So your fridge is warming your food, not cooling it and your oven won’t cook your food. You need to get it fixed and you’re looking for the right appliance repair technician. But how do you choose? And how do you make sure that you’re not paying too much for the service call?
Use these useful tips to be sure to get the most out of your appliance repair service call:
- Discover Word of Mouth
- Pro Pricing Guidelines
- Minimizing Costs
Making sure the appliance repair is a quality repair starts with qualified, often certified, appliance repair technicians and companies. The best way to check in to see if the company you’re calling is the right one for you starts with asking friends, neighbors and, these days, the word of mouth online. Check out sites like Angie’s List for comments or even Yelp. Look for ratings online and with organizations like the Better Business Bureau.
You should also look around for indications that the appliance repair company you are checking out is working with professional associations like the United Servicers Association (USA) too.
If you think you’ve found a qualified appliance repair specialist, great. The next thing you should do is call or email the appliance company to inquire about how the basic service call will go. Typically, you should expect to pay a fee just to have the repairman come and look at the problem and you’ll need to pay this, even if they don’t have the part right away.
2. Pro Pricing Guidelines
You should also know that there are no set standards for appliance repair costs. Prices will vary between companies and range between independent contractors and big shops. When you are weighing the pros and cons, remember that some contractors or companies aren’t qualified so they appear to be saving you money but they may not have all the necessary training.
Typically, you should expect the cost of the trip, the parts and the basic time to fix the broken fridge, stove, dishwasher or other appliance.
By the way, be cautious of companies that say they will do your repair for a flat fee, in particular if they are talking about getting paid in cash. Most companies will provide certain guarantees as well, when things are kept proper.
3. Minimizing Costs
Some ways we like to advise people to help lower costs on appliance repair include:
- Providing as much information about the broken appliance when making the appointment
- Include mentions of what you think is the problem. Are there special noises or sounds, maybe smells?
- Be sure to tell the appliance repair company what kind of appliance it is, what brand, if you know the year it was made or installed and the serial number.
