the Price of Dishwasher Repair

The service was a quick repair of a clogged drain in a dishwasher. $50 is the minimum charge to have a repairman sent out. The repair shop also sells refurbished appliances -- refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, driers, ranges, etc. -- at a discount.

Our dishwasher stopped draining and flooded the kitchen floor when we left it to run. After we mopped up, we called a repairman. Unfortunately everywhere we called was a "you'll need to stay home from work so we can fix it during business hours" kind of place.

Anyway, the guy showed up when he said he would, ran the garbage disposal, and when that didn't clear the clog, he disconnected the drain tube (or whatever it's called) from the dishwasher, took it out back on the patio and beat it on the concrete to loosen anything inside it. He then came back in and stuck a screwdriver in the bit where the hose attaches to the dishwasher and pulled out some more gunk, then he reinstalled the hose and tried again. This time it did work and all was well and has been since we had it fixed.

I guess it was worth the $50 even though I could have done everything the repairman did myself, but I don't know what he would have done if that hadn't worked. Disassembled more of the dishwasher, I suspect.

Whatever the repairman finds out is wrong, have him show you before you agree to repairs. This is also good advice for dealing with car mechanics.