Air conditioning solutions provider Taqeef has revealed that 65 per cent of respondents consider AC a critical ?life essential? in the UAE and rate it more important than Wi-Fi, smartphones and cars
The survey, conducted by Censuswide, asked 1000 respondents across the UAE to analyse their dependency on key products and services. It revealed that AC is closely linked to the quality of life, happiness and health in the region and that AC failures are one of the top causes of concern.
When asked about what they worried about the most, 20 per cwnt admitted that AC failing was a bigger concern than any other product issue, while more than half (56 per cent) ranked their AC as the one thing they could not go without for even a day. This was closely followed by Wi-Fi (36 per cent), car (27 per cent) and phone (25 per cent). This was the highest amongst respondents based in Dubai (62 per cent), Sharjah (57 per cent) Abu Dhabi (57 per cent) and Ras Al Khaima (50 per cent).
?Given the harsh climate in the UAE, particularly during the summer months, it?s not surprising that residents consider their AC to be a life essential. It can be very frustrating if it breaks down, especially when temperatures are soaring beyond 40?C. We always advise having AC units checked and cleaned regularly to ensure that they?re working efficiently, to extend their working to live, and to avoid any potential issues when they?re needed the most. Doing so also helps to minimise the environmental impact in a region where AC usage is simply unavoidable,? commented Tariq Al Ghussein, chairman and CEO at Taqeef.
Despite the importance placed on fixing a broken life essential within 24 hours, the survey results also revealed that around 93 per cent of the respondents are unsatisfied with some aspect of warranty policies on big-ticket items including ACs, appliances, electrical goods and cars. They noted that several reasons for the cause of frustration, including the difficulty of the claim process (45 per cent), followed by waiting time for repair/replacement (42 per cent), hidden charges (37 per cent) and fine print (23 per cent).
Taqeef has launched its CoolCare Protection Plan, with an aim to provide free parts and labour on AC repairs for new units, noted Al Ghussein.
