Blog posts of '2022' 'December'

Make sure you qualify the minimum payable charge at the outset. No call out fee, does not mean "Free". Fixed price repairs is a valid advantage for simple repairs. Because these repairers need to complete the work within a limited period of time and visits to remain profitable. They generally limit their time to half an hour on the first job. Generally they do not undertake complex diagnostics or repairs. When engaging a repairer who qualifies "Free quotes" make sure the quote is obligation free and that your appliance remains in your care. Most repairers who offer free quotes recoup their quotation costs via a margin built into the repair work. However, if you don't proceed with the repairs, a fee is normally forth coming. Ask if there is additional costs if a return visit to fit parts is required. Most repairers have a margin built into the parts, but others don't and add a charge for travel. Cheap or second hand parts are impossible for you to screen for. Here you rely on your gut feel and experience. If they drive a beat up old van, wear greasy - torn clothes, look unkempt you can probably expect to get ripped off. But that doesn't mean, just because they come in a clean van all dressed to impress that they are honest quality operators, but generally your chances improve. One of the ways technicians shorten their time on the job is to bend covers, leave screws out and generally damage panels that can't be seen. They fail to re-clip or secure cables etc. Again this is difficult to screen for, but can generally be measured by the number of jobs they book a day. 8 calls a day is a fairly busy day. If they do more than 10 jobs a day or complete jobs in 15 minutes or less you can safely assume they are taking short cuts. Long waiting times for parts are common in this industry. Some are valid and some are not. Some repairers use parts as a means to improve their scheduling efficiency. These repairers know you won't wait very long for the initial visit, but when they have collected money for the initial visit you are committed to wait for the return visit. Try to get a gauge for how long parts will take before making the initial booking. This wont overcome the problem, but might help manage your expectations. Remember... you only get what you pay for and only if you're lucky. That is a fundamental law of business, as rock solid as the law of gravity. Make sure you know why the differences exist; only then are you ready to make an informed decision on repairs. Finally, being a deal shopper doesn't mean you will get the "best repair". The 'best repair' is buried in the fine detail and only those people with lots of time to diligently check of their list of do's and dont's can be confident of getting the best deal. Deal shopping is shortsighted and ultimately the most likely means to getting a shonky repair rather than a quality one. For those of us who are time poor and have better things to do with their life than trawl the internet for hours and hours, the best way to be confident of getting a good repairer is to look for those repairers who specialise in your brand product, be prepared to pay a fair price and if you are happy with their results tell your friends and hang onto their business card.