When one of the appliances in your home breaks down, it's good to begin calling local repair services right away. Doing so will not only allow you to get in the repair queue, but also select the service that you believe will do the best job at the best rate. You should always call two or more repair services to compare what they tell you. While many customers think only about the cost estimate that they're quoted, there's a lot more to think about as you evaluate which service you should hire. Here are some questions that you should ask to help form your opinion.

Can Refurbished Parts Be Used For This Job?

Sometimes, appliance services can recommend refurbished parts for certain repair jobs. This can be advantageous to the customer, as refurbished items should work as though they're new, but won't cost as much. The service won't necessarily offer refurbished parts right away, but if you express interest, the repair can be done using as many of these parts as possible.

How Quickly Do You Get The Parts?

Whether you opt to have new or used parts used in your appliance repair job, it's crucial to know how quickly the appliance repair service can have these parts in the hands of its technician. While some parts can simply be picked up at the local home supply store — or are carried in stock if the appliance repair service has a physical store — others will need to be ordered. Some appliance services have closer relationships with dealers and distributors than others; this could mean that one service that you call can pledge to have the parts delivered in just a couple days, compared to perhaps a week. This is ideal if you're going without your dryer, dishwasher or oven in the meantime.

Should Anything Else Be Fixed At The Same Time?

In some appliance breakdowns, one item breaking down can put strain or excess wear on something else, potentially leading to another breakdown in the near future. For example, if your fridge thermostat dies, the compressor will run more than it should and could soon burn out. Asking the repair service if anything else should be addressed at the same time can be helpful. A technician could tell you that he or she will likely replace another element of the appliance, which will save you the hassle of making a second service call down the line.