Washing machine clutch replacement
I originally called Harbor Appliance Repair, a local company run by a man named Jim, whom I've used for several years and trusted completely. It seems that Jim has retired and sold his phone number to this company. The technician came to diagnose a loud noise in my washer during the spin cycle. Immediately upon hearing it, he said it was the clutch, which is a common repair item on this model as I understand. We made an appointment for him to come back and repair it. He makes appointments similar to Telus or Shaw, "between 9 and noon" or "between 3 and 5". This was not very convenient for me, as we've got a 2 year old trying to maintain a sleep cycle, but I wanted to get the washer fixed so I didn't protest. He arrived for the first appointment and went to work. When he was finished for the day, he said he needed a new part and would have to come back. He left my laundry room in an absolute mess, with greasy smudges all over the floor and greasy hand prints all over the washer, the walls and even on the soap pump on my sink. It took me about an hour to clean the floor, the grease was extremely difficult to get off. He arrived for the second appointment and again went immediately to work. When he was done, the washer was still making the same noise. He said that he tried to use a reconditioned part to save money and it was not going to work. This time he left us with the washer assembled so we could use it despite the noise. Once again, the laundry room was covered with grease and so was my sink, the walls, the soap pump, etc. By this time, I had run out of days off and so my wife had to clean the laundry room while I was at work, and while trying to distract an active 2 year old. Before he arrived for the 3rd appointment, I tried to cover the floor as best I could with cardboard. Once again I had to leave for work before he arrived. When he saw the cardboard on the floor he made a comment to my wife something to the effect, "I would have cleaned up but I wasn't finished yet". Finally, the 3rd visit was the charm and he got everything working again. Once again, after he left, we had to de-grease and clean. After he'd left, I noticed gouges in the linoleum floor and gouges in the wall from where he tipped the stacking washer/dryer to access the bottom of the washing machine. Although it was extremely inconvenient, I don't fault this guy for having to come back 3 times to fix our washing machine. I know that once you get into a job there can be more to it, and that's reasonable. What is not reasonable, is leaving a customers home in such a state, especially with a 2 year old running around. Its unprofessional and really just plain gross. I have no doubt that this guy is skilled in fixing appliances and eventually, he did fix mine and its been working fine since. Unfortunately, the mess he left us with 3 times did it for me. I can't recommend A-Plus Appliances and will not have him back in my home.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $500.00
- Company Response
Dear Madame
As a technician, our goals are always to keep our clients satisfied. When we do come to your house on the weekend and spend a number of hours on your washing machine, our minimum expectation is to hear a thank you. Before we leave our client's house we always ask them to check for anything else they would like us to do before we leave and you confirmed everything is good. Don't you agree that you should have given us a call to raise any further concerns with us?