Whether the technician comes to you or the item goes to a workshop depends on the kind of job, the size of the appliance and the parts involved. The pros and cons of each, the cost difference, and a few rules that prevent trouble before you let something out of your hands – all in this guide.
What "home / workshop / both" means in the app
On every AmarKarigor profile the technician states how they work: at your home, at their own workshop or shop, or both. The list can be filtered to show only technicians who make home visits. "Both" usually means small jobs at home and bigger ones at the workshop – ask specifically in chat.
Jobs that are almost always done at home
The work happens where the appliance is installed – no workshop involved:
- AC: servicing, gas refill, capacitor, PCB, fan motor (only a compressor swap sometimes goes to a workshop)
- Plumbing: taps, basins, toilets, pipe leaks, water pumps and tanks
- Electrical: wiring, switchboards, fans, lights, geysers, IPS connections
- Fridge: relay, thermostat, door seal, gas and leaks (many replace compressors at home too)
- Washing machine: drain pump, belt, inlet valve, door lock
- Locks, furniture, painting, gas stoves, sewing machines
Jobs that usually go to the workshop
When fine soldering, special equipment or trying parts before fitting is needed, the workshop is better – the job is cheaper and more reliable there:
- Board-level TV repair (mainboard, T-con); backlight and power-board jobs are often done at home
- Laptop motherboard, display and hinges; servicing and SSD/RAM upgrades happen at home
- Mobile phones – almost everything at the shop
- Microwave magnetrons, the internal boards of an IPS/UPS
- Motorcycle engines; minor servicing outside your door
- Water-pump motor rewinding – the pump is taken away
The difference in cost and time
A home visit carries a visit fee – the price of the technician’s travel and time. At the workshop many charge only a check-up fee, or waive it if you go ahead with the repair. But taking it there means your own travel, the risk of moving the item (a large TV panel cracks with a slight twist), and a wait of a few days.
Rule of thumb: for anything large or heavy (AC, fridge, washing machine, TVs over 40 inches) a home visit is almost always cheaper and safer. For small, valuable items (phones, laptops) a workshop is fine – as long as it belongs to someone you trust.
Six rules before handing anything over
If the workshop is unavoidable, these prevent disputes later:
- Write in chat: what is being taken (brand, model, serial number), what the fault is, and what went with it (remote, charger)
- After diagnosis and before the work, confirm the final price and timing in chat – "will let you know after inspection" should be on record
- For a laptop or phone: back up, sign out and set a screen lock first; change passwords when it is back
- If parts are replaced, ask for the old ones back – keep them
- Test it as soon as it is returned and get the warranty in writing
- Do not pay everything upfront; if parts need an advance, get a receipt
What to ask the technician in chat
"Can this be done at home, or does it need to be taken away?", "What is the visit fee, and is it folded into the price if I go ahead?", "How many days at the workshop?", "Who buys the parts?" – with these four answered in chat, both sides hold the same record. Compare the "typical price" range on the profile, and record the final price in the app when the job is done.
- Large and heavy appliances (AC, fridge, washing machine, big TVs) – call the technician to your home.
- Board-level work, phones and laptop motherboards – the workshop is fine.
- Visit fee at home; check-up fee at the workshop – know both in advance.
- Before handing over, note model, serial, fault and accessories in chat.
- Take the old parts back, test on return, keep the warranty in writing.