‘Appliance magician’ Wayne Els believes strongly in customer service
Wayne Els, an appliance technician and owner of Wayne’s Appliances, is a magician when it comes to fixing temperamental electric appliances.
This is not according to him but to his hundreds of customers from Port Alfred to right up the Wild Coast.
“Demand for our services is excellent and is growing all the time,” he said.
“I have seen many similar companies get into trouble due to cash flow and high wage bills.
“My solution is to do everything, along with one partner, who worked for Defy for nearly 40 years,” Els said.
“We share an attribute, which is a high work ethic. We are used to rolling up our sleeves and getting the job done. Neither of us is averse to physical labour.”
His love for machines and appliances started when he was still at Cambridge Junior School and continued at Cambridge High.
“A family friend worked at Tedelex and he encouraged me to come into the factory during weekends and holidays and do odd jobs. I moved boxes around, cleaned up, and anything else that needed to be done.
“I was noticed and moved into the parts department, which was an education in itself. On completing school I got a permanent job in the appliances division, but I also got experience on the TV side.”
In 2014 Els decided to leave the manufacturing world and set up on his own.
“I kept my cost down by making my vehicle my transport, office and spares store. I carry just about every part and fix broken machines at my customer’s homes or places of work.
“It is a win for them and me, because it not only saves time [by having everything on hand], but cements them as future customers.”
He said he would hate to wish load-shedding on anyone, but for Wayne’s Appliances, demand soared.
“Shedding causes surges and dips in electricity supply and appliances hate it.
“If people forget or are ignorant of surge protector plugs, which sit between the plug point and the appliance, then they will have a problem. In some cases machines are irreparable or will, at the least, have their lifespans shortened.”
Els said he did not use formal advertising and avoided all social media, relying only on word of mouth.
“Business is more than brisk. A while ago I had a call out to Kei Mouth.
“The word went out on one of the town’s chat groups that I would be in the village and I ended up doing 17 jobs. On a normal day I might do more than a dozen.”
He said many appliances that stopped working were only in need of a small job that might need a cheap part.
“I am very fortunate to have a reputation for not ripping people off and only charging for the work I actually do.”
Els repairs large appliances, ranging from fridges and stoves to microwaves and washing machines, but will also service air-conditioning and re-gas cars and bakkies.
“I steer clear of small appliances such as kettles, computers and blenders. People often assume that with the constant upgrades of most appliances there should be a limited lifespan to my skills.
“I overcome this by always going back to the basics, because many people assume a fridge is broken but they haven’t even checked the plug.
“If a modern machine, recently out of warranty, is broken I consult Google, the finest manual anyone needs. It has everything, as long as one is patient and prepared to do the research.”
Aside from surge plugs, another tip is to unplug everything during a lightning storm, because a strike can “fry” appliances beyond repair.
“I enjoy being my own boss. However there is huge competition in this line, and it is not for everybody.
“I would not advise people to give up technical jobs unless they are prepared to struggle for a while as they build up a wordof-mouth client base.
“Then it becomes a marvellous job and there is no shortage of demand.
“Knowledge [of appliances] is important, but customer satisfaction is critical to success.”
Els is available on wayne.ecserivice@gmail.com