Did I get ripped off??

Quote from moey : I consider most appliances disposable, its just not worth paying someone else to fix them. If I cant figure out what is wrong with them they are gone.

Quote from scsiguru : Well...mine is fixed but I feel like I was raped!! Anyway, I was just looking online and found "similar" heating element for half the price he charged. But, after watching what he had to go through to replace the element, I know I could never fix it..so the labor was worth the price (I think).

1. It's typical for them to put a markup on parts.
2. It's an expensive repair, but reasonable. Think about it, the guy drove out to your house twice. He also had to drive to the parts store to get the part. And he spent about an hour doing the repair. He's a skilled repairman.. a DIYer might take all day figuring it out..

So considering the parts overcharge, it was about $150 to have him do it (and diagnose the problem). That doesn't seem out of line. He's got to make a living too.
I don't think he raped you. I am curious what you think a reasonable amount to charge for labor would be.

I work in the maintenance field so I just wanted to say that this is about average for parts and labor on an item like this, especially for a house call. I don't think you were ripped off at all.

Quote from ForeverDcember : I work in the maintenance field so I just wanted to say that this is about average for parts and labor on an item like this, especially for a house call. I don't think you were ripped off at all.

Thanks for the information! After watching what he had to go through for the repair, I know I could NEVER have done it without breaking the entire dryer!!

Quote from jj.12321 : 1. It's typical for them to put a markup on parts. 2. It's an expensive repair, but reasonable. Think about it, the guy drove out to your house twice. He also had to drive to the parts store to get the part. And he spent about an hour doing the repair. He's a skilled repairman.. a DIYer might take all day figuring it out.. So considering the parts overcharge, it was about $150 to have him do it (and diagnose the problem). That doesn't seem out of line. He's got to make a living too. I don't think he raped you. I am curious what you think a reasonable amount to charge for labor would be.

For labor?? Probably between $70-80.

I don't know if that repairman figures the cost in, but many repair people / installers around this area charge $40-50+ just for a trip charge which generally covers the first 15-30 minutes of labor. So, $100 for an hour is not unreasonable at all. Additionally, they (like most places) probably have a ~30% markup on the part in addition to buying it from some local place that charges much more that you can find it on Ebay or Amazon for. If I had to guess, the part could probably be bought for around $40-50 online. However, this is why it's called business. They're not there to be your buddy.

So, you either get a buddy in the industry, learn how to fix things yourself (youtube has fix it vids on EVERYTHING), or just smile and pay whatever size bill you get handed.

Part $50;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/8573069-f...1381wt_191

Instructions;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yL-WO_eRic

Took me literally 2 minutes to find the above info, and you're out ~$50 vs ~$250 (after taxes)

Quote from Moot-N-Me : IWe have a Kenmore gas dryer. Well today it stopped heating. I checked the lint trap....clear. So I called Sears about 20 minutes ago. Of course the warranty is over. They want $75.00 to come out and give an estimate. Then it is parts plus labor on top of that. OR I could buy a 1 year service plan for $210.00 which would include the estimate visit, and parts and labor up to $500.00. I have no idea what to do because I just looked up dryers and I could buy the one I have for about $500.00 including install.

Look for a factory repair manual at ApplianceJunk.com (also has forums, as do FixItNow.com and ApplianceAid.com). At least it will help you avoid getting ripped off too badly.

Maybe the igniter or its control isn't working, but there are also protective devices that keep the gas shut off unless the drum is rotating, and there's a device to shut off the gas if ignition isn't detected (even if the igniter works).

Maybe the dial isn't advancing because the electric motor inside it has died, or a microswitch (which isn't usually that small) isn't working.

Quote from larrymoencurly : Look for a factory repair manual at ApplianceJunk.com (also has forums, as do FixItNow.com and ApplianceAid.com). At least it will help you avoid getting ripped off too badly. Maybe the igniter or its control isn't working, but there are also protective devices that keep the gas shut off unless the drum is rotating, and there's a device to shut off the gas if ignition isn't detected (even if the igniter works). Maybe the dial isn't advancing because the electric motor inside it has died, or a microswitch (which isn't usually that small) isn't working.

....or she set it to that setting that only turns off when it senses the clothes are dry. Since they don't dry well without a burner turning on, it could run for a very long time... She can test this by just setting it to a plain timed setting, say 30 minutes, If it still doesn't turn off at that mark, then the timer is most likely bad.

I bought my Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer @ Costco. 3 year warranty..

Quote from cupcake42 : My ex DH changed one in a dryer we had and it didn't seem that hard.

Your ex DH crawled inside the dryer to fix it? I've never heard of a dryer like that.

I also don't need to know he wasn't very hard. I like chicks so that info does nothing for me.

Quote from BostonGirl : I bought my Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer @ Costco. 3 year warranty..

Breaks down and Year 3 + 1 day.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!

Quote from dzap : Breaks down and Year 3 + 1 day. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!

But, it's Costco so you can return in Year 3+1 day..

Quote from dzap : Breaks down and Year 3 + 1 day. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!

Quote from BostonGirl : But, it's Costco so you can return in Year 3+1 day..

Shouldn't that be Year 4 + 1 day? The extended warranty should kick in after the manufacturers original 1 year warranty.

Quote from MikeBear : ....or she set it to that setting that only turns off when it senses the clothes are dry. Since they don't dry well without a burner turning on, it could run for a very long time... She can test this by just setting it to a plain timed setting, say 30 minutes, If it still doesn't turn off at that mark, then the timer is most likely bad.

Good point. I was thinking that dryness sensors only turned the dryer off early, rather than let them run forever, because that's how the one my father concocted for our cheap dryer worked.