If you buy a new split air conditioner (AC) this summer, you will be paying around Rs 2,500-3,200 extra. Whether you buy online from websites like Amazon, Flipkart or buy AC from any local store, be prepared to pay more. All AC brands, be it big names like Samsung, LG or brands like IFB, Voltas and others, have gathered their customers together. How exactly? Well, in the form of “installation fees”.

Of course, it goes without saying that you always had to pay installation fees for getting a new AC. But post-covid things have changed and a new type of “shrinkage” has emerged. Apart from new models with different AC cooling capacity like 1.4 ton, 0.75 ton and 1.2 ton, the brands have stopped providing important components for free in the package.

In the name of installation charges, all AC brands in India have stopped supplying the standard power plug. In fact, you also have to pay for the drain pipe and there is always an extra “chai-pani”.

It is understandable that the customer will have to pay the cost of additional copper pipe if the outdoor-indoor area is placed too far from the indoor unit of the split AC. But how can brands justify not offering power plugs? Also remember that you will also have to pay the costs of attaching the outdoor unit to the wall.

Here is a list of hidden costs that you will come to know about after buying a split AC.

1) Delivery Charge: Around Rs 500 if you buy from any store. Online it can be free.

2) Setup Fee: Rs 1,500 + 18% GST. Some brands are offering it at Rs 1100 + 18% GST.

3) Outdoor Unit Wall Mount Price: Rs 850. This is necessary if you want to mount the outdoor unit on the wall.

4) Copper pipe with insulation: It is free up to 3 meters. In addition to this, each set of 3 meters costs Rs 4,500

5) Drain pipe: Rs.500.

6) Power Plug: Rs 100

Since you don’t need an extra copper pipe, you have to pay the installation fee as well as the water pipe, plug and wall bracket. The total price to be paid is approximately 3,200 rubles. If you decide to mount the outdoor unit on the floor, you can skip the wall mount and the price comes down to around Rs 2,400. Most consumers opt for a brand name installation because they are afraid of voiding their warranty if they get their new AC installed from local vendors.

[Brands have stopped shipping the power plug in the box with new ACs and you have to buy it separately.]

When talking about new models with cooling capacity, it is very difficult to differentiate between 1.5 ton AC and 1.4 ton or 1 ton and 1.2 ton. The cooling will be very similar, and the only reason brands have introduced such models is simply to increase the price of popular capacities such as 1.5 tons or 1 ton. In other words, some brands now give 1.4 tonne capacity for the same 1.5 tonne price. This is how “shrinkage” works in the AC market.

Brands that make it difficult for consumers to choose a local service

There was a time when maintaining a split AC was very easy. In fact, many people chose to buy self-cleaning kits to save on annual maintenance costs. To take advantage of this opportunity, brands have designed their newer models to make it difficult for ordinary electricians or customers to clean the AC.

In the newer models of some brands, the air filter is placed at the top of the AC indoor unit instead of at the front. The entire front part of the inner module must also be disassembled to access the air fins. These types of models add effort and are kind of meant to push consumers towards branded services at double the price.

Every industry will develop after covid. If smartphone brands can’t offer chargers, why can’t AC brands try the same?

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