RepairClinic Earns the Coveted Intergalactic Samurai-Approved Certification

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

As long-time readers of these hallowed electrons know, Fixitnow.com Samurai Appliance Repair Man awards the widely-acclaimed Intergalactic Samurai Approved Certification (ISAC) each year to an outstanding bidness in the appliance repair field. I am pleased to announce that RepairClinic.com has earned the coveted ISAC for 2006.

Recently, I flew the Samurai Learjet to Detroit and visited the good folks at RepairClinic.com, the biggest (and best) online appliance parts store. When I landed at Detroit Metro, I was pleased to see that the limousine was already there waiting for me.

At their brand-new, modern, 72,000 square-foot facility in Canton, MI, the Repairclinic machine hums away, day and night, taking orders and shipping out parts all over the US (Canada coming soon! …maybe …hopefully )– a very impressive and high-tech operation. Here’s an aerial shot of the Samurai inspecting the RepairClinic facility and staff.

So, how did RepairClinic earn the coveted and cherished ISAC? Well, for starters, all orders are received, processed, and shipped right from their own facility in Canton, MI. This means you get your parts FAST. In fact, almost all orders are shipped the same day the order is received. All the other online parts stores use some other third party, unknown to you, for order fulfillment. In addition to increasing costs for you and delaying your shipment, these kinds of third-party arrangements also complicates things like returns. Speaking of returns…

If you click through any link on this website to get to RepairClinic, such as this one, and order parts, you can return that part, no matter what it is, for any reason, even electrical parts! Lemme run that last part by you again in case you missed it, Slick: …even electrical parts. This is unheard of in all the dark, murky underworld of home appliances. I dare you to find any other vendor with a similar policy. No, I DOUBLE dare you!

But. of course, it wasn’t all work during my visit to RepairClinic; we made time for socializing and getting to know each other. For example, here’s a picture of me cracking up RepairClinic’s CEO, Larry Beach (right), and President, Chris Hall (left), by doing a really cool Darth Vader imitation. Good times, good times.

Congratulations to the RepairClinic Team!

[nickfixit]

Do they do any over-the-counter sales? I'm in the Canton area quite often.

Could you suggest to them the idea of carrying more items technicians commonly need. I'm thinking high temp wire terminals, ceramic wire nuts, industrial epoxies, and all the other stuff us Masters and Grasshoppers need to Get-R-Done. The industrial supply houses charge way too much for that kind of stuff.

Another idea...

If they sold a basic, but good quality, multimeter that would be suitable for Grasshopper use, it would be easier for us to tell them how to use it.

Maybe a full line of Professional tools and equipment? They have a good sales and distribution system in place.

Just a thought.

Nick

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

As for over-the-counter sales, yes, they have a walk-in part counter right there at the front entrance of their facility. I, too, wish they would carry more tech tools and accessories, wish I had thought to raise that at the meeting, er, I mean, inspection.

They do sell a decent, low-cost digital VOM: http://www.repairclinic.com/referral.asp?R=154&N=964739&Acc=1

That's the meter I link to on my Basic Electrical Measurements pages: http://fixitnow.com/2004/12/appliance-repair-revelation-making.htm

These are all great suggestions, Nick! I will pass these along to RepairClinic. Thanks for your comments.

[nickfixit]

It's too much to hope for, but a good auto-ranging DMM is something every home DIY'er should invest in. Even if you spend $120 on a Fluke 12, you can expect years of faithful service, and it could pay for itself many times over.

I use a Fluke 16, it's a fine tool, and it's up to the task of daily professional use.

Nick