the Cost of Oven Repair

The service man came to the house and examined the built-in oven. He attempted to remove it, however he did not bring the appropriate tool. The $90 charge was for him to come in and diagnose the problem, not to fix it.

Two Days before Thanksgiving, my oven stopped working. We were unable to get anyone out to the house at all that week, so we had to wait until the following week and make alternative plans for the holiday meal.

When the service man came to the house, he was very friendly and talkative. He indicated that the brand of ovens wasn't the best given the expense. He asked for a description of exactly what happened just prior to the oven not working. He removed the front panel of the oven, but was unable to get to the back of the oven because he did not have the right tool.

Based on the information we gave him, he declared the most likely problem was that the electronic/computer control board had been "fried" and it would cost approximately $600-$700 to replace with parts and labor. The oven is a built-in, convection oven and was approximately $1500 new nine years ago. We asked him if it was worth repairing or if the appliance was approaching end of life and would we be better off just buying new. He informed us he could not answer that question "officially", but said "off-the-record" if it were him he would probably just replace the whole oven. He also informed us that the brand of our oven was not his specialty and he did not stock the part we needed to replace so he would have to order it and come back.

We informed him we would need to discuss our options and he told us to call and schedule the appointment for repair once we had made our decision.

After many discussions, we decided that we could replace the oven with a non-convection style oven for a few hundred dollars more than the cost to repair the existing oven and with a rebate to a local merchant that we would be receiving after the first of the year, we would be able to purchase it for considerably less.

While we were waiting for our rebate, my husband began researching the parts on-line. He found several discussions about our brand and type of stove having the same problem under the same circumstances and in those instances it was the thermostat. It was a $30 part my husband was able to replace himself.

My advice is to check out your sevice repair company first. Ask what brands they specialize in; somethimes they will service all brands but specialize in certain ones. Also research your appliance. Learn how long they are expected to last and how much they cost to maintain and repair. The brand the we have is pricier to purchase and to repair.. And before making any decisions, check the internet. There many discussion forums where professionals will give feedback on the most common problems with certain appliances and consumers will also discuss the things that they were able to fix. And finally, don't be afraid to fix the simple things that you are able to. It can save you quite a bit of money.