Mr Chen Kochavi
Manager
Appliance Repair Team
Sept 14, 2020

We thank you for the opportunity to address these concerns. We will address many of the issues
raised by you below:
$80 on the phone, then $280 once there
This is a common industry procedure and the rate is well within industry standards.
Customers are charged $80 for a technician to come out, regardless of whether they choose to go
ahead with the repair. This service call fee is for the technician’s travel time, gas, and insurance.
Most companies charge this same fee, although the rate can differ slightly.
Manufacturer
Samsung (Elite
Appliance)
LG (ARS)
Whirlpool/Kitchenaid
Miele
Omega Appliances
Bosch

Service
Call
120
120
120
265
75
120

Terms & Conditions
Quote for labour & parts provided on site
Quote for labour & parts provided on site
Covers travel and first 30 mins, $120+ 160 for the next
hour of work
Service call + diagnosis
Quote on site
$160 for the first hour (on top of the 120 dispatch fee)

As the list above suggests all companies charge a service call (dispatch fee). How they go
about afterwards charging for labour and parts differs slightly although not enough that the final
cost for the customer is substantially different. To repeat, we fall well within industry standards
both in terms of cost and practice.
The $280 that is often charged by our technicians is a flat fee, including diagnosis and
labour. Even a job that takes 3 hours or more will be charged the same fee. Consider the above
pricing where they charge on a per hour basis. In that scenario a customer cannot be aware of the
final cost upon consenting to the service whereas with us, the price will not fluctuate from the
agreed upon price. We believe that our pricing strategy allows us to be transparent and clear with
the customer. They know upfront how much it will cost for the service, with the aim of the
technician being that the appliance will be repaired without parts.
Our technicians are hard-working individuals who work long hours, drive long distances,
and perform physically demanding labour. Why should they not be paid for this work? Would
you like us to pay them the bare minimum simply because they are performing blue-collar work?
We do not ascribe to that way of thinking. We appreciate our technicians for the efforts and work
done by them.
The customer is told to sign a repair agreement before the work commences​.

 The reason for this is quite simple. Every customer can choose on their own volition, to
either go ahead with the labour or to not and just pay the $80 service call fee. No one is forced
to, and some do choose that option. This repair agreement is so that the customer is in ownership
of their decision. It is called informed consent. If they choose to go ahead with the quoted
amount then the technician will begin performing the labour. For many customers, that is the
only cost they will incur as the technician will be able to repair the machine without any
additional parts. How can customers complain about a fee that they had full authority to refuse?
Perhaps they weren’t happy with the result of the labour, such as requiring an additional part, or
a part required is no longer available (NLA), but in all instances that would not have been known
had labour not been performed on the machine. Therefore, labour was performed and thus is
payable by the customer. Unfortunately, we have found in the past that some customers do not
hold true to their word so this form is also essential in protecting the technician, it helps to
prevent any miscommunication between the technician and the customer.
During our research, we have documented customers charged approximately $300.00 for a
service/diagnostic fee, in addition to being informed that costly new parts will be required.
The costly new parts you refer to are because they are expensive. Obviously, the part prices
that an LG certified repair company charges should be less than a company such as us as they are
receiving parts greatly discounted from the manufacturer. We need to source all parts, order
them, and pay for them as well as shipping. This is a large cost for the company that these other
‘certified’ companies do not have to deal with. To those customers who complained that the part
could be found online for cheaper that is because we are not selling parts. If you want to buy just
a part we will refer you to a supplier. The price a customer is given for a part is not a wholesale
or retail price. What our price offers is not only the part, but also installation, labour, knowledge
and warranty. Warranty is a very costly service to offer as each additional visit by a technician
incurs great expense to us with none to the customer yet we offer it as we see it as essential that
every appliance is repaired.
CBC Marketplace also documented a washing machine being serviced by an A-Team technician.
You did not elaborate on this visit so we cannot address it explicitly, but we would like to
ask, was the machine diagnosed properly? Was the issue fixed by the labour performed by the
technician? Did he recommend additional parts? Because you did not highlight any further issue
with this technicians’ work other than the cost of the labour we will assume that the machine was
fixed. If so, and it cost only the $280, then we do not understand the complaint.
Ineffective at diagnosing machines
We make every attempt to diagnose and repair all appliances. Often, issues appearing can
be attributable to 2 causes without any way of knowing which until a part is installed. If upon
installation it is discovered that the wrong cause was treated, then the part is replaced under
warranty. This is not a reflection of ‘shoddy workmanship’ or our ineffectiveness of diagnosing
machines but rather, a reflection of the complex machines that we are repairing. Similarly, it is
often the case that parts are installed only for another issue to arise. This secondary problem was
not previously visible to the technician and would not have been known to exist until the first
part was replaced. If the machine does not turn on how can we know if the machine is draining?
It is unfortunate but a small minority of our customers do not seem to understand this. We try our

 best to explain it to them, but some are simply unwilling to listen to us. Our goal is always to
repair the machine. We did not create these machines nor the problems that arise from them (that
responsibility lies with the billion-dollar appliance giants) but we do our absolute best to repair
the machines.
We cannot speak directly about the misdiagnosis that you are referring to in your email
because we do not know enough details regarding the job. However, what we can say is that
recommending parts that are not needed is ​not a practice that we accept​. We implement a
vigorous training program in order to ensure that technicians are trained appropriately. We have
many technicians and do our utmost to know what happens at every job but with so many
technicians it is difficult to always do this. Should we discover that something like this happens
we will take immediate action against the technician as this type of practice is not condoned.
100s of complaints on the BBB
The Better Business Bureau is a 3​rd​ party company. We would like to reiterate that, ‘a
company’; they are not a government affiliated agency. Unfortunately, many people are not
aware of the commercial aspect to the BBB—perhaps that would make a great investigative
report for Marketplace, how online review companies charge business a fee to belong and what
happens when they chose not to belong. We choose to operate outside the realm of the BBB
meaning when a customer has an issue we deal with the customer directly. When the issue is
resolved we do not notify the BBB as again, we deal with customers directly; so what is on the
BBB is not a true reflection of the reality.
It is noteworthy to mention that the opinions expressed online are by those who were
unhappy with us. What about all the customers who did not go online. Do you go online every
time you deal with a company that helped you solve a problem, or do you just get on with your
life because the problem is no longer an issue? With over 500 customers serviced a week, most
of our customers are happy with our workmanship. We also have many repeat customers.
Remember, these are customers that, according to your research, must have felt “​misled” by our
company and our business practices. So why did they call us back to fix another machine?
Because, as we have oft stated here, our goal with every job is to repair the machine which we
are proud to say we do.
a former employee and the $280 always being applied
We believe another word for former employee is, in this instance, a disgruntled
employee. As you did not state which disgruntled employee you spoke to we cannot speak to
their own motivations to say what they did but probably he carries some grudges against the
company. What we can say is that he is incorrect. $280 is not charged across the board.
Technicians do not charge for simple repairs.
Finally, we would like to refer you back one final time to Marketplaces report regarding
Appliance Repair manufacturers such as LG, Samsung, and Whirlpool amongst others. These
multi-billion-dollar companies were not only unable (or unwilling) to repair their own products
but are manufacturing products whose lifespan is well short of the 10-year standards. Obviously
if these billion-dollar giants made machines that did not break down constantly and consistently
companies like us would not exist. In the meanwhile, until such time as they produce
long-lasting, break-proof machines customers need companies like us that can send a technician

 out the same day so clothes are not left inside a machine for 6 months (as per your marketplace
report). We fulfill a vital role, especially in times of Covid. We find it a bit ironic that you are
reporting on unsatisfied customers rather than highlighting the essential nature of what we do
during these times. When restaurants were closed, and stores shuttered, people needed to have
appliances that worked. Our technicians kept working during all of this, despite the risk of going
to random people’s houses, so that individuals and families could have working fridges, ovens,
washers, and dryers.