ComplaintsforHometown Hero Appliance Repair

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We had this company repair our ice-maker. However, it was improperly installed and configured, resulting in water leaking onto our fan causing it to die and our fridge along with it. This happened a total of three times after the initial install. The last technician to repair it admitted that the ice maker was the cause of our initial and resulting problems, but at no point has any compensation for lost time, wages, food cost, and repair charges been offered, only an offer to send out another repair technician to “evaluate” our issue at no charge. I do not want another person from this company to touch my refrigerator, as they are responsible for the initiator of and resulting damage. I spoke to two separate people in the customer service group and both agreed the situation was bad, and that we should get something for our trouble considering the hundreds we already spent on repairs that didn’t actually fox anything.

  

  Business response

  08/05/2024

  Hey ***** We're sorry for your poor experience. As a locally family-owned business, we offered to send a top tech out at no charge to investigate your issue, but you declined. Our last repair was over a year ago, but we offered a no-charge visit despite you being out of our warranty. If you change your mind, let us know.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I Company repaired a dishwasher from ***** that was covered under warranty for parts. The technician on site said the total fee was $600 that they would collect 50% off with a credit card. The technician said that $500 of this was for parts and $100 for service (the technician called me after to confirm that this is what he told me on site). ***** sent in the approval to cover the parts after the service was scheduled. I verified with the company that this was received and that I would get a credit for the parts after the repair was completed. They said they would process a $200 credit when the paperwork was finished with *****, after this, they did not return my calls and eventually said they had no record of our conversation after multiple conversations were completed. After two months of no resolution, I put a dispute in with my credit card company. The dispute was declined because the only documentation showed a $300 charge. I went to the company location and they said they would process a credit for $200 then after they said they would do this they still refused to refund the money, and after repeated attempts to talk to someone in accounting, they refused to let me talk to anyone in the accounting department.

  

  Business response

  09/15/2023

  Dear Customer,

  
  We understand that this has been a frustrating experience for you, and we truly appreciate your patience as we work through this matter. We want to provide you with a detailed explanation of the events and our policies to bring clarity to this situation.
  Firstly, we'd like to outline the services that were rendered. On May 31, 2023, our technician visited your premises to diagnose the issue with your ***** dishwasher, followed by a return visit on June 9, 2023, to replace the control board. Alongside these visits, we invested a considerable amount of time assisting you over the phone to ensure we met your service expectations.

  
  Regarding the financial aspects of your service, it is essential to note the initial $600 quote, which covered the parts, labor, and the service fee. Despite the misunderstanding about the labor and service call charges charges for multi-trip repairs, our team remained committed to offering you quality service and did investigate the possibility of refunding you a portion of the labor and service fee, prior to discovering that you had filed a chargeback with your credit card company.

  
  Unfortunately, due to the chargeback action initiated with your credit card company, we find ourselves unable to process a refund at this stage. Per our credit card processor, "This transaction has previously been the subject of a chargeback action. It may not be refunded or reversed." We adhere to our merchant agreement, which complies with these stipulations.

  
  We value you as a customer, and we are here to continue the conversation to address any remaining concerns or questions you may have. Our goal is to work towards a resolution that underscores our commitment to customer satisfaction.

  
  Thank you for your understanding.

  
  Sincerely,

  **** ********

  Customer response

  10/02/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The story you tell keeps changing - in my previous phone conversations they said they never broke down the labor and parts, yet your repair tech confirmed with me (twice) that the $115 service fee is waived if there is an actual repair.  He called me back after the warranty repair was processed and confirmed that the total cost to repair was about $600 (which was the reason I was charged 50% to cover ordering parts) - and that $500 of that was for parts (which were covered under warranty), which means that the final bill should have been about $115, not the $300 that was charged.  I also confirmed with ***** that this $500 in parts was correct, so again - you owe me at least $185 in refund.  You also confirmed that a refund of about $200 was due to me, but because you believed that my credit card dispute already went through you would not refund me (which I have outlined and have documentation to show that this credit did not go through and was rejected, and your company received the full $300).

  If you truly want to make this right, do the right thing and refund me $185.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******

  

  Business response

  10/02/2023

  Scott,
  I understand that the situation with your appliance repair has been less than ideal and I'm truly sorry for any inconvenience you've faced. Our goal at Hometown Hero Appliance Repair is to provide excellent service, and it seems we have fallen short in this instance.
  
  The cost structure for our services is as follows: a $115 fee covers the trip and diagnostic, while the repair is estimated to be around $260, plus tax, as per ***** ********* *** **** *****, a bluebook for our industry. We visited your home on two occasions and also took the initiative to file a warranty claim on your behalf, aiming to provide a comprehensive service to resolve the issue.
  
  I realize that this situation has been confusing and possibly frustrating, and I truly apologize for that. Unfortunately, due to the processes in place, we are unable to offer a refund for a transaction that has undergone a chargeback, as the credit card company has arbitrated this matter already.
  
  That said, we value you as a customer and would like to find a way to make this right. If you have any suggestions or if there's any other way we could assist you, please do let us know. We're here to help.
  Sincerely,
  ****

• Initial Complaint

  05/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On January 4th 2023 , after the second return visit to repair my range top stove. the techinician backed into the mail box knocking it out of the ground off the frame leaving it cracked and a hole in the base. He immediately informed me and brought it to the door. telling me a handiman would come and take care of it. I told him to leave it beside the house *** ***** ** **** *** ** *** ***** *** ******** * *** ** ******. Two weeks later I called the company to see if they knew of the situation.. They said yes. and would take care of it later- warmer weather! I can't recall the number of calls i've made to this company, but all I get, "The supervisor is not in, out to lunch, away from the desk". The repair payment for the range knob was ****** paid by credit card. on January 4th 2023

  

  Business response

  05/26/2023

  Hello,

  I am sorry for the inconvenience caused by the damage to your mailbox. Rest assured we intend to make it right. We did provide your contact information to a contractor we've used for tasks such as this, and he has attempted contact through text message to ************ as well as phone calls. He even went to the home to drop off flags so that you could ensure where you would prefer the mailbox post placed, and mark any sprinklers or other items that need identified before digging. 

  We would be more than happy to coordinate this if you're having trouble connecting. Our service manager David would be the point of contact in our office at ************ extension ****, and the contractor Peter can be reached directly at ************.

  Thank you,

  Todd

• Initial Complaint

  03/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On the last 3 NHA calls, only 1 appliance was repaired. 11-28-22: A warranty call on a washer needed a lid switch adjustment according to the manufacturer & the console tightened. The tech’s fix was to sand down the lid bumpers but left the console loose. Then he tried to bill me even though it was a warranty repair. 1/18/23: Food was spoiling in our new ** **** refrigerator, food developed mold, sometimes food in refrigerator froze & other times the milk was warm; ice formed on items in the freezer. ** relied on computer code history which gets overwritten & they weren’t able to diagnose it. I called NHA for a 2nd opinion & asked Ricco the manager to send a refrigeration expert who could think outside the box & not rely on computer codes like **. I had pictures of carrots divided between the **** & an older refrigerator. The carrots were decomposing in the **** but not the other. The tech said it was because of the 2 **** evaporators! I showed him pictures of black mold on ***** & condensation in food containers . His“fix” was to drop the temp 1°! He told me the history showed the doors had been left open suggesting this was the cause but this was during set up & several ** visits installing new doors. He did not show me the dates & erased the history. He looked no further for a cause. I needed the water dispenser calibrated but he wanted to ask *** to exchange the refrigerator. I said no, I wanted it fixed. I don’t believe he had any intention of doing the repair if he was at all capable because in a followup phone call, he said I should file a claim for a replacement. I told him I did not have insurance. I was billed even though no repairs were done & never given a copy of what I paid. I called Ricco but he does not take or return my calls. I think NHAs focus is on expanding into new markets, diluting their pool of quality technicians & losing the small company values that made them the “heroes”. I would say for me it has been more of a joker experience.

  

  Business response

  03/22/2023

  We're sorry to hear that you weren't satisfied with the repair, so we are refunding your diagnostic charge. Feel free to contact us if you have any further questions or concerns.  

  Customer response

  03/25/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  James And Evonne *******

• Initial Complaint

  05/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On May 6th I called Nebraska Home Appliance to get help with repairs on a washing machine. Told me it was a $**. Service charge but that would be applied to the cost of the repair if I chose to go ahead. The asked for the error code, model # and serial #, all of which I provided. When they arrived, they did not have the part. They played the game of having us write a $***. Check to cover everything. After waiting 2 weeks, they finally got the part and put it in. They are refusing to guve us an itemized price for the part and labor costs, as well as where our $**. Service call was credited to. I have reached out to them, and they are still refusing to itemize or give us the part number that they replaced.

  

  Business response

  06/17/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/05/23) */ Contact Name and Title: Todd ********, President Contact Phone: ************ Contact Email: ******************** Hi Kathy, Thank you for sharing your experience. The experience sounds frustrating, and 2 weeks without a washer is a long time to go without. Let me address your concerns regarding how we quote repairs. Nebraska Home Appliance prices our repairs using the Major Appliance Job Rate Guide, which is a blue book for our industry and provides a quote for the complete job, including, parts, labor, tax, and guarantee. As for the $** service charge, we do waive this with any repair. As your repair was approved on the first visit, there was nothing to credit as the service call fee had never been collected. To address your concerns regarding the price and service call, I can authorize a $*** refund to your original payment method if this would resolve the issue in full. Please let us know if you are satisfied with this resolution. Regards Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/05/23) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

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