How do I handle this situation with a bad business?

Question

Refrigerator was not cooling anymore.

Called the manufacturer , and they referred me to a local business who would repair it.

The repairman was not professional in his attitude.

He hesitated when pressed for a warranty, but then said it was a 90 day warranty.

My mom showed me the invoice after he left, because his numbers did not add up.

In the estimate of repair section:

He wrote 200 for parts and 100 for labor.

He wrote 300 total plus 21 for tax.

For a grand total of 321.00 dollars.

Mom paid in cash.

YET, in the item description it states:

$88.27 FOR ITEM NUMBER da47-00295k

$8.88 FOR ITEM NUMBER da47-00243a

$5.33 FOR ITEM NUMBER da32-10109h

For a grand total of $102.48 for parts.

So I called the company.

After fighting with the cust. ser. rep. she told me this:

The item numbers and prices are for the billers. not us.

So I asked her for a breakdown of charges.

She said she does not know the prices and such, and that someone will call me back later to tell me.

Answer 1

My mother is professional at getting whatever she wants

done. It's all about aggression and intimidation. Next time you

call you need to ask the name of whoever you are speaking to,

then if they are giving you a hard time or talking in circles

then you need to tell them you want to speak to their supervisor.

Once there tell them how Unhappy you are with their service

and all the troubles you have gone through. They should then

consent with you as long as you be persistent about getting

what you want. Good luck i know will get what you need back : )

Answer 2

You should put your complaint into a letter, send it certified mail, return receipt requested (so you have proof that they got the letter).  Spell out what you want - a refund of the difference in price? whatever?  Give them a deadline - 1-2 weeks or so.  Try to find the name of the president of the company to address the letter to.  Include copies of the bills.

After the deadline has passed, report them to the Better Business Bureau - with a copy of the letter and post office receipt.

You will probably not get any results, but good luck.

Answer 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caveat_empt...

Caveat Emptor - Let the Buyer Beware

You should have done all these before you went ahead with the purchase.  Sorry, such is life, maybe you learned a lesson

Answer 4

Talk about fuzzy math!  I hope your refrigerator was repaired to your satisfaction at least.

As for resolving the repair companies questionable business tactics, you might want to contact the manufacturer again to see what they have to say.  If they aren't willing to be helpful then you might try writing the Better Business Bureau.  https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/GetSta...

There are also online consumer complaint organizations that you can use for a little leverage as well.

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/php/a_re...

In either case you should follow up all of your correspondence IN WRITING.  Better yet, let the repair business & manufacture know that you've been in touch with the BBB or Consumer Affairs by including them in your written correspondence (cc through email or snailmail).

I've had to take such measures only twice but the outcome was favorable (Classmates.com & Staples "Easy Rebate").  

Lastly, never pay for anything in cash unless you 1) know and TRUST that  the person/business you're paying is reputable, 2) you can afford to lose that money if the person/business overcharges or cheats you.

If it's a reputable company they should leave you an invoice that you can pay within a certain amount of time.

Best of luck to you!