Econo Appliance Service Inc
San Diego, CA
www.econoappliance.com

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."