Smart Solution Appliances — Local services in San Francisco

Me and my wife recently picked up a free Whirlpool gas range off of Facebook Marketplace. FREE! And the best part of that was that the previous owner had purchased the house and the oven was replaced so it was LIGHTLY used. When I say lightly, I mean that the pilot light wasn't even burned in, and the oven was sparkling. No caked on oil stains, or any of that matter.

But here's the caveat to this review and story. So I went and picked it up with my father since he has a van. We drove to Pacifica, brought it back home and all we had to do was wipe it down and make sure all the nooks and crannies were clear of webs, bugs, etc, since it was sitting in the previous owner garage for some time.

We installed it and turned on all the tops to make sure they worked. Turned on the oven the day of to bake bread, worked flawlessly. Next day my wife decided she wanted to bake something else with it and all of a sudden the oven would jump our circuit breaker. We were unsure what was the cause since it could be anything. Bad control panel, ignitor, too much power going to the circuit, etc.

So we left it alone and decided well, since it was free, we can get it fixed. We had just gotten back from a lengthly trip, so I finally made the jump and looked up for any sort of appliance repairs in the city. I chose Smart Solution Appliances and I spoke to Stanley. We made an appointment, and the next few days, Will came over and inspect the stove. I had showed him what exactly happens and it did indeed jump my circuit breaker. He took apart the oven and said it could be many things but he tried the most common ones, such as a possible bad control board or bad wiring. He took apart the original ignitor and tried one that he had brought with him to test. We turned the oven on for ten minutes on multiple outlets and it worked like a charm. We then tried the broiler, works perfectly fine. Turns on. He did inspect the control board and said it looks fine and brand new, no issues.

Oh! I do want to note that they do give you a 90 day warranty in case anything pops up or something happens during that period so they can come back and check.

Thanks again, Smart Solution Appliances, and thank you...

Both the owner Stan and his technicians delivered as promised. They were professional, on time, and succeeded in the repair of an old ASKCO washer dryer where replacement parts were difficult to secure. So I give them 5 stars!

One note I would make is that they initially offered a short warranty (on parts and labor). To me this is a mistake from a business model perspective. The parts have an expected useful life by the manufacture, Smart appliance can generall rely on this, the quality of the technicians labor is under the control of Smart Appliances so to provide a longer warranty seems like a low to zero cost offer (to Smart Appliances) and provides a higher comfort level to the customer.

Untimately in the SF Bay Area, people have money so they are clearly analyzing the opportunity cost (which includes hassle in at least equal parts to money) of just buying a new appliance. In this comparative analysis spending a bit less and just repairing what one already has might be an attractive alternative to save the hassle if it is indeed less hassle.

In poorer places this calculus is different because without consumer finance buying a new white good may be prohibitive but in SF that is not the case. So it comes down to convenience. It is somewhat more of a hassle look, purchase, and install a new appliance vs. just having Smart Appliance come over and repair what one already has. This is an advantage to Smart Appliance BUT one is more reticent to do this if the warranty they provide is too short to make the 'juice worth the squeeze'. If you pay for the repair and in 12 months it breaks again (after the short warranty period) then just buy a new applicance and move on. However if the warranty is for 18 months or 2 years then it becomes more interesting over just buying...

I can't say enough good things about Will and Stan at Smart Solution Appliances! They recently saved my 30-year-old washer/dryer combo after the switch that toggles it from washer to dryer broke. The part is no longer made, but that didn’t stop Will. With incredible resourcefulness, he replaced it with a new toggle switch—and joked that my machine is now a spaceship! I was curious about how he learned to fix appliances so creatively, and his response amazed me. Will, who grew up in post-Soviet Ukraine, explained that resourcefulness is a way of life there. People don’t throw things away or take them to repair shops; they figure out how to fix them themselves. That attitude and ingenuity shine through in every job he and Stan do. Over the years, they’ve repaired several of my other appliances, always with care, precision, and an understanding of how important affordability is for those of us living in a city as expensive as San Francisco. Their dedication to helping people is truly inspiring. If you’re in need of appliance repair, give Will and Stan a call. They’re not just technicians; they’re miracle workers! You won’t be...