Sears Appliance Repair

[DuffMan]

So, on friday, our fridge quit working, so my wife called Sears repair, being as that was where we bought it from. Friday night the fridge starts working again. Saturday, phone sears and tell them that, and they suggest still sending someone out.
I knew I'd be paying the $85/visit, but thought that if he could diagnose what was going on, it would be worth it. So he listens to the wife explain the symptoms, and says it needs a new timer, and he has one in the truck. He replaces that, and then charges me approx. $170. I think, $85/visit, approx $85/part, sounds about right. Today i look at the bill a little more carefully, and the part is $22 and the install charge is $50. I just assumed the install work was covered in the $85, so I was a little pissed about that. especially after I had told him I had replaced the timer, latch and inlet valve in the Sears dishwasher we had, so it's not like I'm not capable.
My fault I guess for not asking, but I hate paying $50, or anything for that matter, for someone to spend 5 minutes taking out 4 small screws, replace a little timer unit, and screw back in. I just wish he would've told me up front, and gave me the option of doing it myself.
Stupid Sears.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

So, on friday, our fridge quit working, so my wife called Sears repair, being as that was where we bought it from. Friday night the fridge starts working again. Saturday, phone sears and tell them that, and they suggest still sending someone out.
I knew I'd be paying the $85/visit, but thought that if he could diagnose what was going on, it would be worth it. So he listens to the wife explain the symptoms, and says it needs a new timer, and he has one in the truck. He replaces that, and then charges me approx. $170. I think, $85/visit, approx $85/part, sounds about right. Today i look at the bill a little more carefully, and the part is $22 and the install charge is $50. I just assumed the install work was covered in the $85, so I was a little pissed about that. especially after I had told him I had replaced the timer, latch and inlet valve in the Sears dishwasher we had, so it's not like I'm not capable.
My fault I guess for not asking, but I hate paying $50, or anything for that matter, for someone to spend 5 minutes taking out 4 small screws, replace a little timer unit, and screw back in. I just wish he would've told me up front, and gave me the option of doing it myself.
Stupid Sears.

They all pretty well charge by the hour, not portion of hour.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by redforever

They all pretty well charge by the hour, not portion of hour.

i believe his beef though is that they charged him 85$ for the guy to come out there, then a additional 50$ for the repair.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Dan02

i believe his beef though is that they charged him 85$ for the guy to come out there, then a additional 50$ for the repair.

You pay that $85 no matter if they repair anything or not, that is travel time.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by redforever

They all pretty well charge by the hour, not portion of hour.

He was here for 23 minutes, so $170 seems a bit much to me. I don't have a problem with the $85, I just wish he would've said... I have the part, it is $22 plus an extra $50 if I install it.

[redforever]

[quote=DuffMan;1194575]He was here for 23 minutes, so $170 seems a bit much to me. I don't have a problem with the $85, I just wish he would've said... I have the part, it is $22 plus an extra $50 if I install it.[/quote]


Yes, that much he should have done. I really think that the person you talked to at Sears repair should have been clear in an explanation to you regarding the initial $85...... and other possible associated costs.

Anytime I have required a serviceman, it was pointed out to me that the initial fee of $75, $85, whatever, is the travel cost and that I had to pay that no matter if any repair was required or not. It has always been my experience that any actual repair has always been over and above the travel cost.

[Montana Moe]

I called Sears to repair my refrigerator, they said they could be out to my house in 2 weeks! Yeah, that would be convenient... So I went with a local repair company, $35 appearance fee, He removes the housing off of the flapper that opens to send cold air in from the freezer to the fridge. He tells me it is stuck open/dead motor, and we need a part that he has to order, he would be back when the part came in, O.K. fine.

I open the freezer a couple days later, and I see through the flapper that the fridge light is still on. I adjust the door so the sensor catches when the door closes, problem solved. I call to inform them that I had fixed it, and I would still pay for the part since they ordered it for me.

They bill me, and there was an additional labor charge for him removing the housing from the flapper! $50.00! I tell them to get bent. Basically, he opened the refrigerator to take a look and charges me labor? So, I'm delaying their payment out of principle. And I thought my plumber was a thief.

So, after my rant, I guess all that I can say is that it seems to be commonplace among the industry, I will know from now on to get clarification as to what exactly is considered labor before anyone even approaches an appliance.

[8 Ball]

Typically service people charge a call-out fee or charge their first hour out as travel time to assess the job. Any work done after that is usually time and material whether it takes 23 minutes or 23 hours. It is up to the person who sends them out or the service person themselves to be up front with the customer about rates before they begin work.