Complaint Review: Allan and Son's - canoga park California

I contacted Allen and Son's for a simple repair of a spring activated flap in the lint screen assembly of my dryer.  The spring broke? and the flap was stuck in a down position, this did not affect the running of the dryer but I was concerned that something would fall inside the dryer the lint screen area and damage the dryer.

I contacted the company via their online scheduling and the next day got a call confirming my appointment for the day and time I requested.  Next day service-- very good!  The technician arrived as scheduled but reeked of cigarette smoke (I figured this was a quick fix so I dealt with his stench).  He looked at the lint screen area and broken flap spring (I assumed they would put a new spring in and be done), he said the whole lint screen assembly needed to be replaced not just a spring.  Without leaving my home, calling his office, or looking in a parts or reference guide he quoted me $125 for parts and $225 to install them.   I questioned they very high repair cost especially the labor and he said "this is a BIG job, I have to take the whole dryer apart to get to and install the lint filter assembly"   With the explanation of what a BIG job this was, I authorized the repair and paid a deposit.

2 weeks later they called that the parts were in and scheduled for them to be installed.  The same technician (Tony) arrived as scheduled again reeking from cigarettes.  He took the top off the dryer, the door off,  front panel and performed the repair -- whole thing took about 30-40 minutes (perhaps less).  I checked his work and the flap still did not seem to be working properly, the whole new lint assembly seemed loose now. He also left my laundry room filthy with clumps of lint  and screws all over the floor. He assured me the lint assembly was fine, the dryer properly reassembled (despite the screws on the floor) and presented me with the invoice for the repair- $125 parts and $225 labor-- $350, less a $25 discount for using the internet.  I asked him what the adjusted total was since the repair was rather fast and not the hours of work he described?   He said there is no adjustment, they charge by the job not the hour.  So the equivalent hourly labor rate I paid was over $300/hr.; at this rate no wonder he could not clean up after himself  I paid the technician by check (which I never do) but he explained they were having problems with the credit card machine  He knew what he was doing in this fraud; if I paid by credit card I could and would have filed a disputed charge claim, no such recourse since I used a check at his insistance.  Less than 2 weeks later the flap to the lint screen had fallen off and was inside the dryer.

I again contacted the company online and was very clear this was for a repair done less than 2 weeks ago and the repair was done wrong.  I also mentioned my concern about the exhorbitant labor charges and how bad the service man smelled.  I scheduled an appointment on-line but the next day rather then them confirming the appointment as they did the first time, they called to say they could NOT get a technician out; especially since I said I did not want this incompetent, smelly, technician back in my home.  After multiple calls through the day, they called and left a message that they would send a technician the following Monday but it needed to be during the day.  I selected this company originally because of their availability of weekend and evening appointments since I work, now they are telling me the re-repair has to be M-F before 2 pm.

After many, many calls and speaking with a manager, Norma, she finally got a senior technician out on a Saturday.

HERE IS WHERE IT GETS GOOD....

The technician walks in to my laundry room, opens the dryer door, reaches in and pulls out the lint filter assembly-- the same one that supposedly the whole dryer had to be dismantled to get to.  In under 2 minutes he had it out, nothing disassembled.  He then proceeded to repair the flap/spring assembly and put it back in the dryer- through the open door, nothing dismantled or pulled apart.  The repair took him about 40-45 minutes-- I hope it holds. 

Here are the additional rubs-- labor rate of over $300/ hours, charged $125 for parts that Sears Appliance Repair quoted me $48 for and if in reality only the spring was needed that part is $2.99.   On the company's web site they have a cost of repair tool, my repair ran over $100 more than the most expensice Samsung dryer repair price listed and over $200 more than the average repair for Samsung dryers based on their own information.

Waiting to see how they resolve the balance of things regarding the fraud of this repair.  I was charged by my zip code not the job.  The parts had to also be inflated and added to seeminly justify the $225 labor, after all who would pay $225 to have a $3 spring replaced?