HENRICO, Va. -- A local woman said that two months ago she paid a man $350 dollars to fix her dishwasher, but he stopped answering her calls and the appliance has not been fixed.
The repairman said there are two sides to the story and said there was a reason the work hasn't yet been done, even though two months have passed.
“I've got 350 dollars charged to my Mastercard,” said homeowner Dorothy Chewning. “It won't make or break me, but, it's just not right."
She first contacted a local company on August 22, because the blue light on her machine kept flashing.
Chewning said the technician asked her to pay upfront for parts and labor.
“I had second thoughts but I said okay, I can do that, because he was very nice,” Chewning said.
When she didn't hear from him for days she called and said she was told it was difficult to get the part needed.
Days later she said he sent over a technician from another company, and she was hopeful a fix was on the way.
“Before he left, he said I’ll order a part for you and I’ll be back on Monday to put the part in for you,” Chewning said. “That's been two weeks ago and I have not heard from him.”
Chewning said that after repeated calls to both men went unanswered and that’s when she contacted Problem Solvers.
We spoke to both men who said the part was back ordered and they also said that there were multiple times that they could not reach Chewning on the telephone.
They said there was a misunderstanding and the first person thought the other repairman was finishing the work, and vice versa.
The original repairman told CBS 6 that they can now finish the work or refund Chewning's money.
Better Business Bureau officials said Chewning's story is a reminder that consumers need to do their homework before hiring someone to do repair work.
“Get a recommendation from a friend, someone who has used that person,” Chewning said. “Never go sight unseen.”
The BBB says no matter what kind of repair job you need, it's always a good idea to get at least three estimates.
Ask about upfront service fees before you make an appointment, they added. And pay by credit card in case you need to challenge the charge.
CBS 6 News is working for you. Click here to email a tip to the CBS 6 Problem Solvers. Be sure to leave us your name, phone number and detailed description of the problem. You can also leave a message by calling 804-254-3672.
