Month: March 2017

BUYING NEW – TRUE COSTS

That $699 washer wasn’t such a great deal.

You’ve decided to buy new.  It’s exciting times.  The advertising worked, you’ve decided to spend wages on a new appliance. You looked around and even found a great deal.  $699 for a new washer!  What a bargain.

What are the REAL costs of that $699 price.

Sales Tax: ($38) (5.5% in Wisconsin)

Delivery: ($70) ( Standard Delivery is curbside drop-off)

Installation: ($179) (We do a lot of repairs caused by poor installation.  Installation matters!)

Parts/Hoses: ($35) (You need new supply hoses)

Your Time:  (???)  (Will you be available to accept delivery?  Will you be available for install? Do you have all the parts for DIY?)

Your new washer will probably cost you $900 plus a LOT of your time, all for a machine that probably isn’t as good as the machine being replaced; while foregoing a repair that would cost a fraction of that amount.  Repairing broken appliances has the lowest initial cost, annual cost, and total cost. 

If you can afford a new machine, and want a new appliance…great!  Otherwise, BE SMART.  Save your money, fix your appliances!

We’ll save you time; we’ll save you money.

We’re giving away a trade secret here. Are you ready?

The latest trend in the appliance service industry is to offer a “FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR!” Get’s your attention doesn’t it? It’s supposed to. Here’s the secret…, and you know what’s coming.

There is NO such thing as a free service call!  You would not believe the people that fall for this advertising gimmick!

We’ve been in this business for 30 years, and many repair companies tend to have a reputation somewhere around car salesmen, bankers and horse traders (sorry to all car salesmen, bankers and horse traders). Telling people their service call is free or that it goes towards the repair (whatever that’s supposed to mean) is just an advertising gimmick, and more importantly…it’s dishonest.  Is that the person you want to trust, or let into your home?

Here is our promise to you.

We have a flat rate service call / diagnosis fee, and a flat rate repair fee.  

The service call fee is based on product and area code.  The service call  includes mobilization, research, tools, training, and diagnosis.  After diagnosis we tell you: what the problem is, if parts are needed, if we have the parts, and how much it will cost to have us do the repair.  

After diagnosis, you can choose: to have us do the repair, DIY, or call someone else.  If you choose to have us do the repair, there will be a service call fee and a repair fee.  If you’d like to DIY or call someone else, the service call fee is all you pay.  

All our repairs are based on the Blue Book Major Appliance Job Rate Guide, So you can be sure that you won’t overpay. That’s our promise. 

We’ll get you fixed. We’ll save you money!

It’s a Great Day in Stoughton!

Dishwashers needs dirty dishes to work properly (hint: food particle abrasive action aids cleaning)
Dryers use four times as much energy as washers (tip: the sun is free!)
Microwave Ovens convert household current to 5,000 Volts (tip: don’t self-service microwaves, they can hold a charge when unplugged)
Refrigerators may not work in your garage (hint: it depends on where the thermostat is located)
Dryers don’t require Energy Star ratings (they don’t significantly vary in energy use)
Washers use 90% of their energy heating water (hint: eco cycles always use cold)
Washing on cold vs hot saves around 60 cents (tip: use occasional hot loads to clean your washer)
Top load washers are only sold in US (front load washer are more efficient)
Refrigerators have a heating element (hint: they have a drain pan too)
Shorter dryer venting uses less energy (tip: the fewer bends the better)
Clean dryer lint filters uses less energy (tip: clean dryer lint every load, vacuum occasionally)
Dryer sheets can cause a waxy buildup on your lint filter (tip: clean filter using warm water)
Permanent press dryer cycles should take about 45 minutes (tip: long dry times can indicate you need vent cleaning)
Microwaves clean easy after heating a cup of water (tip: try adding a squirt of lemon juice)
Microwave radiation is non-ionizing and won’t break chemical bonds (hint: it’ll cook you, but won’t cause cancer)
Self-cleaning ovens can reach temperatures over 900 degrees (tip: we favor elbow grease over self-cleaning functions and harsh chemicals)