Four things that shorten the visit
The $80 diagnostic is flat whether the answer takes ten
minutes or ninety, so none of this changes what you pay. It changes what we can bring
with us — and whether the part is on the van the first time.
You get a written estimate before any part is ordered or any labor begins. Nothing proceeds without your approval.
- Model and serial number
- Both are on the data plate. On built-in refrigeration it is usually behind the upper grille or on the upper left interior wall; on a dishwasher, on the tub edge inside the door; on a wall oven, along the frame behind the door. Photograph it rather than transcribing it.
- The address, and where the appliance sits
- A coastal ZIP puts salt on condenser fins and hinges; a garage or an outdoor kitchen adds a heat load a conditioned kitchen does not have; a 1920s cabinet run decides what will physically fit if the answer turns out to be replacement. We would rather know before we load the van.
- What it is doing, not what is broken
- "The freezer is fine and the fridge is at 50 degrees" narrows the diagnosis immediately. "The compressor has gone" usually does not, and is wrong about half the time.
- When it started, and what happened that week
- An outage, a lightning storm, a filter change, a new detergent, a house left closed up for a fortnight. In this climate the trigger is often environmental, and knowing it saves diagnostic time you are paying for.