Complaint Review: Appliance Docor

My spouse found this business, Appliance Doctor on Craigslist Nashville. Yesterday, while attempting to follow modification instructions on the internet, my wife broke a part.

Together, we looked up a replacement part and found it available for $40 refurbished to $80 new from the factory. The part is a water sensor with two keyed electrical connections and a single small clamp hose.

We decided this morning to call a repair company. My wife called, and provided the washer model number, an explanation of the problem, and the part number she required. She asked for them to bring out and install the part. The advertisement said "no service fee if you use us".

A repairman arrived, looked at the part, and quoted my wife $300 for the part alone. According to my wife, the repairman refused to look at the washer and did not write down either the washer model number or the missing part number. Given this remarkable quote, and that the service man did not bring the part as my wife had requested on the phone, she said "no" to having any additional work done.

At this point, the service man demanded a $60 service fee, written to "Kevin Grace". Not knowing what else to do, my wife wrote a check.

Immediately after the service man left, my wife called me to explain the problem. It was my lunch hour, so I immediately drove to our bank to put a stop payment on the check, since no service at all was rendered, and the company had been provided ample information over the phone and had done nothing we'd asked them to. When I arrived at the bank, 15 minutes after the serviceman had left our home, the check had already been cashed. Not deposited - cashed. This strikes me as the behavior of someone who frequently has to beat stop payment orders to the bank.

My bank explained to me that my only remaining option is to file a police complaint for fraud, which I intend to do.

I called the company's provided phone number and explained what I'd been told, to which the only disagreement provided by the company was that they had examined the washer and determined that, like my wife had told them over the phone, it was broken. The company refused my demand for a refund, and further, when I told the company that my bank recommended I file a police complaint for fraud, the company told me to "go ahead".