Ask a service company nine things: whether its technicians are factory trained on your brand, certified by a school or government board, and trained recently; how experienced its senior technician is; whether the company is factory certified and insured; whether its trucks carry parts for your brand; what warranty it gives on parts and labour; and only then, how much. Be wary of very low rates, because every company has expenses and has to cover them somehow.
How do you know you are getting the best bang for your buck when it comes to service? You ask. Here are nine simple questions — some to ask your service provider, some to ask yourself. Price is on the list. It’s the last one, for a reason.
1. Are your technicians factory trained on the brand you own?
It’s a sad fact that many technicians never receive any factory training. Or worse — they won’t go to a factory training seminar when it’s offered.
So ask about your brand. Not appliances in general. The one in your kitchen.
2. Are they trained or certified by a post-secondary school or government board?
Here in Alberta we have an apprenticeship program that is probably the highest standard in North America. Although it’s mandatory, with the current shortage of trained service people, fewer technicians are in training or hold their certificate than you might imagine.
Factor in that eighty percent or more of the cost of that training is borne by the employer, and you can appreciate why fewer firms are training technicians. A certificate tells you the person at your door did the work to earn it. A company that trains tells you it is paying for it.
3. How often do technicians receive training?
If it was more than a year ago, they could be seriously behind.
No problem if your unit is older than that, right? Maybe. But what about the latest fix for your service issue? Training isn’t only about new models. The fix for the problem you have today may be newer than the technician’s last class.
4. How much experience does your most senior technician have?
You may not need the most experienced person on staff. But it’s sure nice to know there is someone with the experience to back up the technician on site.
The answer tells you something else, too. If a service provider can’t keep qualified professionals, or can’t attract them, this question gives you a little heads-up.
If you want to follow that one up, ask: “Do you pay competitive wages to your staff?” It’s a hard one to get an honest answer to. But if their staff is always turning over, looking for greener pastures — what can you expect from the person who comes to your door?
5. Is your company factory certified?
Three reasons this matters. All of them yours.
- If you want to get all the warranty on your product, make sure you have a factory-certified service provider.
- If you want to get full warranty on any replacement parts, make sure you have a factory-certified service provider.
- If you think you may have to get help from the factory, you will also want a factory-certified service provider.
Same answer three times. That’s the point.
6. Does the company carry liability insurance? Does the technician?
Of course, this is the worst case. Nobody books a service call expecting it.
But many companies hire contractors. If those contractors don’t have insurance, are you covered? You know — in case the worst happens. Ask about the company. Then ask about the person who will actually be in your home.
7. Are your service vehicles stocked with parts for your brand?
Two trips, twice the inconvenience.
Many companies require two service calls for every repair, and will have a fee to reflect that. If the part isn’t on the truck, someone has to come back with it.
The more brands a company claims to service, the more likely it can’t carry the parts for yours.
8. Do you warranty your work?
If so, how long on parts? And how long on labour?
Two separate numbers. Get both.
9. How much?
When you ask this question, remember: price is one thing, value is another.
Watch out for really low rates. There may be a hundred good reasons for a low rate. But every company has expenses. Either it covers those expenses with factual rates for service, or it has to find some other way to cover them — a way that could be both surprising and disappointing.
Putting it together
Notice how much of this list is about people. Factory training. Certification. How recently they last sat in a classroom. Whether there’s a senior technician behind them. Whether the company pays well enough to keep them.
Then come the safeguards: factory certification for your warranty, insurance for the worst case, a written warranty on parts and labour. Then the truck — whether the part is on it. And only then, the price.
Ask the first eight questions and the ninth one usually answers itself.