I wanted to be sure you heard from me about my request for help with a dishwasher installation, December 12, 2009.
I called to see about getting some help, was told the service call would be $68 and some change but that would be applied to whatever work I needed done. Mind you, I told the dispatcher I needed a dishwasher installed. I wasn’t given any range of costs, just the information I relayed.
So the tech shows up, sees the already unboxed dishwasher sitting feet from here it needs to be installed, all parts present, old dishwasher disconnected and removed. He checks the dishwasher, his book, and then writes me out quote for $516.
$516, plus removal as I asked about that.
I laughed, rather than cried, at the audacity of this insane number. I’ve had a hell of a week, and thought I’d get a pro on this job and make things easier. Instead, I just got hours of waiting for some insane aggravation that could have been avoided if the dispatcher would have said something like “oh yeah, in a perfect world, this is going to set you back at least $500. Minimum. Still want us to come out?”
So, I wrote a check for $68 for the privilege of being treated like a rich idiot, and declined the offer. I set about doing the work myself, which took me a little more than an hour. I’m a nonprofit manager, but I can read an installation manual. So I gritted my teeth and did just that. Assuming your people have actually installed a dishwasher before (as I hadn’t), they should have been able to do it about half the time.
They want $1,000 an hour? Really?
Pros: Used to be good
Cons: Prices too high for anyone to use
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