Appliance repair is one of those things that some people believe in, and some people don’t. There are people that believe in the throw away lifestyle, and because of that, only purchase the cheapest appliances possible. For the rest of the people that like to keep things going by repairing or replacing parts, there are several choices for appliance repair technicians. How do you decipher between them? Which ones are good? Are they all the same, some just charge less and some charge more? The answer to that question is a tough one, because you would need to know a larger part of the story before you can start making a good assessment.
Some people think of appliance repair as an easy thing. How hard could it be? When an “engineer” or other “handy” person is looking for a new career, or way to make money, a lot of times appliances comes up. Something that these “technicians” rely on, is videos they find on the internet or YouTube. Before they go out of their call, they are on YouTube looking up how to properly fix the machine they’re about to work on. This is a real problem because this gives them a false sense of security that they will be able to correctly and effectively repair your machine. The reality is that appliances are a very complex piece of machinery that has to abide by a lot of rules and regulations in order to operate in your house. Refrigerators need to have flame proof components, and electronic controls that monitor safeties to ensure the user is safe. Washing machines have locking lids now so children are safe, and customers don’t hurt themselves if they reach into a moving washer. Appliances just have a lot to them. If you’re not educated by the factory on how to correctly disassemble and repair a machine, the client that owns that appliance is going to have a major issue, because their appliance will have damaged panels, broken plastic, cut wires and a whole list of other problems that equals to their appliance not working, and them having to buy a new one.
What about the companies that are factory trained in town? Well… there are a few of us. In an area that’s 460,000 population (Washoe County), you would think there would be more. In reality, there are only 3 or 4 companies in the general area that regularly attend factory training classes. We know, because we're one of them. The real issue is who does factory authorized service for the box stores? Local companies traditionally are self-servicing, which means they only service the product that they sell. Sometimes they get call from the manufacturers, but traditionally, they want to only use a few servicers. What about the other thousands of appliances sold yearly at the big box stores, who services those appliances? If they’re in warranty, there are only a few companies that fit that role. This is a problem if you are one of these customers, and need your not cooling refrigerator repaired. Most of the servicers are booked up a few weeks out, and can’t quickly get out to help you out.
.
“Customers assume there is an “appliance god” who’s always looking out for them, and that is far from the truth. Unlike the auto industry where dealer service is mandatory, most appliances are sold today through non-servicing retailers, and those that still perform their own repairs are disappearing. The result is that consumers often encounter unacceptably long service delays and unqualified technicians which creates ill will towards the manufacturer and dealers and fills our landfills with discarded appliances.”
What is the solution to such a major issue where consumers have gotten to the point where they feel that there are no good appliances left on the market. The answer, like to a lot of issues that we face in society, is to stop being so reliant on large retailers that sell builder quality product, who don’t service what they sell, and purchase from local dealers that have the ability to solve issues. We need to band together as a society, and share the wealth around to the companies that keep everything going. In the 90’s, the amount of servicing appliance dealers was nearly double what it is today. This change effectively removed a major part of the repair force that helped keep the manufacturers out of trouble. Today, most appliances are sold by companies that could care less about the person they sold the appliance too. If a customer doesn't like an appliance or it breaks down, the box store will just return it and force the manufacturer to take it back.
Sargent’s has made it through all the changes, booms and busts, and we’re still here, working hard everyday to keep people happy. If you need an honest company to work with, give Sargent’s in Sparks a try.
