Minx BBQ, Grill & Patio Heater Sales, Service & Repair

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. Most of my jobs have to do with grills or patio heaters that will not light with the igniters. This is most typically caused by blockages in the pilot of patio heaters, bad ignition components such as spark generators, wires, or electrodes, and sometimes bad regulators.

Some of the time the grill or patio heater is just not working as good as it should and just needs some TLC.

Q. Describe three recent jobs you've completed.

A. Enlarged an existing grill cut out, and installed a new PGS 27" stainless steel grill in Mountain View CC, La Quinta.

Ran electrical and gas lines, and installed four OCI remote controlled suspended patio heaters in Estancia CC, in La Quinta.

Cleaned and serviced a Lynx grill in PGA West.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. In my opinion, look for an independent that is willing to work on all major brands. This will mean that the service provider has experience working with and diagnosing many different problems on many different systems. The more a service provider has experienced on the job, the greater chance the service provider will diagnose a problem correctly and quickly. This will save you time, money, and frustration.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. I guess one of the toughest things to determine when purchasing a grill or patio heater, is how to tell which grills and patio heaters are the best investments. A lot of grills and patio heaters have great features and look pretty, but they are made of lower quality materials that fail quickly and do not get as hot as higher quality units. Beware of units that have tons of features but cost very little, the features hide the fact that these are chinese imports that, in my opinion, do not hold up or work as good as they should. The low cost makes these grills and patio heaters "throw away items" and in the long run, you spend more and experience more frustration. Spend the extra money and get a grill with a lifetime warranty and you will not be sorry.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. Asking how many years of experience the acutal service tech has is important. Service techs come and go, and just because a business has been around for 10 years, does not mean that the actual service tech has 10 years of experience. The service tech may be new with less than a year of expereince.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. When I get a call for service, I usally ask for the following information: brand name of grill or patio heater, LP or Natural Gas, problem, and whether the patio heater is a free standing unit or one hung from above. This information usually gives me a clue as to what the solution to the problem may be, what things to bring with me, how long the repair should take, and if I may need to order parts.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I have worked with grills and patio heaters for 5 years. I am an independent service tech with very low overhead. I work on all major brands, providing the best service, at the best prices.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I have always been a problem solver. I like the challenge of diagnosing and repairing grills and patio heaters. I also like meeting new clients, and satisfying their needs.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. The most common ask question is "Which is better, charcoal or gas?" My answer is gas, less mess, better temperature control, and higher heat means more consistent, better cooked meals. You can add a smoker box, if your grill doesn't have one, and get the smokey flavor you get from a charcoal grill.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. My customers should know that I am a repair tech first. My first goal is to fix your problem, and get your grill or patio heater working again so you can use it. My second goal is to inform my customers about potential problems down the road so they can be addressed at the time of the initial service and repair, or at a later date based on what my customer wants. My thrid goal is to provide new grills and patio heaters at a fair price. Some providers will try and convince you that you need something new, instead of fixing what you have. I will let you know up front if it is cost effective to fix or replace your grill or patio heater, but my emphasis is always on repair first.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I have always been hands on when it came to tinkering with things since I was a child. I went to work for Pride Piper Inc. of Palm Desert servicing grills and patio heaters. When Pride Piper Inc. went ouf of business in 2009, I decided to carry on the tradition of quality service at a fair price by going into business for myself.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. I am factory trained and certified by Lynx Professional Grills and I attend all of the seminars I can .

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. The latest development has been made in Patio Heaters. Lava heat now has the pyramid shaped heaters with the Pyrex glass tubes in the center. These heater generate 61,000 btu's of heat, are remote controlled, have three setting, HI, MED, and LO, and have an industry leading 10 year warranty. Lave heaters are the first year round heaters that can be used on LO during the warmer months for ambiance.

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. My pricing is fairly simple. A one hour service/repair call is $105.00. This includes a one time trip charge of $35.00. If a service or repair takes longer than an hour, I bill at $70.00 per hour for additional labor. Parts are additional.

I have coupons on the internet that will save customers $10.00 on the inital service call labor.

Some of my repair work requires the ordering of parts and a return trip to install the parts. If the installation of the parts will take less than 30 minutes, I do not charge labor on the second trip. If the installation of the parts requires me to take the grill or patio heater apart to install the parts, I bill the labor at $70.00 per hour.

For service rate comparison, please go to my website.

Q. What is your greatest strength?

A. I service and repair all brands of outdoor grills, patio heaters, and fire pits. This means that I am familiar with all of the products that are avaialbe. I know where to go to get the parts to make repairs. I also know the pros and cons for each brand, which brands are the best, and which brands will provide my customer with the most long term satisfaction.