Before you call
Questions we are asked
The same handful of questions comes up on most first calls. They are answered here in the same words we would use on the phone, so nothing is a surprise later.
Nothing below is a marketing answer. Where the honest reply is no — another make, a cooking appliance, a repair not worth doing — it says no, because a call that ends in the first minute is better for both of us than a visit that ends the same way.
If your question is not here, ring (904) 664-4866 and ask it plainly. You do not need the right vocabulary for any of this.
What we work on
The shortest section, and the one worth reading first, because it rules out more calls than it takes.
- Which appliances do you actually work on?
- Sub-Zero refrigeration only: built-in refrigerators and freezers, integrated columns, undercounter units, refrigerator and freezer drawers, wine storage and ice makers. That is the whole of what Sub-Zero makes — there are no Sub-Zero ovens, cooktops or dishwashers.
- Do you repair other brands?
- No. We work on one manufacturer's refrigeration and nothing else, which is the reason the second and third time we see a fault it looks familiar rather than new. If your appliance is another make, we will tell you straight away rather than take the call.
- Are you affiliated with the manufacturer?
- No. Loretto Cold Service is an independent appliance repair company. We are not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by Sub-Zero or its parent company. Brand names and model numbers are used only to identify the appliances we service.
Booking a visit
Hours, the area we drive to, and what is worth having in front of you when you pick up the phone.
- What are your hours?
- Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 6:00pm, and Saturday 9:00am to 4:00pm. Closed Sunday. Calls left outside those hours are answered the next working morning. We do not advertise a 24-hour or emergency service, because one shop cannot honestly promise it.
- What should I have ready when I call?
- What the cabinet is doing, when it started, and whether it changed gradually or suddenly. If a display is showing something, read it out. If frost or condensation is involved, note where it is thickest. That is usually enough to know which parts to bring.
- Which areas do you cover?
- Mandarin and the neighbourhoods around it: ZIP 32223, 32257 and 32258, from Beauclerc at the north end down to Julington Creek at the county line, including the Mandarin Road riverfront. Roughly a 25-mile radius from the middle of Mandarin.
What it costs
One flat diagnostic and a written estimate before anything is ordered. No hourly billing and no separate trip charge.
- What does the diagnostic visit cost?
- A flat $129. That covers coming out, testing the system and telling you what is wrong. It is credited toward the repair if you go ahead with the work, and you get a written estimate before any part is ordered or any labour begins.
- Will I know the price before the work starts?
- Yes. You get a written estimate before any part is ordered and before any labour begins. If the estimate is not what you expected, you are free to stop there, and the only thing you owe is the flat $129 diagnostic you already agreed to.
Parts and warranty
What goes into the cabinet, how long you wait for it, and how long it is covered once it is in.
- Do you use genuine parts?
- Genuine OEM parts throughout. Parts are covered for 365 days and the labour for 90 days. We do not fit pattern parts to sealed systems or to controls, because a part that does not match the original specification is a repair that comes back.
- How long does it take if a part has to be ordered?
- Common parts are usually on the van. Where something has to be ordered, we tell you the expected wait at the time of the estimate rather than afterwards. Mandarin is compact, so the return visit is generally a short trip to arrange.
Where to read more
Longer answers elsewhere on this site
- What it costs — the diagnostic, the estimate and what we will tell you not to repair.
- Warranty — where the cover begins, where it ends and how a claim is made.
- Repairs — the Sub-Zero refrigeration faults we work on, one page each.
- Streets we cover — the parts of Mandarin we drive to and what is different about each.
- Porch notes — what a symptom actually means, written for the person who owns the appliance.