A PLUS APPLIANCE REPAIR

Bad very bad terrible ethics

My 13-year-old Brand X washing machine suddenly stopped agitating and spinning and was making some weird grinding noises, so I called the "Brand X Appliance Repair" listing in the Chicago Yellowbook. This was a one-line alphabetical listing rather than the display ads you see for certain other brands, but a nice lady answered the phone and said they would be able to provide service same day and that there would be a $69 minimum charge for the visit. Sure enough, a guy called, said he could be there between 10 and 12, and seemed confident he could fix the problem. He called again a little after 12 to say he was late but on his way. He showed up in his own car--no company truck--but immediately diagnosed the problem as a bad transmission gear, which he could replace for $159. I thought that a little high but said OK and he set to work. He seemed to know what he was doing at first but ran into some difficulty and ended up doing a lot of banging on the motor assembly with a wrench. He eventually got the new gear in place and the machine back up and running, though maybe a little more noisy than ever. He suggested this was because the pump was about to go, which would cost an additional $60. I declined the additional work and he had me write a check to "A Plus Appliance Repair", a name not previously mentioned. Well, I thought, more outsourcing. However, a few days later I noticed water leaking from under the machine. I thought about calling back but checked the Brand X website first and found they did not list A Plus as an authorized repair service. I contacted the site about this, and they said anyone could advertise themselves as qualified to service their machines and there was nothing they could do about it--apparently even if the provider lists itself using the company name. This was news to me and might be to others. Bottom line is I thought the service was not great, the advertising deceptive, and I've decided it's time to look for a new machine.

They were polite and courteous. They even cleaned up their mess. I think they did a really good job and the washing machine works fine now. They arrived on time for the appointment as well.