Service contracts, in plain terms.

What your coverage actually says, what it quietly excludes, and how to raise a charge with the vendor when the invoice and the contract disagree.

Start hereWhat to know before you approve a repair invoiceThe whole picture in one page: plan types, the seven parts of a contract, every kind of invoice line, and the order to check them in.What commercial kitchen service contracts actually coverParts-only, parts-and-labour and full-coverage contracts differ in ways that decide who pays for a repair — and the exclusions that catch people out.6 min read How to dispute a repair invoice, with the clause that backs youA practical sequence for challenging an overbilled invoice: what to gather, how to cite the contract, and when a charge is not worth disputing.5 min read Six charges worth questioning on a repair invoiceCallout fees, shop supplies, rate drift, duplicate travel, unreturned parts and diagnostic time — billed on covered repairs with no clause behind them.5 min read Can missed maintenance void your coverage?Most contracts require documented periodic maintenance. What the clause actually demands, what you must evidence, and when a declination does not hold.6 min read What to do when a coverage claim is declinedA declination is a position, not a verdict. How to read one, what to ask for, which grounds rarely survive scrutiny, and when to accept the answer.5 min read What to check before you renew a service contractRenewal is the one moment you have leverage. The equipment schedule, rate escalation and exclusion creep worth checking before you sign again.6 min read Refrigerant charges: what you can actually be billed forRefrigerant is billed by the pound, and the pounds are rarely checked. Recharge, leak repair, reclamation, disposal — and which your contract covers.5 min read Is a failed compressor covered? It depends on why it failedThe compressor is named in almost every coverage clause and declined more than any other part. The failure modes, and which way each one cuts.6 min read What a service report has to say before an exclusion appliesThe technician's report, not the contract, decides most coverage disputes. What a complete one contains, and the phrases that decide the outcome.5 min read Ice machine repairs and the water treatment clauseIce machines are declined more than anything in the kitchen, almost always on water quality. Which failures that argument reaches, and which it doesn't.5 min read Deductibles, caps and the limits that quietly reduce coverageA plan can cover a repair in full and still leave you paying most of it. The four different limits that do it, and the arithmetic worth checking.5 min read Manufacturer warranty or service contract — which one pays?A single unit can sit under three agreements at once. Which responds first, and where the overlap quietly costs you money.5 min read The equipment schedule decides more claims than the coverage clauseContracts cover named units, not kitchens. How schedules drift, and why a missing serial settles a claim before anyone reads the coverage clause.5 min read Trip charges, travel time and the response-time clauseThree different charges all look like travel, and a response-time commitment is not authority to bill for one. What to check before approving.5 min read Combi ovens and steamers: scale, water treatment and coverageSteam equipment concentrates minerals the way an ice machine does. Which failures a water-quality declination actually reaches, and which it cannot.5 min read How parts are priced, and what the contract says about itCost, cost-plus, list or a contract price list — a covered repair can still be overpriced. Core credits, freight and the checks that catch it.5 min read Is a torn door gasket covered? Check whether it counts as a wear itemA door gasket is settled by a definition before a diagnosis: named part, wear item or contract silence. How to read each, and the labour line beside it.5 min read Is a failed evaporator fan motor covered? Look at what stopped itEvaporator fan motors fail from wear, ice, blocked airflow and water. Which causes a contract covers, and who pays for the stock lost while the box warmed.5 min read Is a dish machine wash pump covered? First, find out who owns the machineMany dish machines are serviced under a detergent supply agreement, not an equipment contract. Who pays for a failed wash pump, and the causes that decide it.5 min read