GE Appliances Erweiterter Garantie-Kundendienst

My fridge has been acting odd, so I'm unsure if this is a sign that it's time to replace it. It's about ten years old, and I know that's pretty old for a fridge, but it's been solid and fits into an odd etched area inside my cabinetry. Replacing it is going to be a problem, so if I can repair it for a low enough cost, it would be worth it despite its age. That is why I ended up calling the GE Appliances service line so that I could figure out what the best approach is. 

In the past, when I've had an issue with any GE appliance, I just call this number, and I get the Service Protection Advantage department, which is basically like the warranty program for GE. It costs money to purchase the program,  but I've used it in the past, so I always purchase it now when I buy a new appliance. It's worth having the coverage and the peace of mind when a major appliance stops working. The line probably gets a lot of phone calls because GE makes a lot of appliances, and if there are decades of products across the US, a lot of people could potentially need help. 

With that in mind, my ten-minute wait was not too long, but I would have appreciated it if the automated voice spoke a little slower. It rattled off the options so quickly that I had to listen twice before I figured out which number to press. When I called, the automated voice greeted me with the following directive, "Thank you for calling Service Protection Advantage. We are glad you called; please listen to the following menu to see how we can help you or help resolve your needs. To schedule the repair of your product, press 1. Already scheduled repair but need to check the status, press 2. To file or renew your contract or get a quote on a product, press 3.To make a payment on your contract, press 4."

None of these options really fit what I needed, which was a price quote on a repair, but I went with three because I figured at least I could talk to someone. My plan worked because, after a long wait, I was able to talk to an agent about what was happening to get a rough idea of what the repair might cost me based on the potential issue. I ended up scheduling the repair with the disclaimer that if it ended up being something else, it may cost more.