1st Source Servall Appliance Parts

Deceptive prices. I like the selection /​availability. That bit seems to be in order. It’s just ‘scammy’ to offer a part for one price on your website then charge a completely different (higher) price in-​store… for everything, as far as I can tell.
The part I wanted was less than $ 5, according to their website, no problem. That was about twice the ‘going rate’ online, but I figured it was worth the meager cost difference if I could get the part that day (lucky enough to be near their location in Austin). So, I go down to get the part and they have it in stock, awesome. Guy tells me it’s just over $ 8. I ask him about the online price and he tells me (paraphrased), ‘Yeah, that’s the online price. In the store it’s more. We don’t like the price difference either, but that’s the way it is.‘
I asked him if a part could be ordered online and then picked up in-​store, no dice. Checking online a bit later, I discovered that the part in question is less than $ 5 online but Sh /​H is almost $ 9… for a part that probably ships for $ 1 — $ 2 (VERY lightweight /​small package).
Note: The prices in this situation are quite low, so the monetary detriment is negligible. However, the underlying practice is skeezy and not appreciated. They also appear to charge a ‘lifetime replacement’ fee by default. I was never asked if I wanted to buy a warranty, it was just ‘magically’ part of the price they quoted.
Selection: Great
Hours: Great
Prices: Bad
Policies: Bad (deceptive)
Shop here if you need to, but go somewhere else if you can.

Outrageous pricing. Example: Whirlpool clothes dryer fuse part # 3 390 719. Their price was $ 28. However, the exact same part is sold on eBay for $ 3 which includes shipping. I truly prefer to support local businesses but not when they jack their prices up 900%. Another issue is that their parts are not always genuine OEM replacements but rather cheap knock offs from Asia with high failure rates. Look online for the best pricing. Even Amazon sells many appliance parts.
About Unilocal… While they appear to be objective the truth of the matter is that they hide negative reviews at the bottom of the page under «other reviews that are not currently recommended». They also delete positive reviews as well.
Why you ask? It’s so they can manipulate reviewers comments and extort money from business owners. Confused? Just read the Unilocal reviews for the Unilocal company for a better understanding.

They do have most any part you need but unless your a contract repairman their prices are higher than a cat’s rear end. You could almost fly to china cheaper and pick up the part for less

Lost a full fridge of food after my freezer evaporator coils would not defrost and caused a cold freezer but a warm fridge. I did some research on
and
to determine it could have been the defrost thermostat, the defrost heater assembly or the defrost timer. Did some capacitance checks and found I had a bad defrost heater assembly. I looked up what I thought was the replacement part on line and found
. I took in the broken part and the part number, which I thought was the correct part. When the gentleman brought out the part I asked for, he had me open the box and take a look to ensure this was the right part. It was too big, but the other gentleman at the counter was very knowledgeable and directed the individual helping me to the correct part. As it turns out the single coil defrost heater assembly was being replaced by a dual coil defrost heater assembly and this guy new it off the top of his head by looking at the part I had in hand. Great Job Guys!
I’m a computer repair technician not an appliance repair man. I saved roughly $ 120 versus calling a repair man to assist. I would recommend this place to friends, family and strangers like you. I do suggest writing down your appliance model number and serial number before going in or calling. They will likely need this information to look up the matching part, if you don’t have a broken part in hand. Good luck in all of your appliance repair endeavors! You can count on
to help you, as long as you provide them with the information they need.

Not bad for a parts store, but they only earn three stars because of their limited selection.

Excellent phone service. These folks really know what they’re talking about!

I guess I can compliment them on having a knowledgeable staff. the customer rep I got on the phone was fast and efficient. He helped me find the part i needed for my washing machine based off of only the machine model number and my description of the part.
While he was searching, I looked up the part number on-​line and found the same part for $ 40 less than the price he quoted me on the phone. When i mentioned it to him that i was looking at the part on line for $ 40 dollars less, he didn’t respond. I guess that is understood in the parts business… not sure.
either way, I’ll wait the 3 – 5 business days for the part i need and keep the $ 40. not sure why there is such a price discrepancy, but it forced me to take my business elsewhere.
again, no negative review on the employees. They seem to know what they’re doing… this is only a statement on 1^st Source Servall’s high prices.

I’ve shopped here for parts before.
List of caveats
==========
Pros
–they usually have the part you are looking for
–they have a lifetime warranty for their parts which you can’t refuse (doesn’t transfer to new owner if you sell the item)
Cons
–their prices are not just $ 1,2,5, or $ 10 more than the competition
A $ 40 part from SearsDirect is $ 70 from them. Another $ 120 part is $ 155. If they have the part, it is the right one and will not give you a hassle on the warranty either. Otherwise, consider how long you will be using the item and purchase accordingly.

Great place. Had obscure microwave parts I was looking for. Quick and easy. Good service.

I usually buy parts here for my and my friends appliances. They usually have the parts. They are reasonably friendly. The service line is sometimes a little long due to their ouitdated computer systems (No bar-​codes readers here!)
Also, some people do not do any homework before coming to the store. Get the Model Number and Brand of your appliance before you come in. It will save everyone a bunch of time waiting in line for them to try to guess what is it that you need. Overall a good place to get the parts in North Austin. Yeah buying on line is «cheaper» but by the time you pay for Shipping and handling and wait a week may as well pay the difference and get it locally.

I thought I would add a few things I saw that were missing from the other reviews.
1^st — this place caters to both wholesale repair companies and also retail customers like you and me who are trying to fix a busted dishwasher.
2^nd — ths place has a huge inventory of proprietary parts available immediately.
3^rd — there is no way these employees know all the parts they have, you have to do a little work to make the process run. I recommend you take your phone and snap a picture of the model # and serial # of the appliance you want fixed.
4^th — There are always people waiting in line, they are not able to spend hours on the phone with customers staring at them (I suggest they have a back office specialist for this).
5^th — Be prepared to wait a little. It can take some time for them to service each person, be patient.
6^th — They have a LIFETIME replacement program on their parts. They aren’t the cheapest priced place in the biz but this is totally worth it to me on expensive parts.
I bought a gasket for a front loading GE Armana washer (A total piece of junk by the way). It cost me $ 105 last year (ouch). It took 2+ hours to install.
Last Saturday the gasket broke and flooded my laundry room (double ouch). I recalled their replacement deal, located their receipt and Monday headed back to get it replaced. A very helpful gal with cool tats helped me do the exchange. The price had gone up to $ 115, they took my old gasket and I left with a new gasket about 10 min later, no hassles. I now have that receipt in a bag taped to the bask of the washer.
After that experience, this is the only place I will get my appliance parts at — I have all GE appliances so this place may become a regular hangout for me.
One recommendation for this store is to provide a kiosk for customers to look up parts on, that would help shorten the lines.

The guy at the retail counter was extremely helpful — probably helped me save $ 220 on fixing my washing machine. You kind of have to know what you’re looking for to help these guys do their job. Be sure you’ve got the model number, take the manual in with you and the broken parts if you can. They probably have thousands of parts in the warehouse and in their computer schematics. You can’t just say, «I need a round red thing that goes on the green square thing». Do your homework and they can help you out and save you money. There’s lots of cool stuff to look at in the small showroom.

Not helpful and very rude!
I called to ask if they had a replacement part for my oven in stock and the guy was very unfriendly over the phone. He was annoyed that I didnt have extensive knowledge about my oven and its inner-​workings!
In this economy I think customer service is everything and Im not going to give 1^st Source my money for making me feel like an idiot.
I decided to take my model number and plug it into
and the replacement part that I needed came up easily. Their parts are more expensive so once I found out what I needed I ordered it from
!
Save yourself the money and humiliation and don’t order from First Source.

Summary: poor service, inconsistent price match policy, but they usually have more selection on parts than other local stores. I’ve been here twice. They charge more than online places and some of their competitors, but they have an inconsistent price matching policy.
I had a washer part ($ 23) that I needed and I had gone there to get it. When asked to price match, they won’t match online prices (understandable), and the lady said they only match local brick and mortar competitors. I was prepared for this since I had also called Oak Hill Appliances and they had it for ~$ 14.50. The well tattooed lady that was «helping» me did a double take and was quite rude. I gave her the phone number and asked her to check for herself – she wouldn’t. She said that the price was below her cost and then went to the back to check with a manager (I presume). She came back with this BS answer about how they supply Oak Hill and they are not an actual competitor and refused to price match. Well, both are brick and mortar stores, local, and they sell the same product (and they were getting it in stock tomorrow) – sounds like a competitor to me. Also, I’m sure they aren’t the sole supplier – it would be naïve to think that Oak Hill doesn’t have any other sources of suppliers. The whole policy reeks of we’ll do it to suit our fancy, even though when initially asked about it, she said they will price match local competitors.
And, by the way, Sears Parts Direct sold that same part for $ 10, and with shipping, the price comes out to $ 19. (so I highly doubt that line about below their cost). Anyways, if you want rude service and a price match policy that suits only their whims, then by all means, go here.
By the way, I know it’s only a few bucks, but the whole rudeness and poor service obligated me to write this and on principle alone, I refused to buy from this place.

I love this place. Located in a non-​descript concrete building off of Braker Lane, they always seem to have the appliance parts I need.
Today I called about a new bake element for our oven, and of course they had it in stock. Plus they’re super friendly and don’t make you feel like an idiot if you’re not a professional repair person.
The only problem is that they are directly across the street from Culver’s, home of the Butter Burger and excellent crinkle cut fries. Today I resisted, but I can’t promise that every time. In fact, I’m planning on sabotaging some appliance at my house next week to force me to go back to First Source.
All in all, when a major appliance needs simple repair, do your research on the web about what you need (model number, part number, etc.) and then call these guys to see if they have it. I’ll bet they do.