ok, so our Furnace had a blower motor die, its almost 20 years old, and it became impossible to get a ballpark estimate on repair costs without an expensive technician visit. Worse, carrier authorized distributors would not only not sell parts, they'd also not give you an estimate unless they came and inspected your machine (an expensive visit). Catch 22.
Thankfully, calling around, I stumbled upon Schmitt HVAC out of SF, and even more thankfully I got connected to Jenny who not only was amazingly fast, professional, and courteous, she was also able to ask a few simple questions and suggest some alternatives (new gas furnace, new heat pump etc), and then went away to see if the part was available with them or the supplier, and if their crew would to install it, how much it would cost. Jenny called me back not that long after, with an estimate, which really helped me figure out what it would cost, but also how to look at the alternatives. Quite a stand up experience, and I'm much appreciative of Jenny, and of Schmitt Heating.