Not a Plumbing Problem - But Would Appreciate Advice

[JK60]

This is more of a legal issue then anything else, but with so many professional contractors on this forum I am hoping that you can point me in the right direction. My 83 year old mother had a problem with her GE electric oven. She was quoted a price of $76.00 by the local GE office to replace the glow plug. The breakdown was $26 for the part and $50 for labor. When the service guy arrived he told her the price to replace the glow plug is $192. She told him that she was quoted $76 and will not pay $192. The guy got angry and left but told her that she will still get a bill for $192. No work was performed. My mother called the same GE office again and after explaining what happenned was told that she will not have to pay anything. Off course that's not how things went. They are trying to collect $192 from her, and are threatening to turn this over to a collection agency. A letter explaining everything was sent to them but to no avail. At this point I would like to report them to whatever regulatory agencies I can. This is where I could use some advice. What is the best course of action and who can I report them to? My mother lives in San Francisco. Thanks for any help on this subject.

Jerry

 

[Dunbar Plumbing]

Public scrutiny is the best suggestion.

It's always guaranteed on any of your 3 local news stations that when the news is slow and no one is wrecking/getting killed/stealing something.........the best kind of news is a big company getting "showed up" for trying to screw a poor defenseless old woman.


Public opinion can sometimes crush one's reputation.......especially if they are in the wrong and they are trying to pass it off as right.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Verdeboy]

Is it possible that your mother misunderstood the fine folks at G.E.? As a maint. mgr. of many apartment complexes, I've dealt with G.E. hundreds of times. And, there ain't nothin' they do for $76 that isn't under warranty. They charge a lot just for the service call, so with parts and labor, it could easily have been $192. But even if that's the case, they should only be trying to bill her for the service call, since they did no work.

If you are friends with a lawyer, have him or her write a letter to G.E. I wouldn't hire a lawyer, cuz they'd charge you more than you'd save. If you don't personally know a lawyer, I'd make as big a stink as possible, and do like Rugged said, if necessary.

 

[Cookie]

Jerry, no disrepect intended here, but, because of the age of your mother, and if you can afford to, why not maybe, just pay the bill for her. Tell her, " mother, it has been taken care of" and then, take her out for a nice lunch.

I don't think you will win fighting this anyways. Just my 2 cents worth, for whatever it is worth to you.

p.s. Remember Thanksiving is coming up, I bet if you get the oven fixed, she will make a great turkey!

 

[JK60]

My mother is actually pretty sharp for her age. Yes I can afford it, but it's really a matter of principle here. Why would she or I for that matter pay for misquoted work, and in fact work that was not performed. The service guy could have just as easily said $300 or $500 and then leave without doing anything. Should I be sending him a check for these hypothetical amounts? What I don't understand is why you think that this cannot be won. I don't see what legal grounds they have for collecting. Granted I am no expert in this area and maybe I am wrong, and so this is why I've asked for advice from the people on this forum who have more experience in this area then me.

As far as Thanksgiving goes, she comes to my house. My wife is a great cook.

P.S. I wonder if this is something that can be reported to the California Contractors State License Board?

 

[Cookie]

I similarily went thru the same experience with GE, with a washing machine. I bought it at HD, the first year if something went wrong had to go thru GE itself. I bought the extended warranty, so the next few years then, I would go thru HD. But, it started leaking water within the first few weeks after I bought it.

It was a really horrible experience with these people. I can't tell you, and this was under warranty. I work for a newspaper, you can go the route of the newspaper, but, to be honest, it takes a lot for positive results. You could try the news stations, and sometimes, someone their might pick it up if they have the time, or motiviation.

But, I kind of think maybe, your mother misheard the price. I am judging this by prices I have been quoted, and it goes in line with the 192.00.

I would let it go. But, that is me.

 

[Jimbo]

There are two entities involved here...the GE national 800 # and the local "authorized" service dealer. Most of the problem is with the latter. I am surprised that GE quoted any price...sight unseen... for that service call.

I agree with others that you cannot get an appliance serviced for $76, so some communication error took place, and we don't know who to blame.


Recently, my daughter's frig. went out. She called in the company we know to be the most dependable in town. It was a run capacitor module on the compressor...part $125 labor $100; he discounted the total bill to $200, and I consider that reasonable. I have access to a wholesale appliance parts web, and I know that the part is listed for $39 wholesale, $69 retail. SO they made a few bucks on that part....but the guy had it on the truck, and showed up before the food in the fridge started to melt. Priceless!

 

[Geniescience]

fact finding first.

Before getting into this level of detail, I might call the same place with the same problem, and listen to the answer. As if I were a new client.

I might call another office in another location. I might call early in the moring or late in the day, so that whoever answers is not "the usual person". Or on a Saturday. I might add this problem together with another one. Anythign to get the information without raising alarm bells.

david

 

[Cass]

Nothing was done, she received nothing, not even an estimate as that was done over the phone, the confusion was on GEs end not hers, I think.
Call the BBB and file a complaint and have them contact GE.

I agree with the statments that your not getting a service call for the original price quoted.

The best thing would be to have them come back, if they will, and do the repair and then pay them the $192.00.

 

[hj]

estimate

No one charges the same price for a job, (if the work is not done, and no parts are used), as they would if they had completed the work, so something is getting lost in the translation here.

 

[hj]

cost

I hope, if I were to show up at your house for a service call, you didn't try to tell me what the Internet wholesale/retail price was, because you would still pay the amount I charged you.

 

[JK60]

hj,

Nothing is getting lost in translation here, at least not on my end. Here again is the chain of events:

1. Received phone quote for repairing oven from GE Appliances (NOT Internet) - $76.00
2. Agreed to phone quote and was told they'll send a serviceman.
3. Serviceman comes, says the job is $192.
4. Serviceman is apprised that $192 will not be paid when the quote was $76.
5. Serviceman leaves threatening to send full bill even though no work was performed.
6. A phone call to GE Appliances with an explanation as to what happenned results in their promise to cancel the bill.
7. A month or so later full bill received from GE Appliances claiming that it was a second statement and asking why it hasn't been paid as yet.
8. Written explanation of this whole sordid adventure has been sent to GE Appliances as per their request.
9. Written explanation has been ignored by GE appliances and a threat of turning this over to a collection agency issued.
10. Next step is in my hands.

As you said yourself no one charges the same price for a job as they would had they completed a job. This is what's so mind boggling here. To misquote a job and then have the nerve to send you an inflated bill when nothing has been done, and no new parts left behind, smacks of being illegal to me. They are simply trying to initimidate an old woman into handing them money for a job that they either misquoted or "low balled".

 

[Cass]

What is on the invoice as far as work performed?

 

[JK60]

Cass,

That is a very good point. GE Appliances claim that an invoice has been sent, however it was not received on our end. The first correspondence from them that was in fact received by my mother, makes a reference to this invoice, and asks why it has not been paid. No details of work are included in the received correspondence. Perhaps I should get them to re-send this "phantom" invoice, assuming that they actually send one in the first place.

 

[Coach606]

I wouldn't worry...

There's a lot of good advice here. My take would be to try to have them out to complete the repairs for $192. That's probably reasonable given the cost of a service call.

But if you don't want to give them your business, don't. You can keep trying to contact the company and my guess is that they will, in the end, be reasonable about this. You can contact the BBB and other agencie's mentioned, too.

But just don't be too worried about a $192 judgement from a credit collector. I mean, it's not going to hurt your mom's credit rating much at this point. They won't likely be suing or pursuing it much further than the credit agency.

In other words, it's no big deal from what I can see. Hopefully you can resolve it with GE. But if they insist on being unreasonable, let them waste their money and time trying to collect. I'm no lawyer, but I doubt there's much they can do to your mom's credit or anything else.

It's a pain, sure, and it's unfair. Just don't get too worked up. And watch for scams. I had a guy who called me a dozen times claiming he was a lawyer and that I was being named in some kind of suit. Never got a thing in writing. Checked my credit report regularly. It was a scam. But, man, the guy knew just what to say to get you riled up.

So just remember, this is a misunderstanding over a few bucks. Since no work was performed, I think your conscience is pretty clean.

 

[Verdeboy]

Reverse Synergy

Reverse Synergy is when the total is less than the sum of the individual parts. In other words, each individual person you've dealt with at G.E. may be very intelligent when they are not at work. But when you put them all together in the context of a large corporation, the result is mindboggling stupidity.

My main goal in life is minimize my dealings with all of our giant, stupid institutions: big government, big corporations, organized religions etc..

 

[hj]

credit agency

If it is sent to a credit agency and they threaten to cause a poor credit rating, notify them that this is a fraudulent billing and that you will hold them responsible for any damage to her credit rating. But insist that the company tell you why she owes that amount if it was not repaired. Possibly the repairman created a phony invoice so he would get paid, especially if he gets a percentage of any parts used.

 

[JK60]

Thanks to all of you for the valuable advise posted here. It has certainly given me enough infomation as to how to handle this matter. You guys and gals are great!!!

Jerry

 

[JK60]

Update

What is on the invoice as far as work performed?

My mother just received a copy of the original invoice. It states that the service performed was replacement of a glow bar. The cost breakdown is $50 for parts, $140 labor, and $4.25 tax, for a total of $194.25. Not a bad profit for work that was NOT performed and a part that was NOT left behind. If this isn't fraud, I don't know what is!

 

[Cass]

O.K. Now ask for a copy of the customers signature showing work was complete.

Did she sign anything?