What NOT to do if your ac doesn't work.

[jcboy]

Yeah, when troubleshooting you should always try with the cheapest approach first.

If it helps, you should never "recharge" your AC. Why? Because AC systems are closed loop, meaning the refrigerant (freon) should be contained forever in an ideal world.
In the real world, the moment your AC goes out (the cooling doesnt work), it means there's something wrong with it--either a compressor not doing it's job, or you have not enough refrigerant.
If they say it lacks refrigerant, then it means you have a leak somewhere--be it on your evaporator, condenser, drier or somewhere in the line/piping/tubing.

And yeah, if there is too low of refrigerant pressure, the compressor might not turn on--so "recharging" the freon is a troubleshooting step for AC problems rather than a solution.

Hope this helps.