American Plumbing & Electric Company Senior Financial Abuse Glendale California
Needed to have a switch replaced for garbage disposal. We were told a home visit would be $69.95 and if repair was made amount would be applied to final cost. Company rep was at home for 1/2 hour and replaced one switch. The bill was $385!!!! There was no reference to parts or labor on invoice. We vehemently complained about the exorbitant cost and the rep said, "lady, you should have called a smaller company, We're a big company and have a lot of overhead to pay for". My husband was here during the repair and I was out -- he is 84 years old. This definitely smacks of elder financial abuse!
The company rep started out to charge us $600 but my husband refused that amount. We priced a switch at Orchard Supply and it was 85 cents. How in good conscience can they charge us $385 or $600?!
Kathe
Danville, California
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
818electric
Los Angeles,California,
United States of America
I do not agree with you
#5Consumer Comment
Tue, August 16, 2011
Nothing you said make sense. And its not the typos that I am talking about.
When someone is called to do service, the first thing he does is getting himself to the address.
Then he prepares an estimate. This requires a diagnosis and it is the most important part of any repair.
Somehow everyone notices the time that technician spent on job site, and the money that they pay.
Lets not overlook several important parts of this:
1. The technician is not your employee and its not on your time card. He is companies employee and company sets the price, not you. If you disagree with the price, then call someone else. This is a competitive industry.
2. There are expenses associated with getting the technician to the job site. Cost of advertising, Office expenses, personnel, Automobile expenses and so forth.
3.You cant expect a company to carry all of this plus keep experts on standby ( ready to arrive within short time). just because you decided $69.95 is too much to pay.
Lets look at this this way.
No one owes you anything for free. People are not in business for charity.
818electric
Los Angeles,California,
United States of America
Are you being fair?
#5Consumer Comment
Mon, August 15, 2011
All I can see from this complaint is that you paid money for services provided.
Why is it so upsetting? Does anyone owes you a service at dirt cheap price?
If the shoe was on the other foot, say, if the company did the job and did not charge you any money, then you would feel better, right?
You did have a choice to hire them or call someone else.
And the age thing. Do the companies owe you something because you are old? Now switch the shoe again. How many times in your life you did work for someone elder and did not charge them anything?
Just stop it!
We all want to win, save, get it for nothing and so forth.
If it is so upsetting to pay for work done, then why don't you consider either doing it yourself or even cheaper, just live with the broken switch.
And the truth is, that you are trying to put a price on peoples work.
Most of people already know the price of their own work. Those who don't , are few and long apart.
Keep looking for that poor fellow.
Randy
Forney,Texas,
U.S.A.
File
#5Consumer Comment
Tue, November 25, 2008
File a report with the better business bureau
Anonymous.
Los Angeles Ca,California,
U.S.A.
beware
#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Tue, November 25, 2008
switch and bait it is a rip off by all means it is inteeded to be that when looking for a contractor and the customer service rep ask's for and ad code in the yellow pages hang up the phone it is a scam prices start at 69.95 and up to 99.95 if the worker does this 5 times a day he wil mak 35 per$ comm on all colls consumer beware