6 Tips for Hiring the Right Appliance Repair Service
Knowing which questions to ask makes all the difference
While heavy-duty appliances like your oven or your washer and dryer should last for a decade or more, sometimes, like it or not, something goes awry and repair is necessary. There are some small fixes that the plucky at-home DIYer can handle, no sweat. But for the bigger jobs, you need a reliable appliance repair service team. Here’s exactly what you need to know to hire the right pros for the job.
1. Get Good Recommendations
Whether you consult reliable friends and family or compare multiple online reviews, getting all the information you need is important. Here are a few things to keep in mind in both scenarios.
Friendly Recommendations
Some people prefer to ask their friends and family for recommendations for hiring an appliance repair professional. When consulting with these close contacts, be sure to ask:
What project did the pro complete?
What was the project’s total cost?
Were you happy with that price?
Are they licensed and bonded?
Were they happy with the completed work?
Did the appliance require additional repairs?
How long has the professional been in business?
Professional Recommendations
Be sure to check multiple online reviews for any professionals you’d like to hire. This process can take a while, but it’s well worth it; you don’t want a professional with a poor track record performing major repairs on your expensive appliances—or to fall victim to appliance repair scams.
2. Contact Pros
Once you have a list of professionals, don’t skip the important step of contacting them all. When you reach out to a potential hire for your appliance repair job, do it by phone or email. Be sure to ask them all how much a basic service call will cost.
Note: Most companies charge a standard rate to send an appliance repair pro to your home. Be forewarned: they charge this rate whether or not they can solve your problem immediately. The average cost of a service call is between $50 and $100.
3. Get Multiple Quotes
Before you hire anyone, you need to get multiple quotes. Different appliance repair professionals will quote you different prices for the repairs. Be mindful of a quote that seems too good to be true. If most repair professionals’ quotes align, but one quote seems suspiciously low, it may be a sign the pro cuts costs—which is dangerous for both you and the pro.
4. Know the Numbers
Before you call a repair pro, you need to know how much you can expect to spend. Appliance repair costs $170 on average, with a typical range of $100 and $240. This includes parts and $50 to $150 per hour for professional service.
However, different jobs cost different amounts. Simple jobs like gasket replacement will fall on the lower end of the scale, while major repairs that require time and skilled labor will cost a bit more.
5. Understand What Their Payment Method Means
Finding out what method of payment your appliance repair pro accepts isn’t just good manners; it can tell you how secure your transaction really is and help stop trouble before it starts.
Checks
Checks are another method of payment commonly accepted by appliance repair professionals. Checks also provide security for the consumer; they’re bank-issued and can be held or canceled in case of disputes or fraud.
Cash
If an appliance repair professional only accepts cash, and the job costs more than $150, consider hiring a different professional. Payment in cash just isn’t secure and can leave your wallet sore if the work doesn’t pass muster.
6. Know Your Appliances
Before the appliance repair pro can come and fix your problem, you should be able to answer some basic questions about the unit, including its age. The age of your appliance matters because it will help the repair pro decide whether or not the item needs repair or replacement.
Repair or Replace?
The average lifespan of a large appliance is between eight and 10 years. If you make frequent repairs to an appliance that’s six years old, it may be in your best interest to simply buy a new unit rather than to continue to pay for service calls and repairs to the old one.
Identify the Problem
To the best of your ability, be able to explain exactly what’s going on to the appliance repair pro before they get there. Feel free to take pictures and videos and email them along with your own verbal or written description. While it might feel exhausting, the better equipped your repair pro, the more likely you are to have an appliance repaired quickly and affordably.