12 questions to ask before hiring an appliance repair pro

By Sandra Liu, Master appliance repair pro, 18 years · 2026-04-02

Appliance repair is one of those services where the customer almost never has enough information to evaluate the tech. The questions below — asked before hiring — pull most of the relevant signal forward and protect you from the most common bad outcomes.

Pricing and quoting (questions 1–4)

1. Do you charge a diagnostic fee, and does it apply to the repair if I authorize it? (Most reputable pros apply it; if they don't, you're paying twice for the same visit.) 2. Is your hourly rate posted, or do you quote flat-rate per repair? (Flat-rate is usually better for the customer.) 3. Will you provide a written estimate before starting work? (Mandatory.) 4. What's the markup on parts versus what I'd pay retail? (Reasonable range is 15–30%; over 50% is excessive.)

Warranty and follow-up (questions 5–7)

5. What warranty do you offer on parts and labor? (Standard is 90 days on labor, manufacturer warranty on parts; anything less is a yellow flag.) 6. If the same problem returns within the warranty period, what's the process? 7. Do you guarantee diagnosis accuracy — i.e., if you replace a part and it doesn't fix the problem, do I still pay for the part?

Expertise and brand match (questions 8–10)

8. How long have you been repairing this specific brand? (Sub-Zero, Viking, Miele, and other premium brands genuinely require specialized training.) 9. Are you a manufacturer-authorized service provider for any brands? (Useful in-warranty; not strictly necessary out-of-warranty.) 10. What's your protocol for safety-related work — gas appliances, high-voltage components? (Should be specific and clear.)

Logistics (questions 11–12)

11. What's your typical response time for a service call? (Same-day for emergency, 2–3 days for routine is normal.) 12. If parts aren't in your truck, what's the lead time and is the second visit included in the original quote? (Should always be included.)