Today, Friday the 26th or Monday the 29th of April, the agreement between the Cyprus Consumers Association and the company selected to provide white goods repair services to interested citizens is expected to be signed.
The association, following numerous complaints from consumers regarding the difficulties they face in finding professionals for white goods repairs (refrigerators, washing machines, etc.), has decided to move in line with the plan it had previously prepared for photovoltaics, aiming to serve consumers.
Speaking to Phileleftheros, the president of the Consumers Association, Marios Drousiotis, mentioned that a company in Nicosia has been pilot-selected and an agreement will be signed either today, Friday, or Monday.
With this agreement, consumers will know in advance the prices and charges of the company for each service they will request.
That is, repair of refrigerators, washing machines and dryers, dishwashers, ironing devices, and air conditioning maintenance.
Additionally, the charge for the technician’s travel will be known, depending on the distance the company employee will travel. For example, as Drousiotis stated, if a consumer requests refrigerator repair, they will pay for the journey and then, depending on the professional’s estimate regarding the damage, they will also pay the corresponding amount.
However, he added, there is the possibility that the consumer may find it not worthwhile to repair the appliance and prefer to buy a new one. Therefore, in this case, they will only pay for the journey.
Great inconvenience
Describing the situation in the market, the president of the Consumers Association emphasized to Phileleftheros:
“You can’t imagine how difficult it is for many consumers to find craftsmen for the repair of such appliances, as well as plumbers, painters, and other professionals, for home repairs. We constantly receive complaints that either they cannot find them or they are scheduled for appointments after a long period of time. Therefore, the association decided to offer this option to consumers. If the effort succeeds, additional services will be added, and the plan will be expanded to other provinces, if there is demand,” he said.
Among other things, the contract to be signed will include details regarding the charges, providing that: The travel distance will be measured from the offices of the Cyprus Consumers Association, located at 8 Acropolis Avenue, Strovolos.
Different charges will be provided for distances up to 5 kilometers, distances beyond 5 kilometers, and distances beyond 10 kilometers from the offices of the Cyprus Consumers Association.
In case the appliance needs to be transported to the service provider’s workshop, the charge for returning the appliance will be proportional to the travel charges.
Additionally, the charge for the technician’s time spent at the consumer’s home for repair or maintenance purposes will be calculated for every 20 minutes of work. The charge for spare parts and components will be based on their purchase cost. Before providing its services, the service provider company will inform the consumer of the estimated repair cost.
In the event that the consumer does not agree with the estimated cost and does not wish to proceed with the provision of services, then the service provider company is entitled to the travel costs.
