Why the Cost of Appliance Repairs Keeps Going Up

Chart from TorontoGasPrices.com.

Customers are often quite surprised by the cost of hiring an appliance professional to work in their home.  I can sympathize.  I feel the same way every time I have to bring someone into my home to upgrade or repair something.  The truth of the matter is that costs keep going up.  The above chart shows the changes in fuel costs since early 2009.  As you can see, my fuel costs alone have gone up over 50%.  But that is not the whole story.  Every company in the repair supply chain has also seen their fuel costs go up over 50%.  They transfer that cost to me … and I, in turn, transfer it to you.  In the end, it is you the consumer that is hit hardest.

Tax changes are also costing consumers more.  In July, Ontario Premier McGuinty combined the GST (Goods and Services Tax) with the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) to create the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax.)  This should have been a neutral change … except it was not.  Gasoline used to only have the GST added to it at a rate of 7%.  Now it has the HST added at a rate of 13%.  This tax increase comes directly out of the pocket of small (and large) business owners …  again, we in turn, pass those costs onto you the consumer.

The consumer is at the bottom of tax pile.  While I am a service supplier, I am also a consumer – so I totally understand the frustration that people feel when they see their basic cost of living continuously going up.  I will always do everything that I can to help keep repair costs low, but much of the cost is directly out of my control.  We all are paying more for pretty much everything these days.