Vienna Appliance

Four stars for repair. One star for customer service. I wanted to love them, I really did. First, it was annoying that they didn’t do a call-​ahead like most service companies these days so I was tied to the house for the four-​hour window a-​la-​1985. I was willing to overlook that in support of a neighborhood business. When he arrived, Al was so helpful and friendly that I really wanted to love this company. He seemed «green» and not super familiar with my machine and problem (a lot of online research that frankly I could have done), but again, I wanted to support him figuring we all have to start somewhere. After over a week my washer was finally repaired. I was annoyed by the additional $ 150 I was being charged to service my washer since I have my front-​loading washer and dryer stacked – especially since instead of making him bring a second person to help him un-​stack & re-​stack I offered to do that role myself. But when your washer is broken and laundry is piling up, beggars can’t be choosers. Al was so nice that when he wasn’t 100% sure the washer was fixed, we agreed to keep the pieces hooked up and un-​stacked so I could run a few loads overnight and then he’d come back the next day to re-​stack the appliances. Imagine my surprise the next day when I had a voicemail message, and two visits to the house (I was not home at the time) in pursuit of payment – BEFORE my washer and dryer were re-​stacked together! When I spoke to Al on the phone and explained that I would not be paying until after they were re-​stacked, he got angry, stating that «technically his job is done because my washer is fixed.» But «technically» he was charging me $ 150 for the stacked components, which he had not re-​stacked. Al promptly came over and re-​stacked the components, hostily took my payment and made clear how unhappy he was that I expected him to do this. Given that he was going to leave the job un-​finished when seeking payment, I would never use this company again. In the past, I have used Home Appliance Repair on Church St. in Vienna. For those of you in the neighborhood looking for a local company, they are more professional and get the job done as promised.

They fixed the ice maker on my refrigerator. Professional, neat. Great service, reasonable rate.

I know service calls can be a pain but we have had «Al» out from Vienna Appliance several times and he is so good that this is my first Unilocal review. He is knowledgeable and clearly knows what he is doing. He tells you straight up what the problem is, what it will cost to repair it and how long it will take. He’s repaired our dryer a couple of times (20 years old but a great old dryer) and our frig (also 20 years old). Ask for Al… he’s great!

Al came out to do a dryer repair for us, and I’m very impressed and plan to call Vienna Appliance the next time I have an appliance problem. The customer service was fantastic right from the first phone call and all the way through the repair. He went above and beyond what repairmen usually do – he didn’t have the part on the truck but went out to get it and came right back to replace it. (I live close by their office, so I’m sure they couldn’t do that for everyone.) Al was very personable and conscientious. I highly recommend them.

Here’s some hard knocks advice — educate yourself on your appliance by researching net blogs, forums, how-​to books and best of all, call the manufacturer’s techs. There’s a ton of info out there. Be informed, then call an appliance repair tech.
All I know is, after Vienna Appliance came by, we still have the same common, annoying but not disabling problems — because they weren’t fixed. We were told to save our money and get a new machine. But it’s still working and not displaying the symptoms that would obviously indicate the diagnosis, and which counters the advice of the manufacturer. Hmm, perhaps the Vienna Appliance tech is clairvoyant.
Here’s a rule of business: if someone asks you to fix something, regardless of the perceived futility, then fix it. If our appliance continues to work for another year after that, then we didn’t need a new one.
Update: 2 years later, the washing machine is going strong. All it needed was a lid switch. I bought it online and replaced it myself. The hardest task was getting the machine exterior shell back on, a total hassle.

They responded very quickly and the repair guy was as nice as they come. He really went out of his way to make sure our fridge was back up and running, even on a Sunday afternoon.

Unprofessional and did not resolve the refrigeration problem. I would never recommend this company to anyone.

my decades-​old oven broke. they were recommended by a friend and they did a great job diagnosing the problem over the phone. came through with the part on schedule. the guys who showed up to do the work were especially friendly, intelligent and quick. the pricing was totally fair. dont waste your money on boneheads who lowball you on the phone. save yourself a headache and go with a local professional.

I have a problem with my washer. The manufacturer sent me the replacement part gratis, but said I had to pay for the service. Vienna Appliance said they wouldn’t give me an estimate or do the work unless I bought the part from them.
At least the woman on the phone was nice about it…

We had tolerated the grinding noise in the 5 year old clothes dryer for longer than I care to say. I had already experienced a failed service call for this same problem in said machine and did not want to spend another $ 65 call needlessly. I thought perhaps I should just bite the bullet and buy a new one. One last try before I plunk down $ 400 for a dryer that no longer matches my washing machine. I was mentally prepared for failure but— EUREEEKA! And I don’t mean a vacuum kind of Eureka.
The repair team (one was in training) was punctual, cheerful, worked quickly, cleaned up, were polite, and … they fixed it. They phoned a head to let me know how long it would take to get the part, and installed it the day after they got the part. No two week wait for the ‘next available appointment’. Next time I’ll call Vienna first, not Betty’s, Sears or GE.
PS These guys work west of the city so if you’re in DC, sadly you are out of luck. Sorry.