If you need appliance repair in Palmdale, CA Lancaster, CA or any city here in the Antelope Valley, CA, because one of your household appliances has broke down, you may be wondering if you should replace or repair. Before replacing an appliance, it’s worth a service call to find out exactly what’s wrong. Many times people will buy a new washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer, stove, oven or range without even checking out what it would take to fix the one they have. They assume it’s going to cost too much when sometimes it’s a quick, minor, inexpensive repair providing you call an honest appliance repair service.

Unfortunately, there are many companies out here that only care about how much money they can get you to spend, no matter how small your appliance repair might be. So how do you find an honest appliance repair service in the Antelope Valley? Here’s some guidelines to follow that will help you find the right repairman for the job when you’re looking for appliance repair antelope valley, ca.

Try to get a referral from a friend or co-worker.

The very best way to find a good company is by “Referral”. When someone you know recommends an appliance repair service they were completely happy with, your search could be over. Ask them about the service, the cost, their professionalism and if they truly believe this was an honest business. Just be sure you trust this person’s opinion.

Check for license & insurance.

The company should have a state license and liability insurance. It should say “Licensed & Insured” in their phone book ad and also on their website. Check to make sure their license & insurance is current.

Check how long the company has been in business.

See how long they have been in business at the same location and under the same name. A company with a long local history is a better bet than a recent startup with no history in the area. Beware of businesses that advertise with local Palmdale & Lancaster phone numbers but are actually based in cities out of our area like Santa Clarita or Los Angeles.  If they were being totally honest with you, they would list where their main office is in their ad.

Beware of companies who spend a lot of money on advertising

A company that takes out full-page ads in the Antelope Valley phone books and have expensive websites on the internet are paying out a lot of money in advertising costs. How do you suppose they get the money to pay for all that? Usually in higher fees they charge the customer. Check out the businesses with smaller phone book ads and the ones who build their own websites. They save money on their overhead costs which means they can charge their customers less than their competitors.

Look for customer reviews

Make sure the companies you’re checking out are listed in the major business internet directories. (yellowpages.com, superpages.com, Google maps, Yahoo! local, yellowbook.com, etc…) These directories allow customers to write a review about their experience with any appliance repair business listed. You can learn a lot about Palmdale & Lancaster appliance repair companies from these customer reviews.

Big company vs small family owned business

Weigh the benefits of the personal attention you will receive from a small family owned business in the Antelope Valley vs the unknown technician a larger company will send. A local person has a reputation to uphold. A representative of a large national chain however, may or may not be concerned about giving you the best deals or service. A good rule of thumb when comparing service companies is: “The bigger the business usually means The bigger the price”.

Ask to speak to the technician they are sending

It’s perfectly ok to ask the name of the technician that will be servicing your appliance and to ask to speak to him/her. You should ask them how long they’ve been repairing appliances and if they will talk to you about your problem over the phone. If they are honest, they will discuss your problem with you. If you explain the symptoms you are experiencing, they should be able to give you some possibilities of what type of repairs you may need. If they won’t talk to you about it, that’s a red flag and you should move on.

Ask a specific question

For example, “Hello, I live here in Lancaster, CA and I have a 1998 Kenmore top-load washing machine. It will not agitate or spin but it still drains. If all I needed was a motor coupling, (part #285753A), how much would that repair cost me? I understand that you may find other things wrong and that the estimate you give me over the phone could change, but all I’m asking is how much would it cost me if all you had to do was replace the motor coupling”? If they won’t answer the question, that’s a red flag and you should move on.