Econo Appliance Service, San Diego, CA

I received service from them for my Viking Appliance. While the service was acceptable, the charges were totally unreasonable and I was not able to get any clear answer from the manager how these charges were determined.

I was charged $208.16 for a spark module that sells for ~$65 on line. I was also charged $125 for 20 minutes of labor.

When I called to complain about the excessive costs, I was told that

1. A hospital charges $100 for a pill that costs $1 to make (why is that relevant?)

2. $208.16 is a reasonable price to charge for the part because of the technician's expertise and them having it in stock

3. $125 for the labor was a great price because their technician is so experienced that he doesn't put the piece in incorrectly and have to re-do his work. Therefore, he is very efficient with his time. Other service places would take longer because they would screw up several times.

I asked why I should have to pay extra for the part because of the technician' s expertise and got no valid answer. I said I could probably understand being charged excessive amounts for the labor if their technician was so great (especially if he was doing something more difficult than changing a spark module), but I didn't understand why I should have to pay excessive amounts for both the labor and the part.

I have had several other professional services come to my house and none of them have charged more than $100/hour. Most of them charge $60-80/hr. Yet the manager still held firm that because their technician was so skilled that I got a good rate. They also said that they do not have an hourly rate, but determine an appropriate fee "by the job."

Comment On This

Hello, Doctor Polidori in Rancho Santa Fe,

First of all, you forgot to mention, we ALWAYS provide an estimate and we ALWAYS require verbal authorization from the customer before proceeding with any repairs.

If you didn't agree with the quote, you really SHOULDN'T have autho'd the repair.

It's not on us if you "google" later and find a part on ebay (which is sketchy, by the way) for $65. Then you still pay shipping and wait two weeks for the part to arrive.

This is the basis of labor cost; customers are charged because a client himself would not have known which part was broken, what is was called, how to change it out, and warranty his work. It is another matter completely to look up a part online (after he learns about it from the technician) and get a price, borrowing someone else's expertise.

The charge of $125 for labor was also a reasonable price. We are an honest business and do not overcharge clients. We also warranty our work. These are market prices for labor, and we NEVER charge "by the hour."

Furthermore, Dr. Polidori's comment in a BBB complaint he wrote, "I could probably understand, if their technician was so great (especially if he was doing something more difficult than changing a spark module)" was inappropriate and purposefully degrading to our technician. If we are to use Dr. Polidori's precedent, we can apply the example that a lawyer charges $500-1200 per hour for the "easy" work of shuffling papers on a desk and talking - not difficult work on the surface, if one doesn't consider the experience and expertise behind it!!

Goodbye Dr Polidori, call someone else next time, and watch what happens. Nobody in SD works on as many Viking appliances, or carries as many parts as we do - not even factory service. GOODBYE!