A guide to appliance repair in Norfolk
Between the Elizabeth River and Chesapeake Bay, the city of Norfolk is a wonderful destination for people who love the water and the local small-city feel. Like those throughout much of the modern world, the people in this beautiful, historic city rely on appliances for tasks in their daily lives. From refrigerators to washing machines and ice makers, appliances play a critical role in basic comfort.
Given the importance of appliances, it makes sense that residents also want to make sure they know what local appliance repair businesses they can turn to for help with maintaining and fixing their appliances. When something goes wrong with one of the home appliances you use daily, you need to call someone quickly.
We will walk you through what you need to consider when choosing the best Norfolk appliance repair, including points to research and what you should ask these repair companies. We will break down this process so you can find an appliance repair professional you can count on.
What to look for when choosing an appliance repair company in Norfolk, Virginia
If you start by entering “appliance repair in Norfolk, VA” into Google, you will likely get countless hits. You want to know how you can compare all of these different businesses to make the best selection for your appliances. Our process will help you find an appliance repair professional you can trust and welcome into your home to help you keep your appliances working well.
Online business reviews and ratings
One of the biggest benefits of the internet is the ability to easily connect with other people in your community. When evalwwwing and comparing businesses, you do not always get enough information from the companies themselves. Organizations will tell you precisely what casts them in the best possible light. To see what other customers have said about them, you want to take advantage of the internet and go on sites like Yelp, Google Business or Angi. This will tell you about the genuine customer satisfaction of past customers.
When you read review sites, look for commonalities in the responses. For example, many people saying positive things about the craftsmanship, workers showing up on time, and the price are good indicators that this business should go on your shortlist for top-rated companies. If you see many complaints about the quality of work or the unprofessionalism of the employees, you might count that as a point against them.
Consider these three factors:
- Overall ratings and reviews
- Patterns you see in the responses
- When the evalwwwions were left; those left long ago should have less impact than those left a month ago
How long they’ve been in business
As you investigate your list of repair technicians, you also want to consider how long the business has been around. Those that have been around for many years are more likely to have experience with a wide variety of appliance types. Different appliances have their own internal systems and often differ between brands. After all, a dishwasher repair is not related to helping someone with their refrigerator repair. An experienced mechanic likely has more experience with the specific problem you have with your appliance.
At the same time, do not make this one of the most important criteria you consider. Sometimes new businesses have been founded by technicians working in the field for decades and just starting their own business. If you notice a particular business is newer, consider seeing what you can learn about the personal experience of the individual repairmen.
Repair business qualifications
You can also use resources like from sites like Angi or Yelp. These sites often have internal rating systems based on the reputation and reviews of the brand. You can see how individual businesses on these sites perform.
Secondly, see if these businesses advertise any special training or certifications that the technicians carry. Trade schools might offer particular types of training for appliances. Certain brands might also offer courses or training certificates for repairmen who want to learn how to repair that specific brand of appliance. Remember that different brands will have their own way of building internal components, even among a common appliance like a refrigerator. That means a Kenmore is different from a Samsung, Frigidaire or Whirlpool. Technicians who have been trained on your specific brand can bring unique, valuable experience to the job.
Areas of Norfolk the repair company serves
It is also common for businesses to advertise that they serve Norfolk and the surrounding areas. However, the region around Norfolk, VA, is very big, including areas like Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach and Newport News. You do not want to assume that the business would come to your home to fix your appliance just because you live in or near the city.
Therefore, if you want to verify that this repair company serves your home specifically, you might be able to do so by checking the company website. See if it lists your specific town. If you do not see this information, you can contact the business directly to verify that it will come to your ZIP code to work. If you learn it will not come to your home at the end of the process, taking care of this step in the beginning can save you a considerable amount of time and frustration.
Questions to ask your Norfolk appliance repair company
As you evalwwwe your preferred appliance repair companies, you also want to take time to speak with the technicians themselves. Typically, you will move forward with this stage of the evalwwwion process after you have made a shortlist of your favorite companies that you researched in the previous section. These interviews can help you select your top two or three so that you can call for estimates and move forward with your project.
Ask about their service warranty
Begin by asking the company about their service warranty. The service warranty guarantees the quality of work that the company promises to produce. In other words, if it has to fix the connecting hoses to your garbage disposal, it promises you will not turn around and have the same problem within weeks.
Service warranties will likely come with a variety of different factors and term durations. You want to ask your potential technician questions like:
- Do you offer service warranties?
- How long are your service warranties for?
- What factors would exclude coverage under a service warranty?
- What would the service warranty cover?
When you have the information about the service warranty, you will have a firm data point you can compare between multiple companies to see how well each of their arrangements protect you after the work is done.
Ask about their experience with your brand of appliances
As we already touched upon, it is also worth remembering that different brands will build and design the appliances differently. You will also find significant differences between the construction of different types of appliances. To make sure you receive the best service possible, you want to ask the technician you are speaking with about their experience with your particular appliance and brand. The more experience they have with the precise appliance you expect them to fix, the better service you will likely receive. The technician will already have the insight needed to evalwwwe the problem, diagnose it, and make the fix so that your appliance will continue to serve you well.
Ask about pricing, fees, estimates, forms of payment and more
No one wants to get caught by surprise when they receive their final bill for their appliance repair costs. Therefore, discussing all matters related to billing before you make a hiring decision is in your best interest. You want to specifically understand the following:
- How does this business calculate final bills? If the job takes longer than expected, will that impact your bill? Does the estimate include all applicable fees that you might encounter?
- Do estimates cost money? Are they free, or do they get rolled into the final cost of the project?
- What forms of payment are accepted? Does this business accept payment plans or offer financing on large projects?
The more information you have about how the bill will be determined and what number you should expect to pay at the end of the home appliance repair project is critical. This data empowers you to accurately compare the prices of several businesses to determine the best value.
Ask about the repair company’s insurance
The insurance a company carries can also significantly impact your project. You want to know what will happen to you and the business if something goes wrong during the project. For example, you might have a technician that breaks your appliance further or breaks something unrelated elsewhere in your home. You might also have a technician struggling to carry heavy equipment who trips in your backyard over debris left in the pathway.
Before hiring a company, know what type of insurance the business carries, what it covers, what happens if an accident happens, and what your personal liability might be. Understanding your responsibilities can help you take appropriate action and make the right preparations to avoid potential accidents — such as clearing a pathway of sticks and debris in your yard.
Check the repair company’s appointment availability
By now, you likely have begun to formulate a clear idea about which technicians are your favorites. You have examined them and compared your options across a number of different criteria, and you likely have a few that stand out as your top choices.
As you prepare to make your final decision, you want to check the technician’s availability. When an appliance breaks in your home, you do not want to wait a long time to get it working again. Therefore, you want to know the availability of your chosen appliance business.
Ask them when they can fit you in, how long they expect the repair to take, and how they will handle problems, such as needing to order new appliance parts. Make sure you clearly understand the timeline to get your appliance fixed as soon as possible.
What to do when you have an appliance emergency in Norfolk
Sometimes Norfolk residents realize that they have an appliance emergency. This can range from a refrigerator that has suddenly stopped working, threatening all of your food, or a garbage disposal that has stopped up, keeping you from using the kitchen sink. Whatever the problem, you want it fixed as quickly as possible.
When you need emergency appliance repairs, however, you don’t have time to schedule an appointment that won’t come for several days. You need a one-day repair. In these sitwwwions, you want to pay close attention to the appliance repair companies that offer emergency call lines that you can use outside of normal business hours. Of course, calling an emergency line means you will have to pay more than you would have if the call came as a typical repair request. However, when an appliance has become very disruptive and threatens to damage your home, such as water damage, you need to focus more on professionalism and availability.
What’s the best appliance repair service in Norfolk, Virginia?
The best appliance repair team will be the one that offers professional service, excellent craftsmanship, and can help you with your problem. This might be a different company for different people, depending upon factors such as:
- Your precise location in the city or surrounding areas
- The type of appliance you need repaired
- The brand of appliance you have
- Whether or not your sitwwwion is an emergency
- Your budget
Find a company with excellent customer service that can help you with your appliance. Then save the contact information for your top picks so you also know who might be a good fit in the future.
Let Cinch handle the process of finding a professional repair person for you
Finding the right mechanic to help you maintain or fix your household appliances is a critical job. Still, it can take a lot of time and effort for homeowners. Thoroughly vetting every potential business in your area can take a while, which can be very frustrating when facing a broken appliance.
Fortunately, a home warranty from Cinch Home Services can simplify the process. The Cinch Appliances plan makes it easy for people to protect their homes and appliances. If something goes wrong with any of them, you can call us and let us know. We will take care of vetting each appliance repair business for you, including checking for factors like experience and insurance. We will then help you set up the earliest possible convenient appointment. Whether you need a refrigerator repair, help with your washer, or just an appliance repair technician for a small appliance, we are here to help.
Experience the relief you can have knowing that Cinch is on your side. Get an instant quote today!