Appliance Repairman

Run a mile from the Appliance Repair Guys! Our 13-year-old washing machine recently stopped working properly – the drum was not spinning during wash or rinse cycles, so we already knew it was most likely a broken belt. We found the Appliance Repair Guys online and called them. When we called, the telephone receptionist informed us that they charged $80 for the call-out, but if we decided to have them perform the recommended repairs, they would waive the $80 call-out fee. When the service technician (who was always very courteous) arrived, he turned on the washer, opened the lid, and said that the drum wasn’t spinning and it was probably a broken belt—which we had already figured out! Then he told us that he could service the washer and that the fee would be $280 + tax, for a total of $316. Since he was already there, we signed the form for the service, assuming (wrongly, as it turns out) that, for that amount, it would include the belt repair. After a few minutes of “servicing” the washer, the technician then told us that it would cost a further $600, including tax, to fix the machine because it was not just a broken belt, but also a broken ball bearing, and that it would take 2 technicians to repair it because the drum had to be taken out (so, double the labour cost). The total was going to be $900 for the entire service. We didn’t think we wanted to put that much money into an older machine, so we told the technician that we’d think about it. Going by what the receptionist had told us on the phone, we figured that we would be billed $80 because we had declined the repair service. Wrong again! They billed us $316 for a “tune-up/labour review” that just told us what was wrong with the machine and with no repair whatsoever. So now, we’re out $316 and still have a broken washer. This company gives out misleading information and charges an exorbitant cost for a mere diagnosis. For the $80 call-out fee, the technician essentially does no more than step in the door. Then there is the encouragement to sign on for $316, which customers assume, and which should but doesn’t, include some level of repair. Avoid this company!