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Replacement & Changeover Across Canberra
Appliance Replacement Without the Runaround
Choosing it, collecting it, installing it and taking the old one away — handled as one job, instead of you chasing a retailer, a delivery driver, an installer and a tip run.
Book online and save 10% on your Service Call Fee.
Already had us diagnose the appliance? There's no second Service Call Fee.
Start Here
Where Are You Up To?
People arrive at replacement from different places. Find the one that sounds like you — the next step is different for each, and it's shorter than you'd think.
"I haven't bought anything yet"
Start with a diagnostic visit. We measure the space and confirm what the connections will actually take — the cutout or cavity, the electrical capacity of the circuit, the water and waste — so you can buy knowing it will go in.
We don't sell appliances, so there's nothing we're steering you towards. Where a local retailer can pass on the commercial pricing normally offered to GBRS, we'll refer you — you buy directly from them, with no obligation.
The visit isn't wasted either: it counts as the diagnosis, so there's no second Service Call Fee when we come back to do the changeover.
Next step: book a visit online, or ask us a question first.
"I've already bought it"
Then we're straight into the changeover. Send us the sales invoice and tell the store that GBRS will be collecting — if it's still sitting at a Fyshwick retailer, collection is free as part of the service.
If it has already been delivered to you, that's fine too. Book the changeover and leave it boxed where it is. Fridges always go this way, as we can't transport them.
Next step: book the replacement online and email us the invoice.
"You've just told me it isn't worth repairing"
Then you don't start again. We already have the model, the measurements and the way it's installed on file, so the replacement carries on as the same job.
There's no second Service Call Fee. Minimum labour applies unless that job's labour cap has already been reached, and the same 2.5-hour cap carries across — for up to three months after our first visit.
Next step: reply to the email your invoice came in, so your job number comes with it.
How It Works
How an Appliance Replacement Works
Five steps, and only two of them are yours.
Work out what fits
Usually a diagnostic visit: measurements, connections, electrical capacity and access, so what you choose can actually go where the old one was. If we've already diagnosed it, that's done.
Buy the appliance
You buy it directly from the retailer, or ask us to buy it for you. Either way the appliance is yours and the manufacturer's warranty is in your name.
Send us the invoice
Email us the sales invoice and tell the store GBRS will collect. That's what the store needs before they'll release it to us.
We collect it
Free from a Fyshwick retailer as part of the service, provided it fits our vans. Fridges are the exception — have those delivered, and we work with it at your place.
Changeover day
Old one disconnected and removed, new one positioned, connected, levelled and tested. The old appliance and the packaging leave with us.
What we need from you
- The sales invoice for the new appliance, and a word to the store that GBRS is collecting it.
- The make and model of what you've bought, so we know what the connection and the fit will involve.
- Clear access on the day — a path from the door to the appliance, and the bench or cupboard around it emptied.
- Someone home. We need to get to the appliance, and the changeover has to be signed off before we leave.
Buying the Replacement
Where the New Appliance Comes From
GBRS is a repair business, not an appliance retailer. We don't hold stock and we don't sell you the appliance — which means the advice you get about what to buy has nothing riding on it. There are two ways to get the appliance, and you can pick either.
Option one
You buy it
Buy from whichever retailer you like, in store or online. You deal with the retailer directly, the invoice is in your name, and the manufacturer's warranty is yours.
Where a local retailer can pass on the commercial pricing normally offered to GBRS, we'll refer you — there's no obligation attached, and you're free to shop elsewhere.
Option two
We buy it for you
If you can't or would rather not — you're out of town, or simply short on time — we can purchase it on your behalf from our trusted Fyshwick retailer.
We charge a 10% service fee on top of the store price for doing it, and any store discounts or promotions still come to you rather than to us.
Two things worth knowing about where you buy.
- Free collection is a Fyshwick thing. Our workshop is in Fyshwick, so collecting from a Fyshwick retailer costs us a short run and costs you nothing. Buy further afield and we can still do the changeover — just tell us when you book so we can sort out the timing with you.
- Referral doesn't mean exclusivity. We have no arrangement that requires you to buy anywhere in particular, and we don't earn a commission on what you choose.
Why Use Us for the Changeover
One Job Instead of Five Phone Calls
Replacing an appliance yourself means a retailer, a delivery slot, an installer, sometimes an electrician, and then working out what to do with the old one. Each of those is a separate booking, and each one blames the next when something doesn't line up. Doing it as one job removes the gaps.
Straight on from the diagnosis
If we've already looked at the old appliance, nobody has to be told the story twice — and there's no second Service Call Fee.
Wired-in work is normal work
Built-in ovens and cooktops are usually wired in, not plugged in. Our founder is an electrician and there are electricians among our technicians.
Advice with nothing riding on it
We don't sell appliances, so when we say a model will or won't fit, that's the only thing behind the answer.
The old one leaves with us
No tip run, no waiting for a council collection, no appliance in the carport for a month. The packaging goes too. Fridges are the exception — we get those ready to go, but can't carry them.
The installation is warranted
We warrant our installation for 12 months. The appliance itself carries the manufacturer's warranty, in your name.
A local team, not a contractor
Canberra-owned since 2015, working out of Fyshwick. The person at your door is one of ours.
Still weighing it up? Our repair pages set out what's usually worth fixing and what isn't — washing machines, dishwashers, fridges and ovens, stoves and cooktops. A repair is often the better value, and we'll say so when it is.
What You're Paying Us For
What We Take Care Of
The point of the service is that one team handles the whole changeover. Here's the full list, and the short list of things that need a different trade.
We handle this
The whole changeover
Before the day
- Advice on what will fit your space and connections
- Purchasing on your behalf, if you'd rather not
- Free collection from a Fyshwick retailer
- Transport to your home
On the day
- Disconnecting and removing the old appliance
- Unboxing, positioning and levelling the new one
- Electrical connection, including wired-in appliances
- Reconnecting to existing water, waste and drainage
- Testing it runs before we call the job done
On the way out
- The old appliance — every type except fridges
- The packaging the new one came in
This needs another trade
Work on the building, not the appliance
- Gas connections. Connecting or disconnecting a gas appliance is a licensed gas fitter's job — we're not licensed gas fitters.
- New circuits, outlets or switchboard work, including a capacity upgrade for an induction cooktop.
- New water or waste points where none exist.
- Cabinetry work — enlarging a cutout, altering a benchtop, modifying a cupboard.
We work on the appliance, not the building around it. Where one of these comes up we'll say so plainly, and flag it before the day where we can.
Fridges are the one thing we can't carry. We aren't set up to transport fridges at the moment, so a new fridge needs to be delivered to you by the retailer, and the old one stays with you for disposal. Everything else still stands: the retailer referral and commercial pricing where available, connecting and testing the new fridge on site, and disconnecting the old one and getting it ready to go.
Some changeovers need two technicians — heavy appliances, and dryers coming off or going onto a wall mount, both do. Where that's the case, the second technician's time is charged as labour at the standard rate, as set out under Rates & Discounts.
Appliance Types
Appliances We Replace
Household appliances, freestanding or built in. Where a type has something particular about it, it's noted — the rest are straightforward.
Washing machines
Front and top loaders. Reconnected to your existing taps and waste.
Dryers
Including wall-mounted. A new bracket position may be needed if the model has changed shape.
Dishwashers
Freestanding and integrated. An integrated model usually needs the cabinetry door panel transferred across.
Ovens
Wall and under-bench. Most are wired in rather than plugged in, which is normal work for us.
Cooktops
Electric, ceramic and induction. The new one has to suit the existing benchtop cutout, and induction needs an electrical connection with the capacity to run it.
Freestanding stoves
Oven and cooktop in one. Width and the gap it slides into are what matter most.
Fridges and freezers
We can't transport fridges — have the new one delivered. We'll connect and test it, and get the old one ready for disposal.
Rangehoods
Where the existing installation allows. The new hood has to suit the opening, the cabinetry and the duct outlet already there — we don't modify cabinetry, ceilings or ductwork.
Something else?
Tell us the appliance type and how it's installed and we'll tell you whether it's a job for us.
Fridges work differently. We can't transport fridges at the moment, so a new fridge has to be delivered to you by the retailer and the old one stays with you to dispose of. The rest of the service is unchanged — we'll still refer you for commercial pricing where it's available, connect and test the new fridge on site, and disconnect the old one and get it ready to go.
Gas appliances are the other exception. We can handle the electrical side and the physical changeover, but connecting or disconnecting the gas has to be done by a licensed gas fitter. Tell us when you book so the visit can be planned around that trade.
Worth Checking First
Things to Check Before Your Replacement
Almost every replacement that goes sideways does so for one of a handful of reasons, and every one of them is easier to sort out beforehand than on the day. Send us the model number of what you're considering and we'll check these with you.
The space it goes into
Height, width and depth of the cavity, cutout or gap. Appliance sizes have drifted over the years, so a like-for-like swap isn't always like for like.
The way in
Doorways, corners, stairs and lifts. A fridge that fits its alcove perfectly still has to get down the hallway.
Whether we can carry it
Free collection covers appliances up to 1.2 m wide, 1.3 m high and 1.5 m long. Fridges we can't transport at all — have those delivered.
The electrical supply
Whether the old appliance was plugged in or wired in, and whether the new one draws the same. Induction is the usual catch — we'll tell you the capacity of your current cooktop so you can match it.
Water and waste
We reconnect to points that are already there. A fridge with an ice maker, or a machine moving to a new spot, may need a plumber first.
Built in or freestanding
Built-in appliances have to suit the joinery around them. An integrated dishwasher usually needs its door panel moved to the new machine.
Clear Costs
What a Replacement Costs
You pay the retailer for the appliance, and you pay us for the work. Our side is charged the same way as any other visit — Service Call Fee and labour — and what you pay depends on whether we've already been out.
After We've Diagnosed It
$100
(Min. Labour, no Service Call Fee)
- No second Service Call Fee.
- Min. labour applies unless that job's labour cap is already reached.
- Applies for up to 3 months after our first visit.
Replacement on Its Own
$150 + $100
(Service Call Fee) + (Min. Labour)
- Min. labour includes the first 30 minutes.
- Extra labour: $16.67 per 5 min after 30 min.
- Book online to save 10% on the Service Call Fee.
Capped Price Labour
Labour Cap: Maximum 2.5 hours per appliance, the same as a repair, however long the changeover takes.
Labour past the first 30 minutes is charged in 5-minute increments at the published rate. Where we've already diagnosed the appliance, that job's cap carries across to the changeover — minimum labour applies unless you'd already reached the cap, in which case there's nothing further to pay in labour. Some changeovers need a second technician, and where they do, that technician's time is charged as labour as well.
What isn't charged extra
Free as part of the service, provided the appliance fits our vans — 1.2 m wide, 1.3 m high and 1.5 m long. Fridges we can't transport.
Taking the old appliance and the packaging away is part of the changeover, not a separate disposal fee. Old fridges we prepare for disposal but can't take with us.
Save 10% on the Service Call Fee by booking online, and 2.5% on labour by paying in person by card at the end of the visit.
If you ask us to buy the appliance for you, that's the store price plus a 10% service fee — and any store discount or promotion still goes to you. Travel outside Canberra, payment methods and the full labour rates are set out under Rates & Discounts, and the detail sits in our Terms & Conditions of Service.
Book a ReplacementGet a Quote FirstWho Turns Up
Local Technicians You Can Trust
GBRS has been looking after appliances in Canberra homes since 2015, from a base in Fyshwick. The people who diagnose your old appliance are the people who install the new one — not a delivery crew you've never met.
The people who turn up
Qualified, and kept current
Tait started GBRS in 2015 after a career in electrical repair; he's an electrician with degrees in engineering and IT. Between our technicians we have degree-qualified engineers, electronics specialists, electricians and multiple Cert IV qualifications — which is what makes a wired-in oven or cooktop changeover ordinary work rather than a specialist call-out.
Reviews we don't get to write
Every completed GBRS job triggers a feedback request through ServiceM8, and this feed is what comes back — across repairs, replacements and everything else we do. We don't write the reviews, pick which ones appear or take any down.
Before You Book
Appliance Replacement Questions
Need Help Replacing an Appliance?
If you know what you're replacing, book the changeover and save 10% on the Service Call Fee. If you're still working out what to buy, send us the appliance type and the measurements of the space and we'll tell you what will fit.
Book a ReplacementPrefer to talk it through? Call 02 6190 0457 or email enquiry@gbrs.com.au. If we've already been out, replying to your invoice email is quickest.
Canberra appliance repairs without the runaround. Save 10% on the Service Call Fee when you book online.