WEST RICHLAND -- We called Authorized Appliances yesterday. Both customers say their appliances were fixed or they finally resolved their problems with the company right after our calls. Coincidence? The customers don't think so.
"The only reason he came and finished the job was because I contacted you and I don't think he had any intention of coming and doing it because he had the money and I paid him the day he came originally and that was it," said Karla Short, who's dealth with Authorized Appliances.
Karla short paid Daniel Rezendes from Authorized Appliances 97 dollars to replace a stove burner. It was the wrong size and Rezendes said he would come back and fix it.
She waited a month, but no word from Rezendes. She called the Troubleshooter.
We called Rezendes yesterday and that's when he fixed Short's stove.
"After a month, that was plenty of time for him to finish the job and he wasn't real happy. He told me to contact you and make sure to tell you it was done, so you wouldn't contact him."
Rezendes fixed the burner for free. He wouldn't appear on camera, but told us free service calls are not a priority for him. He completes them on his own time, which is why it took him so long to fix Short's stove.
"It was nice to replace the part for free but when you tell someone to come back and finish the job, I expect it to be done in a timely manner. I would never take a month to finish something regardless if it's a free service or not."
Authorized Appliances has an unsatisfactory record with the Better Business Bureau. It says people should research companies before doing business with them.
"A lot of companies, they don't take care of their customers and you need to make sure a company you deal with is reputable."
Rezendes says he doesn't like the fact that his company doesn't have the best reputation. He claims he tried to schedule an appointment earlier with Short, but she was hard to get ahold of. Short denies that claim.
Three complaints were filed with the Better Business Bureau against Authorized Appliances within the past three years. One was resolved, one was addressed by the company, but the consumer didn't acknowledge the case was resolved and the last one was unresolved.
