NAC Direct FAQs.

Nobody wants to drive to a job and find that the part you’re going back to fit is either incorrect or damaged! Not as a self employed engineer anyway!

That’s why, we need to check all parts for the upcoming repairs are both correct and undamaged. This will stop wasted visits for these reasons and ensure that every slot, every day, is productive.

Nobody wants out-calls! Not as a self employed engineer anyway!

That’s why, we tell all of our customers, that the engineer will send an ETA the evening before the visit. This allows the customer time to make sure that it’s suitable and allows them time to reschedule if needed, either that evening via our online chat, or first thing in the morning. Also, some customers place a repair one day and change their mind before the visit. This communication is the one that triggers that notification, meaning we don’t travel to a cancelled repair.

As a business on the whole, since bringing this process in many years ago, “out calls” have flatlined, meaning every slot, every day, is productive.

Be transparent with the customer about what is required for the appliance. However, as you will not know where parts will be sourced from or their cost, you should inform them that you do not have access to our pricing or part numbers.

The office will send a quote via email, which will include lead times. To ensure a quick turnaround, the job must be processed on ServiceMate in real time.

In this instance, you are in a position where you cannot both prove the fault and repair the fault. On that basis, you need to send the job back confirming that you have checked all electrical and mechanical components and that you suspect that it’s a system fault, but unable to prove it. We will then manage that job by means of either a re-allocation to an engineer that has the skills / equipment or cancel the repair and issue the customer a refund.

Providing that you have the skills and equipment to proceed, the following process should be followed:

• Confirm that the refrigerant is R600a. Note – In instances where the refrigerant is anything other then R600a, upload an image of the rating plate indicating the refrigerant type and amount (in grams) and treat it as a normal ‘Parts Required’ repair so we can allocate it to another engineer if applicable.
• Explain to the customer that you need to attach a Line Tap for testing purposes and they cannot be removed once fitted unless the unit is scrap and only after any refrigerant has been removed. The cost of the Line Tap has to be added to the job by searching and adding Part Number: HOUSE-LT

Carry out a system vacuum and test for a leak.

If the system passes a vacuum test:

Add the following part numbers (whichever apply):

• Single unit refrigeration (integrated or freestanding): House-RS
• American Style refrigeration: House-RS-AM-FF

Then please proceed to carry out the waiver:

• Click the ‘Waivers tab’. Click the drop down ‘Add Waiver’, then choose ‘Refrigeration Regas’ option.
• A waiver form will now be shown on the screen – The customer or bill payer must be shown this and read in full.
• Customer or bill payer must then fill in the form with Name and Signature and confirm by pressing the ‘I understand and would like to proceed’ button.

Once the form has been completed, a waiver form is uploaded to the job and a copy is emailed directly to the customer.

If the system does not pass a vacuum test:

Complete the repair and explain to the customer that there is nothing more we can do.

If you are on a job and have no signal, or the signal is too weak to process the ServiceMate job card, ask the customer if you can connect to their WiFi to complete the job. This will allow you to finish the necessary administration without needing to return to it later.

If WiFi is unavailable, take all required images and store them on your device. Once you reach an area with better signal, return to the job card and process it using the stored images.

When you attend a recall and discover that the recall is warranted, the customer should not have to pay for the visit. In these instances, call the PV Team and we will remove any recall charge so you can process the job.

Yes, it is advisable to inform the customer of any issues that may affect the appliance’s performance and if applicable, provide a quote for any additional parts.

However, please remember that our goal is to repair as many appliances as possible. When quoting for parts, use your discretion—for example, if a dishwasher’s cutlery basket is starting to break but the customer has not reported it as a concern, it may be best to only order parts for the reported fault.

In most cases, our engineers work alone. If an appliance cannot be easily removed, we will ask the customer to make arrangements to ensure it is accessible. Once this has been done, we will return at a later date to complete the repair.

Our Terms and Conditions state the following:

11. Unable to remove appliances

It is your responsibly to ensure the appliance is accessible for the engineer’s visit. Whilst we will use reasonable endeavours to remove both freestanding and integrated appliances, in instances where an engineer cannot remove an appliance due to the way it has been installed or because there is a risk of causing damage, we may request that you arrange for the appliance to be removed before the repair and refitted after the repair. Where we ask that you remove the appliance, we will re-attend at a later date at no further cost to you to carry on with the repair. In instances where an engineer attends and cannot remove the appliance, our Service Charge remains payable.

If on arrival, you discover that there is no parking available, or only paid parking available, please contact the PV Team who will liaise with the customer to find a resolution.

In no circumstances, should you abort a visit based on parking issues, without contacting the PV Team.

You need to establish whether this is a FAFTFAF (Fix A Fault To Find A Fault) or a mis-diagnosis.

FAFTFAF:

This is where you concluded your previous diagnosis correctly, but now you have rectified one fault, it now shows another. An example of this would be an appliance reported as “No Power” where you determine that the power is going in to a PCB, but nothing from there. After fitting the new PCB, you see that the appliance now powers up, but the motor or another component will not operate.

In this situation, you should leave the part on the appliance and diagnose the new issue. If the newly discovered issue needs a spare part, then process another Part Request.

Mis-Diagnosis:

If your original diagnosis was incorrect, you must remove the new part for return. From there, you should re-diagnose the original complaint. If the result is that you need a different part, then process another Part Request as normal.

If you cannot prove a part as faulty, then in most instances, we cannot quote for the part. There are some exceptions here, especially where PCBs are concerned as they are a non-testable component, but almost all other electrical parts can be tested using a meter.

Where you cannot get an appliance to fault, we would prefer you to fully explain the situation to the customer and close the job as “No Fault Found” and record the tests that you carried out. It may be that an intermittent fault that may be present, may need to become a permanent fault before we can identify the correct cause.

Always report the facts and submit all jobs that require parts as a part request, even if you believe the appliance is BER (beyond economical repair). The decision to proceed with a repair or replacement lies with the customer, not us.

In rare cases where an appliance is genuinely beyond repair—such as a fridge/freezer with a blown wet wall—you may inform the customer that no repair is possible.

Yes, you can fit your own van stock parts. To do this please call the PV Team stating the part number and the job number. They will then liaise with the customer to take payment and you can then complete the repair on ServiceMate.

In no circumstances, should you fit your own spare parts and charge the customer directly as this muddies the guarantee aspect of the repair and NAC may refuse to return to that customer if there’s a problem later down the line.

If you fit van stock parts, we will send a like for like replacement to you.

No. We manage all that either at the point of you administrating the job on ServiceMate, or via our PV Team once your part request has been received.

We have an extremely low wrong part identification ratio, so it’s better to leave us do what we do best. With that said, please note that if you supply a part number, and we rely on that to identify the part, and it turns out to be incorrect, we may deduct the cost of that part from your next invoice and you would be free to keep the part.

Once a month, we will provide a list of parts that need to be returned. These parts are all either damaged, incorrectly requested or misdiagnosed parts that NAC need to return for credit.

Please send these back to:

NAC
4 Calder Close,
Calder Park
Wakefield,
WF4 3BA

These parts must be returned within 7 days of the request, using Royal Mail Special Delivery.

You can submit the postage receipt with your next invoice, and the cost will be reimbursed.

If parts are not returned within the 7-day window, and this prevents NAC from processing the return within our supplier’s deadline, the cost of the parts (cost to NAC + VAT) will be deducted from your next invoice.

Most machines have the same components that simply look different. Don’t be worried or nervous about working on new brands.

If you ever need specific assistance, we may have access to service manuals or other helpful documents that could assist you. However, we would always start by insisting that you start by focusing on the basics, such as metering individual components and visually inspecting PCBs. If you’re still uncertain after checking the machine, consider visiting one of the many Facebook Groups, where fellow engineers frequently swap technical help and knowledge. Here is a link to a group that is especially helpful: https://www.facebook.com/groups/whitegoodstradeforum

If you exhaust all of the above and you need some specialist help, please contact the PV Team and someone will reach out.

Invoice / Payment rates from you to NAC are as follows:

• Single Repair: £50.00
• Additional Appliance (same address): £25.00
• Regas Sundries: £25.00 per system recharge
• Gas Repair Surcharge (where a Gas Safe Registered Engineer has carried out a Gas Repair as defined by Gas Safe): £15.00
• Recall Payment (where a reduced payment has been collected on a recall visit after concluding that the recall is not valid): £25.00

These charges are subject to VAT if you are a VAT registered business.

NAC pay all invoices weekly on Fridays. In order to receive payment weekly, the following must be adhered to:

• Invoices for completed repairs submitted correctly by midday every Monday
• All invoices submitted, must only contain job numbers of unpaid and newly completed repairs

Important:

Invoices submitted after midday on Mondays, will not be paid that week.

Invoices where we find that incorrect job numbers have been added, will be rejected for correction and will need resubmitting the following week.

When attending a repair for a Samsung washing machine or tumble dryer, you must image and upload the correct rating plate, which is located on the rear of the appliance. This plate contains essential model variant details that the parts team requires to identify the correct parts.

The small sticker inside the door, which only provides limited model details, does not include the model variant and should not be used.

Going forward, failure to upload the correct rating plate from the back of the machine will result in an additional admin visit to capture the required image.

Please refer to the example images of Samsung rating plates that must be uploaded to job cards. If you have any questions, please get in touch.