Maytag repair saga continued

[Frank]

Finally, I got another repair man to come over and again when he saw the pa ckage that whirlpool sent me to have them install it, he tried at all cost to avoid installing it, even after the phone call I made to get someone ov er, i stressed to make sure the repair man was qualified with wiring. So in order to avoid doing that installation he went through the usual check poi nts, floater and etc. and then at the last minute he checked the water valv e under my kitchen sink. For some strange reason he moved it and the water came on for the dishwasher. Now, No one had messed around with that valve, and because i was getting hot/cold water from my sink, that was the last pl ace i would have checked. His reasoning, which made no sense to me, was tha t some sediment must of clogged it. Even it were true, maybe the water woul d not come through full force, but at least there should have been water. S o, the recall part was not installed anyway. At this moment I was happy of the outcome and did not push recall part any further. It brought to mind wh en the first repair guy said I needed a new inlet water valve...and he chec ked it with his multi meter. Of course he could have put the wrong designat ion on that MM for it to show up so low...and yet that same water valve see ms to be working just fine now. So he goes back and tells whirlpool and ge ts paid for hardly any chore. But where do they get these repair companies. .that makes 2 different repair men who tried at all cost avoid installing t hat recall part with all its wiring connections. BTW, to add some humor to this crap, the second guy came in a smart car. Now, it makes it suspect th at he is probably the owner and could not afford at least a pickup truck or his boss is so cheap, that all he can afford is a smart car for its work.

[philo]

So he fixed a problem that no one else could solve and now you are going to criticize his choice of cars...

HE is the one who has to drive it, not you

[Tony Hwang]

There are few different kind of techs. One who is sharp and always logical, next who has lots of knowledge but no actual or minimal field experience, 3rd kind is dumb ass with motor mouth can't fix anything. My job as a consumer is identifying which kind I'm dealing with.

[Don Y]

Depends on the type of "stop" being used and the position of the control prior to his "adjusting it".

I've replaced all the stops in the house with 1/4 turn ball valves. There's a definite "on" and "off" position for each! (and, with ball valves, you *only* want it in those two positions!!)

Unfortunately, the "knobs" are REALLY small. So, next, I'll design a little adapter to fit over the knob and afford a larger grabbing surface, more leverage, etc.

Hopefully, you retained the replacement part?

Who covers the cost of his time getting to your place? Surely not *me*! :>

Maybe intimidated. Maybe lazy. You'd much rather someone who opts NOT to take on a task for which he's not qualified/comfortable than someone who eagerly tackles it in utter ignorance!

Maybe he's smart and keeps his costs low? It can't be economical to drag an entire repair shop around town when you're not likely to need 98.72% of the cruft on the truck!

When a friend/colleague asks me to look at -- home appliance, electronic device, prototype, etc. -- I *never* drag everything that

*might* be of use as it represents a significant inconvenience to me to do so. Instead, I pick the items that are LIKELY to be most effective in sorting out the problem. If I discover that some piece of test equipment would be helpful, I'll either come back with it at some other time *or* ask to bring the defective device home with me -- where I can access those other pieces of equipment, etc.

Likewise, I don't "stock" a wide variety of electronic/electromechanical components -- despite how handy it would be for me to have a large assortment on hand. Instead, I diagnose a problem, make a list of the components I'll need, then, when I *next* place an order, I add those components to the list. In the meantime, I neatly pile the disassembled device in a corner waiting for those parts to arrive.

[I'll be placing just such an order next week -- to repair two computers, a TV and a few LCD monitors. Once those are done, I'll move on to the next set of repairs -- and the next parts order!]

[philo]

I fix my own appliances etc...

the only time I call someone in is in the event a major item such as a furnace needs to be replaced.

The last thing in the world I could care about is the vehicle the contractor uses.

[Frank]

My job as a consumer is identifying which kind I'm dealing with.>>>

And tell me how does one do that? These are the men sent to me by the compa ny that is doing the recall...not my choice....still even if it were my cho ice how can one tell if you never used them before? I did ask when setting up the appointment to send someone knowledgeable with wiring...so much for identifying.

[Frank]

So, the recall part was not installed anyway. At this moment I was

Yes, i did,,,funny he suggested that i throw it out.

NO, of course not me as I said in my OP, this was a recall job and Whirlpool was shelling out the cost.

[Don Y]

Reread Tony's comment: "My job as a consumer is IDENTIFYING which kind I'm DEALING WITH" I.e., he's acknowledging that you didn't have a choice in which tech was dispatched on the call.

But, now that the guy is in front of you, YOUR task is to figure out how he works, how he approaches problems, etc.

Is he the sort who (naively) follows a script? Does he *think* about the problem? Does he QUESTION YOU to extract other information? Does he inquire (or consult!) as to past actions taken to repair the device? (does he LEARN from the mistakes of others?) Is he a "replace things, one-at-a-time, until it works" guy?

I gauge my speaking style, persona, and overall approach to a technician based on what my impressions of his skillset, "ego", etc. happen to be. Some guys I act all "oooh! ahhh!" and let them impress me with their "knowledge"/cleverness (despite the fact that I probably know more than they do, in general terms). Others, I lead to a conclusion that I've already diagnosed: let's skip over all these tests that you MIGHT think of performing and let me disclose observations that will lead you to a conclusion that I've already made -- but am powerless to rectify (because I don't OWN the equipment that has failed!).

ISP guy came to reaim out microwave dish. He was having trouble getting good signal in the same original location. Ask him what he's siting, off in the distance. Then, walk around the roof to see where a good sight line might exist -- ALLOWING FOR FUTURE VEGETATION CHANGES.

"Why not try installing it *here*, instead?"

[Vic Smith]

I had my electrical service upgraded when I bought my house. Needed 240v for central air. Three separate guys came over to bid. One was a kid driving a nice Mercedes sedan. As soon as he got out of the car first thing I said to him was, "Why the f*ck are you coming out to give a bid driving that Mercedes?" He said he got a deal on it from his mother-in-law, and he liked it. He was low bidder and got the job.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Ever check out the reliability of the Smart? I'd think a truly knowledgeable tech person or engineer would avoid them. I'm not sure I'd trust the technical ability of anyone choosing one as a personal vehicle.

Disclaimer: I drove a Smart ForFour for two weeks in Italy. Yeah, I'd drive one short term, but I'd not buy one as my daily driver.

[Micky]

I wsih you would learn to use paragraphs, so it wasn't so hard to read.

not

Sometimes one makes more money per hour on a repair than usual and sometimes one loses money per hour. It's supposed to even out that a skilled person makes a skilled income. I'm sure Whirlpool's contract with him allows for this.

It sounds to me like the second one got it right, and I don't blame either of them for not assuming whatever diagnosis had been done by telephone was not necessarily correct. A repairman should do his own diagnosis. And I don't consider it "trying at all cost to avoid installing it." He shoudln't install it until he's pretty near convinced it will fix it. And the proof is in the pudding.

Why would you call him cheap? Have you ever run a business? Do you spend more money than you need to spend just for the sake of spending money? And why a pickup? He's a repairman, not a delivery man.

If you can put the parts and tools you need in a car, there's no reason to buy a truck.

I wrote this before reading the other replies.

[Ed Pawlowski]

One of us is confused. Maytag sent out parts for a recall. The repair guy did not want to install it. If the recall was a safety hazard it should be installed no matter what the tech thinks.

If we are talking about the water valve, you are correct.

[Micky]

Maybe it was and I forgot that part of the story. If so, sorry. And sorry, Frank.

[Micky]

Replying to my own post, even in the prior thread, I think I came in in the middle and didn't read that it was about safety.