After experiencing trouble with my Kenmore Dryer, I phoned Appliance Masters, a company listed under "Sears" in the white business pages. On August 18, their technician, David, came to check my dryer. He replaced the belt, the idler pulley, and the drum support rollers. The bill for these parts and half an hour or so of labor came to $270.
On September 18, I noticed that the dryer was making a squeaking noise. Thinking that the belt must have slipped, I phoned Appliance Masters. I reached a recording informing me that all of their lines were busy and they would return my call as soon as possible. I left my information. They didn't call.
Tuesday I phoned again, and this time I spoke to Nicole. She connected me to David, but when I explained the situation to him he refused to come out unless he was paid a service fee. I spoke to Nicole as well, and she backed up David's demand. Their argument hinged on fine print at the bottom of my bill stating "labor shall be charged after 30 days from date of repair." Apparently, I missed my door of opportunity by several hours when I called September 18.
Nicole refused to connect me to a supervisor, and put me on hold when I continued to complain. I waited five minutes before redialing. The line was busy. I phoned the number at intervals several more times, with the line remaining busy. I have not heard from them since.
If you do a search for Appliance Masters online, you will find their mission statement: "Appliance Masters is a family-owned business started in 1981. We strive to provide quality services and customer satisfaction. Our customers love our commitment to prompt, professional, and affordable services. We are licensed and bonded. Our professional technicians are very knowledgeable and take pride in a doing the job right. Outstanding service at competitive prices! We are open on Saturdays for your convenience. We know you have a lot of choices and appreciate your business!"
This company does not live up to its mission statement. I experienced only gruff customer service from David and Nicole, and never received a follow-up from the company about my troubles.
What's more, it is my opinion that Appliance Masters' white business pages listings are misleading. As I alluded to earlier, I actually intended to hire a repair technician from Sears. I accidentally contacted Appliance Masters instead thanks to their listing in extra large, bold letters, "SEARS AFTER THE WARRANTY APPLIANCE REPAIR." I have since discovered that if you look under Maytag, Whirpool, and virtually every major brand you will find the same ad with the same phone number. They have absolutely no connection with any of these companies; they are simply repairmen.
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