Whenever you schedule a service visit with a professional appliance repair service, you want it to go as smoothly as possible. If you have a particularly busy schedule or don’t know much about repairs, you might be caught off-guard during the visit. To help you get through the process, we’ve compiled a few tips that will help make the service visit a much smoother and more convenient experience for both parties.
We would all like to keep service visits neat and on schedule, but this is rarely how things turn out. Appliance contractors tend to be busy, and they can’t predict how other visits will pan out during the day. As a result, they can’t give you an accurate estimate for when they will arrive or how long the visit will last.
When setting up a service visit, you should keep your schedule open for the day. The contractor’s scheduling assistant will give you a window to expect the contractor, so use that as a rough estimate. They might be running early or late, but you won’t have to wait by the door half the day. They’ll give you a call about half an hour before they arrive for the visit.
Once the contractor arrives, you don’t want them to waste time moving items or furniture just to reach an appliance. Moving stuff that’s in the way will help speed things up and allow the contractor to start repairs immediately.
Always designate a clear path to the appliance and make sure that the contractor can reach it. If they require a ladder or chair to inspect something, be sure to prepare that in advance, though they will probably bring their own helpful addons. Elements such as the lighting should also be ready beforehand. If the room is dimly lit, the contractor might not be able to do their job correctly. For attics, basements, and other areas where you don’t frequent, make sure that the light fixtures are in order before the contractor arrives.
You don’t view your pets as nuisances or distractions when working, but that might not be the contractor’s perspective. They don’t know your pets, and they can’t be absolutely sure that the little bundles of joy won’t cause issues while they work on your appliance. When hiring a refrigerator repair service, pets will be naturally drawn to the fridge where some treats are kept. Not to mention, you can’t be sure either, as pets can react unpredictably when meeting new people in their homes.
Your best bet would be to keep your pet or pets in a different part of the home while the contractor does their thing. Not only will this ensure that they don’t get distracted, but it will also guarantee that the pet doesn’t accidentally run into any tools or gadgets. Plus, it might alleviate the contractor’s stress if they have a phobia of certain animals.
Depending on the type of repair or maintenance scheduled, you might need some additional preparation. For starters, you should explain in detail what your issue is with the appliance to better help the contractor evaluate the situation. Clean out the appliance if it contains anything that isn’t relevant to its function, such as clothes in a washing machine drum. Once the contractor arrives, they might want to learn more about previous repairs on the appliance. If you still have the documentation from other contractor visits, they could come in handy.
Before or after the visit, the contractor may suggest that you get certain parts for the repair. It would be recommended that you look for quality appliance parts from the original manufacturer or reliable third-party providers. If it’s an essential part for the repair and there’s no way to figure out whether it’s needed beforehand, you might need to schedule two visits in total.
How and when you’re going to pay for the visit should be discussed with the contractor in advance. Some may require that you provide an up-front payment, while others will only request payment after the repairs are done. Either way, you should be well aware of the deal beforehand.
Get your wallet or cheque book ready if you haven’t communicated with the contractor before the visit. You should know their rates for specific visits if they are featured on a website, or if you were given a rough estimate from the assistant.
There are plenty of things you can do to make the process of repairing an appliance easier on the contractor. With the right approach, you can get through the service visit without any unnecessary delays or miscommunication. Follow a few of the aforementioned tips, and you’ll find that it will go off without a hitch.
I, Isaac Brunt, am an experienced Lifestyle writer and consultant. Driven by Passion and Professionalism, I take pride in providing the best research and articles possible. After so many years of working in the industry, my passion for my work still grows.