Kenmore dryer repair - reasonable charge?

[j_stroh]

I have a Kenmore Series 90 dryer that I bought in 2000. Last week, the dryer wouldn't get hot, although it still tumbled. I called a local appliance repair place. The technician looked at it for a few minutes and then came back to me with a quote for $214. He said that it needed to have two parts replaced. That quote included:

$55 diagnostic fee
$66 parts
$80 labor
$13 tax

I wasn't happy of course, but I need my dryer and it would cost another $50-60 to have someone else come out, so I said OK. Then, he wasn't in my house 5 more minutes and he said he was done. He wasn't in my house ten minutes from start to finish.

I want to know if I was overcharged. Can anyone answer that for me given the following information?

The parts replaced (from the invoice)

Saftety switch - part #3390719
Cycle thermostat = part #3387134

I looked those up online (the web site called the safety switch a disposable thermal fuse) and the first place I found them would sell me both for $30. I was charged $66. And as I stated, I was also charged $80 for about three minutes labor.

[Dan O.]

You can read about the costs involved in service at the following link. I do not know what the going rates are wherever you are, but those prices don't sound unreasonable:

LINK > The Cost of Home Service

What a company charges for the parts they sell is up to them. Many will not charge above the manufacturer's suggest retail price but others will (see the following link).

LINK > Technician Pros and Cons

Smaller companies may not get as good of wholesale price when buying parts so they have to mark them up higher than retail.

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~