- Report: #566478
Complaint Review: LivingDirect.com Compactappliance.com - Internet
Reported By:
Deb -
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
LivingDirect.com Compactappliance.com
Austin, Texas Internet, United States of America
Phone:
Web:
Compactappliance.com
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
LivingDirect.com, Compactappliance.com Rick Lundbom CEO Bought washer/dryer combo unit for $1,000 - brand new didn't work at all - company giving me a hard time in asking for replacement Internet
I bought an Equator washer/dryer combo unit for about $1,000 a few weeks ago and it came to me damaged, with a big dent on the back of the unit. I called CompactAppliance/Living Direct and they said it should still work. They said they will give me a second year warranty to compensate. I said OK. Welll, the unit didn't work. The cold water valve leaked! So I tried to get a new one. CompactAppliance/Living Direct said I can only ship it back if I paid for it AND I had the original shipping package. I told them the shipper took the original shipping package. So how could I possibly return it? Oh, and it will cost me $300 to ship it back to them! That's outrageous! Then they said now the unit is under warranty so I have to get Equator to fix it. I told them it was brand new from their Web site and if the unit is defective, they should replace it! They refused to budge. I had to tweet their CEO Rick Lundbom, who promised to act. So far all I had was a technician appointment from Equator. From reading all these posts, it's useless for us to complain online. We must take action by writing or calling the consumer affairs unit of the Attorney General's office in Austin, TX. I remember that American Home Shield was sued in a class action lawsuit for inept service and billing issues. AHS lost and had to pay homeowners. I still have that law firm's name - they sent me a notice that I could be due a claim. It's time to stop complaining against CompactAppliance/Living Direct. It's time to take action. The law firm is DAVE & NORRIS LLP, 2154 highland Ave. South, Birmingham, AL 35205. Phone: 1-800-439-0240. (I am not affiliated with this law firm.)
Also try to contact the Federal Trade Commission and the local news media in Austin, Texas. The local media will care only if it's a company in their city.
If we persist and not let this company get away with its outrageous behavior, we will be doing other consumers a favor. This is our civic duty, folks! It stops with us!
1 Updates & Rebuttals
B. ford - service manager
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
Response to Equator Combo issue
#2UPDATE Employee
Thu, February 11, 2010
I have reviewed the customer's complaint and account records and found the following:
Compact Appliance is aware of this customer's situation related to the leaky water valve on her newly received laundry unit and our service supervisor, Rudy, has been working directly with her to rectify the problem. Our understanding from phone conversations with the customer is that there is a leaking issue related to the cold water valve of the unit's hose connection. As with any threaded water connection there may be times when you will need to employ "plumber's tape" to secure the seal when connecting a faucet or hose. This does not necessarily indicate a defect with the unit. We did suggest that the customer attempt this quick fix but she indicated that she did not feel comfortable applying the tape. We understand that everyone has a different comfort level related to installation so we suggested the next best course of action given that the unit was already installed in her location and she had disposed of all original packaging. Our next suggestion was to have a certified Equator service rep visit her location and either apply the tape for her to the faucet or switch out the water valve on the unit. The service visit would be free of charge as the unit is under warranty. We took steps to arrange the service visit for the customer and it was to occur on Wednesday, February 10th. We spoke to the customer today (2/11) to confirm if the visit took place and if the leak had been fixed and she indicated that she had rescheduled the visit for Saturday. We will be checking in again with her on Monday to verify if the service visit took place as planned and if the problem has been corrected.
Please know that we understand how frustrating it can be to receive an item and have it not perform as designed right out of the box. With items such as laundry units installation concerns come into play which are not always related to a defective unit. This is why we ask that a service technician review the unit (free of charge) as more often than not a solution is found and the problem corrected negating any need for the customer to repack the unit or wait for a replacement unit to arrive. Compact Appliance will continue to assist this customer as needed to ensure they ultimately end up with a working unit in a timely manner.
In summary, we have assured this customer that we will make certain she has a working unit and have stepped in and arranged the service visit on her behalf which she chose to reschedule. We will continue to assist her until the problem is fully resolved and our service supervisor has made himself available to speak with her any time she wishes to contact him.
Brian Ford
Director of Customer Relations
Living Direct, Inc.
[email protected]
