As a legitimate repair service, I want to be able to take care of my customers in a way that will have you calling me again. Unfortunately, there are unsavory people who work to scam customers by preying on their lack of knowledge on appliances. I’d like to provide you with some tips on how to avoid repair scams and protect yourself from spending or losing money unnecessarily.

Here are some common scams and how to avoid them. Watch for repair people who:

• Ask for a deposit, or money prior to having the part or completing the repair. This type of scammer could disappear without ever doing the work.
• Don’t leave a repair technician alone in your house. It happens all the time. You need to answer the door, phone, or a child needs assistance. A scammer could easily cause damage to your appliance, and therefore, charge you more.
• Many scammers falsely claim that they are the “authorized” service tech for different brands. This may not be true.
• An unscrupulous repairman may claim that you have a major issue when in fact, your repair is simple and may be inexpensive to fix.
• Some scammers will link themselves to legitimate websites causing queries or requests for service to forward to the scammer’s phone.

So, how do you protect yourself?  It’s not as hard as you may think. You can do these things:

• Choose a reputable repair company, one with references.
• Ask friends for referrals.
• Call the manufacturer for approved repair services.
• Ask for estimates.
• Do not give money for repairs that aren’t complete.
• Visually look at the old parts and the new parts. Make sure that you can see both.

Those of us in the repair field know that scammers hurt not only the consumer, but our business as well. Be a smart, aware consumer and you will not get hit by scammers. Remember, legitimate repair services want their customers to be happy.