ASTRO APPLIANCE SVC

HE did a great job

They are responsive and professional, and I like that they called me to confirm the time of their arrival the day of my appointment, AND were prompt! (I can't tell you how many times I have sat waiting for someone to arrive, only to learn that they need to re-schedule. I hate that.) Also, I have a rather rambuncious dog, and they were very receptive to that. In fact, even though I offered to put the dog in another room, they insisted I NOT do that. The dog sat beside them the whole time, calm and observing, while this newcomer tinkered around on the floor of his favorite room in the house. I did not even need to put them away. In fact, I think the repair guy made a couple of friends for life that day. I would definately recommend calling Astro Appliance in the future for any 'high-end' appliance repair needs. They are the best in the Bay Area.

The service technician showed up on time and spent about 5 or 10 minutes (at most) trying to diagnose the problem. He said it was not the unit but our electrical wiring, which he could not work on. He said to call an electrician, which I later did. The electrician found no problem in the circuitry and said the problem must be in the unit, perhaps in the control circuit board. I eventually contacted another factory-authorized service firm, who were able to diagnose and repair the problem. The technician from Astro was sullen, unpleasant and appeared disinterested in solving our problem.

After checking with the manufacturer of the dryer (ASKO), it turned out that the date of purchase was more than five years earlier and the dryer was out of warranty. On February 19th, I received from Astro Appliance the invoice No. D75077C-5, in the amount of $263.17 ($243.11 + tax) for the motor. This motor is sold by ASKO to the public via a toll free phone number for the amount of $190.81. I think the $52.30 mark-up is unjustified for at least two reasons: 1. Bob verbally told me that the cost of the motor is approximately $190 + tax. 2. I did some research on the Internet and found out that while it is fair for repair shops add a mark-up on parts they purchase wholesale, it is unfair and unethical for repair shops add a mark-up on top of the general public retail price of a part. I wrote a letter to Astro Appliance expressing my displeasure with the unfair mark-up. Astro Appliance sent me a reply with the same invoice for $263.17, which I paid in full on March 5, 2007.

1. It took more than a month to get the parts (probably not his fault), but that meant a month with a dryer that often didn't work. 2. A week after the motor (and heater) were repaired, something broke, and it starting making a horrible noise, so we had to call Bob again. 3. Repair to the noisy motor hasn't been totally successful: its quieter, but still noisy.

I WAS ABLE TO SET AN APPOINTMENT WITH ASTRO IN A VERY TIMELY MANNER. THEY ARRIVED ON TIME AND CHECKED EVERYTHING OUT. EVERYTHING WAS FIXED AND LEFT IN A CLEAN WORKING ORDER.