Appliance Repair on Windward O'ahu

Contact & FAQ

Call or text 808-201-2025 — text is fastest. Send name & address, what it’s doing, and a photo of the model number sticker, and I’ll reply with today or tomorrow’s availability.

Hours

Monday–Friday, 8:30am–5pm. I don’t schedule diagnostics on weekends — repairs awaiting parts are prioritized to get finished on the weekend, but new appointments start during the week.

I do everything I can to fix your appliance same-day or next-day but sometimes the parts needed are not on island.  If your repair needs a part shipped in, it’s worth knowing that parts rarely get delivered on weekends.  Even if parts arrive on-island on a Friday, the freight forwarder may not deliver on Monday. This means getting diagnosed early in the week means your part has a shot at arriving before the weekend gap.  Furthermore, if your appliance gets diagnosed on a Friday and requires parts from the mainland, that’s rough as well because most part suppliers on the mainland won’t ship out until Monday. Therefore, if your schedule allows it, Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday (parts enroute over the weekend) are the best days to schedule a diagnostic to ensuring the repair moves the fastest.  Contrary, if the parts are on-island, Monday through Thursday is great, but avoid Fridays if at all possible.

How long does a diagnosis take?

Usually 15 to 30 minutes. If the diagnosis gets tricky, i.e. computer malfunctions, wiring problems, and/or intermittent failures, a full diagnostic can run up to an hour and a half.  It’s always best to plan for the duration of 1.5 hours just in case.  I seek to electrically and/or physically prove the fault, a definitive diagnosis which takes time and skill to isolate the exact problem.  For me, I prefer no guesswork or empirical troubleshooting – a troubleshooting strategy many adopt that is speculative and based on past observation, gut, and/or solutions from identical failures.

Do you give an arrival window, or an exact time?

An exact time. I schedule one appointment at a time rather than a block, so you’re not guessing when to be home. Occasionally a diagnosis runs long and pushes the next customer back — it’s rare, but when it happens I call or text as soon as I know, so you’re not left wondering.

Do you guarantee your repairs?

Yes — 90 days on the repair I perform.

How do you take payment?

Cash, Venmo, or check made payable to Kailua Appliance Repair.

If it turns out not to be worth fixing, do I still owe the diagnostic fee?

Yes, the diagnostic fee covers the diagnostic — it’s only waived when you move forward with a repair. I keep my diagnostic fee lower than most so the risk of calling me is small, even if the answer turns out to be “replace it.”

Do I need to be home during the repair, or can I let you in and leave?

I’d prefer you’re home. You know how the appliance normally behaves better than anyone, and hearing and seeing what you’ve describe helps me build the right troubleshooting path faster.

Do you haul away the old appliance if I’m replacing instead of repairing?

No.  When you purchase a new appliance they offer delivery, install, & haul-away service.

Do you work on older or hard-to-find models, or mainly newer appliances?

Yes, any appliance I can get a tech manual or electrical schematic for I can diagnose.  I have digital access to most of these schematics, even when the paperwork isn’t attached to the machine anymore.

Do you install new appliances too, or repair only?

Repair only.

Any appliance you don’t work on?

I have a passion for helping people find answers to nagging appliance problems, that’s why I stick to Residential appliances only — no Commercial units.

Mahalo for your time considering me for your appliance repair!  I look forward to serving you!  
~ Nick Lau