When any of your household appliance breaks down, your first response would be is to contact an appliance repair business. By doing this, you are placing your trust in the appliance repairman, who is probably much more knowledgeable about it than you are and may even use jargon to mislead you or to show you that they are knowledgeable in what they do and you just have to trust them.
While the majority of professionals are dependable and honest, there is still a likely chance of being taken advantage of. There are numerous cases of frauds involving appliance repair and the key to avoiding prey to these scams is by being aware of what they are.
If they ask for payment first
If the repairman asks you to pay upfront without even having seen the appliance, they are scamming you of your hard-earned money. No matter how comprehensive you were on telling them the issues or no matter how experienced they are, a legit repairman would want to see the appliance first before they ask for payment or even a quote on how much the repair will be.
If they start telling you that you need to pay for replacement parts without inspecting your appliance, it is a scam because how would they be able to know that a certain part need replacing? The issue might be because of another cause and them asking you for money for replacement parts is just ripping you off. Pay only for the service and work done and if you have seen them replace a part that is busted.
If they diagnose the repair without seeing the appliance
Another way some repair man would try to scam you is by telling you and assuring you that the issue is minor and that it will be fixed quickly. They would even quote you with an affordable price for the repair that you would gladly and without any hesitation let them fix your appliance. The scam will happen after they are sure that they got your business by telling you soon after that the repair is actually pricier than what they have initially quoted (and what you have agreed to).
A repair man is legitimate if they have made any estimates for the repair after the initial check-up of the appliance and they have explained to you thoroughly the problems and the course of action for repairing and fixing your appliance. This should be how they deal with you especially if you are looking for professional commercial fridge service which could be really costly.
If they are not able to show you their license
A legitimate repairman would be more than willing to show you their credential and license once you have asked for it. If they are hesitant to show you or they are trying to explain that the work does not require the expertise of a licensed repairman, then they are most probably scamming you.
Hiring a contractor that is unlicensed would also mean that they are not insured and if anything, untoward happened to your appliance or to you while dealing with them, you would not have anyone to hold accountable for except yourself for hiring them.
Listen to your intuition and if you feel something is off, it probably is. Get a second opinion if you believe the repair is excessive. It takes more time and hassle, but in the long run, it could save you money and headache of dealing with a scammer.
