Top 5 Tips for Hiring a Refrigerator Technician
Refrigerators are an important appliance in many homes. In fact, many people find it difficult to live without one. Most might think of the refrigerator as a place where they can get cold water and ice, and maybe take out a snack or even a meal. But, this appliance does so much more for us, more than we might even realize. For starters, with a refrigerator, you can keep food fresh for longer periods of time. That means you don’t have to eat at restaurants, get takeout, or order for delivery all the time. You can go to the supermarket and store foods for an entire week or even month or store leftovers to eat at a later date. This appliance prevents food from spoiling, saving your money and time, but also prevents you from getting sick.
Indeed, the refrigerator saves homeowners money and time, which is why when it breaks down, things tend to go awry. Try living without a refrigerator even for a few days and you can see how inconvenient it can be. When your fridge does break down, then you need to call an appliance repair technician. Of course, if you’ve never had to hire a technician, then you might need some help. So, here are the top 5 tips for hiring a refrigerator technician.
1) Find One Close to Home
This tip might be more of a common sense tip – of course you should hire someone close to you (or as close as you can get). After all, you want someone who can come to your home right away. Hiring someone in the next city or county doesn’t make sense, unless the technician you want isn’t available and you need to get your fridge repaired right away. However, know that some of these technicians might charge you extra for travel time or mileage.
With today’s technology and the Internet, however, you can easily find refrigerator repair technicians in your geographical area. Another benefit is, if your technician needs to come back for a follow-up or to install a new part, then they can easily come to your location. Of course, there’s also the added bonus of helping a small business or entrepreneur in your own community.
2) Check Their References and Reputation
Not all repairmen are bad, but not all are good either. That’s why you need to check reviews and references. Before you pick up the phone to call any appliance repair technician, make sure you check their online reputation. Go to Google and type in their name and see if anyone has left them reviews on Yelp or even the Better Business Bureau. You might also want to ask them for references – a good technician won’t hesitate to give you references from satisfied customers.
Alternately, you could also ask around and find recommendations. Go to friends and family and see if they can recommend someone they have worked with before or if they have heard of the technician you want to hire.
3) Ask About Legal Compliance
Anyone who has a business or practices a trade has to follow laws and regulations pertaining to their profession. Appliance repair technicians should have the right licenses, certifications and also have their own insurance. Make sure you ask any potential refrigerator technician you want to hire about their business license, certifications, and of course, proof of insurance.
Aside from knowing if he or she can repair your refrigerator, there are other reasons why you want to make sure you hire someone who has all their paperwork in order. As a customer, you want to know if they are protected, should anything happen to them while on your property. While your homeowners insurance may cover things if you are the negligent party, their business insurance will cover any mishaps for mistakes made on their part which might cause damage to your property or even injury to you. Plus, it’s always good to know that whoever you’re doing business with has to proper licenses to run their company.
4) Ask For Quotes and Jobs in Writing
When you call a repair technician, make sure you have everything in writing before they start work. That may mean having them come over to your home to check out your appliance first, but in any case, a good technician will also want to see what they have to deal with before they begin any type of work.
The technician you hire should have a job order form (or something equivalent), that states the type of repair they will make, the estimated amount of time for the work to be completed, and all costs that are included for that job. If you or they make changes to the job, then the form should be revised or a new one added, and both of you should sign off before any more work is done.
5) Ask Them To Explain The Repair (and Problem) to You
While many homeowners may shy away from the “technicals” of appliance repair, it’s still important to know them. A good appliance repair technician should be able to break down the problem and repair process to you in a way you can understand.
Why should you know this? Well, not only should you know and understand what’s happening to your (probably very expensive) appliance, but this may give you an insight to the problem that caused it in the first place, and how you can prevent this from happening in the future.
Finding the Right Refrigerator Repair Service
Your refrigerator is an important appliance in your household. It keeps food fresh and edible for long periods of times, allowing you and your family to stay nourished without having to go to a restaurant or supermarket several times a day. When your fridge is on the fritz, your normal routine goes out the window and you may lose hundreds of dollars from spoiled food. That’s why it’s important you find an appliance repair company or technician whom you can rely on to fix your fridge and ensure you can keep your family fed and happy.