11 replies to this topic

[caligirlz]

They were sent out under my home warranty plan because my dishwasher wasn't working. I could not hear the water when I turned the unit on, and finally on the 3rd attempt, the DW started. Then I started smelling burnt electrical, so I shut the thing down (& unloaded the dishes & washed them all by hand).

First, I requested a 20 minute notification via the warranty company, so I would not miss a lot of work. No problem they said. The repairman gave me a 30 minute notification, but then did not leave the other job for another 15 minutes, so I waited 45 unnecessary minutes before he even showed up.

Then the repairman arrives. I was shocked by his appearance. He is pale, huffing & puffing & sweating & out of breath so bad he can barely talk, that I think he's going to have a heart attack as he walks in the door. I'm thinking, "should this guy even be working or should he be in the ER?"

He somehow climbs down & lays on the floor in front of the dishwasher. He unscrews the base to the dishwasher, does a couple of things, and will not even tell me what he is doing, and is clearly irritated by my multiple questions. Then the dishwasher works, and again, he won't tell me what he did until I ask him 3 times. He says he unjammed the motor. Again, no more explanation until I pepper him with questions. He says this is common especially when the DW isn't used for long periods of time. He will not tell me what "long periods of time" means.

Then he asked for the warranty co-pay, $55 for 5 minutes work. I know it's cheap in comparison to some service charges, but come on, $55 for 5 minutes!!! I told him that was highway robbery, and was shocked he was even charging me especially when other stores would & have done the same for free. He denied that happens, after all, he's been doing this work for 38 years. He's da expert!

So, beware, and if you have a Fidelity National Home Warranty, Golden State is on THE list.

[nomad]

What stores do repairs for free? You should have called them first I guess?

And just because it only took him 5 minutes to fix it then he shouldn't be paid? I guess he should just work for free since he spent his whole life fixing appliances and knows what to do? So he goes home and says "Sorry honey I did 10 calls today but they all only took 5 minutes so I didn't charge anybody."

Seriously? I really don't like when people think they shouldn't have to pay for someones skill and experience regardless of his appearance which obviously seems to have swayed your opinion that he shouldn't have been paid.

Here's one for ya, think about it:

NASA was having a problem with one of their rockets. They spent weeks trying to figure out why it wouldn't fire. Finally, after they exhausted all their ideas they called in a retired engineer who was now a consultant.

After arriving at the site the consultant pulls out a hammer and bangs on the tail fin of the rocket. It took him 5 minutes. Later that day the rocket fired successfully!

When presented with the bill the program manager was perplexed. The bill was for 2 items and $50,010!

When asked about the bill the consultant said the bill was $10 for the hammer and $50,000 for knowing where to use it.

[caligirlz]

I've read, here on the forum, about other service men not charging for simple repairs. Do a search, you'll see.

Plus, the fee goes to the warranty company. It's not a fee for the serviceman. I assume they get a % based on their contract.

I've experienced excellent customer service from other companies, and if the dishwasher wasn't under warranty, I surely would have used them. I did have to cancel the appointment made with another company, once I discovered this was a warranty issue.

I do expect excellent service. Not the evasion of information, or irritation because I ask questions and want to learn from the process, and fix it myself the next time. IF this had been provided, I would have happily have paid the fee.

P.S. I did pay the fee, just wasn't happy about it.

[nomad]

I've read, here on the forum, about other service men not charging for simple repairs. Do a search, you'll see.

Plus, the fee goes to the warranty company. It's not a fee for the serviceman. I assume they get a % based on their contract.

I've experienced excellent customer service from other companies, and if the dishwasher wasn't under warranty, I surely would have used them. I did have to cancel the appointment made with another company, once I discovered this was a warranty issue.

I do expect excellent service. Not the evasion of information, or irritation because I ask questions and want to learn from the process, and fix it myself the next time. IF this had been provided, I would have happily have paid the fee.

P.S. I did pay the fee, just wasn't happy about it.

Really? You want to probe the repairman's mind so that the next time you can dive in and fix it yourself?

Maybe you'd be better off taking a class rather than waiting around for something to break and hope that you can use that experience for the next time something happens, like 3 years later.

You had a guy come to your house and fix your dishwasher and you had to pay a minimal fee for that; you'd think that would be good enough.

[caligirlz]

Most other service workers who go to homes are friendly & welcome the opportunity to instruct. A person has no business being on the front line if they can't handle questions. If I was still doing the same (front line rep), I'd be ready to serve. Been there.

Your right, a few classes could be a good thing. Right now I'm flying as I go. It's been a long time since I owned a house, and things certainly have changed. Particularly attitudes.

What I'm really wondering is, has anyone else has ever used this company? If so, what their experience was. Is it really a common problem for the DW motor to jam if not used for a specific length of time? Any idea what amount of time is that?

[Deb aka Resume Lady]

Is it really a common problem for the DW motor to jam if not used for a specific length of time? Any idea what amount of time is that?

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/troubleshooting-dishwasher-motor-problems . According to the information on this site the answer is yes, although it does not specify the amount of time.

FWIW, repairmen's fees aren't based solely on the exact length of time they are in your home. You have to take into consideration their travel time, gas, maintenance, and wear and tear on their vehicles.

[caligirlz]

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/troubleshooting-dishwasher-motor-problems . According to the information on this site the answer is yes, although it does not specify the amount of time.

Thanks Deb, that's a really good website.

[folsom500]

The MAJOR point that you have missed is that you have a home warranty and within that warranty surely is a clear definition of the amount ( deductible ) that you are required to pay regardless if it was 5 minutes or 5 hours and lots of replacement parts.

On a separate note:
Contractors are contracted through the home warranty companies to do this work and the warranty company pays the contractor for the job(minus the deductible) - Just imagine what the actual bill would be to the warranty company from the contractor...

[AMETHYST PRODUCTIVITY]

I'd be THRILLED that it only took 5 minutes. I cannot stand having strangers in my house.

[dimeracer]

....and.... if the $55 fee goes to the warranty company as you stated, why would you expect that the contractor could do anything about it?

[caligirlz]

The MAJOR point that you have missed is that you have a home warranty and within that warranty surely is a clear definition of the amount (deductible ) that you are required to pay regardless if it was 5 minutes or 5 hours and lots of replacement parts.

On a separate note:
Contractors are contracted through the home warranty companies to do this work and the warranty company pays the contractor for the job (minus the deductible) - Just imagine what the actual bill would be to the warranty company from the contractor...

Actually, no, I did not miss your MAJOR point, I just choose not to talk about it. I completely understand & am grateful in the event of a real problem, a major repair, that I would only have to pay $55. That's awesome.

Yes, there is a clear definition in the warranty, and it also says that the repairman can choose to charge less.

I have owned homes in the past, so I understand how repairman services & charges work.

Unlike what was assumed in another post, I did not form my opinion based on the man's physical appearance. I only mentioned it because I was concerned for his health.

My issue was the lack of consistency between the warranty company, and the repairman (who BTW works for a company that has received very poor reviews), and the lack of customer service.

Do you happen to know the answer to the questions I asked?

• Has anyone else has ever used this company? If so, what their experience was.
• Is it really a common problem for the DW motor to jam if not used for a specific length of time? Any idea what amount of time is that?

[Dave Burrell]

I personally despise Home Warranties. I've had bad experiences with them at every house I've been in. In all cases the realtor gave me the home warranty and I usually paid to continued it after the first year.

I think it cost something around $200-300 per year, plus the $50 deductible.

Every time I needed to use it I got the run around from the Home Warranty company or the guy who came out was a sub-par vendor and did a crummy job.

I felt for the money it was not worth it - if and when I have a problem I could use the $200-300 I saved from not purchasing the home warranty to pay for a local service that ended up costing less then the home warranty. In all my cases it was appliance issues or A/C issues.

My advice, never ever bother to renew your Home Warranty after the first year. Get good house insurance instead and find a reliable local appliance repairman (Folsom Lake Appliance) or handyman (Sunshine Services)