Update: A freezer story shifted my thinking on customer chats before fixes
I was fixing a freezer that kept acting up. The owner's funny tale about buying it at a yard sale made me see that knowing its past helps spot trouble faster. Do you talk with clients about how they got their machines?
My dad's shop always asks where appliances came from. We figured out a washing machine problem once because the guy mentioned his basement flooded last year.
Your dad's got the right idea. Location history explains so many weird faults. Basement floods cause mold in washers. Garage units deal with dust and temp swings. Always ask where it's been, fixes half the problems right there.