Picture for representation purpose only. (Qassim Rahmatullah/ The Peninsula)
Everyone is welcoming the fall of mercury and the forecast of imminent showers except the mechanics associated with air conditioning services who take winter as a sign of income downfall.
“We witness as much as 80 percent decrease in our job. This slump starts from December and continues until February,” said Muhammad Nazir, who runs an AC repair-shop at Al Mansoura. Nazir, who hails from Hyderabad in India, is settled in Doha since 1975. He said only 20 percent business related to maintenance work continued in winter. Nazir said some offices and hospitals preferred maintenance as well as repairs in winter.
But the mechanics who provide freelance services to clients feel the impact very hard. “We move back to our hometowns during winter season. At least it cuts our cost of living,” said an AC mechanic. He said some of his friends stay to offer services for refrigerator, washing machine etc.
Nazir said his workshop had 9 employees. “Owing to light workload during winter, I give vacation to some employees and I also visit my home during the same season,” he added.
On the other hand during summer, most of the AC mechanics due to heavy workload simply refuse taking orders from a number of customers. “We simply refuse providing services to around 50 percent customers in peak season,” says Nazir. Service charges for window AC are QR100 and split AC unit QR250 including refilling of gas.
Asked how much percentage of window air conditioners had been replaced with split AC units in the town according to his rough estimates, Nazir said: “Around 70 percent window ACs have been replaced with split air conditioner units. And the majority of them were replaced in last summer.”
Asghar Ali, the Nepalese manager of another workshop, said currently they were getting 4-5 AC service or repair orders a day while during summer season it was 30 per day.
As majority of mechanics associated with the profession feel unhappy over income-decline, Asghar thinks otherwise. “We also need a rest after long hectic job of summer. The winter provides us that break,” he adds.
Asghar further noted that the sluggishness in their business would continue till March. “From March, we will start receiving AC service orders from the domestic and commercial customers. Meanwhile, we will continue providing services for repair of other electronic appliances like refrigerators,” he concluded.
