Repaircare are a National appliance repair company offering fixed price repairs. This review was written only several months after they began trading. Things may, or may not, be different now.
Their fixed price appliance repairs include call out, parts, labour and VAT. Repaircare are part of Connect Distribution who are the UK’s largest distributor of appliance spares and accessories.
They supply much of the independent repair trade. Their website is easy to use and features 3 simple steps to get a quote. It’s incredibly simple and well designed.
How do they do fixed repairs? What’s the Catch?
I’m naturally pretty sceptical and not easily impressed – always looking out for a catch. It shouldn’t be possible for Repaircare to be able to include the spare parts in their repair charges but they are the UK’s largest spare parts distributor so they have access to much cheaper parts than most and they obviously think they can.
Repaircare advertised fixed price repairs, but unfortunately the truth is they did not fix every appliance for the price initially quoted. They covered themselves against the more expensive repairs with a clause in their terms and conditions allowing them to charge extra.
They did claim that most repairs should be covered by the amount advertised, but after a few months (of complaints) they were forced to change their terms and conditions to remove their right to charge extra for certain parts. Offering fixed price repairs is a big ask.
But Repaircare should have access to very cheap spare parts because of their massive buying power as part of the UK’s largest spares distributor 4Ourhouse. However, they don’t employ their own engineers.
They instead use a network of independent engineers, which appears to cause some problems at times where people have complained of poor customer service.
Complaints
Repaircare have been accused of washing their hands of some complaints when (presumably) a customer and the independent engineer have been telling them different things.
However, I don’t believe they can do this because a customer’s contract is with Repaircare, and not the engineer that Repaircare subcontracted to do the repair.
It sounds like Repaircare have been frustrated by different accounts from the engineer and customer and want them to sort it out between themselves. But if a customer can’t, then Repaircare must.
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Margins must be small and this operation probably relies on economies of scale. As it is covering all of the UK they may be able to achieve the quantities of repairs necessary to be viable. However, they need most repairs to be relatively minor to balance out the expensive repairs.
If only people suspecting they have a serious fault use them, the system just won’t work. There have been a lot of complaints in the comments of this article (and elsewhere), which is disappointing.
They may have been struggling to cope with the work load at the early stages as they had promoted themselves very heavily. It’s also fair to say that appliance repairs tend to attract a lot of dissatisfied customers due to the length of time it can sometimes take to get them repaired.
Repaircare did eventually respond pro-actively to public complaints and put in place a system to allow people to complain directly to a manager. People with complaints previously felt they had no option but to complain on the Internet because they couldn’t get past the call centre staff to complain to a manager.
If you are the type of person who takes comfort in prices being fixed and inclusive, then fixed price repairs may be attractive for you. Sadly it’s become the main way large repair companies operate now.
You can end up paying a lot more than necessary if your appliance turns out not to need any parts, or only needs inexpensive parts, (most repairs).
You can save money if it needs an expensive part but if it’s quite expensive most repair companies just tell you it’s beyond economical repair. This can make it difficult to get a “win” on these schemes.
Make sure you read and understand the terms & conditions. It will probably state that if parts are “too” expensive they can say the appliance is not worth repairing, which may still cost you a fair amount of money.
Make sure you understand how much it will cost you in that scenario.
Alternatives?
Some manufacturers also offer fixed price repairs now at rates competing with Repaircare. For example Hoover / Candy, Ariston, Indesit, Hotpoint, Creda and even the obsolete Dyson washing machine have fixed price repairs. Also, AEG, Electrolux and Zanussi have relatively low and reasonable labour charges.
Only 3 months guarantee
A mere 3 months guarantee on repairs is very poor indeed. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (previously the Sale of Goods Act), any repair should last a reasonable time, as should any new parts fitted. 3 months (90 days) is nowhere near a reasonable time for almost any repair, especially if new parts are fitted. However, that’s all you get.
So you would have to pursue your claim in the small claims court or through a consumer help body if a repair by a company offering only 3 months guarantee failed after an unreasonable time outside 3 months.
I have to be honest and say that I personally would never use any repair company that only gave a 90 day guarantee, which I consider pretty disgraceful, and a very poor show of confidence in their own work – Is a 3 month guarantee on repairs reasonable?)
More appliance repairers
There are some appliance repair companies listed on site Book washing machine (or other appliance) repair page including companies offering a much more desirable 12 month guarantee on repairs.
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DASA I suggest is perhaps a good route to take. I picked up some time ago that Repaircare is a member of DASA, so they ought to show an interest. If not then you can assume DASA are either just as bad, or in bed with them.
I wonder if the repairer/engineer is a member as well?
Thanks Dan, that’s a good point. I’ll check.
Ken,
I am really sorry to read that you have been disappointed by our service. If you could send your Name, Job Reference Number and Postcode to our email address [email protected], we will do our best to resolve the issues mentioned in your above post as quickly as possible.
I would like to offer our sincere apologies for the inconvenience and distress.
Mark at Repaircare
Ken: I wrote an article, which explains why I think there are so many cases such as yours (not just with Repaircare) – Why are there so many appliance repair horror stories?
It’s a long read, and not intended to excuse anything, it’s just once you know it’s less of a surprise I suppose. In the old days, when engineers specialised and repaired substantially fewer products they could suspect a part and replace it from stock in their van. If it didn’t cure the fault (and it’s perfectly normal for an engineer to not always know for certain which part needs replacing – or to guess wrong) they could replace the original part and fit something else until they found the cure. The appliance could still be fixed in one visit. These days, engineers have to order so many parts because they have to fix a ridiculous variety of products and so if they get it wrong the job is cocked up. The customer may have waited over 2 weeks to arrive at the point where a part is fitted and proved to not cure the fault – then the whole thing starts up again waiting for another part.
If that doesn’t cure the fault the whole job’s a complete disaster. It may not help, but not only has the customer lost out, the repair company has also lost out big style too racking up losses than will not be made up even when (or if) the repair gets completed.
I really don’t know how anyone makes money out of repairs these days. That said, the customer can’t be just left with an abandoned repair and if they paid a fixed price for a repair and didn’t get a repair they are not going to be happy at all.
WORST SERVICE EVER!!! DO NOT BOTHER!!! I expected at least something for my money!!! Still waiting on fridge to be fixed after over 2 1/2 months. We have been given the wrong parts, been promised parts and fitting dates and they never turn up, they lie about info, don’t keep up with their lies and tell you different things each time you phone. One guy repeated over and over ‘The part is on order’ in the most rude manner – we later found out he was lying. He part hadn’t event been ordered. They take your money, don’t fix the problem and then ignore you because all they want is money, they do not care about eh job in hand one bit. We have spent SO long trying to chase them and get an answer. Spoke to manager last week and got hung up on. Seriously don’t even consider calling them- you will get NOWHERE!!! In contact with Rogue Traders & Trading Standards now it has got that bad.
I used repaircare for an oven repair. They send an engineer in that was rude to staff working in my house twice, once in my presence and left in a strop leaving the appliance unusable. I spoke to his company first who hanged up on me and I made 3 complain calls plus to emails from repaircare who never got back to me. I have lost my money and have now found another company through a friend who only asks for money once the job is done and took 5 minutes to repair my oven.
Repaircare simply failed to take responsability for the companies they work with and what is even worse, did not even bother to answer to my complains. I have no energy to take it any further so I have payed twice for a service.
I thought the service was excellent. I was contacted by both phone and text to let me know when my engineer was arriving. When he arrived he provided me with great customer service, informing me all the way of what he was doing to repair my freezer. Very quick and professional service.
Alex,
I’m really sorry you feel let down by our service. If you could send your Name, Job Reference Number and Postcode to our email address [email protected], we will do our best to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Mark at Repaircare
My washing machine stopped working 1 Oct. I called RepairCare.co.uk 2 Oct. They arranged engineer to come out 6 Oct.
On 6 Oct, I took a day off to wait for them. Engineer showed up 6 Oct – so far so good. He said the drum was broken so needed to order the part and come back next Tues, 10 Oct.
10 Oct showed up, nobody came. I called up RepairCare.co.uk and was told that the part did not arrive. I took a day off but did not receive any phone calls at all that the item was not available or that the engineer was not going to come. Now I have to rebook another appointment and wait until 18 Oct before the parts arrive, if at all.
In the FAQ section of Repaircare.co.uk site, there is a section about the ordering of spare parts. This states that “parts will be sourced to the engineer within 3 working days (subject to availability)”. However, when I questioned this when I called, the phone operator said that “engineers take delivery of parts once a week”, so the claim on website is false advertising.
The website also implies you can track the status of your repair job. I looked at my old job number – C1446778 which was incorrectly closed and marked ‘completed’ even though the washing machine isn’t repaired. I have since been given a new job number for the new call out.
Both the misrepresentation of the time it takes to order spare parts AND the inability for repaircare to ‘track repairs’ constitutes misleading advertising
Stephen: Unfortunately you aren’t the first to complain about a job being closed off when the customer is still waiting for a part. The same applies to waiting in all day for an appointment but the engineer not turning up only to find out they’d cancelled the appointment – but not let you know.
Hopefully Repaircare will look into why this appears to keep happening although we have no idea how often and hopefully it’s just isolated cases.
Regarding false advertising it’s a bit of a stretch to call it that. The quote you used states “subject to availability” so they are referring to parts held in stock that should be made available to the engineer within 3 working days. If they have to order a part it will take longer. However if someone told you they get parts only once a week I can see where you are coming from. I don’t know what context that statement was meant in but if they did only supply their engineers with parts they hold in stock once a week instead of 3 working days that would contradict their statement.
Regarding tracking, your complaint isn’t that it’s false advertising because they do provide tracking, it’s more that the tracking isn’t always reliable which again is different to advertising something is available but finding it isn’t.