Darren Smith Appliance Repair

I wrote a review earlier when we were very happy with his service. However, a month later, the refrigerator went back to doing the same thing. We called him back and got a message saying he was and quot;closed due to illness in the familyand quot;. I'm sorry for the illness in the family, but he didn't leave a forwarding number or when he'd be back so we were forced to call another repair service. The refrigerator was not working and we had to do something! Turns out the problem is probably a defective compressor. So the problem was mis-diagnosed to begin with and now we're out the cost of the defrost control unit (over $200) and still have to buy a new refrigerator! And no way to get in touch with Darren Smith to work anything out with him! Maybe he could at least return the unit for a refund! Also, when the second repair man came, he pointed out that one of back pieces in the freezer section had been replaced improperly, with the top part of this piece overlapping in front of another wall cover where it should have been behind. This was preventing proper flow of cold air between freezer and refrigerator. Needless to say, this has been a stressful and expensive experience.

He dismantled it and determined that the motor was shot. He put it back together. He suggested that we could either replace the motor or replace the dishwasher. He suggested brands that he thought had the least repair problems. He estimated the cost of replacing the motor. We opted to buy a new dishwasher. He was straightforward and professional.

My washer wasn't cycling properly. Darren was right on time, knew immediately what was wrong with it, and was out the door in 20 minutes. I haven't had a chance to use the washer since, but I'm confident that he solved the problem. My ONLY issue was the price, although I admit I have no idea if his fees are typical.

He was very friendly, knowledgeable and professional. He had the parts with him, fixed it and looked at our refrigerator ice maker with no charge (it was a plumbing problem, not an appliance problem). He was great and very fast.

Darren was very prompt, professional, and personable. He knew what was wrong right away and set about fixing it in a timely manner. Our washer and dryer are old, but they are worth hanging onto he said, as the newer ones don't last nearly as long. The price was a little more than I expected, but since I often try to fix things myself I don't have a lot of experience with the cost of service calls, but it didn't seem out of line. Also his time involved diagnosing two appliances and fixing one. (The dryer is still functional after 30 years, and the cost of fixing the heat output might not be worth the cost.) I asked him about the reliability of new washing machines. He said that the new washers last only 5 to 7 years, and if getting a replacement, don't pay for all the bells and whistles The new ones are controlled by computer chips that often don't let you have much control over the water level or temperature, and are not built to last. Nice to have someone on the job who is so knowledgeable and very prompt.

Replaced pump, but more was needed. Parts would have been about $500. So he took the pump back. We bought a new machine.

I called Darren about my broken GE Front Loading washing machine...it wasn't agitating or spinning, even though it would do both things in the test mode. I left Darren a message and he called me back quickly; he suggested I unplug the unit for 30 minutes, and that it would probably reset the machine...it sounded so simple, and so improbable. But I did it and it worked. His 2 minute call with me save me who know how much money and aggravation. This kind of know-how and honesty should be normal, but it's not. Thanks, Darren!

Mr. Smith was prompt and courteous on his arrival. He went to work quickly, and it seemed, from our describing the and quot;symptoms,and quot; that he knew the disease and the cure. He said right away that if it was what he thought, he knew he didn't have the replacement part, and it would take a couple of days to receive it. He was right about what it was, and about the part. When I inquired about the smudgy film that appeared on the dishes occasionally, he did offer some advice about dishwasher detergents. I have followed that advice in the six months since, and I have not been disappointed. I don't know if it is frowned upon to use brand names here, so I will just say he recommended a specific blue rinse agent to be put into the dispenser in the dishwasher door. I noted that that brand was marked by name on the dispenser, so I guess I should have paid attention from the outset! Also, he said he would prefer that I stop using a gel washing detergent and go back to the dry stuff in the green box. You know the stuff I mean! Apparently there was enough of a clash among ingredients to make the cloudy mess, and also to do eventual harm to the valves of my GE Profile. Probably having rock hard well water added to the symphony. As I said, since I made the two changes in my dishwasher routine, suggested by Mr. Smith, I have not had another minute's trouble. The delay in getting the part was not Mr. Smith's fault, and since he gave excellent free advice in the meantime, I think we came out ahead of the game. I will definitely call Darren Smith with any further dishwasher problems. I know he repairs other appliances, as well, but I am not sure without looking at his list, just what his expertise includes. I would definitely recommend him. He is pleasant to talk to, and he knows his stuff.

Darrin was responsive,professional, timely and fair.i, recommend him,highly and will not hesitate to call him for future work.

Darren was very professional and honest. I called Darren because my microwave turned on but won't heat. He answered his phone immediately even though he was on vacation and came over the next day. Even though I ended up not having Darren fix the microwave he was professional and very honest about the fact that it would probably cost me almost as much to fix it as to buy a new one.

I thought Darren was wonderful; he came because we needed someone right now today and he found a way to work us in without any problem. It turned out to be a simple repair but he went ahead and ran the machine through its paces anyway and made sure everything was alright. He was very professional, friendly, and lovely. I thought his price was great too.

He was great! He arrived when he said he would, and identified the problem immediately. He located parts, provided a quote and ordered parts while he was here. Once he had the equipment, he scheduled an appointment, arrived promptly (a little ahead of his estimated time) and was done well within an hour.

He was wonderful, and I would definitely use him again. He came out to assess the refrigerator the same day I called. He immediately diagnosed the problem, ordered the part, and came back in a few days to put it in when the part was delivered. I couldn't have asked for better service.

My washer decided to die on a holiday, but I called anyway and left a message. Darren returned the call the next day and we scheduled an appointment. He called the day of the appointment to let me know he was running late and set up a new time later the same day to come out. He quickly diagnosed the problem, had the necessary part on hand and replaced it with a minimum of of fuss. My dryer had been dead for a while and he looked at it as well while he was here, diagnosed the problem and had the relay on hand to fix it. It's been wonderful to have a working washer and drier again and at a price I could afford.

Mr. Smith was very prompt in returning my call for my non-operational ice maker, and I made an appointment for a service call. He arrived right on time and was very professional and courteous. He removed the ice maker and found that a part just needed to be snapped back into place--no replacement parts were needed. He put everything back together and asked me to let him know within the next 24 hours if the ice maker was functioning again and said he didn't need to be paid until I knew whether the ice maker was working, so he trusted me to pay him later. I called him when I saw that the ice maker was making ice again and asked him what I owed him. I have to admit that the $125 service call surprised me a bit; a couple of years before, I had had an applicance repairman come to fix the same problem and was only charged $80 for the visit, but maybe the costs have just gone up in that period of time.

Around 2 pm today I left a message with Mr. Smith saying our washer wasn't working. He called back within a few hours and was very professional and nice. He didn't work on our kind of washer (smart man, it's a piece of junk) but gave me the name of someone who did and then told me what was probably wrong with it and how to fix it. He said it was messy but not difficult (basically cleaning out a drain, but a little tricky, you needed a shop vac) and walked me through the steps. It took a little time, but my father did it and the washer is working! How wonderful is that? Kind man.

Darren came on time and did what I asked him to do. I will always call him when I have an appliance problem.

He called and got directions, was on time, and was quick to fix the unit. He was a nice person and knowledgeable with the dryer. I felt it was a fair service charge and and I would use him again.

Overall, time spent w/ Darren was worth every minute. Since he was working on 2 large appliances, he spent about 1 hr. altogether. He offered helpful advice and got back to me in a timely manner w/ advice on availability of parts for my range. Excellent experience!

I called Mr. Smith about a broken dryer. He picked up immediately and after scheduling a service time he then asked me to describe what was wrong. After I described the problem he said and quot;there's no need for me to take your $85and quot; and proceeded to explain what was wrong with the dryer and that for a dryer of that age it wasn't worth fixing. I truly appreciated his being honest with me over the phone and saving me the money to have him come out just to tell me that! I will absolutely call him back when we have something that needs to be repaired!

He was very good. It all went well.

Darren came on-site to diagnose a loud noise coming from a 7-year-old upright freezer. The unit was not making any noise when Darren arrived, but he explained how I could differentiate between evaporator fan noise (repairable) and compressor noise (best to replace the unit). If the unit fails and is repairable, I will call on Darren to perform the repairs. The on-site diagnosis was at no charge. Extremely polite and professional.

I called Darren to ask about the possibilty of repairing a mini-fridge I had which had failed. He called me back very promptly and let me know he does not work on them. I appreciated his professionalism and the fact that he responded quickly. He could have just ignored my call. I will probably use him for my larger appliance repairs/maintenance in the future. Thank you!

My GE refrigerator's cooling system no longer worked. Daren identified the problem quickly and efficiently and I learned a great deal about the interrelationship between the cooling system for the freezer and the refrigerator. He researched the cost of the replacement computerized fan, called me with estimates and ordered the needed part. He then returned and installed the new part and checked everything again. Everything works very well now. The whole process went very well. I live in a rural area 30 miles South of Charlottesville and Daren was willing and able to drive to my home twice, even though it is not in his frequent service area. He approached his job as one who enjoys what he does and is experienced and skilled. His enjoyment of customers and interacting with him made this more than just an impersonal interaction with a refrigerator!

Great from start to finish. Will use his services again.