Since the instructions included a website where the process of verifying that one had an appliance that needed to be repaired per the recall notice as well as actually scheduling the repair itself, I opted to handle the process  online.  After three or four attempts, all of which ultimately ended apoplectically with an error message apologizing that the site was unable to complete the transaction for some arcane reason and suggested that I try again later.  I did, several times, all with the same, frustrating result.  The next morning I decided to try the online option one final time. The result was disappointing, although it appeared that the designer of the web interface had managed to achieve consistency.  Calling the toll free number noted in the letter seemed to be the better option at this point and well it should be as it was the only one remaining.  I had to jump through the same hoops covered in the online application in addition to the inevitable redundancies and non sequiturs that are invariably an unavoidable aspect of customer service; nevertheless, I was able to complete the transaction and was given a confirmation number for the scheduled repair.

The day before the serviceman was scheduled to do the repair on my refrigerator, I received a call from the service company that I selected to do the work.  While attempting to use the online option to schedule the repair to my refrigerator, I learned that there were two different companies authorized to do the repair from which one could choose.  Before I made my choice I spent several hours researching the two companies and reading pages of customer feedback regarding each company.  One company received such terrible reviews by so many people that I figured it was simply foolhardy not to select the other service company, Convenient Appliance Service, Inc.

I had scheduled the repair to be done in the morning–the window I was told in which I could expect the serviceman to arrive was between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM.  Promptly at 8:00 AM the serviceman called to tell me he would arrive in 20 minutes, although I believe he pulled onto my driveway in under 15 minutes.  At least we were off to a good start, and thankfully, the experience did not degrade from that initial impression.  The young man was quick and courteous.  He explained what the problem was and what he was going to do to correct it.  Most of the time getting information in these situations is like pulling hen’s teeth.  Odds were pretty good that I was his first appointment, however, I don’t believe that his dress or demeanor would have been any less impressive had I been the last customer of the day.  What I can say is that I would have no qualms about ringing up Convenient Appliance Service, Inc. if my washer or any other appliance went on the fritz and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the company to any of my friends or acquaintances.  All in all I’d sum up my experience with a single word I’d heard coeds use when I was in college: Circe.  As I recall, Circe, used in this context, was a small, unexpected gift not the sorceress who turned men into pigs.