How to describe a fault so the technician arrives prepared

A technician who knows what is waiting arrives with the right part, the right tool and enough time. A technician who does not arrives only to find out, and then has to come back. The difference is not skill; it is the five minutes you spend describing the fault beforehand. This page sets out exactly what we need from you, and how to put it into a single message to Goldy Maintenance.

Start with the model, not the appliance

"Washing machine" is not information. "Automatic washing machine, seven kilos, model number on the label inside the door frame" is. Control boards, motors and heating elements differ between two models of the same brand, and parts are ordered against a model number, never against a product name. The label usually sits behind the unit, underneath it, or inside the door frame; on smart devices the model appears in the settings menu. Photograph the label and send it — one picture replaces a long exchange of messages.

Describe the symptom, not the diagnosis

Your job is to describe what happens, not to name the fault. "The capacitor has gone" steers the technician towards a theory that may be wrong; "it runs for five minutes, cuts out, and works again once it has cooled" leads him straight to the cause. The questions we always ask are these:

• What does the device do, and what does it fail to do? Dead entirely, starts then stops, or runs but underperforms?
• Is the fault constant or intermittent? Intermittent is harder, so pin down when it appears: from cold, after an hour of running, or under a particular load.
• Is there a noise, a smell or heat? A click, a buzz or a burnt smell can halve the inspection.
• Any message or error code? Copy it exactly, character for character, or photograph the screen.
• When did it start? And did a drop, a spill, a power cut, an update or a new installation come first?

Photographs and clips: what to capture

A useful set is three pictures: the whole device in place, the model label, and a close-up of the damage — a cracked screen, a water mark, a bent port, a scorched connector. Where the fault is a sound or a movement, ten seconds of video says more than a page of description; record it while the device is running and hold the phone close to the source. Send all of it in one message, along with the job number if you already have one.

Tell us what you already tried

This is the thing people withhold most often, and the thing that matters most. If the device has been opened elsewhere, if a part was swapped, if a connector was tried or a setting changed, say so at the outset. Nobody is judged for having a go, but a technician who finds missing screws or a non-original connector without being told loses time explaining something that needs no explanation. The silence costs you, not us.

Prepare the space before the visit

A good description deserves an easy arrival. Clear the area around the device, make a power point available, have the relevant charger or cable to hand, and know the passcode if the check requires the device to be switched on. Where the unit is heavy or built into a tight space, tell us on 009004 before the appointment so we send enough people with the right equipment. And if your data matters more to you than a working device, say so in the first message, because that priority changes the entire approach.