Appliance Repair - Essential Service in Ontario?

When we went into lockdown we were told by the appliance repair person that only essential appliances were allowed to be prepared. They were not allowed to come out to repair something like a dishwasher but were allowed to fix a refrigerator as long as it was the only one in the house and not a backup

I'm not sure of the exact rules but I'm guessing mileage may vary depending on who you call.

Armeee wrote: ↑ There seems to be a question whether or not appliance repair is considered an ES. My fridge just went on the fritz and I called someone and they told me that after Dec 26th he is considered "non-essential" and can't go into peoples homes.
I think that he's not correct as I have called a couple places not in my general location but they say that they are allowed to provide home appliance repair.
The government list does not make mention of emergency appliance repair but they did allow it specifically back in April.

Can someone give me some education on this?

signed,
Melting Ice Cream

I am certain that a defective fridge would constitute an emergency appliance service. Just find another service technician. If the person you initially spoke does not have a clear understanding of the government CV-19 rules, I don't see them as being credible appliance technician.

I live in a small town so I am limited to who I can call. The fella that I talked to was going to call his insurance company. In any case, I have a couple calls in to other businesses.
Funny thing is that the Brick can deliver a new fridge come into my house, set it up and take away my old fridge.
Apples and oranges as far as I'm concerned.

What's wrong with your fridge? Sometimes it's something you can fix yourself

I know a guy who owns an appliance/repair store in a small town. He spent a few days arguing back and forth with the premier's office which "the list" deemed him not essential for doing any repairs on appliances. As per the list which was so confusing, even furnace repairs were not allowed.
As of Dec 23 the list was revised, maintenance is blanket coverage to include residential. Which means appliance repairs are now allowed, but only necessity items ie: furnace, fridge and stove. Appliance deliveries are still to be curb side only, not brought into the house.

@OP I tried looking for fridge repair specifically but did not come across anything. There is some info available for HVAC but I think it will solely depend upon the individual on how much risk is he willing to take. If I am not mistaken small towns are lesser affected by the pandemic.

https://plumbingandhvac.ca/ont-and-que- ... -pandemic/
Edit : This article is from March 2020. Don't know if rules are any different for now

eldiablo wrote: ↑ I am certain that a defective fridge would constitute an emergency appliance service. Just find another service technician. If the person you initially spoke does not have a clear understanding of the government CV-19 rules, I don't see them as being credible appliance technician.

Yes because an appliance repair guy should also be a CV-19 rules expert . As the rules change every other month . Great way to judge if he is competent to repair an appliance .

How old is the appliance.. if its 8+ you may want to consider just buying new.. parts are usually hard to find and even more now with covid ..

newlyborn wrote: ↑ @OP I tried looking for fridge repair specifically but did not come across anything. There is some info available for HVAC but I think it will solely depend upon the individual on how much risk is he willing to take. If I am not mistaken small towns are lesser affected by the pandemic.

https://plumbingandhvac.ca/ont-and-que- ... -pandemic/
Edit : This article is from March 2020. Don't know if rules are any different for now

FYI - your response to the OP of this thread was not notified of your response. Your response was sent to a user named OP, best to send response using the @ and full user id of the person, ie @Armeee .

As window installers, we are still confused as to if we should be working or not. We assume not, but have asked for clarification. The list from March/April was way clearer.

If the appliance repair tech is uncomfortable coming into your house you should accept that. My spouse's occupation was deemed essential last time and half his co-workers went home because they were high risk, lived with someone high risk, or just didn't want to take the risk. People should respect that not everyone has the same comfort level. If he works for a company they should hire a temporary replacement. If he is self-employed you can't force him to work.

zeddy wrote: ↑ If the appliance repair tech is uncomfortable coming into your house you should accept that. My spouse's occupation was deemed essential last time and half his co-workers went home because they were high risk, lived with someone high risk, or just didn't want to take the risk. People should respect that not everyone has the same comfort level. If he works for a company they should hire a temporary replacement. If he is self-employed you can't force him to work.

There is no one to hire, thats the issue. I think being in lockdown will end up uncomfortable for many of us. Too many folks think they shouldnt have to go to work while others do.

TLSRULZ wrote: ↑ How old is the appliance.. if its 8+ you may want to consider just buying new.. parts are usually hard to find and even more now with covid ..

Where do you propose going to do this?

Edit: the purchase of a new appliance. Lockdown. Stores closed...

Jerico wrote: ↑ There is no one to hire, thats the issue. I think being in lockdown will end up uncomfortable for many of us. Too many folks think they shouldnt have to go to work while others do.

Too many homeowners don't give a crap about the service people coming into their homes. Like I said, my spouse, did service calls and installations through the last shutdown. He walked out of more than one home because the owners either lied about where they had been (got back from Florida 2 days before), were clearly sick, and/or would not back up 6 ft when he asked them to. My spouse does not look high risk but he is. He chose to work through it last time but he had every reason not to. His health comes first. This is not an emergency or essential so service techs shouldn't be forced to go in people's homes. The OP is trying to find information so he can what? force this tech to work in his home? Harass him until he does? The guy said no. Call someone else. Look for a fridge to borrow. Go buy a bar fridge. Order a new one online - and don't expect them to bring it into your home.

Oni-kun wrote: ↑ What's wrong with your fridge? Sometimes it's something you can fix yourself

Yes, always a good idea to do some simple troubleshooting - like this

Thanks for the advice, I was enlightened.
I called 4 people. The first guy I called (who was going to talk to his insurance co) ended up coming into my house.
Turns out the compressor had seized so replacing fridge is only option so I called the Brick and bought one. This kinda sucked because I like to see what I'm buying in person.
Now an earlier poster said that a company cannot deliver and set up. The Brick is doing this along with taking away the old fridge.
The only caveat is that they have to take the packaging off outside before bringing it in. Not a problem as I have a big garage.
I believe from another poster that you are allowed emergency repairman in but it might be a personal choice whether they take the job because of covid.

KevinM56081 wrote: ↑ Where do you propose going to do this?

Edit: the purchase of a new appliance. Lockdown. Stores closed...

You can buy online and they deliver... the hard part .. the delivery guys may now choose to only do curb side and your stuck trying to figure out how to get it in and take the old one out..

I've bought a number of appliance online even before covid.. just have to do your research to know what your getting ..