By Hermes Xhika, founder of Lion City Aircon. I have run an aircon company in Singapore since 2016. This is the article I wish every customer read before opening the door to any technician, including mine.
You have seen the ads. Aircon servicing from $20, $15, sometimes $12.80 per unit. And maybe you have also lived the second half of that story: the technician arrives, looks at your perfectly normal aircon, sucks air through his teeth, and an hour later you are holding a bill for $300.
That gap between the advertised price and the final bill is not an accident. In this industry, the cheap advertised rate is often not the product. It is the bait. The real product is whatever gets sold to you in your living room, where saying no feels awkward and you cannot compare prices anymore. Technicians at many companies earn commissions on what they sell at your door, which means the person diagnosing your aircon gets paid more when more is wrong with it.
I am not going to name companies. I am going to do something more useful: show you the six plays, how each one sounds, and how to check it yourself in two minutes. Once you know them, they stop working on you. That is true whoever you book with.
Play 1: The phantom gas top-up
How it sounds: “Gas very low already. Need top up, $150.”
Here is the thing about refrigerant gas: it does not get used up. An aircon is a sealed system. If your gas is genuinely low, you have a leak, and topping up without fixing the leak means paying again in a few months. More importantly, low gas has symptoms you would have noticed: weak cooling, ice forming on the pipes, the unit running long hours without reaching temperature. If your aircon was cooling fine before the servicing visit, be very suspicious of a sudden gas diagnosis.
The check: ask to see the pressure gauge reading and ask what the normal range is for your gas type. A genuine reading takes a minute to show. Then read our guide to the real signs your aircon needs a gas top-up so you know what low gas actually looks like.
Play 2: The chemical wash you do not need
How it sounds: “Very dirty inside. Normal servicing cannot clean. Must do chemical wash, all units.”
Chemical washes are a real service that some units genuinely need, usually after years without proper maintenance or when mold and slime have built up beyond what general servicing removes. But they are also the single most overprescribed treatment in this industry, because the margin is much higher than a basic service. A unit that gets serviced regularly rarely needs one.
The check: ask exactly what the chemical wash will fix that the general service cannot, and ask to see the dirt. A honest answer points at something specific. Our comparison of chemical wash vs general servicing explains which symptoms genuinely call for which service. For what it is worth, our own technicians regularly tell customers their unit does not need a chemical wash yet. They can afford to say that because they earn nothing extra when you buy one.
Play 3: The fees that appear at the door
How it sounds: “Plus transport fee $30. Plus admin fee. Weekend rate.”
The $20 advertised price quietly becomes $20 plus transport plus admin plus surcharge. None of these fees were on the ad, and none of them were mentioned when you booked. They appear when the technician is already in your home and cancelling feels like wasted time.
The check: before booking any company, ask one question on WhatsApp: “What is the total, final price for my N units, including everything?” Get it in writing. A company that will not give you a final number in writing before the visit is telling you something. Our full price list is published here, GST included, and the number we confirm on WhatsApp is the number on the invoice.
Play 4: The dying compressor
How it sounds: “Compressor weak already. Soon spoil. Better change now, $700, or whole system die.”
The compressor is the most expensive component in your system, which is exactly why it stars in scare diagnoses. Real compressor failure has real symptoms: loud mechanical noises, breaker trips, the outdoor unit not starting, warm air despite everything else working. A quiet, cooling aircon does not have a dying compressor.
The check: ask what specific measurement says the compressor is failing, and get a second opinion before approving anything above a few hundred dollars. Our compressor guide lists the genuine warning signs, and our honest take on repair vs replacement covers when a big repair is actually worth it. Sometimes it is not, and the right answer is a new unit.
Play 5: The fine-print minimum
How it sounds: nothing. It is in the small print: “minimum 2 units” or “price for 3 units and above.”
That $15 per unit headline often only exists if you book enough units. Have one bedroom unit? The real price is double or triple the headline. This one is not even hidden, it is just designed not to be read.
The check: always ask for the price for YOUR exact number of units. Per-unit headline rates mean nothing until they are multiplied into your actual bill.
Play 6: The contract ambush
How it sounds: “Sign yearly package now, today special price, otherwise next time more expensive.”
Maintenance contracts are genuinely good value for most homes. We sell them too, from $160 a year. The problem is the pressure version: a contract pushed at your door, today only, before you can compare. A good contract survives a night of thinking. A bad one needs you to sign before the technician leaves.
The check: take the brochure, say you will think about it, and watch what happens to the “today only” price. Then compare the per-visit math against the company’s published rates. If they have no published rates, that is your answer.
The five questions that end all six plays
Send these on WhatsApp before booking anyone, including us:
1. What is the total final price for my exact number of units, including GST and all fees?
2. Do your technicians earn commission on additional services they recommend?
3. If you find something extra, will you show me the problem and quote me in writing before doing anything?
4. What is included in the standard service, exactly?
5. Can I see your published price list?
An honest company answers all five in two minutes. We published our answers permanently: the full Lion City Aircon price list is public, our technicians earn zero commission, and nothing gets done in your home without a written quote first. That is also why I put my own name on this article.
Frequently asked questions
Why is advertised aircon servicing in Singapore so cheap?
Because for some companies the advertised rate is a customer acquisition cost, not a price. The technician is expected to recover the difference at your door through additional services, some genuine, many not. The cheaper the headline rate relative to the real cost of doing the work, the more the business model depends on upselling.
Is a gas top-up ever genuine?
Yes. If your aircon cools weakly, ices up on the pipes, or runs endlessly without reaching temperature, low gas from a leak is a real possibility. The honest version comes with a gauge reading you can see and a conversation about finding the leak, not just topping up.
How often does an aircon really need a chemical wash?
A regularly serviced unit may go years without needing one. Persistent bad smell after servicing, mold regrowth, or drainage problems that general servicing cannot fix are the genuine triggers. As a default upsell on every visit, no.
What should aircon servicing actually cost in Singapore in 2026?
As a reference point, our published rates are $45 for 1 unit, $60 for 2, $75 for 3, $90 for 4 and $20 per unit from 5 units, before 9% GST, with no transport or admin fees. Anything dramatically cheaper per unit usually has a minimum-unit condition or a doorstep recovery plan.
Want the no-surprises version? WhatsApp us at +65 8818 5781. You will get a final price in writing before we ring your doorbell.
