‘How are they still in business?’: Scorned customers of appliance repair company speak out

More than 100 GTA appliance repair company customers are banding together to take legal action after they say their numerous consumer complaints alleging shoddy repair work and requests for refunds have gone unanswered.

“These are customers from Mississauga, Oakville, Etobicoke, really all over the GTA,” said Phil Watkins, who lives near Hamilton and is a customer of The A Team Appliance Repair. Watkins, who says he paid the company to repair a microwave but never received the correct part or a refund, started a Facebook group in hopes of bringing awareness about the company.

“I started this group and was shocked at how many people had similar experiences,” he said. “I get an email nearly every other day from another person who claims this company has ripped them off.”

Linda Goranson, who lives in Toronto, required an appliance repair company after her clothes dryer stopped heating in October.

“I searched online and they were the first company to pop up,” she told CityNews.

She paid an $80 service fee and technicians told her it would be an additional $200 to fix the dryer.

“He said the dryer was fixed but shortly after he left, I put in a load and it didn’t work. The heat was not on again. I was furious.”

She contacted the company and was told she would need another part.

“I asked, ‘Why do I need another part, the technician said it was fixed?’ They didn’t really have an answer but said I needed a new heat sensor,” she explained. “I said fine, order the part and let’s get this fixed but they said I had to pay $380 first before they would order the part.”

Goranson asked if she could pay by credit card but the company refused.

“They only accept cash or debit,” she said. “They said I could do an e-transfer, but I don’t do that so they sent someone to my home with a debit machine to pay, which I did.”

She was told the part would take around three business days to arrive, but when 10 days had passed she reached out to the company.

“They went on for like a week or two about it being in transit. And then they said, ‘Actually, it’s not available, but we should have it before Christmas.’”

Discouraged, Goranson did what she admits she should’ve done from the start – she researched the company online.

“As soon as I did this my heart dropped,” she said. “All of these consumer websites are full of negative reviews about this company.”

HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS LISTED ONLINE

The A Team Appliance Repair has an “F” rating on the Better Business Bureau’s website with a total of 783 consumer complaints, many of which have gone unanswered.

“The complaints are all the same,” Watkins said. “Either the repairs they quote are bogus or they came in and said, ‘this needs to be fixed’, and then they put a shoddy part in or it didn’t need to be fixed at all.”

Nancy Calvert-Koyzis and her husband David, who are from Hamilton, hired the company back in June after their dishwasher broke.

“The repair guy said it was the electrical board and it would be $800.”

The couple was told they had to pay a portion of the part upfront before it could be ordered.

“We paid $591 down, and then he said we could pay the rest when he came back with the part,” Calvert-Koyiz said. “He said he would be back the next day but cancelled. Then we waited three weeks with no response. We invited another repairman over and he said, ‘No, it’s not your electrical board at all’ like the A Team had told us. It’s a $30 valve and he charged us $225 for repairing the whole thing.”

The couple says to date, they have not received a refund despite making numerous requests.

“We should’ve done our homework,” they said.

GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO TAKING ACTION

The Ontario Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, which runs Consumer Protection of Ontario, has received hundreds of complaints about the company and on its website has listed The A Team Appliance Repair on its “beware list.” The Ministry accuses the company and its Director, Chen Kochavi, of violating the Consumer Protection Act on several occasions.

“In this case, the ministry has taken action to investigate, issue notices of contravention, and lay charges against the business and its director,” a ministry spokesperson told Speakers Corner. “The ministry has laid 17 charges against the business and 17 more against the Director.”

The charges range from unfair or false and misleading business practices, failure to deliver valid contracts, and failure to issue refunds.

The A Team Appliance Repair and its Director have not been convicted.

“This matter is before the courts, we are unable to comment further,” the spokesperson said.

Penalties imposed by a court on a conviction under the current Consumer Protection Act may include a fine of not more than $50,000 for an individual and not more than $250,000 for a corporation, a restitution order, and/or a term of imprisonment for an individual of not more than two years less a day, per offence.

Speakers Corner visited the company’s offices in Markham and an unidentified woman spoke to us saying they are working on dealing with complaints but when asked, the representative did not say how.

“That’s our business. We’re not gonna disclose that,” she told CityNews. “What we do to help these people is on us.”

We also sent an email to the company to get a response from its leaders or legal representatives but have not yet heard back.

FORMER CUSTOMERS CONSIDERING LEGAL OPTIONS

Watkins, who is in touch with more than 100 former customers of the company, says he has been hearing from some people who’ve been issued refunds after they were requested.

“But there are still several more who are still waiting including me.”

Watkins is hoping to start a class action lawsuit, something Attorney Rocco Scocco – who specializes in fraud cases – says is within their rights.

“There are ways to do class actions, but there are also ways to do what’s called mass torts, where a collection of people, even up to 100, can retain a lawyer or paralegal and work together,” he said.

“They can sue employees who are directly participating in these unfair practices. They can sue directors who are controlling the company as well.”

Watkins has not yet filed in court, he’s in the process of compiling a list of customers – a list he says is growing by the day.

Goranson said she would like to add her name to the list. She’s now out the money she paid the company and still left with a dryer that doesn’t work.

“I now have to buy a new dryer which is what I wish I had done in the beginning to avoid all of this,” she said. “At this point, I just want my money. I’d love them to apologize too, but that’s never going to happen, but I’d love my money back.”

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