to separate the filter cover from the casing, and/or the casing from the head unit. Older AC louvers are also prone to breaking as they are subjected to frequent extreme changes in temperature, expansion and contraction, as well as the stresses of being dismantled and reassembled each time the AC is properly deep cleaned. Thus it is inevitable that some minor damage can occasionally occur regardless of how careful our personnel are. It should be noted that the older an AC is, the less likely it is to be able to source new replacement parts as AC models are frequently discontinued. Sourcing second-hand parts can take considerable time, and can sometimes be impossible. AirCare limits any claim against such plastic components being damaged to a maximum total of HKD 200 per component. Air Conditioning units are machines, and like any machine, moving parts, electronics, and other components will fail from normal usage and ordinary wear and tear over time – assigning blame to AirCare Solutions for any component failure of an old and well-used AC is akin to blaming a car mechanic for tires needing to be changed after the tires have worn out.

If any damage to AC’s, the household, or its contents resulting from AirCare Solutions cleaning work should occur, AirCare Solutions must be notified within 48 hours from the date of the service, and details must be confirmed in writing along with photographic supporting evidence. 

AirCare Solutions is safeguarded with Public Liability Insurance to the value of HKD 10,000,000 so our clients can rest assured that you, your home, office, and contents, are covered. Exclusions: It is common in Hong Kong for some air conditioner units to be recessed behind ‘grilles’ to partially hide them for aesthetic reasons. AirCare takes no responsibility for damage caused to plastering, painting, wallpaper, walls, wooden frames, or grilles which are required to be removed in order to access the air conditioner unit(s).

Vibration of Split-Type AC’s after deep cleaning: It should be noted that the deep cleaning process of the fan barrel of split-type AC’s requires washing with water under high pressure. Although occurring exceptionally rarely, as the utmost of care is always taken, it is still possible for a balancing clip to come loose during the high pressure washing of the fan barrel. This typically only occurs where a balancing clip has not been installed properly, or where balancing clips have deteriorated as a result of previous cleaning companies utilizing corrosive cleaning products which have corroded the clip(s). As it is exceptionally rare for a factory installed balancing clip to come loose, the latter is usually the case. If a balancing clip has fallen off, the result is a fan barrel which is off balance when rotating at high speed – the higher the fan speed, the worse the vibration will be. The wheels of a vehicle are balanced in much the same way – with the addition of small weights which are clipped to the rims. AirCare does not accept any liability for balancing clips coming loose during our cleaning processes, as this is almost always a consequence of the poor practices of previous cleaning companies. (Please see the below image to understand what a balancing clip is, and where they can be found on the fan barrel) Another cause of increased vibration and/or noise after the deep cleaning of a split-type AC can be the result of the fan barrel bearings being worn out, or the bearings lacking grease, or the grease having lost its viscosity over time. Again, this occurs very rarely, and mostly only occurs with AC’s that are in excess of 10 years old. Just as a vehicle requires maintenance and oil changes, AC’s also have moving parts that will require maintenance and repairs from time to time from normal wear and tear. AirCare accepts no liability for fan barrel bearings and/or fan barrel grease issues.

A balancing clip and where it can be seen on a fan barrel

Residual dripping after cleaning: The proper deep cleaning of split-type AC systems utilizing water under pressure will inevitably leave behind some moisture within AC units that cannot be wiped up. There could be some moisture left within the fan housing, within the fan barrel, within the casing, or within materials that are specifically designed to capture condensation. Thus an AC can sometimes have some dripping of residual water for a few minutes after our personnel have finished cleaning an AC, or even after they have departed the premises. Our personnel are trained to constantly monitor for any errant water droplets on floors, walls, furniture, etc. whilst cleaning is underway, and they will clean up any droplets immediately. Clients who have delicate wooden flooring or parquet wooden flooring should be vigilant for any residual water droplets after our personnel have vacated the premises as protective covers will no longer be present. For clients who have delicate flooring underneath their AC’s, we recommend that you place a towel or other such protection underneath the AC(s) to prevent the possibility of any stains from residual water after our personnel have left the premises.

Air Conditioning Units in excess of 10 years of age: Air conditioning units are machines, and like any machine, moving parts, electronics, and other components will fail from normal usage and ordinary wear and tear over time. An air conditioning system that is in excess of 10 years of age can be likened to a vehicle that has accumulated 160,000km of mileage – various parts will begin to fail, such as hoses, rubber seals, metal components, plastic components, machinery, electronics, radiators, rubber hoses, gaskets…etc. However, it should be noted that most vehicle owners will maintain their vehicle periodically – things such as an oil change at the recommended intervals, changing tires when they are worn out, replacing fan belts when they are showing signs of wear and tear, annual road-worthiness assessments, etc. A thorough annual road-worthiness assessment is designed to identify common components that are prone to wear and tear, so that the vehicle owner can maintain their vehicle in safe working order. This is in stark contrast to air conditioning units which are rarely taken care of in a similar fashion (there are several exceptions of course – some examples; large scale air conditioning systems for commercial buildings; air conditioning systems in aircraft, air conditioning systems in hospitals…to name but a few) – they’re typically only serviced when something has failed. It is therefore pertinent to recognize that ‘correlation does not necessarily imply causation’ – any component of an air conditioning system that is in excess of 10 years of age could fail at any time. The failure of any component of an air conditioning system shortly after being deep cleaned should not automatically be attributed to a problem that has occurred during the deep cleaning process. AirCare Solutions personnel are highly trained and skilled professionals, and AC systems are designed to be dismantled for deep cleaning as deep cleaning is essential to maintain an AC system in good working order. In the event that a client alleges that AirCare Solutions is responsible for any damage to an air conditioning unit, AirCare Solutions must be notified within 48 hours from the date of the service – details must be confirmed in writing to info@aircaresolutionshk.com  AirCare Solutions limits such liability for the replacement cost of any failed component of an air conditioning system to HKD 250 per instance. In the event that any AirCare Solutions personnel acknowledges (or reports to a client during an appointment) that they may have inadvertently caused damage to a component of an air conditioning unit (for the avoidance of doubt – if any AirCare Solutions personnel advises that they are aware that they caused a fault) then AirCare Solutions limits such liability for the replacement of any failed component of an air conditioning system to HKD 1,500 per instance – this is inclusive of the cost of the replacement part as well as labor costs. AirCare Solutions personnel reserve the right to exercise their discretion and may choose to decline to proceed with cleaning an AC system that appears to have surpassed its lifespan and/or appears to be in too poor condition – rather than risk being blamed for a component failure that occurs from ordinary wear and tear during or shortly after the cleaning process.

Air Conditioning Units in excess of 15 years of age: Further to the previous passage, AirCare Solutions accepts no liability whatsoever for the failure of any component, whether electrical or mechanical, during the cleaning process, or shortly after the cleaning process has been completed. As previously mentioned, air conditioning systems are machines, and like any machine, moving parts, electronics, and other components will fail from normal usage and ordinary wear and tear over time – it is unreasonable to expect AirCare Solutions to be held liable for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Assigning blame to AirCare Solutions for the failure of an electrical or mechanical component on an AC system that has surpassed its typical life expectancy is akin to assigning blame to a mechanic for an oil leak in the engine of a 30 year old car when all the mechanic did was change a tire. AirCare Solutions personnel reserve the right to exercise their discretion and may choose to decline to proceed with cleaning an AC system that appears to have surpassed its lifespan and/or appears to be in too poor condition – rather than risk being blamed for a component failure that occurs from ordinary wear and tear during or shortly after the cleaning process.

It should be noted that when AC systems are in excess of 10 years of age, that replacement parts can be difficult or impossible to source from suppliers and/or second-hand parts suppliers. In such instances, when every effort has been made to source replacement parts, that AirCare Solutions will not issue any cash payment in lieu of any replacement part.

11. All AirCare Solutions personnel, whether employed by the Franchisor, or employed by a Franchisee, are thoroughly vetted during the interview stage, as well as throughout the training period. Our personnel are trustworthy and would otherwise not be working with AirCare Solutions as we have a zero tolerance policy for dishonesty or any lack of integrity.  Our personnel will not enter any rooms/areas other than those where cleaning has been scheduled, and it should be noted that we have developed such strong relationships with our long term clients that our personnel are often given access to residences and businesses with no supervision whatsoever. We are truly honored to have built such trusted relationships with out clients

12. Blocked drainage: 

When an AC is dripping/leaking, the most common reason by far is owing to blocked drainage lines. For dripping/leaking issues, AirCare Solutions recommends to have the AC deep cleaned and to have the drainage line flushed – in more than 95% of cases, a deep cleaning will resolve the dripping/leaking issue.  In the event that deep cleaning and flushing of the drainage line does not resolve the dripping/leaking, and on the rare occasion that our Cleaning Personnel are unable to diagnose what else is causing the dripping/leaking, we would then recommend an inspection by our Technical Services Personnel to diagnose and recommend a solution.

During the standard deep cleaning process for Split-Type Air Conditioner units, Fan Coil units, and Ceiling-Suspended-Type units, our personnel will flush the drainage line with several litres of water under high pressure and confirm that the condensate is draining freely upon conclusion of the deep cleaning of each unit.

However, we cannot guarantee that drainage line blockages will not reoccur for several reasons, including but not limited to;

(i) It is commonplace for Air Conditioning Systems to have been poorly installed which can lead to higher frequency of blocked drainage. For example, we often come across drainage lines that have a positive incline at some point along the drainage line (often immediately after the connection point to the drain pan). This leads to far more rapid development of algae within the drainage line, and often within the drain pan itself.

(ii) It is commonplace for Split-Type Air Conditioning Systems to have been poorly installed. Split-Type AC’s are supposed to be installed at a slight 1-degree to 2-degree negative incline towards the side of the AC where the drainage line has been attached to the drain pan. More often than not, Split-Type AC’s tend to be installed completely level – this leads to pooling of water within the drain pan which in turns leads to more rapid development of algae both within the drain pan as well as within the drainage line.

(iii) It is commonplace for Air Conditioning Systems to have been poorly installed with multiple AC drainage lines converging into a single drainage line before exiting to the main plumbing of the building. These kinds of installations present a whole host of problematic issues that inevitably result in frequent drainage line blockages. The worst-case scenario is when the single drainage line, that multiple AC drainage lines have converged into, becomes blocked in which case multiple AC’s may begin leaking simultaneously. This type of installation can even result in one or more AC’s leaking when they aren’t even in operation. The single drainage line scenario will not be unblocked with standard drainage line flushing (as the water pressure is released via the other drainage lines, and thus cannot force out the blockage through the single drainage line) – it is a more complex and time-consuming process to resolve blocked drainage with these types of installation issues and appropriate fees will apply.

(iv) Owing to the very nature of the composition of condensate running through a drainage line, it is unavoidable that algae will develop over time within any given drainage line. Any algae that is left within a drainage line for long periods of time (for example during the cooler months when an AC is not being utilized) will harden and constrict the drainage line. The long-term result of inadequate maintenance of AC drainage lines is that drainage lines will eventually become so constricted (or entirely blocked) by hardened algae and/or other debris that the condensate is no longer able to drain freely. For more information regarding the consequences of inadequate maintenance of AC drainage lines, please see here.

(v) A blocked drainage line does not automatically correlate with an inadequate deep cleaning – any one of the aforementioned reasons could be the cause, as well as other possibilities such as building plumbing issues, or other foreign matter having entered the drainage line after a deep cleaning such as geckos or gecko eggs – a very common occurrence in Hong Kong.

(vi) Whilst blocked drainage lines are the most common reason that air-conditioning systems begin leaking, there can be many other causes of dripping/leaking. Some examples include; (a) Cracked, damaged or deteriorated drainage lines at the point where the drainage line connects to the drainage pan of the AC. (b) A cracked fan housing (c) A long term build-up of debris at the base of the rear coil. This often cannot be removed with standard cleaning methods – the coil needs to be removed in order to clear this debris. (d) Missing or damaged airflow control vanes. Depending upon how the airflow control vanes are fitted, some have a small fixture hole underneath that the vane slots into or onto. When a vane is missing, cold air passing over the hole can cause condensation to develop underneath the fan housing, which subsequently leads to dripping. (e) Some AC models have a thin layer of material affixed to the fan housing as well as being affixed to other components such as louvers and vanes. This material is there to absorb small amounts of condensation to prevent dripping. However, this material will deteriorate over time as it is constantly wet and thus it will rot and/or peel away – this obviously leads to dripping.

These are just some examples of other causes of dripping/leaking and is by no means an extensive list.

Air Conditioning systems and their drainage lines require regular and appropriately scheduled deep cleaning and preventative maintenance – unless your systems have been regularly serviced by AirCare Solutions at least twice per year (or according to the cleaning/preventative maintenance schedule that AirCare Solutions has recommended after a comprehensive analysis of the AC systems as well as other environmental factors) we do not accept any liability for blocked drainage that occurs any time after a deep cleaning has been completed.

Window-Type AC blocked drainage lines: As is clearly noted on the Window-Type AC Deep Cleaning page of the AirCare Solutions Website here [https://aircaresolutionshk.com/windowtype-air-conditioner-deep-cleaning] – it should be noted:

* Please note: As the majority of our clients prefer for their window-type units not to be entirely removed from the housing, we do not remove window-type units for cleaning unless specifically requested to do so. Please also note that pricing for complete removal of a window-type unit is HKD 1,100 per unit as it is a two-man job that requires double the time, and often requires electrical re-wiring. Removal of a window-type AC from the housing is the only way that all of the components can be accessed and 100% of contaminants can be removed. For those that suffer from allergies, asthma, or other respiratory issues, we recommend that window-type units are removed from their housing for cleaning.

** Please note: For window-type AC’s, we do not flush the drainage line as a standard part of the process. WIndow-type AC drainage lines are flushed by request only. If the drainage line is easily accessible from an adjacent window and can be safely detached and reattached without the need for special operating equipment and/or the need for a safety harness, the surcharge for flushing/unblocking the drainage line will be HKD 100. For window-type AC’s that are dripping externally owing to blocked drainage lines, a surcharge of HKD 400 will be applied for drainage lines that are difficult to reach, and/or if the window-type AC needs to be removed in order to access the drainage line.

There is no consistency to how Window-type AC drainage lines are installed, and they are often installed exceptionally poorly, and/or have been poorly repaired, and/or are often in considerable disrepair. It is also commonplace for Window-type AC’s to have had makeshift drainage pans installed which are often poorly attached and barely held in place by things such as coathanger wire, cable ties, string, and other such makeshift methods. Where the drainage line is attached to the drainage pan, we often find that the drainage line is held in place by household tape, insulation tape, duct tape, wire, silicone, and a whole host of other makeshift solutions. Thus the unblocking of window-type drainage lines will be completed by request only, and the surcharge applied will correspond to the amount of additional work and time that is required.

13. Exterior Cleaning.

AirCare Solutions personnel can effectively remove mold, grime, mildew, dirt and surface stains from exterior surfaces such as wooden decking, concrete, tiling, brickwork, fencing, etc. However, there are sometimes occasions where stains or discoloration have penetrated far too deeply into some surface(s) and no amount of cleaning will be able to return the surface to its original condition. For all Exterior Cleaning inquiries, we require that you send us detailed photos and/or video clips of the area(s) to be cleaned so that we can make an accurate assessment of your needs, as well as to ensure that our teams are equipped with the most appropriate cleaning products for the work to be completed.

At AirCare Solutions, wherever possible we prefer to utilize eco-friendly and environmentally safe cleaning products. Should your cleaning requirements necessitate the use of stronger cleaning products, please note that all of the products that we utilize are entirely safe for applications that they are selected for.

14. After Hours, Weekends, and Public Holiday Bookings

AirCare Solutions operates After Hours (6pm to 10pm) Monday to Friday. We also provide services on Weekends and Public Holidays (10am to 6pm) – please note that a total surcharge of HKD 300 applies for bookings of less than 5 units. For bookings of 5 or more units, an administration surcharge of HKD 100 will apply.

For Bookings After Hours outside of our Standard Operating Hours (Standard Operating Hours are 10am to 6pm) a 10% Surcharge will be applied for Bookings commencing anywhere between 5am to 10am, and a 20% Surcharge applies for overnight bookings commencing and/or finishing anywhere between 10pm to 5am. For the avoidance of doubt, several examples: a Booking that commences at 9am and finishes at 11am will be subject to a 10% Surcharge. A Booking that commences at 4am and finishes at 7am will be subject to a 20% Surcharge. A Booking that commences at 9pm and finishes at 11pm will be subject to a 20% Surcharge.

It should be noted that all surcharges are solely at the discretion of AirCare Solutions and may be waived for all manner of special circumstances – such as our clients who have retained AirCare Solutions under contractual agreements for Annual Cleaning & Preventative Maintenance.

15. Discovery Bay Surcharges

Please note that we charge an additional HKD100 per AC unit for Discovery Bay as our Discovery Bay based personnel need to carry heavy equipment everywhere by hand and via public transportation. For Technical Inspections, an additional HKD 350 must be charged for the necessary vehicle permits that we must obtain, as well as for the additional administration and time taken for the appointment. For Repairs & Installations, an additional HKD 350 per trip will be charged for each day of work, as well as the applicable hourly parking rates.

16. Building Walk-up Surcharges

For apartment building ‘walk ups’, nominal discretionary surcharges will be applied as follows: $50 per floor for the first two floors, and $100 per floor from the third floor and up. Walk-up surcharges are necessary as our operating equipment weighs in excess of 25kg, and thus walk ups require additional labor as well as additional time. Furthermore, the vast majority of walk-up buildings do not have visitor car parking available for our vehicles – this means that a two man team is typically essential as the operating equipment will need to be unloaded at the job location, one personnel will have to bring up all of the equipment (which cannot be completed in a single journey), while the other personnel parks the vehicle at the closest hourly car park and returns on foot. If we apply any walk-up surcharge(s) to your booking, please feel free to inquire with our personnel and we’ll be happy to discuss your concerns.

Walk-up surcharges will also be applied where the use of a significant number of stairs are required in order to gain access to the residence or place of business. For the avoidance of doubt, a ‘significant’ number of stairs would be equivalent to a typical flight of stairs between two floors of a building. For the avoidance of doubt, here’s a few examples (this is not a comprehensive list): (1) The lift lobby is located on the first floor – there are stairs from the ground floor to the first floor. (2) There are stairs within the car park that must be used to gain access to the elevators. (3) There are stairs that must be used to gain access to a residence or place of business that is located on a lane-way that has no vehicular access. In short, if our personnel have no choice but to use any flight(s) of stairs, a surcharge will be applied accordingly.

Although it seldom occurs, some clients have raised objections to walk-up surcharges. It should be noted that walk-up surcharges are commonplace practices by all manner of companies, including but not limited to; (1) International Couriers, (2) IKEA deliveries, (3) Relocation/Moving companies, (4) Grocery deliveries.

17. Repairs & Installations 

Residential Inspection Fees for possible repair services are charged at HKD 1,200 per AC system. Commercial Inspection Fees for possible repair services are charged at HKD 1,400 per AC System. For the avoidance of doubt, in this instance an ‘AC System’ includes both the indoor unit and the external condenser unit. Furthermore, the aforementioned Inspection Fees are related to the following types of Air Conditioner: Split-Type, Window-Type, Fan-Coil Unit, Ceiling-Suspended Type. Cassette-Type AC inspections are charged at $1,600 for Residential, and $1,800 for Commercial. After hours inspections between 9pm to 9am are charged at HKD 2,500 per AC System. These after hours rates apply for both Residential & Commercial clients). Inspections are typically carried out by one of our in-house technical services personnel, however, in some instances we may utilize technical services personnel for the particular brand of AC (i.e.: Daikin technical services personnel for Daikin AC systems, and so on and so forth), or third party inspection technicians when our in-house inspection technicians are fully booked.  VRV, VRF, and Multi-Split System inspections are charged at $3,800 (Daikin) and $4,000 (Other) respectively – as VRV, VRF and Multi-Split systems are far more complex and challenging to assess. Please note that additional fees will apply for external condenser units that require safety equipment and/or non-standard egress equipment to access. Furthermore, please note that for all Technical Inspection Inquiries, our Administration Personnel must follow our Standard Operating Procedures and will have several questions. The purpose of these questions is to establish an initial diagnosis of the most probable/likely issues with the AC so that our technical services personnel can have a clear idea of what to focus on, as well as to advise our Administration personnel how much time will be required for the inspection and/or repairs.

Typical questions that will be raised by our Administration Personnel in regards to receiving a report from a client that an AC is faulty and/or not cooling (whether that be not cooling at all, or not cooling as well as before);

– When was the last time the faulty AC(s) were deep cleaned?
– When was the last time that the filters were cleaned?
– Did the AC suddenly stop blowing cold, or did its performance slowly degrade over days, weeks, or months?
– Please send a photo of the model number of the AC (usually located on the right hand side of the indoor unit)
– Please send a video that clearly shows the location of the outdoor condenser unit, as we need to assess whether or not it is accessible without the need for scaffolding. A proper inspection of any AC system requires access to the external condenser unit – especially for ACs that are no longer cooling, as refrigerant can only be refilled at the outdoor condenser unit.

Inspection Fees for repairs/maintenance are a ‘standalone’ fee – the fee paid for inspection will not be credited towards any additional technical services which may be required. To understand why this is the case, this is perhaps best answered with some comparable analogies: (1) If one were to consult with a highly sort after lawyer, there would be a consultation fee – the fee will be payable regardless of whether the lawyer is selected for the case or not. (2) If one wished to engage an interior designer to develop some design ideas for their home and present them, the interior designer will be paid for their time and for their work regardless of whether the interior designer is actually engaged for the work. (3) If one’s car engine fails and it is taken to a mechanic to be inspected, and the mechanic spends an hour assessing the vehicle only to eventually inform the car owner that the car is beyond repair – the mechanic will still be paid for their time. (4) If one visits a General Practitioner for a medical checkup to diagnose what’s causing a high fever, the General Practitioner will charge a consultation fee for their time and their expertise. (5) If a brain tumor is discovered with an MRI, and a neurosurgeon conducts exploratory surgery to further assess whether or not the tumor can be removed, the neurosurgeon will still be paid for their time and their expertise regardless of the outcome of the exploratory surgery.

In the vast majority of cases, a technical inspection is essential to assess what repairs and/or maintenance are required. It should not be assumed that any air conditioning system can be repaired on the spot. Error codes displaying on AC systems are only an indication of what issue(s) could exist – similar to the various warning lights on a vehicle, such as the transmission warning light which could be indicative of a plethora of potential issues. When one takes their vehicle to the mechanic for an inspection, one does not expect for the mechanic to have the spare parts on hand.

Clients sometimes express that a $1,200 inspection fee seems to be ‘expensive’. It should be noted that the majority of our cleaning teams are 2 man teams that consist of a Cleaning Technician and an AC Technician, and these teams carry R410A, R32, and R22 refrigerants. So if an inspection reveals that refrigerant needs to be refilled, this can be completed at the same appointment. Furthermore, we also carry spare capacitors (a component of the external condenser unit which is one of the most common reasons that an AC system fails) of 20uf, 25uf, 30uf, 35uf, 40uf, 45uf, and 50uf. So in many cases your faulty AC system can be up and running again immediately. Many other companies, such as Daikin for example, will conduct an inspection for $500 or $600. However, upon conclusion of the inspection, even if it’s an easy repair job, the technician is required to report his findings back to their Administration Personnel, and it will typically take several days before you receive a quotation for the required repairs/maintenance. And then you’ll be charged again for the return visit for not only the manpower required, but also for the additional time required. So the total cost is usually higher. Furthermore, many other companies won’t even ask you if the external condenser unit is accessible before they send a technician – so you’ll be charged $500 or $600 for a technician to spend less than 5 minutes taking a quick look at the indoor unit, followed by informing you that you’ll need to arrange scaffolding so that they can conduct a proper inspection. Some won’t even help you to arrange the scaffolding. Furthermore, it should be noted that inspections are typically carried out by a two man team (as refilling refrigerant often requires 2 personnel not only for the sake of efficiency, but also for the sake of safety) and typically requires a minimum of 30 minutes, and often an hour or more. We pay our Technical Services personnel well above ‘market rates’, so we barely break even on Technical Inspections. When one considers that a 2 man team can clean 3 to 4 ACs within an hour in an ideal scenario (easy AC models to clean, easy access to the ACs for cleaning, a large bathroom to clean the components, etc.) and that there’s no Technical Services labor costs involved – we should probably be charging higher fees for Technical Inspections.

Emergency Inspection Surcharge: For Emergency Inspections and/or Emergency Cleaning bookings where the client requires same day service or servicing where we are fully booked and therefor requires either rearranging schedules with other clients and/or pulling personnel off of an ongoing appointment to service the client emergency: a minimum surcharge of $500 will be applied. The amount of the surcharge is determined on a case-by-case basis. Some examples: (1) if the emergency work can be conducted by a single technician and the work will take less than 1 hour, then the standard surcharge of $500 will be applied. (2) if the emergency work requires 2 or more personnel, and/or more than 1 hour to resolve, then the surcharge is subject to an increase.

Installation Inspections: In regards to technical inspections that are required prior to providing quotations for installations; a technical inspection is required so that we can assess (including but not limited to) things such as; (1) the location of the current indoor unit(s) and the outdoor unit(s) (2) whether or not scaffolding will be required (3) whether or not the existing copper piping and/or drainage line can be utilized (4) the ideal horsepower for the new system (5) whether or not any concrete repair work will be required, any electrical work, any painting work, etc. (6) Whether or not new external racks are required for the external condenser unit(s) or whether the existing racks can be reused. Installation Inspections are charged at HKD 1,200 per hour. If additional time is required for larger installation projects, each additional hour (or part thereof) will be charged at HKD 600 per hour. 50% of the Installation Inspection Fee will be deductible from the final quotation price should the client confirm that the quotation is acceptable. Please note that AirCare Solutions typically recommends Daikin AC systems as they are by far the best manufacturer in the HVAC industry, as well as for a whole host of other reasons; their AC systems are robustly built utilizing the highest quality materials and components, their AC systems have been developed with cleaning/repair/maintenance in mind, when properly installed – Daikin AC systems typically have a longer lifespan than any other brand, in our opinion Daikin after sales service is superior to any other manufacturer, the majority of Daikin AC systems have excellent and accurate built-in troubleshooting/fault-code diagnosis systems. This is just a selection of differentiators – it is by no means a comprehensive list. Though we strongly recommend Daikin AC systems for the aforementioned reasons (and more) AirCare Solutions supplies and installs all brands of AC systems and are happy to provide quotations for all other brands as well, however, do please note that as we’re experts in the HVAC field, there are specific brands/models of ACs that we do not recommend as well. For the avoidance of doubt, in instances where installation inspections are executed by third party partners, whilst the fee that we reimburse our partners may be less than $1,200, nevertheless we are responsible for all of the administration, communications, client liaison, customer service, invoicing, banking, suppliers, scheduling, etc. and our labor costs are high so there is no reduction in our fee. Furthermore, as the vast majority of our installation quotations are accepted by our clients – we are predominantly only charging $600 for a significant amount of time invested.

Technical Services personnel can sometimes complete repairs on the spot – for repairs that require no spare parts, and no secondary appointment, no further fees will be due. The Inspection Fee is a ‘standalone’ charge – any additional parts that may be supplied at the time of the inspection will be charged accordingly. AirCare Solutions will of course advise our clients of the cost(s) of the part(s) and seek your approval before effecting the repairs.

For repairs that require spare parts to be ordered and/or for technical services personnel to return on another day to effect the necessary repairs, our technicians will provide a verbal estimate where possible of the total parts & labor costs. Should our clients confirm that they would like to review a formal quotation, we will then prepare an Invoice for your consideration shortly thereafter, as well as providing an estimated date and time that the work can be completed.

Preparations Before Arrival for Technical Services Inspections: (applies to all types of inspection including but not limited to Technical Services Inspections, Installation Inspections, Site Inspections) The client is responsible to make every effort to ensure that Inspection personnel are able to access (visually at the very least, but ideally physically) the main components of the HVAC system that has been booked for inspection. For the avoidance of doubt, ‘main components’ in this context are any components of the HVAC system containing moving parts (fan/motor, etc.) and/or electronic components (PCB/Main Fuse Box, etc.). In much the same manner as has been detailed in Preparations Before Arrival for Cleaning Appointments (Terms of Service #5), before our personnel’s arrival, the client is to remove all furniture/obstacles from around/beneath the HVAC system scheduled to be inspected to ensure that the inspection process is unencumbered, can be safely executed, and so that our personnel may commence inspection work promptly upon arrival. For the avoidance of doubt, technical services personnel will need adequate floor space directly beneath the HVAC system in order to place down a ladder or working platform safely. It is important to note that personnel are working at height with tools such as screwdrivers, inspection cameras, and cordless drills. Whilst all personnel take great care with their operating equipment, accidents can still occur on the rare occasion, so we recommend that any fragile furniture, electrical appliances, or other fragile/valuable items are well clear of the area(s) to be inspected.  Should personnel be required to move a significant amount of furniture and/or other items in order to safely access the HVAC systems that have been scheduled for inspection, an additional fee of HKD 100 may be applied per occurrence. Furthermore, unless otherwise advised, Installation Inspections and Site Inspections are typically carried out by a single inspection technician (i.e.: one worker) so should there be a need to move any heavy and/or cumbersome objects, adherence to occupational health & safety guidelines for the avoidance of injury may prevent personnel from being able to complete the full scope of the required inspection. For the avoidance of doubt, personnel are strictly forbidden to engage assistance from a client and/or employee(s) of the client to assist with moving heavy objects as doing so would place personnel (as well as potentially the client, depending upon the client’s own medical insurance coverage) in a ‘grey area’ that can be challenging to navigate for both parties. In particular regard to boats/yachts, external condenser units are typically covered/sealed/hidden by large heavy panels that are secured firmly into place – and more often than not, also challenging to access for inspection even after the panels have been removed. It is solely the client’s responsibility to ensure that all relevant access panels and/or decorative covers have been removed in advance of the inspection. As there will be occasions where it is simply not possible for the client to take care of these requirements in advance of the inspection (situations such as: (a) client is traveling and cannot make arrangements (b) client does not possess the expertise and/or tools to do so (c) access is dangerous and requires safety equipment and/or scaffolding, etc.) the client can inform AirCare Solutions accordingly and we can assist with finding a solution. As AirCare Solutions frequents marinas such as Hebe Haven Yacht Club, Gold Coast Marina, Aberdeen Marina Club, etc. we may be able to assist with arranging boat boys from neighboring boats (cost-effective and timely for the client), or assist with arranging a trusted local handyman, or even another boat owner or another marina resident. Alternatively we can also arrange for other AirCare Solutions personnel to arrive in advance of the inspection to carry out the Preparations Before Arrival, or simply send a two man team instead. Please note that additional fees will be advised wherever additional labor is required.

Technical Services Deposit: All inspections, repair work or installation work requires that a minimum 70% Deposit (Deposit required can be up to 90% and correlates to materials/labor costs) is settled before we will proceed with committing the manpower, and ordering the required parts – the Deposit is variable and is required to cover the cost of the parts and the allocation of manpower, and it is non-negotiable. Where the total cost of the AC system(s)/parts/materials may exceed 70% of the total Invoice, the Deposit will be adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, Technical Services requires more skilled personnel than the personnel who solely perform AC cleaning – Technical Services personnel are paid considerably higher for the type of work that they do, and it’s far more challenging to allocate them to another appointment if a client reschedules or cancels an appointment without adequate notice – hence another reason for the requirement of a minimum of 70% Deposit. Once the deposit has been received, we will then be able to confirm the schedule for the repairs/installations after any required AC system(s)/parts/materials have been ordered. Settlement of the Deposit confirms our clients agreement that the full balance of payment will be settled immediately after completion of the repairs/installations, and no later than 7 days after the completion of the technical services – as per our standard Payment Terms (#18 below).

Coolant Refilling: AC’s can stop ‘blowing cold’ for a multitude of reasons. In addition to the most common issue of the refrigerant having leaked out, there could be an issue with the compressor, an issue with any one of the many sensors of the indoor and/or outdoor units, an electrical  and/or electronics issue, etc.

A Technical Inspection (please refer to the first paragraph of #17 for the applicable fee) will be required to isolate what the exact issue(s) is (are). Furthermore, in order to conduct a complete technical inspection of the AC system, the condenser unit must be readily accessible. In order to assess the accessibility and viability of a technical inspection of an external condenser unit, our personnel will require photos and/or videos that clearly show the location of the condenser unit relative to nearby windows, ledges, etc. This is imperative so that our technical services personnel can confirm whether or not additional safety and/or operating equipment may be required in order to be able to complete the inspection safely, as well as to ensure that we can provide an accurate quotation. If photos and/or videos of the location of the external condenser unit are not provided upon request, or are not available for whatever the reason(s) may be, then AirCare Solutions reserves the right to amend the final balance of the invoice to compensate for any additional labor/operating equipment/safety equipment that is later found to be required.

Coolant top up (R410A or R32) is charged at $1,400 per AC (for AC units of 2HP or less) as standard provided that the external condenser unit is easily and safely accessible without the need for scaffolding, or a tall ladder, and/or additional safety equipment. Should technical services personnel find that additional operating equipment and/or additional safety equipment is required in order to be able to complete an inspection and/or technical services work whilst abiding by Occupational Health & Safety Regulations/Guidelines, nominal additional fees will be applied relative to the additional time and/or additional labor required to complete the work. It must be noted that AirCare Solutions strictly enforces Occupational Health & Safety Regulations/Guidelines, not only for the sake of the safety of our personnel, but also owing to the fact that taking unnecessary risks endangers our personnel and any accident that may occur may be grounds to invalidate an insurance claim. Furthermore, it should be noted that the HK Government strongly recommends that ladders are only used for egress, and not as a platform from which to conduct works. See here for further info: https://www.hkrca.org/wp-content/uploads/ld_2018_06.pdf For the avoidance of doubt: refilling of refrigerant requires substantially heavy and cumbersome equipment including but not limited to; (1) Vacuum pump weighing approximately 15kg (2) Refrigerant Tank of approximately 10kg (3) Pressure Manifold Gauge (4) Tools. So if an external condenser unit must be accessed by a ladder (after conducting a thorough risk assessment) then an additional fee of between $400 to $600 will be applied for the additional time, labor, and inherent risks involved.

So, if a standard residential inspection reveals that only a Coolant Refill is required to return the AC system to normal, then the total fee will be HKD 1,400 (this is inclusive of the inspection  fee)

Technicians are required to thoroughly inspect the system to identify the source of the leak and will advise if any leaks are identified. However, it should be noted that much of the copper piping is inaccessible so it is typically only possible to pinpoint the location(s) of refrigerant leakage when it is occurring at the indoor unit or the outdoor unit. It should also be noted that refrigerant leakage most commonly occurs at the copper pipe connection point to the condenser unit – so whilst it is possible for leakages to occur elsewhere (such as from the condenser unit coil, the evaporator coil, or from poorly welded or damaged copper piping) it is seldom the case. Should the leakage be occurring at the copper pipe connection point to the condenser unit, it is typically due to the fitting eventually working its way loose as a result of the constant vibration of the external condenser unit under normal operation, as well as the more pronounced vibration when the compressor stops and starts during normal operations. Furthermore, the correct torque must be applied to the brass flare nut used on brass fittings and single flared copper tubes – so if your AC system leaked refrigerant from this location not long after installation, it can often be the result of the installation technician not having applied the correct torque to the brass flare nut. Burrs can also affect the air-tight seal of refrigerant piping connection, as well as a poorly maintained flaring tool, or any other contaminants or scratches on the copper piping connection point. Should our technician find that the copper piping connection point is the root cause of the leakage after having refilled the refrigerant and having applied the correct torque (this process needs to be completed in order to test again for any leakage at the connection point) -it is essential that the issue is resolved immediately – otherwise normal operation of the AC will result in the refrigerant leaking out again (whether this is days, weeks, or months, will be dependent upon the severity of the leakage) and you’ll be back at square one. This requires the copper pipe to be cut, then using a reamer or de-burring tool remove all burrs from the cut section of pipe, carefully perform flaring work, and reconnect the repaired copper pipe at the correct torque. As this work needs to be carried out immediately in order to complete the repairs properly, and our technicians are working outdoors often at dangerous heights with scaffolding and/or other safety equipment, they often do not have the opportunity to advise you of the required additional works and will proceed with the essential works without seeking permission. However, if the client is within their immediate line of sight as well as being within earshot, they will advise the client of the requirements as well as advising the additional cost that will be incurred. The additional fee for the additional time and labor required for any re-flaring works is a minimum of $500 per instance, up to a maximum of $900 per instance (pricing is correlated to the degree of difficulty which is typically related to accessibility) . 

If inspection reveals that there are other issues that have caused the AC(s) to malfunction, then we will follow up promptly with a quotation for the required parts and/or repairs.

Please note that the cost of coolant refilling increases for AC systems of 2HP and above (fees are listed on the invoice), and the cost of coolant refilling for the variant of R22 (being phased out) will also be higher.

Lead time: Our Technical Services personnel are heavily booked throughout the entire year. Thus there can often be a lead time for the commencement of technical services work after the deposit has been received. AirCare Solutions do not allocate personnel to any installation or repair work until such time as the deposit has been received. This Standard Operating Procedure is in place as it mitigates the risk of cancelled work resulting in underutilized manpower and higher labor costs. Lead time can range anywhere from a day or two for simple repairs/installations, up to a week or two for large installation projects. Lead time is also directly impacted by the availability of parts, materials, and machinery – even parts, materials, and machinery that are available locally can take up to one week to be received from various suppliers. Supply Chain and Logistics challenges resulting from COVID-19 are having a significant impact on the availability of AC Systems and components for the HVAC industry in Hong Kong.

Whilst our in-house Technical Services personnel are highly skilled with a comprehensive variety of HVAC systems, there will still be occasions where we will need to outsource labor when a particular skill set is required that is not currently available in-house, or if our suitably qualified Technical Services personnel are fully booked for other projects. Certifications such as the ‘Declaration on Air Change / Installation of Air Purifier in Catering Premises‘, Technical Drawings, and Minor Works Submissions are outsourced. Should there be any issues with any such Certifications, Technical Drawings, or outsourced labor, the client will be responsible for liaising directly with the outsourced party for resolution. Whilst on most occasions Technical Services and/or Installations are delivered by AirCare Solutions in-house technical services personnel, it should be noted that we are heavily booked throughout the year for both Residential & Commercial clients. Wherever our own technical services manpower is insufficient to complete the required inspections/repairs/installation within a timely manner, we may outsource to third party contractors. Should this be the case, AirCare Solutions only outsources work to third party contractors who can meet the following conditions: (1) Provide the relevant service(s) at the same or lower price that we would charge (2) Provide the same period of Warranty/Guarantee that we would provide (3) Covered by Public Liability Insurance to the value of at least HKD 10 million (4) Have a proven track record of providing quality services

Technical Services Quotations & Installation Quotations (Validity/Amendments): Please note that quotations are valid for 5 business days from the date of issue of the Invoice/Quotation. When we submit a Technical Services / Installation quotation, we have sourced the required parts/machinery/materials from our suppliers, and our suppliers will typically ‘reserve’ the parts/machinery/materials for us for anywhere up to 5 business days in good faith. However, in reality, there can often be high demand for particular parts/machinery/materials so the only way that we can guarantee that our suppliers don’t release the goods to other buyers is by settling a deposit or paying for the goods in full. Thus if the deposit amount is not settled by the client in a timely manner, the cost(s) of the parts/machinery/materials may be subject to change as we may need to source the parts again from different suppliers. It should be noted that whilst every effort is made to ensure that quotations are accurate – there are rare occasions where nominal amendments to fees may be applicable (final cost could be higher/lower than quotation): several examples of how this may occur (1) External condenser units can sometimes be located in areas where inadequate visual info can be gathered without scaffolding first being in place (2) If there is no access to ceiling plans and/or HVAC plans, and copper piping, control wiring, drainage lines, etc. are entirely hidden from view within concrete and/or false walls/ceilings, then we can only make an educated guess as to the exact pathways. (3) Marine/Boat/Yacht installations are particularly challenging owing to confined spaces, fiberglass construction as opposed to more commonly used building materials, cumbersome and often heavy paneling, restricted access, occupational health and safety issues, etc. Whilst we always endeavor to ensure that there are no ‘surprises’ for either party – unfortunately the reality is that unforeseen issues can occur that will have an impact on timeline and/or labor and/or materials, in which case adjustments to timeline and/or labor and/or materials will need to be mutually agreed upon before work continues. On occasions where there are obvious ‘unknowns’ when preparing a quotation, these will be documented within the ‘Service Notes’ of the quotation so that the client is aware of the matter(s) as well as the potential ramifications. A simple example of such a situation: A client has false ceilings throughout their home, and it is readily apparent from having assessed the locations of the ACs as well as other observable information that there is a shared drainage line installation within the false ceilings. However, there are no access panels installed anywhere in the ceilings (surprising common in Hong Kong where aesthetics have been considered more of a priority than functionality by an interior designer and/or developer and/or landlord) and no ceiling plans are available for the drainage lines. Hence an educated guess would need to be made as to where best to install one or more access panels in order to be able to gain visual and physical access to the drainage lines to resolve whatever issue(s) there is/are. Thus there are several unknowns: (1) pathways of the drainage lines (2) quality of installation (3) materials used (4) multiple issues could be identified after gaining access (5) installation could be potentially so poor that major works may be required to rectify. (and this is not a complete list – there are several other unknowns in such a situation, but they need not all be listed here)

Scheduling/Punctuality: owing to the nature of Inspection and/or Repair work, it is very challenging to accurately predetermine exactly how long an inspection and/or repair work will take. Therefore, we can only provide estimated appointment timings (e.g.: we will advise that our Technician is scheduled to arrive between 11am to 1pm). Whilst our technicians will endeavor to arrive within the window of time that has been allocated, unexpected issues can sometimes arise, thus unfortunately there may be occasions where despite their best efforts they cannot arrive within the window of time that has been allocated. In the unfortunate event that it appears that they may not be able to arrive at your appointment before the time slot has concluded, we will endeavor to contact our clients as early as possible with an update on the ETA of our technical services personnel. Whilst we also endeavor for our technical services personnel to contact you directly should they be running late for your appointed time, please note that this is not always possible as our personnel could be working outdoors on scaffolding where it is not ideal to be making calls and/or sending text messages. As such, we are also sometimes unable to reach our personnel on the phone for an update on their ETA. Should our technical services personnel not have arrived before the end of the window of time that we have indicated, do please send us a WhatsApp message and we’ll endeavor to get you an update as soon as possible. Please also note that whilst we do our best to schedule inspections/repairs/installations on the preferred dates and timings that clients have indicated, there are occasions where it is simply not possible to do so as our technical services personnel are heavily booked all year round – in such cases it is the client’s responsibility to make arrangements to ensure that our personnel have access to the working site at the timings that we have advised that technical services personnel are available. We do not accept responsibility for any delays that result from a client’s inability to provide access to the working site. 

Bad Weather: It should also be noted that owing to occupational health and safety concerns, we do not allow our technical services personnel to do outdoor work (for example, working on external condenser units, or conducting inspections where scaffolding is involved) when it is raining. Even light rainfall can be dangerous when utilizing ladders or scaffolding, furthermore, during the inspection of external condenser units the cover must be removed and thus sensitive electronic components will be exposed – thus inspections of external condenser units cannot be carried out in wet weather. Should Red or Black Rainstorm Warning be raised, or T3 be raised, it is entirely at AirCare Solutions discretion whether the appointments for the day need to be rescheduled. If T8 is scheduled to be hoisted later in the day, or if T8 is already hoisted before 9am in the morning, all appointments (whether cleaning or technical services) will need to be rescheduled. For the avoidance of doubt, wet weather is dangerous when conducting outdoor work for all manner of reasons, thus it is entirely at AirCare Solutions discretion to make a judgment call, based upon the information that we have, as we have a duty of care for our personnel’s safety.

Scaffolding: Scaffolding cannot be installed during wet weather. If it is raining on the date of the scheduled scaffolding installation, the installation date will have to be postponed until such time as the weather is fair. Furthermore, rainy weather will affect other clients as well as your own booking, so it may not be possible to install the scaffolding on the first day of clear weather. It is recommended for clients to be prepared for the scaffolding to remain in place for 2 to 4 weeks after the date of inspection – this is due to the fact that the inspection may reveal that parts may need to be replaced. This will of course take time to order the parts and for them to later be scheduled for installation. Furthermore, after the repairs are completed, it is advisable to leave the scaffolding in place for a minimum of at least one week (we strongly recommend no less than 2 weeks) in order to ensure that no further issues arise which may then require scaffolding to be replaced if it has been removed prematurely.

Scaffolding is provided by preferred third-scaffolding installation companies. AirCare Solutions will only utilize scaffolding companies with an impeccable safety record, that possess the requisite Public Liability Insurance and/or other comparable insurance cover, that work professionally and clean up after themselves. Specific timing for Installation/Dismantling can not be provided – it is simply not how it works. Each scaffolding team has several jobs to complete every day – it cannot be specifically determined how long each job will take, nor can traffic, parking or a whole plethora of other daily variables be planned for. So the best that any scaffolding company can do is to advise a window of time for the installation/dismantling of scaffolding. The window of time provided will vary from company to company – one company may advise a 2 hour window (i.e.: 10am to 12pm), another company may advise a 3 hour window (i.e.: 10am to 1pm) and some companies will only advise ‘morning’ (typically meaning anytime between 8am to 12pm) or ‘afternoon’ (typically meaning anytime between 12pm to 6pm).

We strongly advise clients to consider that bamboo scaffolding is a dwindling profession in Hong Kong – only between 15 to 20 years ago, one could call a scaffolding company and scaffolding could often be installed within 24 hours, or within 48 hours at most. With the shortage of qualified workers as well as a dwindling number of scaffolding providers, it will typically be at least 5 to 6 days before scaffolding can be arranged for installation (in many cases they will not even reply to an inquiry within 24 hours!) and the same applies for dismantling. So we advise clients that when a window of time is advised, that clients do what they can to make arrangements for that window of time to be workable – else it is likely to take several days to reschedule another window.

Furthermore, the scaffolding fee covers a duration of 31 consecutive days. Should scaffolding be required to remain erected beyond 31 consecutive days, clients are advised (1) They should be sure to be aware of what the scaffolding policies are for their respective Building Management (2) A surcharge of $100 per day will be applied from the 32nd day onward. Should bad weather be a contributing factor such that it was not possible to dismantle scaffolding within the 31 day period, this of course will be accounted for.

It should be noted that in many cases in order for the Building Management Company to approve the installation of scaffolding, there may be a non-negotiable stipulation stating that the Third Party Liability Insurance Documentation of the Scaffolding Company must be amended to specifically state the name of the Building Management Company as being covered by the Insurer. Should any Scaffolding Company be required to do so, a fee will be charged by the Scaffolding Company for administration charges, processing time, and any fees that may be charged to the Scaffolding Company by their Insurer for the amendments. The fee for amendment(s) to the insurance document may vary – it should be noted that the applicable fee is dictated by the Scaffolding Company, not the Building Management Company, nor the Insurance Provider. Fees typically range anywhere between $2,400 to $3,600 

Deposit Refund Policy for Technical Inspections for potential refrigerant refilling: Please note that as per the Deposit payment description on the Invoice, the Deposit is required for ‘Parts & Allocation of Resources’. Technical Services personnel are highly skilled and therefore labor costs are high. When a client is booking for technical services and/or technical inspections, we must allocate appropriately trained HVAC technicians to carry to execute the required duties. Technical Services personnel are paid a significantly higher wage than Cleaning Personnel. Furthermore, technical inspections for potential refrigerant refilling requires additional heavy operating equipment, tools and the refrigerant itself – all of which is an additional 30kg of equipment that needs to be brought to/from the location and requires additional time and physical labor. Hence AirCare Solutions reserves the right to retain 20% of the Technical Services Deposit in the event that the inspection cannot be carried out as a result of any of the following scenarios: (1) Sudden bad weather after having arrived at the job location with all of the equipment (2) External condensers are not accessible for any reason – including insufficient information having been provided by the client (3) Building management advises that scaffolding must be utilized regardless that the condensers can be accessed with the use of a safety harness and/or other special safety equipment.

Final Balance of Payment for Repairs/Installations/Inspections/Site Visits: The final balance of payment is due immediately upon completion of the repairs/installations/inspections/site visit. AirCare Solutions only accepts payment for Repairs/Installations/Inspections via electronic Bank Transfer, PayMe, FPS, or via other electronic means. We do not accept Cash or Cheque payments as our Technician’s vehicles are often left unattended for extended periods of time, and our technical personnel are not permitted to carry cash or cheque on their person. All other Payment Terms are applicable as per Terms of Service #19 below.

18. Commercial Inspections for the purposes of RFP (Request For Proposal) for Annual Cleaning & Preventative Maintenance Agreements/Contracts.

Preliminary walkthroughs are typically provided free of charge. In order to prepare accurate quotations and bespoke Terms of Service for the required Scope of Work, Comprehensive Site Inspections are essential to establish complete clarity. Whilst Floor Plans, Ceiling Plans, HVAC System Diagrams, etc. are certainly helpful (and are a minimum requirement) they cannot be solely relied upon – visual inspection as well as spot checking is required in order to ensure that the final quotation(s) are all inclusive and that nothing has been omitted or overlooked which may otherwise be cause for concern for both parties after formal agreements have been established. Comprehensive site Inspections are charged at HKD1,600 per hour (for the avoidance of doubt, $400 per 15 minutes or part thereof) during normal business hours and require the attendance of an AirCare Solutions Director and typically a HVAC Technician will also be in attendance. Comprehensive site inspections require that the client assigns at least one of their own personnel (who are reasonably familiar with the venue’s HVAC systems) as an escort so that easy access can be provided to all relevant areas – the objective being that inspections can be expedited swiftly and methodically for the sake of efficiency which is advantageous for both parties. Wherever permission is required from Building Management in order to gain access to restricted areas, it is the responsibility of the client to make the required arrangements beforehand so as to ensure that the site inspection can be completed within the time that has been allocated. As comprehensive site inspections require significant time and highly skilled labor, we do not provide such comprehensive inspections based upon speculative future works.

19. Payment Terms.

AirCare Solutions Hong Kong (a branch of SKC Future Enterprises Limited) reserves the right to reschedule or cancel any appointment if the required booking confirmation deposit has not been settled by the due date as has been stipulated on the relevant invoice. As is clearly stated (and hyperlinked) on all invoices: ‘Settlement of the Deposit confirms your agreement to our Terms of Service.’ 

Payment of the full remaining balance of an invoice is due immediately upon completion of the work and/or per the payment schedule that is stated on the relevant invoice. If payment for fees and/or any out-of-pocket expenses is not received within fourteen 48 hours of the due date, AirCare Solutions Hong Kong, reserves the right to suspend all work until payment is made and apply a service charge of 5 percent per month or fraction thereof to the total unpaid sum. It should be noted that AirCare Solutions is a Service Provider much like a restaurant or a retail shop – when one dines at a restaurant, it is standard practice to settle the payment before leaving the restaurant. Similarly, one would not walk out of a retail store with a new pair of shoes that haven’t been paid for. That is not to say that the final balance of payment must be settled before our personnel leave at the conclusion of the appointment – it is simply required that the final balance of payment is settled on the same day as is stipulated/communicated on the Invoice which is a  component of our Standard Operating Procedures. For the avoidance of doubt – we do not provide Credit Terms to any clients other than those clients who we have Annual Cleaning & Preventative Maintenance Contracts with, or for clients who have completed the required Application Forms for 30 day Credit and have paid the associated Security Deposit. AirCare Solutions may provide up to a maximum of 7 days grace period after any payment due date – this is solely at AirCare Solutions discretion. 

We understand that tenants may have an agreement with their landlord for the landlord to settle payment for cleaning and/or technical services. In the event that the tenant has made a Booking, but has requested that their landlord’s details be noted on the invoice, it remains the responsibility of the tenant to settle the payments, not the landlord as we do not get involved in matters between the tenant and the landlord (with the exception of when we have been engaged to do so, and have been paid an appropriate fee accordingly)

It is further agreed that in the event any type of action becomes necessary to enforce collection of bills rendered, the client will be responsible for all collection costs, including but not limited to court costs and reasonable legal fees. It is understood that AirCare Solutions Hong Kong may extend the time for payment on any part of billings rendered without affecting the understanding outlined above.

It is agreed that the liability of SKC Future Enterprises Limited t/a AirCare Solutions Hong Kong, its employees, and anyone else associated with this agreement is limited to the amount of the fee paid as liquidated damages.

20. Being Kind, Courteous, and Respectful.

AirCare Solutions was founded with Quality Customer Service being at the core of everything that we do. Our Administration Team go above and beyond the call of duty to respond to inquiries at all times of day and night, despite that our official Office Hours are 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday. All of our personnel are good people, with a sense of hospitality, an innate desire to be helpful, and are highly skilled problem solvers – we can attest to this as psychometric evaluations are a critical component of our hiring processes. We don’t engage with people/franchisees based upon their skill sets – we engage people and business partners more heavily weighted towards attitude and personality traits. We much prefer to hire someone with the right attitude and develop their skills, than to hire someone with skills and risk being unsuccessful in shaping their attitude to align with our company culture. Thus all of our personnel are kind, courteous and respectful human beings by their very nature.

All of our personnel have a rightful expectation to be treated with the same kindness, dignity and respect that they give to others so effortlessly. We are in the Service Industry, but we are not Servants. We specifically mention this important distinction in our official Terms of Service as the well-being of all of our personnel is exceptionally important to us. After an unfortunate incident where one of our Administration Personnel was left shaken and traumatized by an entirely unwarranted barrage of verbal abuse from a client (who later apologized for their behavior after having found a rodent had been electrocuted inside their condenser unit, thus the failure of the condenser unit was not a consequence of poor technical services) we felt that it would be entirely justifiable to develop a suitable ‘Courteous Communications Policy’ for our organization that empowers our personnel with the right to elect to not conduct business with any client who is/has treating/treated any of our personnel with a distinct lack of courtesy or distinct absence of respect. Just as customers have the option to pick and choose businesses, products, and service providers, we may also exercise our option to not provide services to customers whose verbal or written communications and/or discourteous behaviors are impacting the well-being of our personnel.

Updated Terms of Service on July 22nd 2023 – he’s totally up for the challenge…….

21. Announcement

AirCare Solutions reserves the right to publish the company and/or brand logo(s) of clients that we have served, whether past, present or future (in order to have the right to publish company and/or brand logos of future clients, an official service agreement must be active with official date of commencement and/or a deposit has been settled for upcoming services)