Appliance RepairMan or Appliance Repair Team or Appliance Repair Guy or Service 4 Appliances or The A Team Appliance Repair or Gold Star Appliance Repair Scam: How to get your money back

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Dear Reader,

I sincerely hope that you’re not here because you have fallen victim to ApplianceRepairman.ca (or ApplianceRepairTeam.ca or Appliance Repair Guys),  The A Team Appliance Repair, or Gold Star Appliance Repair. 

But if you are, there is hope. I was able to get most of my money back within a week by following the steps as outlined below.

If you have not heard of this company before, let me fill you in. They operate in the GTA (Toronto), Hamilton, Barrie and Oshawa. They have many others websites as they change their name frequently. They operate in Guelph, Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge and maybe beyond. They are based in Concord, Ontario (89 Connie Crescent, L4K 1L3) and owned by Idan (Dan) Vidoser and operated by Chen Kochavi.

This is how they operate:

  1. They charge $80 to send a technician.
  2. The technician will look for a minute at your broken appliance and then state that in order for him to get a proper diagnosis of the problem, he will have to open up the machine and that this is considered labour so you will be charged extra for it.
  3. He will draw up a contract/waiver for you to sign outlining the “labour” charges and the cost for each. This is what mine was, for a broken washing machine:
  • Watering system: $112
  • Mainboard/Timer: $98
  • Safety system: $70
  • Total: $280 (Bizarrely, this is the total that is calculated with every complaint I have read about, no matter what the appliance)

4. He will tell you that he will deduct the $80 initial fee if you give him the go ahead to service the machine. You do the mental math and think “$280 – 80 = $200. Worth it to get my machine working again”. You sign the waiver.

5. He spends about 10 minutes doing something with the machine (Not sure what. Mental note: always watch what your repairman does) then comes out of the laundry room and states that you need to buy a replacement part at an exorbitant cost (ex. $408.88 for a latch and lock assembly which is $97.33 online). Oh, there will be labour fees on top of that.

6. When you balk, he claims that he warned you beforehand about additional costs and you shouldn’t have signed the waiver if you weren’t willing to spend more money to get it fixed. And that collections services will come after you if you don’t pay what you owe right now ($280).

7. At this point, you will pause and wonder “Is this guy a scammer? But he seems nice! Well, it’s a lot of money, but I guess this is how most companies operate (NOTE: It’s not). Plus, I did sign the waiver so I’ll do what decent people do and honour the contract”. You give him your credit card (P.S. big mistake) and he rings it through. If you’re really unlucky, he will have convinced you to order the “needed” part, too. (Thankfully, I didn’t, but retrospectively, I should have told him to take a hike and sent him away with no payment whatsoever.)

8. He leaves. You are $316.40 dollars poorer and your machine still doesn’t work. You go online and your stomach sinks when you start to read the abysmal reviews and articles written about this company:

As of today:

  1. Homestars: 552 negative reviews, .6/10 rating (that’s less than 1/10 btw)
  2. Better Business Bureau: “F” rating
  3. Ellen Roseman/Toronto Star article, 2014
  4. Ellen Roseman/Toronto Star article, 2019
  5. YorkRegion.com article, 2015
  6. HamiltonNews.com article, 2015
  7. TrustPilot reviews: 92 reviews, 100% bad
  8. ApplianceRepairGuys.org: 35 bad reviews (Same company, different name)
  9. SiteJabber: 28 reviews, all bad
  10. CBC News article
  11. Google reviews: 102 bad reviews (google “ApplianceRepairman.ca reviews”, scroll down to the right, click “View all Google Reviews” (Later note: It looks like the company has disabled Google reviews since they are no longer visible).

OMG, you think. I got hosed. Big time. How do I get my money back? You call your bank right away. They tell you there’s nothing they can do. You call the company and they tell you the technician honoured the contract you signed, so, sorry. They might offer you a $35 refund if you call more than once.

I decided to follow the advice found on ApplianceRepairGuys.org, a website set up by another victim of this company. He suggested filing a consumer complaint with Consumer Protection Ontario .  Wisely, the crooks at ApplianceRepairman.ca will respond once you set the ball in motion here because they do not want to be shut down.

Before filing a complaint you must write a letter to the company. Email the letter to info@appliancerepairman.ca and in the subject line write: Complaint about service done: CONSUMER PROTECTION ONTARIO (this will get their attention). Note that you don’t actually have to file a complaint just yet. Write the letter first and send it off, then wait to see if the company responds. 

In your letter to the company, make sure you describe your intention to file a complaint with Consumer Protection Ontario and outline how much money you want back from them. Also give them a time limit to respond (I gave them 48 hrs but they responded the next day). Click here to read my letter.

The company will state that you must sign a waiver to get your money back which is basically a gag order for legal proceedings (which I will completely ignore if ever asked to testify against them). You can try to insist that you won’t sign it until you get your money back but you won’t be successful. They will tell you that you will receive a cheque within 15 business days once the waiver is signed. I recommend that you insist that the money be put back on your credit card (not a cheque) instead and tell them they have 24 hrs to reimburse you or you will proceed with your Consumer Protection Ontario complaint. Here is where you need to take a huge leap of faith: You need to give them your credit card number again before they can process the refund. If you prefer, ask them for a mailed cheque, but you risk having to chase them down for it. I gave them my credit card number and received the refund immediately after sending them the signed waiver. I called my bank right away and made sure that the funds had indeed been credited back to my card. Phew, nightmare over.

So there it is. It was 5 days of pure hell, but a lesson well learned. Never again will I let a service person into my house until I do some research on them.

Here are some questions I have left to ponder:

  1. How do the employees at this moralless company sleep at night?
  2. Why does VISA allow this fraudulent company to have a merchant account?
  3. How has this company been allowed to operate for 5 years now?
  4. How many thousands of customers have they ripped off?
  5. Why are victims powerless to shut them down?
  6. Why isn’t Consumer Protection Ontario stepping in to protect Ontario consumers from this company, as they are mandated to do?

I welcome your comments below. Good luck with your efforts to get your money back if you are a victim. Please let me know how it turns out.

PS: I filed a complaint with Consumer Protection Ontario even though I got my money back and I encourage all victims to do the same. This way the government might finally pay attention to this scam. Here’s their number: 416-326-8800/1-800-889-9768.

I also filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau of Canada. This organization will not help you get your money back but they will help investigate fraudulent companies. Click here to file a complaint.

By the way, the week after I wrote this blogpost I hired an honest repairman, Yevhen Pankratenko, to fix my washer. He repaired it for $85 (including the cost of the visit), proving that the ARM “technician” was a complete scam artist.

Blogpost update, May 7, 2019: Please fill out this form to help us collect evidence against them. Please note that CRITICAL MASS is required to put them out of business, so we need your input!!!!

Blogpost update, Aug. 16, 2019: A group of us have sent a letter to CBC’s Marketplace, GoPublic CBC and W5 CTV for more media coverage. Please let me know if you want to be involved in this story by emailing me at sduckworth100@gmail.com.

Blogpost update, Oct. 30, 2019: A disgruntled customer contacted me and said that she had success getting her money back from her bank (TD) after filing a complaint with Consumer Canada. 

Update: Oct. 17, 2020

CBC Marketplace did a great exposé on the crooks which was aired last night. Watch here:

Update, Jan. 18th, 2020:

A lawyer who I had been in contact about this case just sent me this email, FYI:

“My analysis is that the defendant is a shell corporation and pursuing the shell corporation would result in a worthless judgment. The situation is quite frustrating. The principals of the corporation also did not own real estate in the greater Toronto area. We found on principal living in a rental unit on Bathurst street. 


There is no question that this corporation and its principals are unscrupulous and need to be stopped. We could try something under what used to be called the Business Practices Act. It would be a prosecution conducted by the Provincial government. 


Please note that I do not take class action law suits. 


Furthermore, I have concluded that it is not cost effective to take such a case on, even with multiple plaintiffs,  given that any judgment might be unenforceable.”

I am currently in discussions with him to see about pursuing them with the Business Practices Act. We still need everyone’s info including invoices. Thank you!

Update: Aug. 13, 2023: Sadly, these criminals continue their nasty business as I still receive many emails from victims. One writer suggested this Ontario government website and they lodged a formal complaint. You can see that the company has already been listed but no action has been taken. I encourage all victims to lodge similar complaints to provoke more inquiry.

90 thoughts on “Appliance RepairMan or Appliance Repair Team or Appliance Repair Guy or Service 4 Appliances or The A Team Appliance Repair or Gold Star Appliance Repair Scam: How to get your money back”

  1. Hello!! The exact thing to the tea happened to me although I completely refused to pay. I am now in a position scared and wondering if I should write this letter and demand they not sue me or take my account to collections which is what the tech threatened. If you have any advice since you have gone through the process please let me know. Just looking on the consumer protection website, Legally the have broken a couple rules And like you I have no idea how they are still in business ! At this point I just want to protect myself because like I mentioned I didn’t pay them even the $80 charge. God bless you for your posting. Seeing it gave me relief. After he left I was shaking !

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    • Omg Felicia, I am SOOO proud of you for not paying them a dime!!!! You are my HERO!!!! I wish I didn’t and I regretted caving into their threats, it would have saved me tons of heartache and time if I didn’t. Plz don’t give it a moment’s thought. You did the right thing and they will not come after you as they want to avoid any negative attention. If they do, just threaten to report them to Consumer Protection Ontario and that will shut them up for good. Trust me!

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    • I unfortunately have joined the club of someone who hired these crooks. Has anyone thought to collectively sue them? There is strength in numbers and each one complaining is clearly not doing anything. They need to be shut down!!!

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      • I agreed that everyone should sue as a class action law suit. If someone starts the ball rolling I’m in. I too refused to pay. I wrote the letter and I was told to pay at least the $80. At the end of the day I probably shouldn’t of even paid that I just didn’t want to think about these criminals anymore. I randomonly look at reviews and am in complete amazement that almost every day a review is posted with the identical story as I faced months ago. Someone needs to shut them down. I am all in for a class action. Someone start it and I’m on board

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  2. Thank you so much for posting this very useful information here, Sylvia! I followed your “methodology” here after I found your blog from one of the online reviewers for this fraud of a company, and looks like it works. I am waiting for the money to be credited back to my credit card right now. Although it takes more effort now compared to when you did it a few months ago. I had to send them emails like 4 times, threatening them with CPO each time and had to call and send another email just for them to finally send me the refund receipt. Once again, thank you so much! You are my lifesaver of some sort! 🙂

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    • So happy it worked for you, Julian! Like true scam artists, they will do their best to stay out of trouble with the authorities, hence their fear of CPO. Glad your perseverance paid off and remember to use Homestars next time! 🙂

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  3. Sylvia –
    You are a God send. I am now going to follow your EXACT instructions but had a good giggle when I read your final questions. I literally asked “Stephanie” (apparently a leader in the org) if she is ashamed of herself. She replied not at all – to which I said that her cut of this scam must be pretty nice in order for her to lose all moral value as a human. I will keep you posted as I embark on this journey. My only concern is that I paid cash – so, I will have to go the cheque route. If you or any one else is interested, I posted my experireince/review on TrustPilot. Stay tuned. 🙂

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  4. I was shocked and I couldn’t believe this will happened in Canada. I was a immigrant 30 years ago. I gave up everything from what I have in my country to come to Canada for justice. I encountered the same problem as yours a week ago with Appliance Repairman. I filed my complaint to Ontario Consumer Protection. No one is willing to file a complaint as it is very time consuming. I have to stop this company robbing people money. I read through your post and find the material very helpful.

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  5. Since closing my file with them I couldn’t believe how many people they scammed alone in the month of January. Everyone must file. Even CP act stated everyone must do it. And someone should initiate a class action law suit. I cannot believe how this people operate and how there allowed to do this legally.

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  6. Ontario Consumer Protection called me and closed my file as I didn’t conduct any payment. I were told to contact them (OCP) again if Appliance Repairman send me to collection agency for payment. I was begging them to do something and they said they are working on it. I told the agent that everyday there are new bad reviews on Trustpilot. The latest update was just 2 days ago.

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      • Hi Sylvia,

        Sadly, like many others on this thread, I wish I had been aware of this company and their unethical and fraudulent business practices. Unfortunately my 87 year old mother just became a victim of their scam. Similar to all the other reports, she was promised an $80.00 service call which was inflated to $289.00 (labour) and the purchase of a part which had to be paid up front in cash or by debit. Wanting the job done and sadly feeling like she could trust the technician, she agreed. Once I was made aware of the situation I made myself available when the technician returned to install the part. He installed the part and wanted to leave immediately and I insisted that he stay until he ensured that the oven would work. As expected, it didn’t. I then recited to him all the complaints on the BBB website and gave him copies of all the reports that have been publicized about this company. I also shamed him by reminding him that he took advantage of a senior citizen. He then explained that this is the company policy to charge the 280.00 prior to starting the work (whether it’s needed or not) . I contacted the company and was told under no uncertain terms that they would not refund the money and it was my fault that I wasn’t there to protect my mother from signing the contract. I have contacted the Consumer Protection Ontario and it is my intention to contact the police as well. I have no idea how this company continues to operate in Toronto and other regions in Ontario when it’s blatantly obvious that they’re crooks. Fortunately, I took pictures of my technicians car and license plate so hopefully if they investigate this further, they can question him about the inner workings of their business policies. I’m also contacting the MPP of the area, Gila Martow, in hopes that she can help in some way. You start to wonder with the hundreds of complaints online how many other people have been scammed and haven’t shared their story online. I’m not sure if I will get my mother’s money back but I certainly cannot stand by and let this company continue to steal trusting consumers hard earned money. This is beyond reprehensible and even more shocking that for the number of complaints and the number of investigative reports that this company has not been shut down. I also have to wonder since this company engages in such fraudulent business practices and insists on cash or debit, if they are involved in tax evasion. I noticed on the invoice that they don’t list their HST number which I believe is mandatory if you’re running a business in Canada and charging HST. I believe you can initiate an investigation with CRA if you suspect a company is evading taxes. I’m hoping, for the sake of others in the future, that some of these measures may help protect future victims.

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  7. I was sucked in yesterday for $361.60, I had to help the serviceman put my dryer back together because he could not do it himself. And it is still broken. I refused to pay an additional $260.00 for a part I later googled to be worth $23.55. The repairman actually disappeared for 30 minutes. Guessing he went to the local Canadian Tire to purchase the part. He had to put the old rear bearing back in. He did not have any industrial lubricant, so he asked me for olive oil. 4 hours he was in my home and the problem still persists. I have followed the process outlined by Ministry of Government and Consumer Services and have sent the company an email attaching my invoice and the consumer complaint notice the Ministry suggested I send. I gave them to April 18th to supply a full refund. I paid by debit, so an eTransfer better be an option for payment. I also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Thank you for posting and I will email Mary Pendino about joining the class action suit. I will follow-up here if anything else transpires.

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    • I have filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau of Canada and the Better Business Bureau. I has also contacted Pat Foran at CTV news who writes Consumer Reports. Will post when I hear something back

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    • Better Business Bureau sent me an email saying “BBB has made several attempts to contact the business regarding the above referenced complaint. We regret to inform you that we have not received a response from the company. The case has been closed as will be reported as UNANSWERED.”

      Consumer Protection Ontario contacted me, they have given this company until May 26th to respond to their second request. If no contact is made, the will go on the Consumer Watch List, then Consumer Protection Ontario will put me in contact with a pro bono lawyer for advice on next steps.

      Any update on the class action suit?

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    • Update: Copy of text of email Consumer Protection Ontario sent the company after I rejected their ridiculous offer of $ 65.00
      ” Good morning Chen Kochavi,

      The consumer – Cheryl Graham – will not accept your offer of a resolution.

      After carefully reviewing the complaint that the consumer submitted, I would like to point out that the consumer’s complaint falls under the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, Part III – Unfair Practices – Section 14(1), Section 14(2)3, Section 14(2)8.

      https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/02c30?search=e+laws#BK20
      I am requesting a refund of $361.60 as the consumer was not at fault for this unfortunate situation.
      Is Appliance Repairman willing to refund the consumer $361.60?”

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  9. Wow, you are so lucky Cheryl. All the ministry can get me is my $90 if I sign a waiver but the fact that I had to pay $600 to fix machine broken by arm, I got to bad so sad attitude by Kate who works with the ministry.

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  10. Wow, this Exact same thing happened to me! this company is a HUGE scam. They came in to “fix” my refrigerator and basically charged me $344 for Nothing. No repairs were ever done. They insisted I even needed a part. Which turned out to be an incorrect part costing me an additional $414. Long story short, the entire thing is a mess and a nightmare! I tried calling them several times, so far they are only offering to compensate me $35 similar to your story.
    Thank you for posting this; great information provided here. I will follow the steps in order to gain my refund. Bottom line, this company needs to get shut down!

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  11. I fell victim to these guys under the name appliance repair team, they are scammers! We are still fighting to get our money back and they keep giving us the run around. How are these people in business? We are down $300 and are currently fighting for some sort of refund. They keep making excuse after excuse. When the technician came for the third time to “fix” our washer he suddenly found another problem that would cost $700 I refused and he threatened to get the money collectors on me if I didn’t pay. I kicked his ass out of my apartment! These people are the worst

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  12. My wife went to their site when the LG authorized repair folks were too busy for an emergency fridge issue…HUGE MISTAKE. She didn’t check Homestars either. First visit $330 as fridge wasn’t cooling. Tech said they can reset a button but main board may go soon. Sure enough next day fridge is not cooling and we call back and main board is ordered for $800. A week later they install and next day fridge is not cooling. Call back and they come out and Sr Tech says not Main Board afterall – its a thermostat $140. Part arrives a week later and they install last week and YES fridge now cools but Sr Tech says really no Main Board was ever needed and I should seek refund. Call several times leave message for a Stephanie and finally get her yesterday. She is so rude it is unreal…finally she offers a $25 refund if we sign a waiver. We will not be signing that waiver. I have the owner’s Idan (Dan) Vidoser’s home address now of anyone needs it.

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    • Hi Mark, thanks for your comment and for completing the form. I’m actually surprised that they have an honest-sounding technician on their roster (SrTech). He must be super embarrassed to be working there. How did you get Vidoser’s home address?! I encourage you to file a complaint with Consumer Protection Ontario. The more red flags for them, the better. I just sent you an email as well.

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  13. Hi Everybody, add another one to the list. I cannot believe I didn’t properly research these guys. Thankfully, we kicked them out upon realizing we were being scammed and didn’t pay them any money. We did get bullied into signing their dirty contract before their full scam became painfully apparent. They, of course, have threatened collection agency action. So, as per the helpful advice above, (a) file a complaint with Consumer Protection Ontario, and (b) make a complaint to the BBB. What else?

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    • This exactly happened to me. I signed not realizing what I was signing and then sensed after he came up from “diagnosing” that we were being scammed. Told him to get out and didn’t pay him anything. The consumer protection felt we owed the $80 fee which they claim isn’t their diagnose fee but based on the implication under the law it is. I paid it even though was told by others I shouldn’t only for the fact that I didn’t want a black cloud on my back. I didn’t pay the 300$ they wanted onto off the 80$ though. They made me sign their waiver I did because I just wanted closure. My advice to you which I should of listened too don’t pay them a dime. Pretend this didn’t happen how we do report them so we have a lot of paper trail on this company to prove their shady behaviour.

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  14. Hi Jeff, First of all, I’m so sorry that you have fallen victim to ARM. It’s unbelievable that the victim count continues to rise every day. I’m actually convinced that they don’t even repair appliances. I think they are 100% fraudulent. Plz fill out the form at the bottom of my blogpost as we need more than $25,000 worth of complaints to be able to do this.

    Thanks. Our motto is: Don’t get mad, get even.

    Sylvia

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  15. Hello: I guess I’m the latest victim of this company. A similar quick diagnosis of my Range led from an $80 service call to a $742 payment on my debit card with a payment in the future of $450. I thought it odd to use the debit card — now I know why they wanted their payment this way. Later that day I checked the reviews on the internet, BBB, Homestars, and your site — I phoned right away to cancel and try to get my money back — I didn’t want these guys doing anything more to my stove.
    No luck at first. The next day I e-mailed and said I want the contract cancelled along with any parts that might be ordered. I did get a reponse to my e-mail via phone within 10 minutes — in was a phone message and they offered $450 refund which still left me out just over $300. I responded to this with another e-mail refusing that amount and said I wanted a full refund minus the $80 for the service call. I patterned my response based on the letter on your site. I stated I preferred the response in writing/e-mail rather than on the phone. With no response on e-mail, I phoned and advised that I had sent another e-mail. The woman answering the phone found the e-mail, tried to discuss parts while I was on the phone, I asked again for a written response in the form of e-mail. She said she would respond by the end of the day. Thus far, nothing. I will be phoning tomorrow and then contacting Consumer Protection and the lawyer forming the class action lawsuit.

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      • I had a call out of the blue in February from the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. They had received my complaint and were compiling a file on Appliance Repair Team for future legal action. I gladly gave my statement to hopefully shut these guys down. The agent taking my statement advised me up front that I likely wouldn’t get any more money back from these guys. I just wanted to stop them from victimizing other folks. It sounds like the dishonest pratices of this company continue.

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  16. Should I be worried,
    I have been for a couple interviews and have been accepted as a technician for this company they want me to sign a 2 year contract that if I break I have to pay $8000 I feel like there’s a good chance by reading all of these reviews that this my be a trap and a horrible job I would really love some advice on the situation if anyone has any!

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  17. Hello everybody, Sylvia, have there been any updates on this situation? We just received a Collections letter in the mail and are unsure how to proceed. It’s mind-boggling how these criminals are permitted to operate in this country.

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    • HI Jeff, sorry, no updates. We are still quite a ways from $25,000 worth of claims. At about $14,000 now. I would try to ignore the collections letter.

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  18. May 7, 2020

    This happened to me my oven stopped working on Feb 18,2020 I called Appliance Repair Team and someone came out the following day Feb 19,2020.

    At that time the service man looked at the oven and told me the mother board and sensor kit assembly needed to be replaced at a cost of $662.24 unsure what to do I told them ok go ahead. I paid $331.12 that day and was told the part would be ordered and they would call me when it arrived. I waited untill March 25, 2020 they arrived and installed the new mother board the oven still did not work. The repair man told me the sensor kit was not installed he had got the wrong one and that part would have to be ordered. He told me I would have to pay the amount owing so they could order the part. I paid the remaining $331.12 as he assured me when the part came in the oven would be fine.They came back on April 01 2020 worked on the oven and told me the oven installing the new sensor than the oven still did not work. He told me he needed another part he needed to order and would come back once the part was in.

    April 23,2020 they showed up again and installed a thermos sensor the oven still did not work. At this point the service man told me he had done all he could do and that he would send another service mam to see what could be done.

    April 29,2020 the service man arrived looked at the oven and told me it needed a new sensor he would have to order the part and they would call me when it came in. May 6,2020 I called the company to find out the status of the oven and the lady on the phone told me the service man had been there on April 29,2020 and the work had been done and asked what the problem was. I told her the oven had not been fixed, she told me she would check into what the next steps were and would get back to me within 24 hours. I have not heard from these people and I now have an oven that has not worked since Feb 19,2020.

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    • OMG, Lawrence, I am sorry to hear that you have been scammed. Please complete the form on my blogpost and email me your invoice so that I can add it to my files. One day this company will have it’s day in court.

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  19. I am lucky that am out only $80 bucks for the “service” call. The only service we got was a $280 quote for labour plus costs for parts. And no guarantee that the problem would be fixed. I passed but still pissed that I paid $80 for this clown to show up and do nothing but give a quote. They need to be shut down!

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    • Yes, you got off lucky, Woody! I made the mistake of signing the $280 contract which the “Technician” (Kevan) convinced me I had to before he could correctly diagnose the problem by opening up the motherboard. Such a scam.

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  20. Hi Sylvia,

    We just fell to these guys this weekend, we had a gas range that stopped working and we were told the $80 service fee just like everybody has posted here in the end, we ended up paying $671.95. Also note they no longer except credit card, it is either cash or debit. Fortunately for us the tech left the part box here at the house I looked it up online and discovered that the part they charged $299.65 is actually available online for only $36 and change. That got me looking. So I have taken your advice and I believe I now have their attention. I will keep you updated.

    Tim Veldhoen

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  21. I had a refrigerator which had some cooling issues. I phoned the infamous company after viewing their slick fake add after googling.
    They used the usual $80 service fee line. Unfortunately, they said they’d arrive between noon and two. I stepped out for groceries and when I got back T 11:40, they were just leaving and they had scammed my wife with a credit card bill of $316.40. It’s their textbook scam that you laid out so well, Sylvia. She didn’t stand a chance. The scam is simple and perfectly scripted. They did nothing and there was no service except to provide
    a parts list of $663. I tried to ask some questions as they were getting into their vehicle. (One of the guys was a supposed apprentice.. he actually looked a little guilty.). I was told to phone the shop to order parts and/or need more information.
    It didn’t take us long to figure out what had just happened. We were angry and upset that we allowed this to happen.
    I phoned and asked a lot of questions about parts etc and then offered to pay the $80 “no service” fee if they’d refund the “no labour” charges. I was told they couldn’t do that.
    We are willing to assist in shutting down these crooks. How this can go on for so long is incredible.
    By the way, the fridge is now working fine after pushing a few buttons to reset the mother board.

    Thanks to you, Sylvia and to all other victims for sharing and taking steps to organize and move forward on seeking justice for all those scammed by these criminals.

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  22. My Oven broke down on February 18 2020. I called Appliance Repair team to have it fixed they arrived at my home with in one week of the call. They told me what the problem was and told me it would cast $662.24 to repair it. I thought that was a lot of money however the oven was relatively new. Today 6 months latter countless phone calls as at least 7 different visits to fix the problem the oven is finally working. there seemed to be a number of issues two different tech’s over the past six months. If you require appliance service “Please do not use Appliance Repair Team” , The service is poor and the follow up is even worse than getting the work done. I have spent many hours on the phone with these people even spoken to two different Managers in order to get them to complete the job. They are quick to get your money so my advice is simply don’t call them find someone else. This company should not be in business yet no one seems to care about the little guy. Call some one you can trust to get the job done not these people………….Six months with out an oven is really poor service……..

    Thank you
    I hope others will read this before calling this company…………..

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  23. hi everyone
    Unfortunately, This happened to me. my ice maker on refrigerator didn’t work on July 14,2020. I called Appliance Repair Team. it has been fifty-five days after I asked them to repair the ice maker on my refrigerator. They not only failed to repair the ice maker, but also completely damaged my refrigerator. Water leaked into my basement and damaged my floor and basement ceiling, during which they made me pay 1817.59. They kept changing my appointments and saying they’d come to my house, but they never showed up.

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  24. Hello. Sad to say I am yet another victim of this scam … same situation and outcome as described by everyone above. The Appliance Repair Team have so carefully curated their online image, reviews, and repair ‘pitch’ that the consumer can so easily be sucked into this scam. We are out over $900 for a washing machine that is in worse shape now than when I originally called them. We have initiated the process to try to get a refund, but have had no response to letters or calls, only hang-ups. I have started the complaint process with BBB, Consumer Protection Ontario, and Consumer Canada. I will also be using my social media presence and add my name to the class-action lawsuit, should it ever see the light. I do not want these corrupt people to prey on anyone else.

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  26. Hi Sylvia,
    I am in the fallen victim to Appliancerepairteam company.
    On July 14, the first time I made an appointment, the service charge was $80. They sent a maintenance person to check that the wiring in the refrigerator must be opened for inspection, but I missed their call. So, on the 15th, I made another appointment for them to open the refrigerator for inspection, but they asked me to pay $80 for the 14th and $280 for the labor fee for opening the refrigerator. so total on that day I paid $406.08 and they asked me e-transfer to their company. they said only charged once for labor, and no more labor fee would be charged after that cost. After the maintenance person went on the 15th, the maintenance person said that there was something wrong with the water pipe in the refrigerator. It would be work to connect it after replacing it with a new one. They charged me 568.36. Here is another labor fee. I later called back asked the accounting department of their company for refund one of the labor costs, but they did not refund it to me for various reasons. On July 23, they charged me another $568.36 for changed something about ice maker. but it still did not work and the technical man told me the fridge was old and I need to change the mother board and when they change that after my fridge like a new one. so I agreed with them, on July 27, they charged me 274.05 for mother board, after that they said after 72 hours later, they will installed the new board for me. but after 144 hours later, they still did not come back to install it. I called them but they always rescheduled. Actually, from July 15 until today, their staff rescheduled my appointments more than 8 times when I called them to make sure what time the technology man could get my house. and there had at least 3 times technology man didn’t show up. Like August 16, I waited whole day. nobody show up and nobody gave me a call to explain why the technology man didn’t come. I called to customer service and the staff rescheduled application again and 100% garentee me the technology man will show up. On August 25, I called book appointment again, the staff gave me the appointment was August 31. At August 31 morning I called again confirm the technology man arrived time. but the customer service again told me that there was no appointment with me. and they said they can give me rebook appointment on September 1 9-12am. but on that day until 11:00am nobody show up and I called again. they said the technology man still working with others. they can rescheduled on 12-3pm. but until 5pm, The technology man didn’t show up. and I called again, but that time the customer service said the technology man was there at 3pm but my tenants didn’t let him go inside. I asked what happened, they said they don’t know. and I asked my tenants in quick succession. my tenants said whole day nobody show up and their staff was lying. I called again and the staff said gave me reschedule it on September 3 9-12am. I called at 9am on September 3, I asked the staff give me a call before the technology man was my house. the staff said ok. but until 11am, nobody showed up. I called again, this time the staff said the technology man was there 10:30. I waited at my door gate 3 hours. Nobody showed up. their staff was lying again. I said I want to talk with the manager and they answered me I should call back on September 4 10am because the manager was not in the office.
    From July 14, the first time I called to make an appointment to fix my ice making machine to today has been 55 days. Not only my ice maker was not working, but also my good refrigerator was broken because the first maintenance personnel work error, lead to refrigerator is leaking, damaged my floor and basement ceiling, all these I write requirements for repair has not been solved.

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  27. Hi Sylvia,
    This exactly happened to me. I almost situation like Rob. I had a refrigerator which was icemaker didn’t make ice issues. I phoned the Appliance Repair Team company on July 14th. From that day, The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare. They charged me $1817.05 totally and destroyed my frige, my floor and basement. I called them more than 50 times but they never gave me a solution. and now the customer service told me my case was closed and they did not refund my money. how a horrible.

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  28. Unfortunately, I too was scammed by this “company”. Sylvia, I will send a copy of my invoice to you to add to your growing file. Could you tell me the status of any possible class action lawsuit? Could I sue this company in small claims court and if so, could you suggest the specific “legal” basis that I would be suing under?

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  29. Hi Sylvia,

    Is there not a way to shut this company down ?
    I’m just really confused how the government lets them run but not only that how they have suppliers especially them knowing how they inflat prices ?
    Can we not do a class action lawsuit ?

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  30. For the Mississauga Branch. On January 18th, we called for a fridge/freezer combo unit with the freezer not pumping cold air. The technician from the Appliance Repair Team came for 45 minutes, used our vacuum, examined only the interior and back of the fridge, did not open anything and charged us $290 for the service call, declaring that if it does not cool down in three hours, a compressor required replacement at a charge of $1420. Unsatisfied with this diagnosis, we had a friend who was previously unavailable check it for us. By opening the front and back panels, vacuuming out the dust and examining the components, the compressor was deemed fine, that we had a coolant leak via a pipe. The pipe was replaced and after labour, it was still considerably less than half the cost of the compressor.

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  31. My husband and I got scammed by this company! They got us for $1,600.00 and left my home yesterday with all the brand new parts we paid for and said they can’t fix our washer! We were furious. I followed all the steps in this article to try and get my money back but I am not holding my breath! We will file a small claims court case against the company to try and get our money back. I emailed you our documents for your case. If you need anything else please feel free to contact me. Thanks

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  33. They were hired by my real estate agent to repair the microwave in our new home, left behind by previous homeowners. (Installed above the stove, includes stovelight/vent/etc, not just a ‘plug in’ microwave)

    Two technicians arrived May 10, 2021, said they would charge around $250 to ‘repair’ the microwave, I had to pay with debit card and sign. I didn’t read the contract so I didn’t notice it says that it’s purely a ‘labour’ fee, does not cover costs of repair/replacement parts. We asked them how much our microwave would cost to just replace with a brand-new one, they lied and said $1200.

    They looked around the microwave for a bit, then said they had to order replacement parts, which would cost around $460 total, pay 50% now and 50% later when they return. I once again foolishly paid and signed. They said they’d be back in 3-5 business days to install the replacement parts. So I’m out about $550 and my microwave still doesn’t work.

    Didn’t realize til after talking to my RA agent that we got scammed. The microwave costs about $280-300, they of course lied so they could overcharge. Bank said they couldn’t do anything cause I authorized the transaction. I followed all the instructions here, they responded to my email but they really don’t care. They called saying they would refund me for the $250 replacement part costs and that it should show up in a few business days. It’s been 9 days now and still nothing. I really don’t know what to do.

    Thank you sylvia, cheryl, and everyone else contributing to this. I am filling out the complaint google doc as I write this comment.

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  34. Hi Sylvia,

    I wish I had read this page before hiring these scammers. I too had been scammed by Appliance Repair Team and almost $2000 poorer. I have fallen victim to their tricks when I called them to fix my Samsung refrigerator. My freezer had stopped cooling and a technician named Nav came to check it. He made me sign $280 for a fee and immediately diagnosed that the problem was a compressor that needs to be replaced. Even after we told him that there was a temperature sensor that we found on the bottom of the freezer that might have something to do with the freezer not working. He convinced us that the sensor compressor is irrelevant and that it was definitely the compressor that needs to be replaced. He insisted that a compressor would be available to be installed as soon as the next day, we only need to pay half of the cost of the compressor which was $700 + $280 plus taxes. We paid upfront of about $1100. I know it sounds gullible and stupid for us to pay someone $1100 but I feel like they have taken advantage of our desperation and trust that they will fix the problem. 3 days later, another technician came to install the compressor only to find nothing wrong with the compressor after he reset the board and refrigerator started up again. We then showed him the piece of the temperature sensor we found, the same part we showed Nav and he said that it definitely is the problem. So he told us that he called another technician to install the temperature sensor. Another technician named Jamie came after and installed the temperature sensor and another board. He told us that he had to change the board because it can only be reset once. Since Alex (the previous technician) already reset the board, he couldn’t reset the same board again. When he was all done, he said that we still owe the balance of the service which was $700 + tax (which was half of the cost of the compressor). I asked him why I would be paying for the compressor when clearly the compressor was not replaced. He said the cost of the board is pretty much the same as the compressor (which was very hard to believe) He insisted that we had to pay for the rest of the balance and that if I need to dispute the cost, I would need to just call the office back and make them adjust the cost. So, here I am. Still calling them, still chasing them to get my money back as they insist that the cost of the Freon fluid that they topped up my compressor with and the board is the same as the $1400 cost of the compressor.
    I had written them a letter as per your letter suggestion last Wednesday and doesn’t seem to have worked yet. I finally spoke to someone today and they said they are willing to refund me $130 for the inconvenience, which I rejected. Not sure where to go from here but I will be happy to add my name to the class lawsuit you have against this company. I am a bit relieved that there is a group of people who are in the same situation as I am and I don’t feel like the most gullible person on earth. This company should not be allowed to continue to run a business and scam customers. I have seek to get them to small claims court and I am also filing a complaint to the Better Business Bureau and maybe contacting the police to further investigate.

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    • I am happy your going to call the police. I wonder if in all these years anyone has done that because I believe That someone should, as how they are conducting themselves is criminal. Almost 3 years
      After, I was in this same situation and it still makes me literally sick that they are still operating. You need to contact the consumer protection I spoke to Miruna.Chitoi@ontario.ca
      Good luck

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    • They just ripped me off $480, same old tactics, I wish I know it before. Refrigerator broke a guys came, spend 10-20 min and charged me $480. Refrigerator is still not working(cooling). I call their customer care number they said warranty department will process the file within 24-48 hours and send the technician again. After find out all of this I’m afraid of letting them get in to my house any more. I will definitely complain to the better business bureau and will try to follow your steps to get my money back. I didn’t realized in Canada this kind of scam can happend.

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  35. Hi – I’m so embarrassed that I got scammed by these guys. I want to get involved in any lawsuits/action/etc against them. How do I get engaged? I’ve filed reports with consumer protection, etc. but don’t know what else I can do. I had an emergency with my washing machine while dealing with a serious brain injury to my son and, while muddled and against my better senses, I agreed to repairs to my washer while in the middle of dealing with neurosurgeons and hospital staff. The next day, when my head was clearer, I tried to cancel and am now out over $500. Am trying to recover my money.

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  36. Copy of our complaint sent to them

    To whom this will concern,
    Attn: Idan (Dan) Vidoser, Chen Kochavi

    I was unfortunately a victim of your service. In a desperate situation to fix the stove I use for my catering biz, I called. You sent a technician immediately, asked me to pay over 500 to repair. Within a few days , not even a week, it no longer worked so. I called back multiple times and kept getting lied to from that point forward. The first 6 to 8 times I kept getting told it would be forwarded onto the appropriate department and someone will get back to me. NOBODY EVER GETS BACK TO ME – ITS JUST A TACTIC TO AVOID ACTUALLY HAVING TO DELIVER THE SERVICE I GAVE MONEY FOR. Finally, after well over a month, after having to followup and call again, you sent the technician back to inspect and was told a new part would have to be reordered. After more weeks, I called to follow up and was now informed in fact there was already received a new part from the warranty company (yet nobody informed us), and will come replace it. On the day of the appointment, I get a call the technicians car broke down but someone will call back that day to rebook. Noone does, I call back the 1800 number is now out of service. I track you down, unraveling a labyrinth of multiple company operating names and websites, and get another ‘appointment’. The morning of, yet another call to say the technician is off sick and will be rescheduling but unable to confirm when. You have repeatedly refused our requests to refund us if you cannot in fact do a repair, or assign another technician to come and prioritize making this appointment- clearly, your business model based on the yelp and better business reviews I have now researched is to send out technicians to unwitting victims, scam them of the $80 inspection and if anyone actually follows through to get a repair, you are basically swindling a customer of a lot more money for a service you do not seem to provide and don’t really intend to. The “manager” Laura is clearly indifferent and ambivalent, took zero responsibility for your service and not sure what moral gymnastics anyone who works here goes through to justify your existence as a fraudulent scam. We will be pursuing a claim through consumer protection and also further legal action as necessary to resolve this.

    Victor ugwu2u@gmail.com

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  38. Hello,

    Yes, they got me yesterday. :/

    A guy came to check my fridge and after a very short “inspection’ he said the main board was done and needed to be replaced, quoted me $539.65 for the replacement and said he might have one with him in the car. At this point I gave him the go to replace the part so the “labor” fee kicked in. He came back from his car with the part but then he said it was not the right one and that it needed to be ordered, he quoted me $539.65 for the part. At this point the fan and the compressor in my fridge were not running so I had no reason to doubt him. He went back out to “order the part” and while he was doing it the fan and the compressor in my fridge started running. He then said that it was a common board malfunction and that it was because the board was already damaged, he insisted that the solution was to replace the board. I followed my gut his time and said I was not going to order the part at this time so the guy cancelled the order and charged me $293.80 for “labor”!
    After he left I realized that my fridge was in the same condition it was when he arrived (the freezer works but not the fridge, which now I know is a defrost system malfunction. I called a different company and they fixed it) that I had payed $293.80 for nothing and that they were trying to charge me $539.65 for a part that I was able to find online for under $100!!

    I called their customer support and the woman I spoke too just kept repeating that the technician had determined that the board needed to be replaced and when I told her that the freezer was working she asked if I was a technician to be able to determine that!!

    Needless to say, I will be following your advice and will fight to get my money back. I also see a post about taking legal action, is that still going? if it is I’d like to be part of it, these guys need to be taken down for good!

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  39. The A Team Appliance Repair is a company full of inexperienced crack pot thieves in my opinion.
    My washing machine broke and I called them. What ensued was 5 weeks of blunders, missed appointments, and over charging to order and install a new actuator. The repair person who looked me in the eyes and lied about everything is called Jerome, a seedy and weak individual.

    Never ever again will I be so ill informed as to not read reviews and do research on a repair company. I suggest you do not use The A Team Appliance Repair ever. It has been the WORST experience in customer service and repair I have ever experienced.

    This team is taking money from Canadians to pay their salaries and in return they do not come though on their end of the deal with repairs. Do not use this company, period. I hope this company falls apart out of severe debt and they end up alone on an island for life, stepping on Lego instead of sand.

    I have demanded my money back ($489.10) for services not done. I lodged a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Ministry of Ontario.

    People need to start contacting the leasing manager of this shady company supposedly at 69 Connie Cresc. She is only now hearing about this fraudulent company supposidly renting in her lot. Her name is Vivian Voo 905 907 1600 ex. 216.

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      • Received a call from the Investigator from the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services today. Investigation was conducted and charges laid against these shysters. Following trial, charges against these guys were dropped. Very disappointing news to say the least. These guys may very well be able to continue ripping people off. Andy

        On Thu, Jan 20, 2022 at 4:05 PM Sylvia Duckworth wrote:

        > sylviaduckworth.com commented: “Hi Ryan, I agree with you that they are > the scum of the earth. Good luck getting your money back, my fingers are > crossed for you. ” >

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  41. I will neve understand how these scam artists can continue to operate! I believe they operate in the US as well. I guess we can only continue to expose them.

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  42. They did…got us…same MO…dumb that I never did look for reviews before engaging with them (I always check reviews before doing anything…would have easily seen to stay away from them). Dryer problem (didn’t heat), they did inspection, said we needed to replace the heating element (made sense), chased them to replace it, they did ($800 later…thought that was cheaper than a new dryer) and told us to wait 3–4 hours before trying, we did, it didn’t work, got them to come back, they then said it was a ‘motherboard’ problem and would be an additional $475 plus labour plus tax, I asked why would I do that when I could easily buy a new one for that price, the repair guy said he would report back to their office and we would get a refund the next day, called and were told we signed a contract, they completed the work and, therefore, there would be no refund…do I feel scammed and gullible. How do the shysters get to stay in business? Plus the parts to replace actually cost 1/4 of the price they quoted…again, why didn’t I do a little homework on these crooks.

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  43. My expensive dishwasher was leaking.I am technically proficient and diagnosed the problem.I called in a ‘professional’ expecting more than a remove and replace technician.
    I priced the part at about 40 dollars on line.
    To facilitate the repair man’s work I removed the appliance from under the counter top and shut off the water and power supply to it
    The bill ended up being 180 dollars labour and 295 dollars for the part!
    They accepted only cash or debit- my rationale being the cost was less than buying an equivalent new appliance, I paid☹️
    2 hrs later doing a load of dishes, the newly installed valve was leaking and I called the company back and was told I needed to get another service call for which I would be charged 80 dollars
    Maria, the telephone agent was rude, not helpful, was totally devoid of any PR skills and frankly a complete waste of time talking to. She was unwilling to contact the repair man JP who lives in Brampton and who specifically asked to call if there were any problems!!
    …so I have ended up paying 295 dollars for a 40 part, and am still left with a leaking dishwasher and 465.68 dollars later , feeling quite sheepish and suckered!!
    A huge red flag I missed was that the technician came in a private vehicle and acceptable payment was only cash or debit .
    My opinion:( also obtained from reviews)
    The company is fraudulent, its principals and employees corrupt and dishonest and these morally bankrupt individuals have cast a shadow on all the good honest repair folk out there.
    The regulators of the appliance repair industry surely must be able to curb the activity of such people who tarnish their profession.,

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  44. Hi,

    Thank you for this very informative post. I am currently is a situation. I booked for a same day appointment and said will be charged 80$. Then they wouldn’t let me cancel it. I called again and spoke with another representative and they rebooked it free of charge and said I can cancel a day ahead free of charge. Fast forward to the next day and they are saying there’s no record of the call. But the employee that had told me my new booking has been confirmed was able to verify all my details on the phone. So I told them to check call recordings because from my understanding I have a new booking. They said they will check and let me know but they sent a 92$ charge to collections. Should I wait for the collections letter? Any advice would be great on this situation as I haven’t given them much information. Also no technician came to my house because the company knew I wanted to cancel the appointment. But are still going to charge me.

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  45. I just got scammed too!
    I clicked on the first posting when I googled now realizing it’s a Google ad they pay for. I reported the ad as Google should not allow them to pay for top page placement.
    I am our nearly $790. Where is this at now, I see this has gone on for years now – my issue was with ApplianceRepairTeam

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      • Wow, they fooled me in 2019. I haven’t seen a posting in awhile, I was hoping they got shut down. The government needs to do something, I cannot believe this is still Happening. I am sorry for what you’re going through.

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  46. Ommg I got stung yesterday and we are fuming at their audacity to fool us. Very well written article, everything so true including their modus operandi. We need to expose these guys and take them to task.

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  47. I got a scam from this company as well. it is about 1.5k and they did nothing. Thank you for your hard work Sylvia, I do not know how to do handle this when Consumer Protection Ontario could not help us to get the money back.

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