One figure, and how it works
What a visit costs
$89 for the service call, waived when you book the repair. Everything else is quoted to you in full, itemised, before anybody picks up a tool.
One number on this whole site, because one number is all we can quote honestly without seeing the machine.
What the $89 buys
Coming out to you, and taking the appliance apart far enough to know what is actually wrong. On a built-in that means the grille off, the condenser inspected, both fans checked, the door tested, the rear panel off if the symptom points inside, and real temperatures taken with our own probe rather than read off the display.
At the end of that you get a diagnosis and a written quote for the repair, with parts and labour separated. If you go ahead, the service call is waived and it comes off the job. If you do not, you have paid for a proper diagnosis and you are free to take it wherever you like — including to the manufacturer, if the fault turns out to sit inside a warranty they still owe you.
Nothing gets started on a verbal estimate and settled up afterwards.
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Diagnosis first
We do not price a repair from a phone description. Two identical descriptions of a warm refrigerator can be a fan and a sealed system, and the difference between them is not something anyone can hear down a phone line.
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Then a written quote
Parts and labour separately, so you can see which is which. If the job needs a return visit because the part is model specific, that is in the same quote rather than appearing later as a second call-out.
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You decide, then we work
If the answer is no, that is a normal outcome and there is no pressure attached to it. If it is yes, the service call comes off and the quoted figure is the figure.
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Afterwards
365-day warranty on labor, and genuine oem sub-zero parts wherever the part exists. Paperwork states what was replaced and what was found, in enough detail to be useful to whoever looks at the machine next.
Every published range we have ever seen for this work is either useless or wrong.
The honest version
A refrigerator that is not cooling can be a condenser that needs cleaning, a fan motor, a defrost heater, a control board, or a sealed system opened up over two visits with a recovery machine and a vacuum pump. Those outcomes are not close to each other, and no average across them describes any real job.
The other reason is that the coast changes the odds. A corroded coil is a different parts conversation from a dirty one, and you cannot tell which you have from the kitchen side of the grille. So we quote what is in front of us, once we have looked.
What we will do on the phone is narrow it. Give us the model and the symptom and we can usually tell you which two or three things it is likely to be, and whether it is the kind of job that tends to need a part ordered.
On being told the price first
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5 out of 5
Refrigerator side drifting warm while the freezer stayed fine. He explained that these have two separate sealed systems so one side can fail on its own, then traced it to the evaporator fan. Clear about the service call fee before he came out.
Ted H., Scotts Valley — November 2025
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4 out of 5
Sealed system leak on the freezer side of a 600 series. He was honest that it needed a full recovery, leak trace and recharge and that it would take a second visit for the part. It did, but the box has held zero degrees since. I would rather hear that than a same-day guess.
Gordon A., Pebble Beach — February 2026
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5 out of 5
Ice maker was making hollow cubes and then stopped altogether. Frozen fill tube from a valve that was weeping. He replaced the water valve, cleared the tube, and checked the inlet screen for scale while he was in there. Straightforward and no upselling.
Priya N., Monterey — March 2026
Questions about cost
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What exactly does the service call cover?
The visit and the diagnosis: getting to you, taking the machine apart far enough to find the fault, and telling you what it is and what fixing it involves. $89, and it is waived when you book the repair with us.
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Why do you not publish repair prices?
Because the same symptom can be a coil clean at no parts cost or a sealed-system job over two visits. A published range would be wrong for most people who read it, and being wrong in print is worse than being quiet.
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When do I find out what the repair costs?
At the end of the diagnosis, before any work starts, with the parts and the labour itemised. You approve it or you do not, and if you do not, you have paid for the diagnosis and you keep the information.
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What if it needs a second visit for a part?
That is common on built-ins because the parts are model specific and are not carried on a van. You are quoted once, for the whole job, and the return visit is part of it rather than a second call-out.
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Is there a warranty?
365-day warranty on labor. Parts carry whatever the manufacturer of that part provides, and we tell you which is which on the paperwork rather than blending them together.
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Does my town change the price?
No. The service call is the same across Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, the valley towns and the inland edge at Los Gatos.
Book the diagnosis
$89 service call, waived when you book the repair. Nothing else is charged without your approval first.