Thanks for the responses - this furnace was actually replaced by the same company in 2012 and the heat exchanger had a lifetime warranty on the part. That is probably why they hammer you on the labour charge. They really have you over a barrel when the furnace is out and you can't shop around or DIY like with a regular home repair. In this case, the furnace is also at a rental property with a family, so I didn't feel like I could be screwing around trying to figure out the issue myself or getting multiple quotes over days.
I did call the company (it's one of the larger, well known ones) to inquire about what definitely looks like a rip off. I wanted to give them the opportunity to be reasonable and keep a customer, but was basically told to eff myself. According to them, the labour charge also takes into account preparing things before they arrive, the fact they can respond quickly and their guarantee.
I am considering a complaint under consumer protection legislation or maybe even a call to CBC's "Go Public" that likes to do pieces on business that engage in this type of predatory behaviour. I feel like I should be armed with some idea of normal charges for this work before I do that though.
TK
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