We called Man with a Wrench to look at our dishwasher, which had stopped working and was blinking an LED to indicate a fault. The technician who came did a very quick test and quickly told us we needed a new heating element, and that the part was $220 - $230 + $180 labour, for a total of over $400 before taxes.
Given the cost, and that the dishwasher was over 12 years old (although it is in very good shape) we paid the $95 service fee, so that we could determine if we should simply replace the dishwasher.
The next day, I found the part we needed, brand new, on PartSelect.ca for $60 including shipping. I ordered it and installed in in less than an hour.
I expect companies to mark up parts that they order and resell, but a 300% markup is ridiculous. As well, $180 for an hour's labour (if I could do it in an hour, the tech could certainly do it in less) is also extreme. They are obviously not waiving the service fee, but simply building it into the estimate.
UPDATE: After this review was posted, I received a call from Alex, one of the co-owners of Man with a Wrench. He said he wished I had called their customer service line, and immediately offered to refund the service call fee, if I would remove my review. I told him I would have to think about it. We had a discussion in which he tried to explain his business model, and I tried to explain that when someone quotes me a price, I don't assume it is negotiable. As well, he indicated that his labour cost had to be the price it was, to support their guarantee. During the conversation he asked a couple more times about my removing or changing my review, and then said he would refund the service fee anyway. I told him he did not need to do so, but could do whatever he wished (and he did refund the service fee). We agreed that I would let him know my decision in a couple of days.
The next morning, Alex texted me to ask that, since my only issue was with the price, I at least raise the star rating of my review. But the evening before, the dishwasher had started showing the same fault - the problem was not with the part indicated (I had actually tested the old one before installing the new one, and it tested good, but as I am not a tech, I decided to trust the tech's analysis). When I told Alex that, he again referred back to their guarantee. But I am not impressed by the idea of paying for parts and labour, when perhaps a better diagnosis up front would have been more cost effective. In the end, the whole episode, especially the attempts to get me to change or revoke my review, felt very distasteful.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $95.00
- Company Response
Dear Hugh, thank you very much for your honest words. It is through feedback by customers such as yourself that our company can improve to provide the best possible service to everyone who works with us. A few notes for any one who is viewing this review thread:
1) All of our customers are more than welcome to source their own components from any vendor they choose in order to save money. In those cases, you are welcome to install the part yourself if you are able to, or you can always call us in to come in and install the part for you. Either way, we will provide you with transparent consulting every step of the way.
2) All of our work from labour to parts installation comes with a warranty and a guarantee: if we do not repair your unit on the first try, we will come back completely free of charge to ensure that the repair is completed. This warranty is good for 12 months after the first date of the repair if the same issue comes back on any mechanical parts and the labour itself. It is in the case that a tech makes an incorrect diagnosis that the warranty ensures that we take reponsibility for that and resolve the issue.
3) In the case of a negative review, we will only ask customers to change the review if we were able to resolve their specific concern and truly improve the service and experience. In all previous cases, our customers felt their issues were adequately resolved.
As a result of all of the above - yes our pricing structure is slightly higher than that of some of our competitors. If you are looking for the cheapest possible service - we are not the right company for you. However, if you are looking for superior quality service, expert technicians and transparent pricing - we would love nothing more than to work with you!