Appliance Smarts By Glenn Allen

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I am sorry you feel as if the pricing for service was not fair. I have mailed your mother a letter of explanation of pricing along with a copy of a page from my appliance service pricing guide. This book is like the ones that auto mechanics use only this guide is for the appliance service industry. It is not always about breaking a sweat or dirt on the hands. Sometimes it is about what a technician is able to complete and perhaps educate the consumer what the problem was and how to correct it if it happens again. I thoroughly explained what had happened and I even noted it on her use and care manual. If it should ever happen again she can correct it herself. Saving the irritation of down time and the need to pay for another service call. So I don’t look at it as what I charged her but more of how much I may have saved her in the future. I did not just push a button. I pulled the user interface control to inspect it and to verify that the door was closing properly. I then contacted the technical assistance line and went through a diagnoses procedure with the company It is my understanding that another company was there a couple weeks prior. They left without it working and later told your mother that they would not be able to repair that dishwasher and suggested that it be replaced. Then a few other companies were contacted and none of them were willing to come out to service it because of the brand it is. This brand of dishwasher can be very difficult to diagnose and repair. For this reason this brand does demand a higher labor rate than some other brands. Truth be known, I had about a half an hour of research on this dishwasher before I even was at the job site. So, I had the time at the home plus about a half hour before I got there. The lowest price listed in the job guide (for this brand) is about $190.00 plus the service call. I charged only $100.00 plus the service call plus a little extra because of the distance of the drive (mileage). When I left it was usable and she knew why. Another company tried to service it but could not diagnose it. Other companies were contacted but were not willing to try.

Mr. S. , So now you are a technician. You do know I sell parts over the counter to D.I.Y.ers. If you knew what part or parts you needed I would sell to you at a very fair and competitive price. With that said, How many parts can be purchased for $3 bucks. I did a little checking, Now I know who you are. You had a unique problem. You had a Samsung or L-G refrigerator and the ice maker kind of just broke into pieces. You called me out and you were a first time customer. When I called you said to come over. When I arrived your son let me in, showed me the fridge then disappeared. When I started to try to find someone to explain my findings no one came out to see me. I wasn't going to just walk around a house of someone I did not know. So I let myself out, Unpaid for my service call or diagnosis. We contacted by phone later I I gave you the estimate. You argued some but eventually authorized me to order the parts to complete the job. A few days later I returned with the parts. This time I told you that YOU HAD TO BE THERE the entire time that I was in your house as I didn't want left alone in there because we didn't know each other, plus I wanted paid. This kind of upset you. The ice maker went in easily but there was an issue with the water funnel. The new one was not made to fit your model refrigerator and the one that was needed was not available from the manufacturer. I thought quite a while about how to make it fit. I finally cut and customized the funnel. When I was done the funnel was installed and the ice maker was replaced and ready to make ice. I was proud of the fact that I customized the part to fit your refrigerator otherwise you would NEVER have an ice maker that would work. As you were reluctantly writing the check for the amount we discussed you told me you had another appliance company to your house before me. He also said you needed an ice maker but he was not able to install the funnel. Our quotes were compatible but he was unable to customize the funnel so he gave up on the attempted repair, So you called me. I was able to think outside of the box and get it done. So what you are mad about is that I was able to complete a job that another company could not. Maybe the S. in your name stands for Strange. There was one other Strange curve ball. Our cell phones were identical. You laid your cell phone in my work area and with my invoices. My phone rang several times while I was there. Yours never did. When I packed up my tools and filled out the service invoice I saw what I thought was my phone and I put it in my pocket. When I got to my store I realized what had happened. You finally called me quite angry. I apologized for the confusion but you had put your phone in my work area. Our phones were 100% identical. You said it was your business phone and that you would likely lose allot of business. I offered to forward your number or answer it and tell your customers to call your home phone, which is where your business is. Out of your house. You demanded I close my store and bring your phone immediately. I said I was not willing to close my business to bring your phone to you but that I would forward it or answer it. Then at the end of my business day I would bring the phone back to you. YOU WERE Very Angry. Later that day your wife stopped my store and got it. I never heard your phone ring one time so I guess you didn't miss much business. You swore and be darned that you would go on-line and tell every one you could in an attempt to ruin me and my reputation. You are the classic tale of an angry and vindictive person that shorts the truth then lies hard to make it interesting. If I could find an attorney with nuggets you are the kind of person that I would make eat your words by compensating me for damaging me with LIES.

This was a case of new technology failure. I had just gotten my first DUMB / SMART PHONE. I had my appointments and contacts in the phone. I also had my store base phone line forwarded to the Smart Phone so I could take my calls directly. Sometime during this time period the SMART PHONE reset itself back to as new condition. I lost all of my schedules and contacts. I also have been having issues with Comcast. They disconnected the call forwarding. I received no messages that day, so, if you were calling and leaving messages, Comcast did not give them to me. At this time i am back to using pen, paper and a my trusty flip phone. I apologize that you were inconvenienced. Several other were that day as well. If you would call my office @752-3600 or e-mail me @ [email protected] I will open your account and notate you to receive a discount. The next time you need my assistance I will offer to you the service call @ half price. I am again truly sorry.

Gruff Huh???? Well thank you, I really do appreciate a compliment. You did hit the nail on the head, I am really quite busy at times, so on some days a minute lost is a minute I can't get back. Lose enough minutes and that can turn into real time. If I lose enough time perhaps somebody doesn't get what they need. The ones I get a bit GRUFF with are ones that I tried to help but they didn;t get it, others are out right lies and slander. I really wish I could find an attorney that would help me take these liars on and make them eat their words by making them compensate me for my potential lost income. When I come back on people I am not just talking. I always have the records to back me up. Thank You again for the positive feed back.

Thank You for the kind words.

This complaint is a little disturbing. Here is what I know. You called at the end of business day 5:00 pm on the March 18th. With this information i was able to track the call back for the details as I do keep records of most part inquiries. You asked for a heat element for a Frigidaire dryer. I gave you a reference # of 176 for any future questions or inquiries. I did not quote you $47.00, I quoted you $46.00 for the element. I checked comparable's and one place gets $49.98 and another gets $48.64, so my price is competitive as i have the best price. So we know my price is good. Now the time of day was 5 p.m., end of the business day. maybe I was extremely tired, maybe it was a rough day, maybe I had somewhere I had to be. This was several weeks ago so I don't recall that. But here is what I think from my notes and memory; In a typical conversation for diagnosis i offer to counter test parts at no charge. Your particular dryer does not easily come apart so bringing parts in off your dryer would not be logical. I offer options of a service call and diagnosis or bring it to me to save the service call charge. i don't know what tools you have, if you have volt / ohm meter or how electrically knowledgeable you are. So, i have to be careful offering to much information. If you get hurt, maybe even killed, you would get mad at me and maybe want to sue me. Because of this i generally limit my answers to the questions that I am asked. However i do recall some of our conversation. You asked if the problem could be something else. My answer would be, Yes. It can be a fuse, a thermostat, a burned wire, a bad timer, a bad motor, a heat control switch, a bad power cord or outlet. Maybe a popped breaker switch. Torn out or ripped seals or perhaps just linted up exhaust venting. You can imagine with all those possibilities i can not tell you how to test each of those individual possibilities. There is a point that your mechanical / electrical knowledge must know how to deal with it. If you are limited then there are service possibilities. i offer service calls to your location or you can carry the unit to the store. What I recall about our conversation, you were trying to keep your cost to a minimum, so you had no real interest in service or labor compensation. You were adamant that your desire was to attempt the repair yourself. As for technical assistance I do try to help who I can if i feel that he or she is capable to do so without injury or damage. Please keep in mind that the time I can provide is limited as i do have my own work that needs to get done. This I offer as a free service when the questions are practical and time is reasonable. There is a company out there that offers the same service, if you have a credit card and are willing to pay $35.00 in advance. Bottom line is, if you have any more questions your reference # is 176,. If you are going to quote prices from me then at least get it right. I quoted 46 not 47. if you want assistance with diagnosis then be prepared to ask reasonable questions. Hopefully you have the comprehension to understand the answers and the ability to follow it through.

The Good Lord gives me a limited amount of time in a work day. Because of this I must pick and choose priorities. There are times at my store that I get so busy it can be almost overwhelming. I don't know if my service hours was outside your availability or desired time frame. Maybe the service location was outside my normal service area limits. Maybe the initial call red flagged a waste of time or expensive for the customer so I would attempt to save you money. I only wish I knew more about this call. I am sorry on that day you were not my priority. Maybe next time.