09/07/2026
All professional or skilled-trade services come with a fee. Whether you are consulting a doctor or lawyer or calling a handyman or appliance repair service, you will be paying for their knowledge. We know, it is called a labor charge, but in reality it is a knowledge charge.
A joke that demonstrate this concept is: The appliance repair man shows up, hits it with a hammer, and charges $250.00. Why so much you ask? He answers, "$50 for hitting it with a hammer and $200 for knowing where to hit it!" OK, not so humorous if you are the one who is dealing with a washer full of wet clothes and water when it quits spinning, or a dishwasher that is spraying water all over your kitchen.
Appliance repairs may appear to be simple, but the fact is, they often are not. Appliance repair technicians have to stay current with every brand and model of each appliance. Several times a year, he may be required to travel out of town to attend training seminars on new products and service information. In addition, appliance repair technicians pay for liability insurance, vehicle maintenance, tools and equipment, office supplies and other business related expenses including, but not limited to advertising, which is probably the biggest expense for an appliance repair company.
The reason parts seem to be more expensive today is because appliances have many more electronic parts and circuit boards than in the past. These parts are more expensive than mechanical parts from "the good ol days". The appliance repair man cannot possibly stock every part and they cannot diagnose the problem and purchase the part based on the customers description. If they do take a chance and order the part, they may not be able to send it back if it is wrong. Or, they might have to pay a restocking fee or absorb the cost of shipping the part back to the dealer/manufacturer.
So, now you understand a little about why things are so expensive and why it can take several days or even a couple weeks to have your appliance repaired. Is it worth all that, or should you replace the appliance? Consumer Reports suggests replacing the appliance if the repair cost is more than half the price of a new one. But, how do you know how much the repair cost will be before the appliance repair man gets into the job?
A good appliance repairman will be able to give you an estimate once he diagnoses the problem. If you decide not to go through with the repairs, or you feel that, already knowing what the problem is, you are able to repair it yourself at lesser cost (which is most probably the case if the problem is simple and you are a decent handyman), you will be charged a service call fee because there is time, labor and most importantly knowledge involved in troubleshooting appliance problems.
When a customer says that only took 15 minutes
Yes, it did. But it took 50 years of experience to do it in 15 minutes. Your paying for the skill not the time.
An older customer I know called a large appliance company in the area they charged her $600 to change a water valve on a refrigerator. And the worst part was she had a sign a contract to agree to that price. I would have charged $79.95 plus the part.
These companies have HUGE overhead. Always go with the smaller companies. We have overhead but it's not like that and why would you want to pay for that?
Our service call is currently $79.95 - $99.95 - $129.95 for most major appliances with easy access, includes labor and trip.Parts and tax are extra.
I work mostly on OLDER washers, dryers, stoves and dishwashers. Whirlpool, Maytag, Kenmore, GE, Estate, Frigidaire, gas or electric, NO Samsung or LG.
I do some electronic ones depending on brand and model. If I don't I still have someone for you.
I also do dryer vent cleaning $79.95 and microwave installs $149.95 and garbage disposal installs $99.95. Plus tax.
PRO-TECH APPLIANCE ROCHESTER NY
585-377-3177
