J & J Appliance

Simply terrible experience. Our dryer stopped heating, they came out, charged us $ 200.00 for repairs. Dryer worked for 2 loads, then stopped heating. Called them, asked when they could get out, was told «I don’t know.». Unfortunately paid these scam artists by check, which already cleared.
Steer way clear of them.

I just had J&J come out and repair my dryer. The young man who did the repair was polite, friendly and professional. We had a very nice conversation while he was doing the repairs. I will definitely keep their number and call again when ever I need repairs done. I wish them continued success in their business.

These guys are old-​fashioned craftsmen, with all the plusses and minuses involved. I bought an old house with appliances that were 30 – 50 years old, with brand names I’ve never heard of. One by one, they’ve gone south on me, and these guys have always been there to help.
1. A compact Thermador oven from 1954 stops heating. I call because they’re the closest authorized service center for Thermador. The phone rings about 15 times and I hang up. Call three other places– nobody wants to deal with me.
I call J&J again and I get Jim the owner. First he has to tell me how to find the model number, which takes me a few minutes. Yeah, they can fix it. Cost me $ 75 for a service call to diagnose.
They get out the next day. Guy pulls the thing apart, tells me what’s wrong and also explains how to build an oven. Should I fix it? He scratches his head and says «Well, you kinda have to, because it’s a built-​in, and they don’t make models this small. You’d have to rip out the wall. But we can rebuild it for $ 400.»
Is that a good idea? «Well, it lasted this long. And there’s a vintage market for this model. You could probably sell it for about $ 350 as-​is.»
I tell ‘em to go do it. I check the web– sure enough, there is a market for these things.” Takes ‘em a week to find the parts, but it’s been working like a charm for the last 7 years.
2. Admiral Dishwasher from the 80’s. I call, get put on hold six times, this guy is in a hurry. I tell him the make and model and he says «I’m surprised it lasted this long. We could come out there, but I can’t guarantee we can get the parts and I frankly wouldn’t recommend trying to fix it. Just buy a new one.»
They could have come out and charged me $ 75 to say that. They didn’t.
3. Hardwick Cooktop from the 60’s needs new knobs– we can’t read the numbers on the dials. Call and ask; that guy says he’ll let me know. About a week later I call back and they say «We’ve been so busy with repairs we didn’t have time to look.»
4. Hotpoint refrigerator from the 70’s. They rush out, have a look. It’s a fragamajazz and it’s gonna be $ 400. Should I fix it? «You know, I really wouldn’t want to recommend one way or another. We can fix it, if that’s what you decide to do.»
I look at the guy– he’s in his late 50’s– and say «You think this thing is a pile of crap and it’s gonna break, right?» «Well, sir, I can think of other ways to spend your money. The only problem is that it is a built in, and they don’t make them that short. You could get a freezeless refrigerator, but then you’d have to buy a separate freezer.»
Do you sell those? «No, but you could check around.» Turns out B&B sells them. Cost me $ 75 for the call, but the advice was good.
They fixed my GE commercial washer from the 1960’s– took them a second trip but they did not charge me for the return visit. When they dryer died, they recommended I junk it.
I’d give ‘em 5 stars, but I can see how people would give them one. They’re not warm and fuzzy. They’re old-​fashioned working-​class guys who are always swamped. They don’t play well with annoying yuppies. who want what they want when they want it.
But they know their stuff and they care about getting the work done right. I always call them first.
NOTES. I had an experience similar to Joyce O’s. When they rebuilt the oven, they told me they were going to swap out some Thermador parts for GE because they were better. It made me nervous, but I went and checked– and sure enough the Vintage Thermador forums recommended GE components for certain things. For all I know, the guy who told her it was right part might have been right.
Also, maybe it’s not my place to say this, but I can also see why they’re not wild about walk-​ins who want to buy a part. There’s no markup on that. I fix computers and I have the same response when someone comes in and wants a Dell Inspiron power supply. You’re making 20 minutes work for me and I’ll make $ 2.50 on it. Why didn’t you buy the part from the person who told you that you needed it?

I walked in the store and had to call out several times to get someone. Took the model number of my appliance. Gave the guy my paperwork and told him what I needed. He took the paperwork and went to answer the phone. He proceeded to answer about 6 phone calls while I waited and waited. Then he finally asked me about the part I needed in an annoyed manner. I showed him what I needed and the phone rang again. Again I had to wait. Finally, he said they don’t make it anymore and that was it. He no longer was interested in me and took more phone calls. He was unfriendly and unhelpful. Went there because they are the only repair place in town. Wanted to work with local businesses. I have told everyone I know how awful the service was. I would have given them zero stars, but it was a required field.