Famous Appliance Service Company

Charged $256 for Dryer door after being told it was $125 an hour and he was there for an hour. Told them I would dispute the charge if they didn't honor there ordinal quote and they came back and took the part out of my dryer.

I was so impressed with this company when they repaired my refrigerator the same day. The part was on the truck, the technician was on time and gave me great service and tips for keeping all my appliances up and in excellent operating condition. There prices are fair and worth it. Thank you Famous Appliance I will recommend to all my family and friends.

I just got off the phone with you guys and I want to summarize the conversation and what we agreed to.

I will only be charged $75 for the visit, and will be refunded the rest of what was charged to my card: $349.71. I am posting this here both because I want to ensure this is honored (I received no confirmation) and because now that I've seen other reviews and feedback on here, I am starting to grow concerned that this business is a little predatory.

Here are the details of what transpired, and why I am asking for a refund:

- My appointment was supposed to be from 12pm - 3pm. The receptionist called me at 3:15 to tell me the technician was running late. He did not arrive until 4:15.
- He arrived without gloves or a mask, and did not ask me if I wanted him to wear them. I felt uncomfortable requesting it as some people are posting VERY strong opinions online and in the news about not wearing masks. So asking someone to put one on is scary. It should have been done as policy or at least he should have asked.
- He assessed the refrigerator, and explained that it was the water valve, which had gone bad with normal use. That it was a straightforward repair.
- He then coughed in the kitchen, and assured me "I'm not sick."
- Then he explained the next steps / invoice for parts and labor.
- He said there was a "slight markup" on the part so not be alarmed if we Google it and it looks higher, because people seem to get upset about that. I assumed it would be maybe a 50% markup, which is pretty standard.
- Then he said there would be a 25% restocking fee if we cancelled once the part came in, because the company "doesn't want to have parts lying around the office," but didn't make it clear that when I paid the fee while he was in my home, that the part was being ordered direct from the factory in that moment, or that I couldn't cancel it before the part was shipped.
- When I asked if it was really worth repairing because $425 seemed very expensive, he said "well absolutely because a new refrigerator is $2000" and he explained that if I purchased the repair ($425 in total with tax) right then, the visit fee would count toward the total. So I felt pressured to make the decision right away.
- He then entered all my credit card information but told me not to sign the iPad due to Covid (but he didn't think a mask was important?) so he marked it with a big "X" meaning I never actually even signed any agreement.
- After he left I started to think it through and felt kind of uneasy about the whole situation. I just started to really feel like it felt off that there were so many warnings about up-charges and fees, and even weirder that he didn't actually have me sign the agreement. So I reviewed the invoice and did some research.
- The labor being charged for the part replacement is $188, which seems incredibly high for a straightforward repair. I was under the impression it would be fairly quick to fix.
- The invoice lists $208 for the water valve, and that part is available online for $30, and even direct from Fridgedaire it is only $70. So $208 is more than a "small markup."
- Our refrigerator is only $1100 on BestBuy.com, not $2000, so the repair is like 40% of an entirely new refrigerator.

I called to try and cancel the repair within 15 minutes of the technician leaving. I said I was happy to pay the $75 fee for the visit, but didn't want to get it repaired after reviewing the numbers, as I was starting to feel uncomfortable with the whole thing. The manager was incredibly rude and told me the part had been ordered and that "I agreed to all of this" and that it's not his problem. I tried to explain that I didn't feel like I was given the right information, and that technically I didn't agree as I didn't sign anything (and that even that felt weird like they knew getting my signature was maybe crossing the line). He insulted me and said I don't know what I'm talking about. When I said the lack of safety equipment made me uncomfortable he said that I should have asked the technician to put it on (again, that's a touchy subject for many people).

When I asked why he couldn't look into cancelling the part because there is no way it was already shipped when it had only been 15 minutes, he said that that's not how it worked and I agreed to it. And that if I didn't pay the fee he was going to send it to a collections agency. The escalation felt incredibly uncalled for. I then asked him why he wasn't willing to work with me on this. That I was happy to pay for the technician's time as agreed, but that the whole thing was just making me feel taken advantage of and I felt like I was pressured to purchase the repairs. That I called right back when I thought about what had happened and realized it just wasn't cost effective. He said that it wasn't his problem, that there was nothing he could do about the restocking fee. So then I asked him if we could get creative. Given that the technician was late, could he discount the visit fee instead, so that I still only pay $75 total. He said no, and then said he needed to call the technician. He called the technical and then called me back, and offered me 50% off the restocking fee. I again said that I didn't feel that the restocking fee was fair, and that I felt like they were price gouging and taking advantage of the fact that I know nothing about appliance repair. He yelled at me, so I then said I would contact my credit card company, the Revdex.com, and the city (because they didn't follow Covid safety protocols). At that point he yelled at me "Well what do you want?" And I reiterated that I was happy to pay for the visit and nothing else, and he said "Fine if it will get you off the phone" and hung up on me.

I expect to receive a refund for the $349.71. I am contacting you to ensure this happens. I also think this business should be investigated as marking up parts prices by 600% does not seem standard, and I am concerned that they are taking advantage of people during covid and not being transparent about their prices, potentially because their business is hurting.

BEWARE!!! I used these guys years ago for a dryer and was very satisfied so I did not even think to look at the reviews. Well after diagnosing a problem with my ice maker I was talked into spending just under $900 to repair it as it is an upper end appliance and Aaron said it would run forever if I had them fix it. (I know insane) When two sets of parts did not fix the problem I got a head turn from Aaron saying they didn't know what else to do. They even took it to their shop for a week and said it worked fine. (I don't believe that just by the way he was so negative and pessimistic about it when it was brought back) For the two and a half months dealing with these guys was nothing short of a joke. They never return calls and early on I said just give me my money back and we will do something different. I even talked to Taylor who is supposed to be a manager and they repeatedly told me they would figure out a refund. Finally I told them I would take my own actions and they said they would figure out some kind of a refund and then they wanted the machine. Are you KIDDING me??? In the end I gave them 2 days to get back to me with a solution or I would take my own action. Anyone considering them for repair should cruise right on by their info because they are obviously out for easy, expensive, repairs and when there are problems they have NO customer service etiquette. Please everyone trust the reviews on these guys!! If they can't do the right thing they should be put out of business!! One star is only because they showed up several times. Problem is that was a lot of 4 hour windows that maybe I should have charged them for.

Famous came out to look at my fridge which was leaking water. While they were at my home I also asked them to replace my garbage disposal. The tech was quick and efficient and my fridge has worked great since. Somehow my brand new garbage disposal was destroyed pretty quickly (I suspect one of my guests didn't clear out a fork before running it) so I called Famous back out and they replaced it for free under warranty. I highly recommend Famous Appliance.

This company said they needed to come out to see my appliance to give me a quite on it. They charged me $96 to do so. The technician who came out to look at it lied directly to my face and said that the appliance had been discontinued, and that is why the quote was so high. I asked for my money back because I called Samsung and verified what they had told me was a lie. When I called the company back to resolve the issue, they hung up on me.

Wish I had read these reviews first but with a ton of laundry and my dryer not working I called them without taking the time to research. Same story as the other reviewers... they grossly overcharged me, lied to me about the cost of the part, and convinced me to not just get a new dryer telling me mine would last longer once repaired. Complete scam artists!

I paid Famous $375 to put a power jet through my pipes to clear a clog. I was advised that it would clear my system to the street and would have a 90 day warranty. However when I realized my clog issue still remains and called Famous about it I was told they wouldn't do anything further unless I paid between $400-600 more for them to tear out my cabinets and replace my pipes. This follow up call was only 13 days into my 90 day warranty! I asked for a refund and was told "that's not gonna happen" they were very rude and unprofessional!

We had this company come out to evaluate a Samsumg Dryer that would turn on without drum movement. We approved repairs, and were billed $200.27 for parts and $190.91 for labor (a call from the company at 15:06 telling us the technian was coming; left at 16:10). All according to a schedule in a book the technician had. We paid the invoice. Within 24 hours, the dryer was making a horrible noise (a technician from this company has come out since and resolved this issue at no charge).

After thinking about the amount we were charged, I first researched the replaced part - and found that I could have ordered the part from either Samsung (OEM, upgraded part) or Amazon (similar, upgraded) for right around $20.00.

Then I watched videos on YouTube on how to replace the pully, belt, drum wheels, etc. I could have done the same repair in about the same amount of time.

We will never consider Famous Appliance Service Company for future appliance repair.

After the $70 assessment for blinking lights in my Kenmore fridge, quoted $500 to replace the controller. Forget that! Quick 10 minute online search pointed to an LED light module with part linked, $74 bucks and less than 1 week, with 2 minute install. Fixed. No more blinking!
Before I bought the part online, just touching the wires for the part confirmed it was bad, made the lights go back to normal for a while each time. It took me less time to Google that and test it myself, than their (mis)diagnostic.
Stay away from this company. Either incompetent or dishonest. I want my $70 back! 6-5-2019.

Famous Appliance gave me the absolute worst repair experience I have ever had. After four months, two compressors and a condenser Aaron was prompt friendly and nice… but he couldn’t fix my refrigerator in four tries and three months. He forgot to order the right part, I had to call three weeks later to find out he never ordered the part he needed. I had to call LG and do it. Then it didn’t work he came out again. Diagnosed a bad condenser three more weeks to wait for a part. Blake in parts would never return my calls, I made about 13 calls just to catch him picking up the phone. And he was very unhelpful anyway. Finally they admitted admitted they didn’t have the knowledge to repair my refrigerator. Called LG for a fifth time and they sent out a factory approved tech who immediately diagnosed a pad evaporator and noted a poor soldering job let all my freon coolant evaporate. Totally amateurish job with poor customer service.
Three months without my refrigerator and not even an apology!

My experience with Famous Appliance Repair is very disappointing. Before calling for a repair, I removed several components of my clothing’s dryer to see if I could determine the cause of the problem. Using my volt meter, I was able to determine that these components were in working order. I set up the appointment with the understanding there was a $70 charge to come out and diagnose the problem with my dryer. The repair diagnosed the problem as a defective Control Board for Whirlpool dryer. The cost of repair was to be $521.43 (Control board $320.00, one hour labor $178.51, tax $33.43) I had to pay half for him to order the part. The part had to be ordered and would take five days. After the five days a different repairman came to install the Control Board. After looking at the dryer, he told me the original repairman was in error and did not require the Control Board. I had three other components, which need to be replaced. Two of the components, he had on his truck. A third component, a thermal fuse, he would have to get from his shop. He said the three parts plus labor would be greater than the price of the Control Board, but that he would not charge any more than the original estimate. I had tested two of the three components before calling for service, and they both were in working order.

After replacing the third part the following day, replaced the thermal fuse, the service man gave me a forth part indicated he had replaced it also. Remember, I had checked two components prior to the service call, and both were working. After the second repairman removed the parts, they were defective.

Previously, I had looked up the various parts on a Whirlpool web site and compared the part’s prices. See below:

Whirlpool Famous Appliance
Repair
Whirlpool Dryer Main Control Board $262.19 $341.92
Heating Element $74.09 $133.56
Whirlpool Dryer Thermal Fuse Item $9.69 $107.00
Thermal Fuse cut off switch $37.59 $138.00

After challenging the repairman regarding cost of repair, the repairman reduced the total repair price by all most $200.00. Appliance repair is Not an appliance repair service which I would recommend. They are overpriced for parts and labor. I also questions their repair serviceman’s skills.

I was told by the receptionist that 95% of the time they can fix the problem on the spot. After coming outside of the 11-2 time, I was told they are not able to fix most applicances on the spot due to the size of the truck. The owner told me that taking apart the washer was “an extensive” job and it would cost 945.00. I paid 1,000 for the washer... so I’m out the 70.00 service fee since they do not carry needed replacement parts and want 945.00 to fix the problem... plus my time.

This company came out to my property and told me that my refrigerator needed new parts and was trying to charge me an extreme amount for what I found out was not broken to begin with.

Was quoted a price for a part that was double the actual price. I had Famous Appliances come out and look at my ice maker in my refrigerator - They said they had to order the part and charged my credit card $528.91. I was not aware that I had a warranty on the fridge when I originally had them come out. So when I contacted the warranty company they said they would reimburse me the money I had paid Famous they just needed to have me send them their invoice. When they saw the invoice, the warranty company told me they were charging me double what the actual part really costs. The part was $190.00 and Famous charged me $357.01. So I cancelled their service and then Famoun charged me a 25% cancellation fee to re-stock the part. I understand and agree to pay the $75.00 trip charge but I did not agree to pay the cancellation fee. They do not tell you about it when they come out only AFTER they send you the invoice do you see they reserve the right to charge that fee. , I do not agree that they should charge me 25%
restocking fee on an overinflated priced part. I think this should be considered FRAUD and a bad practice on their behalf if they are charging more than the actual part costs them.

My elderly mother had a service agreement with Famous Appliance and called them to check her heating and air. She is 92 years old and was not given a service/part agreement before the work was performed. She was charged $1298.00 + tax for 2 small switches that she did not see brought into the home or installed into the furnace. They also charged $210. for service to "replace both double and single P. Switch, cleaned out P switch lines and drain lines on furnace". She asked for an invoice and was told it would be mailed to her. She waited a week and had to call again for the invoice to explain these charges. After several calls she gave up and I began calling for her. I called 3 more times before being assured the invoice was mailed. It was received 6 weeks after the service was performed. The invoice states *bid. No bid was provided prior to service so she could investigate the costs being charged. After reviewing the invoice we checked online for prices. These parts were found at a cost of $23. and $20. We decided to check with a reputable Revdex.com furnace service company we had used in the past and asked if this price seemed reasonable to them. They stated the range for these switches for this furnace should have been $35-$75.00. We believe our mother has been scammed by this company based on her age. She continues to be upset by this and would like resolution.

DO NOT go with this company!! We were told that a technician would be at our home between 12 and 3:00 and would call with a 30 minute notice.
My wife waited the entire time and not technician came or called with an ETA.
I phoned and asked why this occurred.
the company stated we were nest on the list and it would be another hour to hour and a half but they are not able to contact the technician at that time.
I stated that my wife had been home waiting for three hours without even a call and now they want us to wait another hour or hour and a half? I then stated that we would be going with another company and the woman on the phone responded "but that it would only be another hour to hour and a half."
Not once did they apologize for the inconvenience but then tried to convince me that we should wait even longer. Very rude! At least apologize and waive the service fee or take a percentage off; something.
This company proved to us that they don't care about customer service or taking the time to contact their customers to explain that they will be longer than originally planned so the customer isn't left wasting their entire day.

Famous Appliance misdiagnosed the problem with the dryer, a $560.00 quote for a $2.00 fix, yes, a $2.00 fix!! It is now charging me a 25% restock fee because of not using the expensive part they ordered for the misdiagnosis.

Beware, this company is dishonest and will milk you for every dime you have if they can.

Our dryer stopped heating and the service tech Aaron said our control board needed to be replaced. He quoted us $463 just for the part. He said he would "waive" the labor since the part was so expensive. Should have immediately seen this as the first red flag.. We paid him the stupid $75 diagnosis fee and sent him on his way.

I was later able to track down the part new for $200, used for $59. It took me 5 min to swap it out myself.

After reading numerous reviews I see that this is one of their "tactics" to get you. Gee, it was sure nice of him to offer us "free" labor when he was really attempting to rip us off with a 500% mark up on the part.

All of the good reviews are either them posing as customers, or actual customers that were told they would get a "discount" for leaving a great review.

Bottom line, they are dishonest crooks. Call another company, ANY company other then these guys to repair your appliances.

This business is an actual scam. I wish there was a way to give this place a negative number of stars. I had them come take a look at my washing machine. They said it would be a 70/80$ fee just for the visit but if they could fix the problem, that money would go towards the repair/parts. The technician, David J, came and told me what the issue was. He was at my house for no more than 20 minutes. He said they had to look into further because the part was hard to find and that he would call me later that day, took my payment, and then left. I didn't even get an invoice. No one called me that day. I called the next day and told them the situation and they said they would text the technician and have him call me. No one ever called me back. I called 14 days in a row with the exact same response and no call back. Basically, they came and took my money and ignored any contact I have tried to make with them. Finally, I called a different service. They had a technician call me. Over the phone, within a 2 hour turnaround time, had the problem diagnosed, the part ordered and made me an appointment to come fix the issue.