If he has a boss maybe you could complain, prove it now works (I'm assuming the bill says bad motor) and get a refund. On the plus side, for $42.50 you are now a hero in your wife's view!

 

Repairmen seem to run the entire spectrum.

Some are great, reliable and trustworthy.

Some will sell you used parts as new.

 

Some of these people will take advantage of women and i resent it....

Speaking as a woman, almost all repair people will try to take advantage of a woman, or patronize her, or both. And if you think you resent it, how do you think we feel?

I know no cure except to know what they're talking about and keep looking until you find one who will accept that you do.

In fairness, though, in this case I expect the guy would have done the same, or tried to, with anyone. Much easier and more profitable to just say no parts made and bill the trip and time than take the thing apart and spend time cleaning contacts for very little more money. Not to mention that many "repairmen" these days know how to order a new circuit board and snap it in and not much else.

 

I would suggest to all. Before calling a repair or garage work, read up on the item or vehicle. If you speak some of the language, and maybe say you had a few classes on basic electrical they'll think twice.

 

Some repair people will tell you the problem and hit you with a fee and give you the option for them to fix it, usually for the price of the part and a mark-up.

I've been fixing my appliances for years. I buy Whirlpool washers and dryers, their site is pretty good for diagnostics and manuals, parts lists, etc. I can buy parts locally or if I can wait I get them online for 1/2 the price. The Whirlpool washers (same as Kenmore) blow through motor couplings so I have a couple around.

My dryer had an issue a year ago and I had to call Homeserv, a great company actually. He was in and out in an hour and it ran me $190. If it breaks again, I'll buy a new one. If you get 10 years out of a washer and dryer, you're doing okay.

 

I've been fixing my appliances for years. I buy Whirlpool washers and dryers, their site is pretty good for diagnostics and manuals, parts lists, etc. I can buy parts locally or if I can wait I get them online for 1/2 the price. The Whirlpool washers (same as Kenmore) blow through motor couplings so I have a couple around.

Some of the newer appliances have circuit boards what cost nearly as much as a new appliance. I discovered that with my last stove when it died. I typically perform my own repairs (within reason) and through troubleshooting I discovered it was the control board.

The board ran $450-500 and a new stove of an equivalent feature set was $500-650, depending.

 

That's how "repairs" are done today, no one "fixes" anything. If it doesn't work, you replace it, end of story. It's just amazing he actually trouble shot it well enough to isolate the timer as the issue.

My SIL has a Bosch dishwasher, door keeps popping open. There's no real physical "latch" like on many machines, its just a friction fit of a roller into a depression. He was about ready to buy a new one. I got on Google. The fix was to simply raise the adjustable legs on the front to let the door system adequately mate with the top, which was secured to the cabinet frame, and just pulling it a little too high.:thumb:

 

I fixed our microwave from instructions posted on the fixya site and it was a simple repair. However, when the fridge quit working I called a local guy that charged a reasonable fee and had the part stocked in his van. I should probably be thankful it lasted six years before needing repair.

I'm about to buy a new range to replace the cooktop and double wall oven that's a space hog in my galley kitchen. There seem to be complaints against Amana, Kenmore, Whirlpool, GE etc., so my strategy is to go with the cheapest price since appliances are now more disposable than ever. Hello scratch and dent!

 

Actually i'm lucky parts weren't available because then he would have ch. my wife about $165.50 for a timer that didn't need replacing... Lucky me...

 

Just chalk it up as 42.50 paid towards your wife's tuition to The School of Hard Knocks

 

The only hard knocks should be upside the head of the scoundrel repairman. You don't ignore a cheat because you are just allowing him to continue his shady practices on other people. He's not the "hard knocks" teacher...

 

Another recent appliance case when i WAS home. Washing machine quit working, repairman called out: 69.00$ just to come out. It was the safety switch on the lid that shuts the machine off if you lift the lid. He took the whole top of the w. machine off in five minutes, replaced the switch, put it back together in five minutes. Cost of switch $52.50. Plus "labor" Total cost $155.00...... He was in and out in a half hour.... What, am I paying for brain surgery here???

 

You are paying for the knowledge they have that you do not. :thumb:

I see this in the IT field quite a bit. This repairman knew the problem (or steps to get to the problem) and knew how to repair it. You didn't. :

 

He was in and out of your house in half an hour, but how long did it take him to get there and then to get back/to the next repair call? Per hour, sounds like he's not charging all that much considering, assuming he actually knows how to repair the stuff without just telling people to buy a new one. Leaving the house-call travel charge out of it, which he told you the amount of up front, he charged you about $33 actual labor costs for the time he was in your house working.

 

Thanks for pointing this out to me. You learn a lot from watching what these guys do. See, now next time i'll do it myself and save $150.00. I would have just jumped the safety switch which you don't even need a safety switch unless you're an idiot...

 

Lol, yep, that's what i did, took the cursed switch out.

 

"Repair men" don't repair anything these days, they replace them. He didn't know how to fix it, only put a new one in.

It's true that many take advantage of women. I've seen times I was quoted twice the price as my husband for the same thing. It's like it's the standard with car repairs. They try to charge us a fortune to replace our gonoiter valve and upper trunions when what we need is a new filler cap.

 

I guess i'm from the old school, used to be in the water softner business. If somebody called me out to look at their machine and i couldn't fix it, i didn't charge them a dime . It was part of the risk i took . That's the way business was done... If you took your car to an auto mechanic and he couldn't fix it,,would you pay him for diagnosing the problem? Any fool can Not fix something....

 

Same here,I just can't steal money from people.

 

Reminds me of an old joke...

Guy brings a car in to a local garage. The engine was running very rough, and often threatened to die and possibly strand him in his appointed rounds.
"So, how much to fix the car?" the man asks apprehensively.
"$300," says the mechanic, flatly.
The man is shocked, but agrees anyway, since he absolutely has to have a reliable car for work.
The mechanic opens the hood, starts and revs the engine, listens for a minute. He walks around the front of the car, pulls a screwdriver from his back pocket, reaches in to the engine, and, with a deft twist of a screw, the engine is made to purr like new.
The man looking on, is stunned. Then annoyed.
As he is scribbling out the check, he grumbles "It took you less than **5 minutes**, and you are charging me $300??! That much to turn a screw, eh?"
On pocketing the check, the mechanic quips, "Yeah, but I know which screw to turn, and how much."

 

I run into the same problem because I never use my dishwasher either.

After several episodes over the long years the true fix always seems to be that the seals have dry rotted.

The unit is built with the expectation of being used and suffers if you don't.

The smart repairmen that get it fixed always say the same thing. Use the unit occasionally and with some regularity.

Run a load once a month.

 

I do most of my own maintenance and repairs. Google /YouTube are your friends.

From the car emissions solenoid and lift gate struts to the dishwasher pump and oven igniters.

You can do most of this stuff yourself with a little mechanical ability and some Internet coaching.

I will say that parts can be very expensive so at some point it just makes sense to replace the whole thing.

Kfilly beat me to it.

 

This is why I taught myself to repair computers, I couldn't afford $55/hr to have them fixed. My only regret?, I'm the family tech guy. And usually expected to fix stuff with nothing and for nothing.

I guess i'm from the old school, used to be in the water softner business. If somebody called me out to look at their machine and i couldn't fix it, i didn't charge them a dime . It was part of the risk i took . That's the way business was done... If you took your car to an auto mechanic and he couldn't fix it, would you pay him for diagnosing the problem? Any fool can Not fix something....

For the most part, I agree with you. But I think that it is reasonable to charge for time and travel. But if I had a stop along the my route for the day and I couldn't fix something, (and I didn't spend excessive time trying to fix it) then I wouldn't charge anything.

You pay your doctor for diagnosing you, right? What if you're incurable, do you refuse to pay? On top of that, a whole lot of what you go to the doctor for you will get over without treatment, all they may have done is shortened your recuperation time.

 

Most journeyman level repair people won't even show up for less than $100. You got off easy.
He found the source of your problem. You got your money's worth.

 

I don't mind paying for a repairman to come out and find out a problem with my appliance, because these problems do occur.. But what i mind is he just automatically wants to replace my part with his outragiously marked up price instead of at least trying to figure out what the problem is. .... You're at the mercy of them. It didn't used to be this way. People charged honest prices and weren't out to gouge you. People treated people honestly. Has all this changed? I think it has. Take advantage of old people and women because they can be taken advantage of. This would not be acceptable in my time..

 

It didn't used to be this way. People charged honest prices and weren't out to gouge you. People treated people honestly. Has all this changed? I think it has. Take advantage of old people and women because they can be taken advantage of. This would not be acceptable in my time..

Yeah....but things used to be made from mechanical parts that COULD be "fixed", didn't require $500 in special tools and test equipment to check or repair, and return business was considered the best advertising on the planet.

He's NOT taking advantage, he actually SAVED you money, by NOT spending time figuring it out for you, and by NOT offering to replace things with a high dollar cost. He let YOU choose what to do, and you did it, where if HE had done it, you'd have been forced to pay him another $100+ dollars.

So yes...things have changed.:thumb:

 

I've taken a whole new attitude like George Costanza on Seinfeld. I pay what I say, not what they say..

 

Yeah, just tell your wife not to stick her arm into the machine while it's spinning, that doesn't take too much smarts...

 

For those who are busy, not handy, or have a wife that doesn't understand that you will eventually get to it then I have a suggestion.

https://www.completehomewarranty.com/

Let me first say that I think most home warranty outfits are a scam. I've dealt with a number of them and all it seems like is you pay good money for some slacker to tell you that it can't be fixed and he has a high dollar solution for you, or some drone on the phone telling you that you aren't covered because of some obscure contract line buried deep in a 30 page legalese nightmare.

And the fact that I can do a lot of my repairs myself and don't have a nag at home telling me that I promised yesterday to fix it.

So I basically quit using those companies for years until my sis pointed me to a company that works a different way.

This company spells out what is covered in very simple terms and it's basically just your appliances, not all this other house stuff that needs a million subclauses about coverage. They charge a flat rate and they don't charge a copay for repair visits like the others do. The men aren't given the option to push a new replacement. They are told to fix the damn thing somehow some way or they don't get paid by the company. If they can't fix it the company won't pay them and the company offers you a cash settlement to go deal with the problem on your own.

It's like this company does the exact opposite of what the other home warranty companies do. Their men try hard to fix your appliances and do it fast. The company actually answers the phone and doesn't toss you into the hold-ignore hell waiting for a rep. They tell their crews to find a way to get'r done and then get out of your hair without trying to push stuff on you. And other than the annual payment they don't want any extra money.

Oh, and they will come once a year to give your heating and A/C a fast once-over to keep it running good---for free.

My sis and BIL are not the handy types. This company makes long suffering wives tickled pink. Even if you are fully capable of fixing your appliances you might realize they are still worth the money. You can do your thing and the wife calls the moment she thinks she has an appliance problem. You get home and she's happy it is fixed and you don't get surprised with a repair bill. Why suffer the hassle and the nag, right?

The price is $600 a year for your kitchen appliances, washer/dryer, water heater, and climate control units.

Obviously someone who is handy can put $600 a year to good use elsewhere, but the rate is on par with other companies, they do good work, and perhaps your time has greater value. Just waiting for the repairman to show up can waste a day and if you didn't fix it yourself then you damn sure want to be there when they try telling you that you have an expensive problem. Miss a couple days of work a year doing this and you have put a big dent in that $600 flat rate. Instead you can leave your slacker teen at home to unlock the door and sign the free work order while you get a day of work in.

 

You can spend your life just fixing old stuff... When you get on, you got better things to do.. $600. a year doesn't sound like that bad a deal.. You got me convinced...YOU GOT ME CONVINCED!!!

 

Just don't look at the other home warranty companies. Most truly suck and you don't need that kind of aggravation.

The annual climate control visit is worth about a hundred anyway, so that's a bit off the top.

 

completehomewarrantee.com I'm going to look those people up. You know the wives, they like piece of mind..I got things to do and stuff....

 

Most repair guys just know how to remove and replace things until it works.
When I was young I had a job for a couple years as a plant engineer. One thing I had to do was coordinate repairs and supervise safety.

A computer tech was trying to fix one of our giant plant computers. it was the size of a refrigerator and had a 10 MB hard drive that he hauled out on hand truck.
he worked on that thing for 8 hours straight. I went to see what he was doing.
"I replaced everything" he said. Hard drive, I/O boards, controller boards, power supply, fans, etc etc.

I took one look at it and saw a ribbon cable about 2 inches wide with maybe a dozen or so conductors went from the inner workings to the control panel, which was on a hinge and was currently in the open position. I pointed to the cable and said did you check that? That cable has to flex every time the door is opened. maybe a conductor broke finally.

That was the fix. Boy was he mad! He had hauled his little hand truck through 200 yards of gravel in 100 degree Houston swamp heat about 3 times going back and forth to his truck to get parts.

 

Fortunately, or unfortunately, $600 is at least double what I have in my appliances, and a whole lot more than I've ever paid to repair an appliance.

And I was raised with the DIY mentality and firmly believe whatever has been made can be remade.

 

Nothing wrong with that mentality as long as you keep it in perspective.

Last week I overnight freighted a specialty grade 8 bolt in to fix a mount on some equipment. Bolt was worth about $10 and the freight was close to $40. The upside was that equipment went back online days earlier than expected and likely saved many thousands of dollars in down time.

If you have the skill, time, and tools to do your own repairs then you should.

But only if you have all three. If the repair requires a $50 specialty wrench you may never use again then why would you bother if someone says he can definitely get it done for $30? If you earn $200 a day and you need to take a workday off to fix what a repairman wants $100 then why would you throw away a half day earnings? If you don't know what the hell you are doing then you could screw it up worse than a repairman wants to charge.

In all three cases there is a reason to punt the job to a pro. It's called cost benefit analysis.

i didn't say he was trying to rip anyone off. I said most repair guys just R&R parts until they fix the problem. Not all, but most.

We used to call it module ****ing in the service. Guys that couldn't troubleshoot just kept swapping instead of tracing the problem with good analysis. Then we would end up with a big pile of components I would have to weed through to actually find if any were actually bad. Chassis and wiring harness faults used to give those guys fits when they realized they had swapped out everything with no results.

As for Fluke, they do make good gear but I'm still partial to the old gold standard.