Charlie D.
3/5
UnDependable Appliance in this case
I have had, over 30 years, probably an average of about 3.5 star service from Dependable Appliance, and I will probably continue to be a customer.
Pros:
First, they collect and complete test and repair old appliances and resell for a fair value in their store in Pasco. They include a short warranty, I believe it is 90 day, but don’t quote me. I have purchased multiple appliances from them, and have always felt that it was a good value for the money. Not a screaming great deal, but a fair price, good product.
They are good about focusing on serviceable appliances that they believe are well made, so when you get one of those used appliances that they sell, they will probably be fairly simple, reliable and serviceable models.
Cons:
I am mostly reviewing my most recent experience, because it has been a number of years since I bought our dryer from them, which, by the way, is still running well. I do believe that it was only recently that I had to replace a heating element in that dryer myself. Completely expected, since we have a family of nine.
They have quite a few service technicians on staff. The way they work it is to divide service by brand, so that the tech has a high likelihood of having the part on his truck, and also that they have the strongest skills on your particular brand of appliance. So far, so good.
But recently, I called to have an appliance serviced, and was immediately told the set, non-refundable service charge. Understandable. If there are repairs necessary, that is applied to the repair time required. We set an appointment time with a 2 hour window for a Friday. I got up, that day, pulled our appliance out to be worked on, rearranged the surroundings to make it easier for the tech, and they didn’t show. So I called and they could find no record of our call and suggested that maybe I called a different shop—fair enough possibility. I pulled up our phone records and verified that I had called them, and the dispatcher agreed it must have been their fault. Ok, honest mistake. But what gets them a drop of one star is the lack of consideration for the inconvenience. No offer to send a tech on overtime to squeeze us in, no offer to reduce the service charge. Just a 3 day delay to reschedule for Monday.
The second star fell when the tech arrived. He was quite personable and very knowledgeable. No complaints there. He quickly diagnosed the problem and went to his truck to look for the part. But he returned with “bad news, that part has been discontinued, so your only option is to get a new unit.” So I took him at his word I resolved to just grin and bear it. We went on to have a pleasant visit about our local history and he was off to his next call. My gripe, is that after he left, I searched online for the part myself, and found it easily. Well, maybe it is an “aftermarket” part and not an OEM part. I think it may be common that a repair shop may choose to repair only with OEM parts. What irks me is that there was no mention of the fact that there WAS another option than to simply junk our appliance and buy another on.
So I ordered an OEM part—in fact, I had replaced the same myself 4 years earlier —for $22, and installed it myself in about 1/2 hour (and believe me, I am no mechanical marvel!) and we are up and running again.
My sense was that it was easy money for them to come collect the service charge, then not have to do anything.
So my ratings thoughts explained:
1 star - hated it. Look elsewhere
2 star - I didn’t like it
3 star - It was okay, your mileage may vary
4 atar - I liked and recommend but recognize that there may be tiny areas for improvement
5 star - Loved it and can recommend without reservation; hard to imagine ways to improve
I consider 4 or 5 star to be “buy with confidence” but a 3 is a “You will likely be ok depending on your particular situation, but my experience is that it might be a bit of a roll of the dice but a fairly safe one.” A 2 star rating is definitely a roll of the dice and 1 star is that you’re a fool to risk your money.
