the Price of Dishwasher Repair

The repair involved removing and cleaning a clogged drainage valve that was causing standing water to accumulate in the bottom of the machine. The repairman also checked the drainage hose for clogs and leaks. He replaced a broken knob and a four damaged rack wheels, as well, though this was not the original purpose of the call. I authorized the repair of the knob and wheels to waive a service call fee.

The repair company charges a mandatory $35.00 service fee for all appliance calls. This fee will be waived for repairs costing more than $50.00 The cost for repairing the drainage valve was only $45.00, since there were no parts involved in the repair. Rather than pay $80.00 for the repair and service call fee, I requested the additional repairs to the knob and rack wheels to push the bill over the $50.00 minimum.

The overall breakdown was: $45.00 for labor to repair the drainage valve and check the hose, $3.00 for the replacement knob, $1.50 for four rack wheels, $5.00 for labor to replace the knob and wheels, and $.32 sales tax for the parts.

All repairs appear to have been done correctly, since none of the parts have broken again and the problem with the standing water has not reoccurred. I found the company's service fee policy to be somewhat confusing, and I probably will not use them again for an appliance repair. I do not think that the cost of the repairs was excessive. Given that the dish washer is only three years old, it was ultimately cost effective to fix the problem. The repair man was polite, he arrived on schedule, and he cleaned up after himself.

Ask about the company's schedule of fees for labor at the time you place the service call. Some charge by the hour, as this service did, while others charge by the complexity of the repair.

If you have a non-emergency appliance repair, it might be more economical to put it off until another issue develops, that way multiple problems can be dealt with for the for the cost of one service fee.