Calls for more government oversight of the appliance repair industry go unanswered

In a follow up to a Speakers Corner story about a GTA appliance repair business facing multiple accusations of unfair business practices, calls increase for the government to step in.

Earlier this month, Speakers Corner reported on hundreds of customers of a GTA appliance repair company who say they were ripped off.

The company in question is also facing a list of criminal charges filed by Consumer Protection of Ontario after being accused of unfair business practices.

CityNews spoke with Phil Watkins, who organized a Facebook group with nearly 200 members who have complaints about the company.

“The complaints are either the repairs that they quote are bogus or they come in and say ‘this needs to be fixed,’ and then they put a shoddy part in or it doesn’t need to be fixed at all,” shared Watkins.

While the charges the company faces have yet to be proven in court, many people reached out to Speakers Corner following the report to say complaints about appliance repair companies are not new — they have been ongoing for years.

“This industry is riddled with scam artists,” Sal Malandrino told CityNews. He’s been in the appliance repair industry for decades and during much of that time has been pressuring the Ontario government to regulate the industry.

“There’s a lot of scammers out there just walking around with a toolbox with zero training. That’s all you need is a toolbox and you could claim whatever you want and do whatever you want,” said Malandrino. “One of the biggest scams is what we call service call chasers. They come into your home, collect the service charge; pretend they’re going to fix your appliance by saying they need a part, and you never see them again. This is happening all the time.”

He’s been calling out Ontario for not requiring Appliance Repair Technicians to be certified. Currently, there are 23 skilled trades where certification is compulsory in the province.

To legally work in one of those trades, you must hold a valid Certificate of Qualification, Provisional Certificate of Qualification, or a Registered Training Agreement. Consumers are also able to research online to see if the person they intend to hire has the proper certification.

While there is a certificate program for appliance repair offered by the government through Skilled Trades Ontario, having one is only voluntary, not compulsory.

“And it should be,” Malandrino said. “I’ve been fighting this for years. If we can get some kind of program — and I have no problem paying into that program — that says every person has to be certified, where technicians can show you a badge, or people can search them online before paying, it could cut down on some of the bad actors out there.”

Malandrino points to Alberta — the only province in Canada which requires appliance repair technicians to be certified.

“If we did that here at least consumers would know who they’re letting into their home has some kind of qualifications to do the work. Something to protect the people out there.”

Speakers Corner reached out to the Ministry of Labour, Immigration Training and Skills Development, which could make that change. We asked why appliance repair certification is not compulsory and if there are any plans to change that. A spokesperson refused to answer that question.

Malandrino argues as complaints about the industry increase, the time for change is now.

“Each home has multiple appliances and at some point will need repair so this impacts a lot of people,” he said. “It’s not that complicated. Have a way to allow people to search to see if the person they are hiring has been certified by the government and that everything’s in order. I believe it will help weed out these fly by night service call chasers.”

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