How the business started
Ben Jodoin grew up in a Van Nuys cul-de-sac watching his father, a Hughes Aircraft machinist, take apart anything that didn’t work — toasters, lawn mowers, the family’s ‘74 Frigidaire. By twelve, Ben was rewiring his mom’s broken Maytag in the garage. By eighteen, he was the kid neighbors called when the fridge stopped cooling on Thanksgiving morning.
After high school he spent three years as a factory-trained service technician for one of the major Korean appliance brands, learning the inside of every refrigerator and washing machine they sold. Then four years as a regional warranty contractor, driving service calls across Los Angeles County for big-box retailers. He saw what made customers angry — late arrivals, vague quotes, parts swapped for no reason, “you should just buy a new one” without doing the math.
In 2009, with his wife Rachel keeping the books out of their Sherman Oaks dining room, Ben opened San Fernando Valley Appliance Repair to do it the opposite way.
“If I wouldn’t fix it that way in my own kitchen, I’m not doing it in yours.”
— Ben
What “family-owned” actually means here
Sixteen years later, the truck still has Ben’s name on it. The phone number on the truck is the number that rings to his cell. He runs a small bench of Valley-raised technicians he trained himself — most of them grew up here, several started as part-time helpers in high school and stayed.
Rachel still does the books, the scheduling, and the calls you make after dinner. She knows who you are if you’ve called before, and she’ll tell Ben you’re on the schedule before he even sees the appointment book.
We don’t have a call center. We don’t dispatch from Phoenix. We don’t sell your information to anyone, ever. The voice that picks up the phone is the same family that’s coming to your kitchen.
The crew
Ben Jodoin — Founder, lead technician. EPA Section 608 Universal certified. Factory-trained on Sub-Zero, Wolf, Thermador, Miele, GE Monogram, and Bosch. Member, United Appliance Servicers Association. On the road four days a week, mostly on the harder pro-range and built-in calls.
Rachel Jodoin — Operations, scheduling, accounts. The voice on most of our morning calls. She’s the one who’ll text you a heads-up that the tech is 20 minutes out.
Three full-time technicians — Each Valley-raised, each trained in-house by Ben for at least six months before going out on solo calls. They all live within ten miles of the Sherman Oaks shop and they each cover a Valley quadrant.
One part-time apprentice — A CSUN engineering student who rides along on the larger pro-range and built-in calls. He’s been with us since 2023.
That’s the whole company. Five and a half people, three trucks, one phone number.
How we work
Diagnostic fee waived if you approve the repair. We’ll come out, look at the unit, and quote the work in writing. If you approve, the diagnostic fee disappears. If you don’t, you pay the diagnostic and that’s the end of it — no pressure, no callbacks, no upsell.
90-day labor warranty plus the manufacturer’s parts warranty. If the same fault returns within 90 days, we come back free. Most of our parts come with 1–5 year manufacturer warranties on top.
Parts on the truck for the most common Valley failures. A meaningful share of our calls finish in one visit because the right part is already in the van. The other share — usually rare control boards or sealed-system components — we order and come back at a time you choose. No hourly meter, no day rate.
Honest replace-vs-repair math. If your unit is past its expected life and the repair cost is approaching 50% of replacement, we’ll say so. We’d rather lose this job and earn your call when the next appliance breaks. That’s how we’ve kept customers for sixteen years.
What we don’t do
- We don’t service commercial kitchens (Garland, Vulcan, Hobart). Different licensing, different parts, different pricing. We can refer you.
- We don’t do appliance installation as a standalone service — but we’ll install a unit we’re servicing if it makes sense.
- We don’t sell appliances. We can recommend reputable Valley dealers we trust.
- We don’t service homes outside the Valley. The whole point of the company is local. If you’re in Westwood or Glendora, we’ll point you to a Valley-equivalent we trust in your area.
Why the truck has Ben’s name on it
Because he stands behind every job that goes out. If a tech makes a mistake on your appliance, Ben hears about it the same day, and Ben comes back the next morning to fix it. That’s the whole brand.
Ready to call?
Call (818) 463-0584 during business hours and Rachel or Ben will pick up. After hours, leave a voicemail or use the contact form — we return calls within 15 minutes during business hours and first thing in the morning if it’s after-hours.