A guide to appliance repair in Miami
With beautiful beaches and gorgeous weather, Miami is an attractive place to live. However, you don’t want to find yourself living in Miami when an important appliance fails, like your ice maker or refrigerator. Finding a quality appliance repair shop you can trust can make your life significantly more comfortable, from South Miami to Coral Gables or Miami Beach.
However, when you first look for an appliance repair professional, you likely will encounter dozens of potential options. You want to make sure you have solid criteria for narrowing down your choices and finding the best service technician for your needs.
To accomplish this goal, you want a list of questions and criteria to guide your decision making. We will walk you through some considerations to keep in mind as you evaluate appliance repair companies and give you some questions to ask potential candidates. Let’s get started.
What to look for when choosing an appliance repair company in Miami
There are some key considerations you want to keep in mind as you look at potential appliance repair companies in Miami. Evaluating businesses according to these criteria can help you sort through the countless options you will initially stumble upon as you search for Miami repair technicians.
Online business reviews and ratings
Begin by looking at online business reviews and ratings. There are numerous places you can look to secure this type of feedback. Here are a few to consider:
- Popular online review sites, such as Yelp or Google Business Reviews
- Friends and family who have had similar work done in their home
- Social media, tracking conversations where people discuss similar appliance problems
People trust customer reviews more than the information businesses publish about themselves for a good reason. You can use these sources of information to learn about key business characteristics, such as whether they show up to the job on time, how neat they are with their work and their overall craftsmanship. You can dismiss companies with a consistently poor reputation with others who have needed appliance repairs from your list.
How long they’ve been in business
You also might want to consider how long a particular business has been around. For example, a business that has been in the area for a decade or more likely has a tremendous amount of experience.
There are a variety of factors that might impact a particular appliance and cause it not to work correctly. A company that has been around for many years has likely seen the full range of problems that might potentially impact appliances. They will also have the experience to help you diagnose and fix these problems.
Another factor to consider is that a company that has been around for a while has built up a reputation that has allowed it to remain in business for this long. This speaks to the quality of its work and how it interacts with the wider community. A business with poor service is unlikely to get repeat calls or receive recommendations from past customers, making it much harder to stay in business.
Of course, this cannot be the only factor you consider. Some businesses might be newer but have experienced professionals running them. However, it’s still a potential consideration to keep in mind.
Repair business qualifications
You also want to look at the different qualifications or certifications that a business can accumulate and speak to its talent and service. The type of certifications can vary. For example, the Better Business Bureau can provide ratings and information about businesses based on customer feedback. Other sites, such as Angi (formerly Angie’s List), might have their own certifications.
You might also see certifications and qualifications from various trade schools or appliance manufacturers. These certifications let you know that these technicians have pursued the proper training and educated themselves about fixing and maintaining your appliance.
Tracking the type of qualifications and certifications that a particular business and individual technician carries can provide you with a clear data point that you can use to compare two businesses.
Areas of Miami the repair company serves
Of course, as you look at all of the top companies in your area and establish your preferences, you also want to think about the areas of service for the company. Appliance companies often have concrete areas they will serve, since their job generally involves driving to and from the customer’s home.
Miami, Florida, is a big area with many neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs and towns included in the greater metropolitan area. If a company says it works in Miami and the surrounding areas, that likely does not mean the entire Miami-Dade County. Find out directly from your top selections whether or not they service your ZIP code.
Questions to ask your Miami appliance repair company
As you narrow down your appliance repair options, you also want to think about the importance of speaking directly with the business to learn more about its services and experience. This can help you make your final selection for the best company that fits your needs. Here are some questions to consider.
Ask about their service warranty
Begin by asking the company about its service warranty. A service warranty is an important agreement to have in place. Say, for example, you need to get plumbing work done on your dishwasher because it was leaking. You pay money for the technician to come and make the repair. Not a month after he leaves, however, you notice that the dishwasher continues to leak.
Without a service warranty, you will have little recourse for getting the business back out to fix the problem a second time, even though it clearly did not fix it the first time. Some may agree to help you because they want to prevent negative customer experiences, but that is not guaranteed.
A service warranty promises that the service performed by the company will last a certain amount of time. It might say a few months or promise the workmanship for a year or more. Find out what type of service warranty is offered by the companies in your area.
Ask about their experience with your brand of appliances
While appliances certainly have many similarities, there are considerable differences between how a garbage disposal, washer and refrigerator works and what the technician will need to do to repair them. Therefore, you would prefer to hire a professional who has years of experience working specifically with the type of appliance giving you problems.
As a bonus, you might even look for certified technicians who have experience working with your specific brand of appliance. There will be differences in how major brands, such as Maytag, Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Frigidaire, Samsung or Kenmore, build their appliances. The more direct experience the technician has with a particular appliance brand, the better it will be for you.
Ask about pricing, fees, estimates, forms of payment and more
As you interview your potential contractors, ensure you fully understand their pricing structure. This includes inquiring about payment methods they accept and whether they will allow payment plans or financing for larger projects.
Ask them directly also about how the bill is structured. For example, know how this business calculates the labor fees, materials fees and any other fees. If you expect to see one total on your bill at the end of the month, you do not want to see something completely unexpected.
Similarly, before you call for an estimate, make sure you know if they offer free estimates to all potential customers. You do not want to assume an estimate is free and then receive a bill in the mail, particularly if you ask for estimates from several companies before making your final decision.
Ask about the repair company’s insurance
Insurance is critical for businesses, and you want to make sure you understand how the company’s plan works. If you call a contractor to help with a dryer repair or refrigerator repair, for example, you want to know what will happen if something goes wrong on the job, such as if something breaks or someone gets hurt.
Knowing what the insurance policy covers and your liability in different situations can give you peace of mind. You will know the appropriate action to take in a problematic situation. A company that does not carry insurance will also give you a large red flag that this business may not be a good choice for your appliance repair needs.
Check the repair company’s appointment availability
When an appliance breaks, you don’t want to wait too long for the repair technician to get to your home to fix it. Therefore, check with potential companies about their availability and their estimates for how long it will take. Ideally, your potential company can offer you next-day service.
If you are waiting on a washer repair or oven repair, you don’t have much time to wait before the broken appliance becomes a significant problem. Your appliances play a significant role in your everyday life, so make sure that the appliance repair experts you select will be out to fix your machine as quickly as possible.
What to do when you have an appliance emergency in Miami
It is important to note that you can also have an emergency with your appliances. If your refrigerator breaks down on a Friday night in the middle of August in Miami, you want to get someone to fix it as soon as possible, or you will have no food in the house. Similarly, if your washing machine breaks and is pumping water everywhere, you need someone who can help you get the matter under control quickly.
For situations like this, when you need same-day service, you want to have an emergency repair company that you can call at a moment's notice, even outside normal business hours. Keep in mind that these types of calls often cost a bit more than typical service calls. However, in an emergency situation, you should focus more on finding quality professional services, availability and craftsmanship than the lowest price.
What’s the best appliance repair service in Miami?
The best appliance repair business in Miami will depend highly on your personal needs and preferences. You will want to find a home services company that can meet the following criteria:
- It has good reviews and feedback from past customers.
- It offers good customer service.
- It serves your specific area and neighborhood.
- It offers quality craftsmanship and a reasonable price, according to what you would expect.
- It has experience working with your specific type of appliance and preferably even brand.
- It carries any important certifications or qualifications that demonstrate its knowledge and expertise in appliance repair.
Looking at all of the available appliance repair companies in your area and finding the business that fits your core criteria can help you secure quality service. You know that with proper care and maintenance, your appliances can last you for years, so find a technician who can help make this a reality.
Let Cinch handle the process of finding a professional repair person for you
When it comes to finding a quality technician to help you with home appliance repair, you have to consider a number of different criteria. Many people find it exhausting to try and navigate the process and find a technician on their own.
Fortunately, there is a better solution. With a Cinch Home Services Appliances plan, you can secure protection for your appliances. If something goes wrong, all you need to do is make a service request with Cinch. Cinch will then be responsible for locating and vetting an appliance technician with the proper credentials and insurance. We will also find a technician that can come to your company as soon as possible.
If you want to further protect your home systems, such as your HVAC system in the Miami heat, you can also get the Complete Home protection warranty, which covers important home systems and appliances. Experience the peace of mind that comes with knowing your home has the protection it needs. Get an instant quote today!