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A tale about A&E Factory Service - more accurately know as A&E Factory NON-Service - for a Whirlpool Dryer in Raleigh, NC.
On Sept 6, an A&E technician is dispatched to our home by Whirlpool Warranty Service to diagnose a problem with our $900 Whirlpool dryer that is less than 1 year old. The technician says the electronic control needs to be replaced, but does not have the part, and will have it ordered immediately. A&E calls back later that day to inform us that the part is not available, has been ordered and should arrive in 10 days! I'm under a lot of pressure here, because a major reason for my investing in this dryer is it's high-capacity, which is crucially important to my family of ten. 10 days! But, aren't they "Factory" service? How hard is it to get this part?
On day 6 (Sep 12), A&E calls back and says it will be at least 5 more days for the part to arrive! Thus commences the lies and misinformation. I had serious doubts A&E had actually ordered this part as they could not provide me any tracking information. You see, this is chump warranty work, and I was a LOW, LOW priority.
So, on Wed, Sep 13, I called A&E trying to find out why it is so hard to get this part, only to be hurried off the phone with the obligatory response of, "It is out of our control. When the part comes in we will set up an appointment to replace it." So, I go on the internet - knowing nothing about obtaining Whirlpool dryer parts - and in less than 10 minutes have found the part readily available through several vendors. I call A&E and let them know, BUT of course, they have a "process" they must follow - mind you, not a desire to provide fast service. So, I call Whirlpool, whom A&E are contracted by. Alas, Whirlpool parts center has 39 in stock and they will express ship the part. So, I teleconference A&E and Whirlpool (partners, eh?) and attempt to assist A&E in getting the part to me right away. You see, if I acquired it myself, I would have to pay for it. Only A&E could order it from Whirlpool.
I call back the next day (Thu, Sep 14), but am unable to confirm through A&E operator if the part was ordered, and am given an appointment for Sept 27th, just in case the part comes in by then. The operator tells me she has no way to confirm if the part is ordered. Wow, they care - NOT! So, Friday the 15th I pursue A&E again and remind them that the part is at Whirlpool and can be expressed shipped if only they would call to order it. The first thing the A&E operator mentions is that they will not pay for express shipping. Five extra dollars to a company the size of A&E is too much, when my business means so little. After much pursuit, the A&E operator obliges me by setting up the repair appointment for Tues, Sep 19th. Well, that is what she told me, anyway. That same day (Fri, 9/15), I also call Whirlpool customer service to see if they will help ensure that A&E orders the part from them and would they please express ship it. The Whirlpool representative seems glad to help and leads me to believe I can receive the part by Monday.
I call A&E on Monday to see if the part is on its way, and to see if I have the appointment on Tuesday. Well, it really should be no surprise that without calling me, A&E cancelled the Tuesday appointment because they knew they had not ordered the part yet! Wow! Another call to Whirlpool on Tues, Sep 19, to get them to act on my behalf with A&E and get them to order the part leads me to believe that the part is finally ordered because the Whirlpool agent says it will definitely be at my home on Thu, Sep 21. I call A&E again to get an earlier appointment than Sep 27th. I am grudgingly given an appointment for Friday afternoon, Sep 22nd.
A&E calls my wife on Thursday, 9/21, around 3pm to see if the part has arrived. Sadly, my wife tells the truth and says, "no". The A&E operator instructs my wife to call by the end of the day to confirm whether or not the part arrives, but gives no deadline. My wife calls A&E at about 4:30pm when the part arrived only to find out that A&E canceled the appointment without notice and will not reschedule. A&E was dead-determined to keep the Sep 27th appointment, no matter what.
No matter how much pleading and explaining I did when I called back on Friday morning, I could not get any other appointment other than Sep 27th - 3 weeks after the problem was diagnosed as being a problem with a part that takes 2 days to get and 5 minutes to install! Furthermore, the A&E operator tries to pretend that I never had an appointment for Fri, 9/22, that it was always - and only - for Wed, 9/27. Later, in the same conversation she slips by mentioning that my wife caused the problem by failing to return their call on time the previous day. I retort, that if I never had an appointment for this day (Fri, 9/22), then why did we get a call from A&E the day before inquiring about the arrival of the part? She was tongue tied and said, of course, there was nothing she could do. She then thanked me for my business and ended the call.
I cannot stand the thought of giving A&E any business, so a light bulb finally goes off in my head. On Monday, Sep 25th, I call Whirlpool and ask if there is anyone else I can go through to get this part installed. The Whirlpool agent calls me back in 10 minutes to inform me that I have an appointment with another service provider in Raleigh who will be there the next morning to install the part. And, like magic, a technician from Mr. Appliance arrives to install the part.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
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Less than 3 years ago we purchased appliances at Lowes (washer and dryer)". We also purchased the extended warranty offered'. On July 2nd, my dryer quit heating so I called the company on the brochure to submit a request for repair'. I was told that the next available appointment wasn't until July 12th so I scheduled for the 8-12 time slot?. Having a family of 5, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of going so long without a dryer and having to haul my 8 month old BABY to the dirty laundromat but I didn't have any other options..
July 12th, the technician finally shows up at my house shortly before Noon/. I had to run and pick up my son from swimming lessons and when I returned the tech said that he had figured out the problem--it was indeed the heating element'. I thought "well duh"---THEN he proceeds to tell me that he has to order the part! When I questioned him as to why they wouldn't carry the parts with them he said that the "company" doesn't want to spend the money to ship the parts until they know what part they are going to need--because if it wasn't the heating element--the "company" would have to spend the money to return the part!. The poor guy probably feared for his life at this point---he said that he "emergency ordered" the part and that it would ship directly to me in 2 days or perhaps 1 week...he didn't know. THEN he told me that the next available appointment in our area wasn't until August 2nd. This would mean that I will be without a dryer for an entire month. Are you kidding me?
He told me that I would have to call the "company" to try to get the date moved up. He also indicated that A&E Factory Service is actually owned by Sears...so on the days he works on a product purchased at Lowes, he wears his A&E uniform and hands out those business cards, but when he works on Sears items, he wears that uniform/business cards.
After he left, I called the number on the A&E card. Spoke with three different people (repeating my story three times) about my disappointing situation..the final person being a "manager" at some call center in who-knows-where who basically told me that there was no way to speed up the process, track the part, etc. I mean seriously, these people could not care less. I then find out that the part (remember the "emergency order"?) won't be here until maybe July 20th. Maybe before--but no guarantees... Ugh! I'm so frustrated by this point. The lady tells me that she can't even schedule my appointment until tomorrow (July 13th) and that I would have to call back then. I asked her if there was a way I could contact her again so that I didn't have to go through the agony of explaining my situation another 5 or 6 times. No--of course not.
So today (July 13th) I have spent a great portion of my day trying to get somewhere with these crooks. I have called Sears, and then they transferred me to A&E because I'm sure they got tired of listening to me complain and as such pesky questions about the service I paid for but wasn't getting...A&E (call center again) was no help either...
Meanwhile, the laundry piles up--and I have to make another trip to the laundromat. As I read other reviews about this company I'm just saddened by the fact that we as consumers are being ripped off by these huge companies like Sears and Lowes. We go there because they offer a better deal than the smaller hometown guy but we end up paying MORE in the long run because these big companies don't CARE about us.
The absurdity of the situation is insane. I have no idea where the technician had to drive from because we live in outstate Minnesota (rural) but how efficient is it for him to have to make this journey TWICE? I'm guessing that it would have been cheaper to pay the shipping for the part and then they'd actually have a slighty-less-offended customer.
I really can't say enough about how disappointed I am by this companies service. I should add that in defense of the technician...he was very nice and professional. It's not his fault that these companies have no idea what they are doing.
BUYER BEWARE: I bought an extended warranty from Sears for my appliances. The repairman came out and advised that the motor that I needed was on his truck... HOWEVER when he tried to install the part, it did not work. He told me that a new part would need to be ordered and it would take a week.
Never mind that I took off from work, never mind that I already waited a week for the repair, and never mind that I paid almost $500.00 for the warranty. It seems that a business that has so many posts would be out of business by now, but its not!
Horrible. Had a technician break my microwave, get frustrated and just leave with parts everywhere. Another time a technician didn't bother showing up claiming he couldn't find parking. Customer service was rude, unwilling to listen, and flat out unhelpful. Horrible. Had a technician break my microwave, get frustrated and just leave with parts everywhere. Another time a technician didn't bother showing up claiming he couldn't find parking. Customer service was rude, unwilling to listen, and flat out unhelpful. Horrible. Had a technician break my microwave, get frustrated and just leave with parts everywhere. Another time a technician didn't bother showing up claiming he couldn't find parking. Customer service was rude, unwilling to listen, and flat out unhelpful.
I am contacting you on behalf of Electrolux Major Appliances in relation to your posting on www.complaintsboard.com. I would like to apologize for the difficulty you have had with your appliance. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this issue with you so that I can personally look in to this matter in order to do so please send me your contact information, and the best time to contact you. I would also need your model and serial number and a file number if available, so that I can research this matter? Again I regret the disappointment with your appliance and look forward to resolving this issue with you.
Sincerely
Chris Polk
Escalation Specialist
Electrolux Major Appliances
chris.polk@electrolux.com
My washer was supposed to be fixed by A & E Factory service on sat between 1 and 5pm. My husband and I were both all day. At 2:00 I went out to check our mail and there was a post it on our door saying "sorry we missed you, we were here at 1:52" Well I think the service man must have had weekend plans and trying to get home early b/c our kids were napping, quite house and we have two dogs that bark. So there was no way we would have not heard a knock on the door or the doorbell. I immediately called the company and explained what happened. They told me he should have called before he came anyways (which he did not). They assured me that he would still come that day. At 4:45 I called the company back to see why we still had not received a call and no one had shown up yet. They told me the service guy was finishing up his job and ours was next and that I should get a call from him soon. No call, no one showed up. I called back at 6:30 and was told that they could not get a hold of him and that they dont know why he did not come, that they could see he closed his previous job and that he was supposed to have gone to my place after that. The worst part is that they would not send someone out the next business day. I have to wait until Wednesday. When I asked to speak with the manager, he also could not help me and told me that it is just my work against his technician's word. Needless to say, I have a different company coming out to fix it. I would never use this company, never recommend them to anyone.
My one year old, Frigidaire Refigerator ice maker, auger motor, stopped working. I contacted the A&E Factory Service, and set up a time for them to come out. The first tech said the motor was shorted out. It would humm when the ice dispenser lever was pushed, but would not dispense the ice. A&E ordered the ice auger motor, and sent out a different tech to install the new motor. After installing the new motor, I ask for the motor, and he gave it to me. I tested the old motor and found it to work ok. I contacted A&E to return and install the old motor, and refund the service charge. The tech came back, and as I was showing him the working motor he said, yes sometimes the motors stop and then when they warm up, start up again. A&E refunded $65 of the $306.98 service and parts bill. I found that same motor (NEW) for from $47 to $83. Buyer beware! The next time I find myself in need of a repairman, I will call my local repair service. At least he is reasonable and fair.