Kelly's Korner - Baby, It's Cold Outside

Hey, All!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving - we had about 25 people at my sister's, everyone talking at the same time, lots of good food and good times.

But I want to remind you of a few things:

It is still not advisable to use the self-clean feature on your oven - with less than a month till Christmas, if the computer boards go out, it may not be possible to get them fixed before Christmas.  Repair technicians are still fully booked and it may not be easy to get someone out to look at your appliances as fast as you want.

Furnace check-up:  It has been really cold here and I'm sure in other places.  If you haven't had a fall check-up on your furnace, get it done now.  Make sure that everything is running smoothly and you have a fresh filter in place.  (hint:  if you want your whole house to smell good, drip a few drops of your favorite essential oil on your filter - pine, lavender, cinnamon, etc. - and the smell will go throughout the house when the furnace is running).

Water pipes:  Now this is something that came to me in the middle of the night - make sure your garden hoses are unhooked from faucets and drained and stored for the winter.  Mine is not, but the #3 son is on it today!  Water freezing in the hose can cause weakening and burst hoses.  Also, wrap or get those styrofoam faucet cover doohickeys for the outside faucets.  A burst water pipe is NO fun!

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Don't forget your pets - if it is too cold for you to be outside, it is too cold for pets, too.  If you have dogs that sleep outside, make sure they have plenty of bedding out of the wind and wet.  And if it is freezing out, make sure their water bowl is not frozen.  It is tough this time of year for the wild creatures and they like to find warm places to sleep, too.  Make sure your crawl spaces are secure and not home to our furry and feathered friends.

Seems like there is always something to do, no matter what the season, huh?  Gutters to clean, leaves to rake - take care of your home so it can take care of you.

Have a great week!

Getting Your Appliance Repair Business Ready For Winter

Now Is The Time To Get Ready For Winter

It is half way through October. Halloween will be here before you know it. Then the mad rush to Thanksgiving will give way to the business of the holiday season. In the world of appliance repairs the holidays are a busy time as all of that delicious holiday baking starts to happen and range repair get more needed, Also washers and dryers are working overtime adjusting to the bulkier clothes of winter with extra wear and tear on those laundry appliances.

Are you ready for winter? Your appliance parts stock at this time of year should definitely include a bit more in the way of range parts at this time of the year. Bake and broil elements, surface burners or elements, common switches and igniters all have a place in the mix. It's all about avoiding return trips, which can eat into your profits like your weird uncle can tear into a holiday turkey. If you need some help figuring out what to stock, talk to your W.L. May Company representative. Many of these items even have special pricing at this time of year.

When you think about what you might need on hand to address a busy range season, don't forget things like surface element drip pans or refrigerator water filters. Sure, both of those things are available from a lot of sources, Some of those sources might be less than you can reasonably charge. HOWEVER, by having those items on hand when on site doing repairs can prove to be very convenient to the consumer. Even if you are not the least expensive option, the convenience of of you being there with those accessories can easily lead to a add on sales and a larger invoice-and you are providing your customer with a worthwhile value added service.

If you take a look at your stock and determine you have enough on hand, there are other ways to get ready for winter. Think about your service vehicle. Don't let vehicle problems get in the way of providing service. Do you have or need winter tires? What about anti-freeze? Windshield wiper blades? When was the last time your vehicle had a tune up? These things should be a part of a regular maintenance schedule for your business, but if not, now is the time to think about these things.

Lastly, don't forget to look at your winter clothes, If your winter wear is looking a little shabby, it might be time for a new jacket or work boots. You'll never get a second chance to make that first impression, and customers DO notice.

What have I forgotten? If you have any suggestions for how YOU would winterize an appliance business, tell us about in the comments for this post. Thanks for considering W.L. May Company for you repair parts needs. We are looking forward to helping you make this the best winter yet!

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