Checklist helps find reliable service at a good price
The appliances we take for granted — dishwashers, refrigerators, washers, dryers and ovens — seem to always break down at the worst possible times. Like right before a dinner party or a holiday gettogether. That’s when a good repair service can save a lot of grief — and money.
Bay Area Consumers’ Checkbook rated Bay Area appliance repair shops and found many shops that were rated highly by surveyed customers that were also among the lowest priced. In fact, on average, companies with lower prices rate higher on service quality than their higher-priced competitors.
Checkbook asked people (primarily Checkbook and Consumer Reports subscribers) to rate appliance repair services they had used in categories like “doing work properly on the first try,” “starting and completing work promptly,” and “overall quality.” The ratings varied substantially — some companies were rated “superior” overall by more than 90 percent of their surveyed customers, but some received “superior” ratings from fewer than 50 percent.
Checkbook researchers collected prices on specific repair jobs and also found big differences in price. For example, price quotes to replace the drum belt on a Roper clothes dryer ranged from $100 to $239. To replace the motor and pump on a General Electric dishwasher, estimates ranged from $266 to $585.
When you’re looking for a repair shop, first check whether the appliance is still under warranty — if it is, you’ll be limited to factory-authorized shops.
Unfortunately, manufacturers don’t necessarily pick the best companies to perform their warranty repairs. Manufacturers rarely, if ever, check on the quality of their authorized shops, and those that do check generally conduct only occasional cursory reviews. Checkbook found that shops performing warranty repairs get far lower ratings from their customers than shops that don’t.
When you call shops, be prepared to describe your appliance’s symptoms, and its manufacturer and model number. In addition:
Be sure to find out how the company charges for service calls. Ask about the minimum charge and how much time is included in the minimum.
Ask how the shop figures repair charges. About half the firms Checkbook rated have a flat-rate schedule — they compute a job’s labor charge by multiplying its hourly labor rate by the amount of time allotted for that job according to one of several published manuals. Others charge on a time-and-materials basis for the work performed beyond the time covered by their minimum service-call charge. Checkbook found that hourly rates vary dramatically, so be sure to ask what that rate is.
When you get a diagnosis, ask for a written estimate before proceeding with repairs.
And then you may have a decision to make: To repair or replace?
It’s not always a clearcut decision.
For example, the “average life span” cited for appliances can be misleading. If you have an appliance that is seven years old, and it has an average life span of 12 years, it will probably work well beyond that. Also, don’t assume that just because one component of an appliance breaks, others will soon follow. The appliance might last years without any further problems. And factor in the way you use an appliance: If you only do a few loads of laundry a week, the washer or dryer is apt to last longer than average.
On the other hand, you might yearn for new features, a new look, or greater energy efficiency. (But keep in mind that some appliances, like clothes dryers, aren’t much more efficient today than they were years ago. And even with appliances that have made strides, energy use won’t change if you only do a handful of loads a week.)
If you decide to repair:
Ask about any warranties on parts and labor.
Ask to keep, or at least see, any replaced parts. You have a right to them.
Ask for a dated invoice before paying. It should itemize charges for labor and parts, and include any warranty.
If you can, pay by credit card. If there is a problem, you can dispute the transaction with your credit card issuer.