c/appliance-repairers

Just realized I was handling customer calls all wrong after a chat with a retired tech

I was on a job in Tempe last month and met a guy who used to run his own shop for 30 years. He told me, 'You're giving them too many options too fast, it just confuses them.' I used to list every possible part and labor cost upfront. Now, I just ask what they heard or saw, give them the one most likely fix and price first, and only get into the 'what ifs' if they ask. My callbacks for estimates have gone way down. Has anyone else found a better way to talk price at the first call?

1 comments

williams90•3d ago

I finally cracked the case of the singing dishwasher in my building

The sound was coming from a loose drain hose vibrating against the cabinet. I secured it with a zip tie, and now it's quiet as a mouse.

2 comments

jenniferb53•3d ago

Unpopular opinion: I used to skip thermal fuses until my coffee maker project

Honestly, I thought thermal fuses were just pointless extras in appliances. Tbh, I would often leave them out if the machine seemed to run fine. Then, I got into fixing up old coffee makers as a creative hobby. One unit had a blown fuse, and I almost didn't replace it. But I put in a new one, and it stopped the whole thing from burning out later. Ngl, seeing that made me realize how important they are for safety. Now I always check and replace fuses, and it's made my repair jobs much better.

2 comments

leo_murphy•7d ago

DAE vacuum out the vent line every time you replace a dryer thermal fuse?

I learned this after a few annoying callbacks. Dryers that keep blowing thermal fuses often have blocked vents, not just a bad part. Last week, I found one where the lint was packed solid behind the dryer. Idk, maybe it's just me, but I make it a point to vacuum out the vent line every time now. It adds like five minutes to the job and stops the same issue from happening again. I've told a couple other repair folks, and they said it saved them headaches too. Just a friendly warning to always look past the obvious fix.

3 comments

david739•8d ago

Rant: Stretching before lifting a heavy oven changed my day

I was at a home today to check an oven that had no heat. After finding the problem, I needed to lift the unit to reach the wires. My back was a bit stiff from the day before, so I tried some quick stretches. I did some simple back twists and leg pulls for a couple minutes. When I picked up the oven, it felt lighter and I had no extra pain. This little habit helped me get through the visit smoothly. We should all try adding stretches to avoid body aches.

3 comments

miles_jones39•8d ago

Cool showers fix my sleep after noisy repair jobs

I would stay up too late with my mind racing from loud machines. A quick cool shower calms me down so I can rest properly.

3 comments

brian_lane•8d ago

My microwave decided to sing during a capacitor swap

I was swapping out a capacitor in my vintage microwave as a weekend project. When I powered it on, it started humming at a pitch so high my dog started howling along. What's the weirdest noise you've heard from an appliance you were working on?

3 comments

umahayes•10d ago

My shop light showed me a fridge leak I would have missed

Had a fridge job where it was running but not getting cold. I shined my big work light on the back and saw a small wet spot from a coolant leak. What simple tricks do you have for spotting leaks like this?

3 comments