A Toronto area firm that does appliance repair work throughout the GTA, Hamilton, Barrie and Oshawa has run afoul of the Better Business Bureau.
The Appliance Repair Guys are also known to Action Line readers, whose issues have been raised in previous columns.
According to the BBB of Central Ontario, more than 100 consumers have filed complaints against this firm since Jan. 1, 2014. The business, which is not BBB accredited, has left the majority of these disputes unanswered or unresolved, the BBB says.
A BBB investigation has resulted in a continued F rating — first registered in April 2014 — and a warning to consumers, according to Fiona Dunbar, the agency’s manager of dispute resolution and information services.
“Complainants allege they agree to an $80 service call. The technician arrives at their home, diagnoses the issue, tells them the problem can be fixed and gives them a quote to sign. When the repair begins, the technician suggests new parts are required causing the price to quickly escalate. In many cases the problems are not fixed, leaving the consumer with a large bill and an appliance that does not work,” she said in a news release.
In its warning to consumers, the BBB cites the case of a customer left with a $600 bill and an appliance that doesn’t work. Another complainant, according to the BBB, alleged the firm’s employee “left my house without speaking to me, exiting out the door when I wasn’t looking.”
The BBB says it made attempts to advise the company of this complaint pattern, but the complaints continued. Dunbar told Action Line the Appliance Repair Guys have not commented on the agency’s warning to consumers.
We asked Dan Vidoser, of the Appliance Repair Guys, about the BBB warning. On June 2, we received a reply from company representative Anthony Bassi.
“Appliance Repair Guys serviced over 20,000 customers in 2014, with well over 1,000 returning customers in 2015,” Bassi told us. “It’s important to keep in mind, when dealing with such volumes, it’s nearly impossible to please everyone.
“The some 100 complaints have all been addressed and dealt with, regardless of the BBB’s involvement,” he said. “Almost all were resolved to the customers’ satisfaction. Appliance Repair Guys’ strategy is not to deal with third parties, such as the BBB and rather to communicate and deal with our customers directly. We will not be making any further statements or communications.”
The Appliance Repair Guys and Service 4 Appliances are business names used by Ontario Corporation 2289848. Both firms state their offices are at 400 Creditstone Rd., Concord, Ont. They share the same local Hamilton area phone number.
Incorporation papers show that 2289848 began using the name Service 4 Appliances in 2011, and started using the name Appliance Repair Guys on Nov. 1, 2013. Both identify Idan Vidoser as a corporate officer.
The Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services has received 56 complaints and inquiries about Appliance Repair Guys since 2013 and 47 about Service 4 Appliances since 2011, according to issues and media analyst Sue Carroll.
Source: thespec.com
Story posted here: ACTION LINE: Consumers warned to be wary of appliance repair firm
