A&E Factory Service
reviews and complaints

A & E Factory a warranty company for Whirlpool are incompetent, unprofessional and rude. A total of 5 appointments and still my 1 1/2 year old Whirlpool dishwasher doesn't work. On two occasions the tech just didn't bother to show. When I called to find out where he was I told the tech's supervisor removed him from the route. WHAT! and that means? I was told I could re-schedule another day, when I informed them I had to take time off from work with out pay, I was told by an on call Supervisor, Joyce #4250, I should hand wash my dishes. Her job title should be repulsive idiot. Buyer beware this company STINKS. I already notified Whirlpool, BBB, and Consumer Fraud. Tomorrow I'm contacting Sears. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks and good luck to anyone else who got suckered into using this company.

1. No communication between dispatchers and technicians.
2. The technicians have no competent professional knowledge to fix appliances.
3. The representatives keep giving wrong information.
4. No compensation to customers for their extremely unprofessional services.
5. The technicians try to get cash.

A&E was called to repair a KitchenAid microwave and oven unit that stopped functioning. They are recommended for service by KitchenAid on their web site. The technician said I needed a new control board. He ordered one (which cost $600), it came (marked "refurbished") and he promptly installed it and the oven and microwave unit worked again. He also asked for the old control board back. I did not give it to him. I asked him what was wrong with the old control board. He said that the fuse blew. No wonder the company wanted the old board back. It would cost them about $1 to fix my old control board and sell it for $600 to the next owner of such a unit. I asked A&E to send me all paper work relating to this repair. Under "technician's remarks" was a statement that the fuse was "open."

I paid $600 for a fuse! This seems unconscionable to me and I would certainly be wary of ever using this company again to "repair" any of my appliances.

A&e factory service repair is horrendous! They should be put out of business! Had I known just how horrible they were I would never, and I repeat never, have contacted them. They are liars and they are completely incompetent! They came to fix my fisher & paykel dishwasher nearly 3 months ago. My appt time was scheduled for between 1 and 5 yet no one showed until 7pm. The guy who came diagnosed the problem and said that a part would need to be ordered and that he could do so and re-schedule to install it in two weeks (They don't carry parts). I said fine. The part arrived the day before the scheduled appt time and I received a recorded phone message from a&e the day before confirming the appt. The next day I waited between 1-5 and again, no one showed. I called the 1-800 number and was told that the guy would be coming but probably wouldn't be at my home until closer to 7pm. I was not happy since I have small children that I need to get ready for bed at that time but I waited for him anyway. He showed up around 7pm and he was clearly not happy to be working so late and complained the entire time that he was tired, that he couldn't reach his hand in to where he needed to get to properly, that he needed a second guy there with him and couldn't do it himself, etc. He proceeded to attempt to get the new part in and in the process, I believe he damaged something else because the drawer was falling on the floor, parts were dangling from their wires and the guy was clearly stressed and sweating. He stayed for nearly 2 hours and then advised me that the new part must be broken too as the machine is not working still (My guess is that he broke something else!) he was so incredibly incompetent and whiny it was pathetic. He said that he would re-schedule me for 2 weeks later and get a new part delivered and took the current "new part", which he claimed was broken, with him (I'm sure it worked just fine). I called a&e the next day to complain and advised them that the next time they send someone, not to send this technician because he was horrible and they agreed. Two weeks later the new parts arrive and they call me again with a prerecorded message confirming that they will be coming the next day between 1-5. I wait home all afternoon and by 5 when no one has showed I call them to ask when they will be coming and they advise me that the technician was out sick and couldn't come. I asked them why they hadn't called me to let me know and why I had to sit home all afternoon then and all they could say is "i'm sorry", "I can re-schedule you in 2 weeks." I was furious but since I had no choice I agreed to this. This time they promised me that the technician would arrive by 3:30. At 2:00 I called them to see if they were still on schedule. They told me that the technician had 2 stops before me but would be there as close to 3:30 as possible. I knew it wouldn't be possible but at that point was just happy that they would be coming. At 3:30 I called them again to see when they would be coming and got the shock of my life. They advised me that the technician had just been to my house a few minutes ago and rang the bell (Not true), no one was home (Not true) and left a call tag on my door (Also not true). They also told me that their routing dept. Called my home phone number (Not true) left a message on my machine (Not true) and did the same on my cell phone (Also not true) and that they would need to re-schedule yet again. I went ballistic. I asked to speak with a manager but they claimed that there was no one I could speak with and I even asked to speak with the liar who claimed that she called me but they said that that would be impossible as well. I am beyond angry and frustrated and am at this point considering taking them to small claims court for taking my money (First appt), stress and aggravation, missed work, breaking my dishwasher further, etc. I am also going to report them to the better business bureau. Beware! Do not use this company! They are the worst!

The people that work in the call centers are the most unhelpful people you have ever seen. They have no idea how to run a service company. I called Maytag for service on a washing machine for which I have a service contract. I was scheduled through their repair service company, which is A&E for service. The tech arrives. after my full explanation of what was wrong, without any tools or parts to repair the machine. He then puts in an order for many parts, actually more than the machine is worth, and says it requires two men, and 180 minutes of repair time. Within the next two weeks the parts start arriving, looking like Christmas in boxes, and I get on the phone to schedule a date which is set for January 14th. On the 13th, the day before the scheduled service I received a confirming phone call of service for tomorrow morning between 8 and 12. At 10 am I called the company because I took the day off and another tech for A&E said I should do that because then I can have an idea of what time they will be coming. I called to find out that I was #5 on the list for the day and the tech coming was still on call #2, which meant it would be hours before someone would be coming. At about 3PM after ranting and raving with A&E, the tech called me only to inform me that he doesn't have the proper tools and has been telling the company that for months and that he was alone and couldn't do the repair. I called customer service only to be lied to by everyone that I spoke to and when asked to speak to a supervisor, they told me none are in the office. I could gladly have an address to write a complaint to but that was all I could get. After snooping around, I found out that A&E is a division of Sears. That Hoffman Estates writes the contracts for the service techs and that basically the company has a terrible reputation based on all the complaints that were filed on the websites. After reading what some of the techs wrote, I find out that they aren't happy with the company and they think the customer call center is loaded with incompetent people that have no idea what they are doing but collecting a check every week. So, here it is the 14th, my next date for repair service is Jan. 23rd from 8-12 as scheduled by Amanda ID#60900 in the Round Rock, TX office. That is after talking to a supervisor Nancy #44397 of the same office that had scheduled for the 28th as the first opening. So even within the same office they don't know what they are doing and when they have availabilities. Does anyone know how you get back at these companies? Someone said that when you call for repair service right away tell them that you DON'T want A&E and they will give you someone else. Well, anyone else has to be better than this.

I figure that between the days off that I didn't get paid for and the parts already in my home, I could have sold the parts, paid for a new machine and been rid of this headache. Any suggestions? Maytag doesn't do anything about it either so they aren't much better, let's be honest here.

Our Whirlpool Calypso washer broke down when only 1 1/2 years old. I soon found out it was involved in a class action lawsuit but told that was washers before a certain date. Our washer was not part of it as I was told by Whirlpool. This was the 2nd week of November. We live in a smaller town and there is not main authorized repair people. The first company Haskins Appliance & Repair called me after scheduled 2 weeks and said they double booked. I said why did you wait till the night before to tell me. I could have came home early etc... needless to say... this gentleman had a board meeting, could not come early am because took his grandkid to school etc... We got stuck with A&E after complaining to Whirlpool about their authorized vendor. A&E tech came out after it took 2 more weeks to fit us in. The tech tried to tell my husband it was going to be $600+ to fix. I was livid since our machine is not that old. We did not buy the extended warranty. I called Whirlpool again to complain and was told the parts were covered under a limited warranty. I guess like a powertrain on a car. They called A&E and found out what parts they were. They overnighted the parts directly to us. We waited a few more weeks. A&E never showed at the one appointment. Called again said they did not have it and would schedule. The same tech came out and said the parts were all not there and he could not fix it. They ordered off parts he said. This is the same crook that tried to charge us for parts covered. After calling complaining again... no call back. They just ignore you. I called Whirlpool management and they offered to send me $50 for laundrymat expenses... I have spent over $125 to date thus far. They tried to get ahold of the company to contact tech to see what parts they needed. They said they would just have to come and diagnose this again. So waited today for them to show. I ran to get the mail at the road and missed a call. They said they would have to reschedule. I called immediately. They say between 8-5 and I miss a call by a minute... and they can't come. I called and was on hold for 20 minutes... then I got a person said need to transfer me disconnected. I called back again and was on hold. I keep getting names of people to no avail. When I did get a supervisor Eloy told me he was at X18875. Well I called back and they can't locate someone by extension or a phone number. I have spoke to Brigette ID 71892, Felisha ID 75746, Shaquita ID 61009, Felisha ID 75746, Denise ID 12423 and Gloria at the national customer service line. I was given the name of the CEO of A&E Mr Reader... told he is out of Round Rock, Texas. If I could have found his name and number on New Year's Eve day I would have called him. This company has no right to be in business. I did charge back the initial $65 fee that I put on my credit card. I still have a washer machine that does not work and I feel that Whirlpool should be embarrassed to have them as an approved vendor. I am disgusted with A&E FACTORY SERVICE as well as Whirlpool (who also owns Maytag). I do not believe I will ever by another product from them if I can help it.

I had a repair scheduled with A & E for Dec 11, 2007 on a Haier washer/dryer. I was told the repairman would be in the area anywhere from 9am to 5pm & that he would call when before coming for the repair. With that very broad expanse of schedule repair time, I had to set aside the entire day so that I could in the vicinity to let the repair man in. By 3:00 that afternoon, when I still had not heard from A & E, I called the A & E 800 number to give a back-up phone #, so that someone was sure to be home for the repairman's call. The A & E call center said that the repair man would be there some time in the late afternoon. By 7:00 pm that evening, I still had not heard from the repairman. I called the A & E call yet again. I was told the repairman was still in the area & had one more repair stop to go before coming to me.

The repair man never called, never showed.

I called the A & E call center again at 9:00 am the next morning to inquire as to why the repairman never showed & to request the repair man come today. I was told some odd story that the repairman's computer was not working & that was why he didn't show or call. I was also told by the call center manager (Brandy, badge #70941) that, even though the fault for the missed service call was completely on A & E's end, it was "impossible" to expedite a new service call and that I would have to wait for the next available appointment...3 days later. A date for which, of course, I couldn't take off from work. Brandy's ironic rationale being "that we have other customers scheduled up until that time and we can't interfere with their appointments."

So, here I am having taken a day off of work, and waited all day for a repair man who never showed nor called, and now having to wait almost a week for the next service call.

The true kicker to the story is that when I tried to demand for the repair man to at least come in the morning for the new service call so that I am, not again, wasting an entire day waiting around...Brandy's response was "I can make a notation, but I can't make any promises."

Customer service at its new low.

A copy of this was sent to jeff fettig, ceo of whirlpool:

My whirlpool dishwasher was scheduled for repair (The 4th time in 8 months) on saturday, december 1, 2007 between the hours of 8:00 a. M. - 5:00 p. M. Est. The appointment was confirmed the preceding day by a phone call from a&e factory service to me. At that time I was advised that the service technician would telephone me as he was leaving his preceding appointment and advise me when he arrive. Having not received that call by 4:45 p. M, I accessed the whirlpool website and located the toll free number. The whirlpool operator then contacted a&e factory service and advised me that the service technician was on his 7th service call, and that I was next in line. Again, I was advised that he would phone me upon his departure from that appointment. At 6:00 p. M. Est, I once again phoned the whirlpool number, but received a recorded message that they were closed. I then went online a second time to access the national number for a&e factory service. Their operator sent a message to the service technician advising him to call me with an estimated time of arrival. However, I never received a call and the service technician did not show up. I feel that this level of customer (Non) service is unacceptable and wanted to ensure that you are aware of the actions of your sub contractors and how their unprofessionalism negatively affects perception of whirlpool.

Best regards,
Diane patino
9748 walkers glen dr. Nw
Concord, nc 28027
[protected]

This company does not care about customer satisfaction. It seems that they go out of their way to make it the worst experience in your life.

1. Very money hungry

2. No training to employees

3. Reps on phone are incompetent

4. Upon request, still No calls from Customer Relations.

5. They lie.

I would like to tell you about our experience with A&E.

DAY 1 - The tech comes out to diagnose the problem. Takes the temperature of our freezer because it would not hold temperature. Then tries to remove the panel in the freezer but unable to, so finally says the problem is the control panel. I said "how do you know". He says "that is always the case with these refrigerators". I questioned him not knowing anything about refrigerators because his diagnosis seemed suspicious. We went back and forth with the questions and so of course, we ordered the control panel. A different tech arrives to install it. She says "based on her experience, the control panel usually does not malfunction", so she installed a thermoster and to call back if the problem persists. Of course, it is still a problem so we call back to get an appointment. An appointment was scheduled between 1 - 5pm. We waited and about 4:45 pm, we get a call from the company that the tech had gone home for the day and we need to reschedule. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I thought it was a joke. We complained to the rep, and the supervisor but nothing could be done, according to them, so we rescheduled. Now from this point on, we have gone without a freezer for 3 weeks because it took 10 business days for the part and we've gone through 2 techs. Upon rescheduling, I had asked for a certified tech that knows the type of refrigerator we have. According to the rep, all techs are certified but I found out from one of the many reps that I had contacted, that the tech we need is a CFC certified tech. Now this guy knows what he is doing. I am very happy to mention his name (Mario) ID#0606103. He is a very experienced worker and very articulate on the process and operations of our refrigerator. He explained the problem, but unfortunately we need to order a different part. The part came from Indianapolis and it took 4 business days to arrive. We have a scheduled appointment and requested for the same tech but the rep could not guarantee the same tech. Now that seems very odd. The tech (Mario) that diagnosed the problem may not come back to install the part even upon request. I was even willing to wait 5 - 10days if we must, to get Mario back, but the rep could only input our request and it may not be granted. So we left it at that. Then the appointment day came and I received a call from the rep, and she asked if we received the parts. I said yes and asked who is scheduled to do the repair. She said it was the 1st tech that came out which we were very disappointed with. I asked why cuz we requested for a CFC certified tech, and looking into the notes, Mario's name was included so I was ecstatic. Couple hrs later, the 1st tech arrived but no Mario. So, I called the rep and she said there is no one else scheduled. We went back and forth and so I suggested to call routing. She came back and said that I was right and Mario was scheduled too. Now if this tech was competent, she would have called routing herself but unable to process the situation and apply critical thinking, she just kept saying that the system shows only 1 tech. Anyways, both techs came and Mario was right. The refrigerator works fine but the service and the reps, they just don't care. You take off from work to accommodate their schedule and they don't even show up. That is very unprofessional. Then we have to adjust our schedule for a tech that is not even qualified to the work. The reps know what kind of refrigerator we have, so send someone who is familiar with that kind of refrigerator. I am very tired and frustrated with their service. I hope those with problems know what they are getting themselves into if they were to call this company. Of course, this is just an anectode of our story, I could go on in detail but it would just waste my precious time venting. Words really cannot express my disappointment.

P.S. They lied about calling and leaving messages. We did not receive any messages from them.

A&E Factory Service is the biggest ripoff artist in Amercia. They come into your home don't know what they are doing. I had a tech come on Nov 12 to fix my Maytag washer. The washer was not spinning or emptying any water. He quickly determined that the belt that was installed was the incorrect size. He changed it charged me almost $200.00 and left. The machine was fine when empty. After I loaded the machine it was the same exact problem as before. I made the huge mistake by paying him with a check. The company couldn't give me another appointment till after my check cleared. One week later they come back and determine that I should pay another $200 plus for a new motor. They kept me on hold for more that 30 minutes and hung up on me.

The employees will not give their last names. Only the supervisors gave an ID number. They are scamming people. Once you pay beware you won't get your money back. I was promised a call from the refund dept in 24 hours guess what It's almost 1 week later. I hope everyone will see this and never use this company again.

On Thursday, October 14, 2007, we started experiencing problems with our Maytag washer’s timer control. To make sure we got the appropriate service for our washer we consulted the, “Maytag User’s Guide” that came with our washer. It states on page 11 to call [protected] to locate and obtain authorized factory service. I called this number and I was given the name and phone number of A&E Factory Service in my area. Then I looked on the Maytag website and I found that A&E is listed their number one ”Nationwide Service Provider”. I called A & E to obtain service for my washer. I got an appointment for October 18, 2007. When the service tech came out I explained to him what the washer was doing. He told me, without even touching my washer that the timer was out and he didn’t have one on the truck. He said he could order it and it would be here in three days. I said, OK and he placed an order on his laptop and I paid him $149.45 on my credit card. He said when the part came in to call the office and they would come right out and replace the timer.

Three days came and went and no part arrived. After a week went by and no part arrived I called A&E on Wednesday, October 24th to find out if they knew anything about the missing part. I talked to a guy named Aaron. After taking my information he informed me the part was on back order. He said it was on back order and is not scheduled to arrive until December 31, 2007. I was shocked upon hearing that I would be without a washer for two and a half months. And I didn’t understand why I had not been informed, by A&E that the part was going to be delayed. I told Aaron to cancel my part order.

He said he would cancel the part order, but another department had to refund my money. He said someone would call the following day. No one called. On Friday, October 26, 2007, I again called A&E. A man named Marcus answered my call and I told him what had been going on. He said he would cancel the part order and he would transfer me to a person who would refund my money. After waiting on hold for five minutes the phone clicked and went dead. I called back and talked to a lady named Becky. I had to give her all my background again. She told me that she would now cancel the part order and she transferred me to a lady named Debbie. Upon talking to Debbie she told me that no one had canceled the part but she would? But she couldn’t refund my money. She said she would cancel the part and I would have to call back for my refund. I asked her why I needed to call back when I was already on the phone with her. She said she had to fill out paperwork and call the parts department. I told her to call the parts department and cancel that part order and then I would stay on the line and we could fill out the refund paperwork together. She stated to me that to obtain a refund I would still have to pay the $50.00 service call charge. I said fine. She seemed reluctant to help me at this point so I asked her if I could talk to a Supervisor. She transferred me to a man name Dan who said he was the Customer Service Manager. For the fourth or fifth time I had to tell my story again to Dan. He tells me that “none of the other people I have talked to are allowed to cancel my part order only he could do that”.

I told him that I am getting the run around from his company. He says “he” will help me personally. He looks up my information and says he has cancelled my part order. He then tells me he can refund my money, but I will have to pay the $65.00 service call charge. I said wait a minute, I just talked to Debbie, your employee not more than five minutes ago and she told me the service charge was only $50.00. At this point Dan said because Debbie had said it was $50.00 he would refund $100.00 to my credit card and keep the $50.00 for the service call. I said that was fine and asked for his direct phone number in case I had any further problems. He gave me his direct line and assured me he would take care of my problem.

After a week went by and not receiving a refund I called Dan. I was on hold for ten minutes. I then called the service number and the lady I spoke to tried to call Dan at the number he gave me, and she was also placed on hold. She tried an internal number but no one answered. I then drove to A & E ( aka: SEARS ). I finally found “Dan” and asked him where my refund was. He said the employee who does the refunds had gone home for the day, which I found very convenient. He assured me that he would call me the next morning, which he did. He said that my refund would show up on my charge account in three days. Well three days turned into a week without a refund. I called Dan again and as usual he didn’t know what had happened, although he is the manager of the department. Once again he promised my refund would be in my account in three days. Again a week went by and then my refund was in my account, sort of. Instead of the hundred dollars I was scheduled to get I only got $84.45. So on November 12, 2007, I had to call Dan again about what had happened to my full refund. And as usual, Dan didn’t have an idea of what went wrong. He promised to call me back with the information. I’M STILL WAITING

The manufacturer of my washing machine made an appointment with A&E to have a technician diagnose a problem with the washer (at the manufacturer's expense). A&E's idea of an "appointment" is that they will come between 8 AM and 5 PM. We rescheduled the appointed day to one when someone would be able to be home all day--one week after the initial "appointment."

After diagnosing the problem, the technician told me what the charge would be. I told him that the manufacturer was paying the charge. He told me that it would be easier for him to cancel the appointment after it happened rather than track down the billing glitch with the office. Easier for him, perhaps, but more difficult for me. When I followed up with the manufacturer to arrange for repair, A&E had no record of the visit. When arranging to have the part installed, I naturally asked for another service provider.

The compressor on my 3 year old refrigerator broke. I was told to call A&E because it is under warranty. During the repair the tech told me he cut the suction line and that A&E would now have to replace the refrigerator it cannot be repaired. He said they would contact me within 24 hrs about the replacement. He also scratched and gouged my hardwood floor in the process. Customer service will not allow us to talk to any managers or supervisors and only that someone will call us back. Nobody has and it has been a week. They also said have your homeowners insurance take care of the damaged floor.

Beware!

My Maytag washer machine has been nothing but trouble since I purchased it a few years ago. On Saturday Maytag Warranty sent out A&E to my home because I noticed the carpet under my feet in front of the washer was went. The tech came to our home and took apart the machine and saw a very tiny pin hole in the black tubing. he went out to his truck and got some sort of glue that he said would seal this micro size hole and he would order a new hose but I could do wash after two hours of allowing the glue to dry. I did not do any clothes on Saturday but did a load on Sunday morning., Within minutes of me walking away from the washer my son starts screaming that my house is flooded. I run to the laundry room to see water gushing out from under the washer machine. I turn off the machine and call A&E. Of course on Sunday they had people manning the phones but no one to send out under emergency conditions due to my carpets being flooded, drywall soaked as well. They said I would have to wait until Monday.

I called this morning and explained that the tech had told my husband, two boys and myself that I could wash clothes after two hours to allow the glue to dry and that now my house is flooded. They said we will send someone out today. Well by 3pm my house is starting to stink from molded wet soggy air,,,so I call them back and ask when this guy would be coming out. They said before 5pm. I called again at around 4:30pm and he was supposedlfy on his way to take photos of the damage and write out a report. Keep in mind that this tech would not give me a print out of his visit on Saturday and the instructions he gave us. He arrives at 5pm and I asked him about taking photos of the damage and he said "I am not taking any photos, we are not allowed to". I told him that is not what the A&E office has told me on Sunday and again today. He opened up my washer machine and realized HE FORGOT to attach the one end of the black hose so it was NOT the pin hole he sealed off, it was a flood in my home due to HIS NOT attaching the clamp on to the one end of the hose. He fix the clamp, ran my machine and said "see, there are no leaks, I just forgot to put the clamp on the hose. I will make out a report about this damage". I asked him if I could have a copy of this report and he said "no, that he does not do the report until later on so he left my home again without giving me anything to even prove he was at my home.

During him fiddling around with my washer, clamping the hose up etc he ran the machine for a few minutes and then I walked into the kitchen to watch that my dinner did not burn on the stove and he wrapped things up and went outside to leave. I followed him outside and again ask him to write me something stating that it was due to his negligence that my carpets were flooded. He said he could not and could NOT and neither could the A&E people tell me just WHEN they would remove this moldy damp carpet and repair my base boards etc. This tech leaves my driveway and drives down the street and with that my son comes running to me saying the washer machine was on fire...I ran inside and my husband runs from the other end of the house to find out entire laundry full of white smoke that smelled of burned wires. This tech had left my machine running but had turned off the water to it and the machine and drum ran without water in it and it burned up...I immediatley was on the phone with A&E and told them to quickly get this tech back to my smoke filled house. The put me on hold to about 10 minutes and came back on the line stating he would NOT come out to my home, and he told them that he never touched my washer machine and told me not to do any clothes,,,which ALL of that is a lie. He said and did all of these things that I have stated in front of my, my husband and my two teenage sons..

So now I have flooded floors, ruined, carpet, mold growing in my home and a washer machine that has been burned up due to this tech NOT watching what he was doing. A&E should expedite this matter, authorize me to get estimates today, which they did NOT, and fix my home and now replace my washer machine that is burned. My house stinks of burnt wires, burnt something, and I feel I have no chose but to take these people to court.

I have informed Maytag that I feel after all of this that they are sending out a company that is rude, uncaring and not honest to say the least and has left me with no washer machine and flooded floors, base boards and drywall and they act like they could care less about the mold factor and air quality in my home.

This is just unreal...I asked A&E for their Corporate Headquarters phone number and they would not give it to me,,,they said the company would rather have you write to them with complaints. I finally got their website address and I can not find a place to email this company a complaint...

This spring, the fan in my frig/freezer went out. I thought the door hadn't closed all the way so waited 2 days to call. When I finally got service, he said again and again and again that this kind of frost meant the fan went out. This month, the same frost pattern happened. I called right away and requested a different person since this was supposed to be a "rare" problem. But the same guy was sent. I let my husband handle it. Seems there was nothing wrong with the freezer, just didn't close all the way even though it looked like it. He pronounced the freezer to have no problems. The he greased the perfectly good rails and charged $35 in addition to the visit. I complained and was stonewalled. So I called back to go higher and learned more of their practices. Seems back in April, we were charged $119 in labor that was under warranty. The guy on the phone told me I was supposed to get an authorization number from Maytag. Huh? So I requested copies of the bills so I could pursue the $119 as well as the $35 (well, let's just add the $45 home visit since I was "mislead in April). The"copy" came but the $119 was not noted — just totals. I'm pursuing this and will probably have to report them to the state. Whatever happened to business ethics...

I would like to file a formal complaint against A&E Factory Service and request a replacement of my Kitchen Aid microwave oven. Following is the horrified experience I have with A&E factory service:

My Kitchen Aid microwave oven (model KHHS179LSS0) stopped working in June 2007. I called Kitchen Aid where I have an extended warranty and was told to contact A&E for repair (Claim # [protected]).

During the months of July and August, 2007, A&E sent two different technicians to my house every two weeks to repair the microwave without success. Each time, more parts were ordered. The final service call was on September 15, 2007.

09/15/07. A technician named Bill (ID 0637405) came. After working on the unit for two hours and replacing all the possible components, he failed to fix the microwave. He declared the microwave “not repairable” and wrote a report recommended replacement. A copy of the report is attached herewith.

09/17/07. I called A&E and spoke with Kathy. She told me to call Kitchen Aid at [protected] about replacement. I called the toll free number she gave and heard the message "Thank you for your patient, we will be with you shortly" continuously for 30 minutes before I could not wait any longer and hung up.

09/17/07. I called Kitchen Aid at [protected] and talked with Fran. She said that she did not know anything about the [protected] number that Kathy of A&E gave me. Fran told me Kitchen Aid needed to hear from the A&E service tech about the reason why my microwave could not be fixed before authorizing replacement. She told me to call A&E and requested the service tech to call Kitchen Aid.

09/17/07. I called A&E back and spoke with Mel. She said she would contact the tech and asked him to call Kitchen Aid. She told me to call Kitchen Aid the next day to find out how long it would take for replacement.

09/18/07. I called Kitchen Aid and spoke with Dalton. The A&E tech had not called yet.

09/18/07. I called A&E and spoke with Brittany. She told me to call to the district office in Glen Burnie, MD at the telephone number [protected].

09/18/07. I called the district office at [protected] and talked with Darlene. She told me that she will submit the case to the tech manager for approval of a replacement. The replacement unit will call me within 48 hours at my cellular phone number [protected]. I waited for 12 days and there were no calls or messages from A&E.

10/1/07. I called A&E and talked with Crystal. She said that she has found the phone number of the tech and will call him personally to request that he calls Kitchen Aid. I should call her back in the afternoon to check.

10/1/07. I called Kitchen Aid and spoke with Karen. She said that Kitchen Aid was still waiting for the call from A&E tech in order to start the replacement. I told her that I am in the middle and had not been able to have the case moved forward and that I have a copy of the report from A&E and asked if I could fax it to her. She put me on hold to check with her supervisor whose name is Elsa. She came back and said that her supervisor asked her to call A&E to obtain the detail.

10/1/07. I called A&E at 4 pm. After 12 min of waiting I was connected to Karina. She told me I should talk with a replacement manager named Val. I was put on hold for an additional 20 mins. Karina then told me she will call the technician herself while I waited. The phone was cut off after 32 mins.

10/1/07. I called A&E again at 5:00 pm. After 30 mins of waiting I was connected to Crystal again. She said she called and left a message for the service technician but he did not call back. Nothing she could do. I asked to speak to her manager. I was told that the manager (named Heather) was not available. I asked for the address; she told me that it is at 597 B Ordance Rd. Glen Burnie, MD 21060. She confirmed that the suite was “B” not “E” as printed in Bill’s report.

Since September 15, I have made 7 phone calls and talked to 6 different persons at A&E (Kathy, Mel, Brittany, Darlene, Crystal and Katrina). I believe that I got a run around by A&E.

Beware people!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Tara T. Vantoai
cc: The Better Business Bureau, 1414 Key Highway, Ste. 100. Baltimore, MD 21230
Whirlpool Corporation, 1800 paw Paw Ave., Benton Harbor, MI 49022
National Product Care Company, 1000 Milwaukee Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025
Aon Innovative Solutions, Inc., 1795 Clarkson Rd, Suite 200. Chesterfield, MO 63017

I called the Maytag hotline to schedule service for my dryer. A&E Factory Service showed up to fix it. I was charged $30 to replace a belt and $150 for (literally )5 minutes of labor. I fired up my new dryer moments after he left. 20 min into the cycle it completely died. I called the technician up on his cell. He told me it was a fuse that blew, and he would get back to me. Hours later...
I finally call A&E Factory direct to find out where is my tech.? I tell her the what happened and asked twice "I won't be charged for another service call will I?" She insists I will not. This operator finally has the tech. call me. I tell him this won't cost me extra, and he insists- yes there will be another service charge. At first he refuses to deliver the part today, saying that I shouldn't use my dryer anyway since my vent needs to be changed and to call him when I've got that taken care of. Keep in mind, when he left the first time he "fixed" my dryer I was supposedly good to go... Now, oh no I can't run it. I told him that I really needed him to fully finish the job today- since I took it off from work for this. He finally agreed to to come back same day. He gave me so much run around and nonsense about the "workings" of dryers. I can't believe this sort of scam is associated with Maytag.

Hours go by... He never came. Never called. I am out $183 and still have a broken dryer. If I do have them come back, it will end up costing me the price of a brand new dryer. All for a fuse and belt which can't cost more than $20/$30 retail. I called the customer service center in TX and got more runaround.

DO NOT USE THIS REPAIR SERVICE!

A&E Factory Service - Richmond, VA
www.aefactoryservice.com

My electric dryer started making an electrical frying noise along with a burning smell during a load. We shut the dryer off, and the burning and frying continued, so I had to shut off the breaker immediately to stop the problem and prevent a fire. I called the Whirlpool service line after hours and used the automated system to set up an appt. The A&E technician showed up during the promised time in the morning, told my wife (I was a work) that there was no power and that the problem was not the power cord, charged her $59 and left. When I called a while later to check with her and she told me all that, plus the fact that she wrote a check for $59 to the technician, I went ballistic and called A&E at their toll-free number. I was told that they could not contact their technicians. When I said I would not pay for their "service", they said they would have a manager call me on my cell phone, but also that I would have to call back the next day myself and schedule another service call. By 9 pm that night no one called, so I went online to my bank and put a Stop Payment on my check. The next day at noon (still no call) I called Whirlpool "Customer Experience Center" at [protected] and explained the whole matter to them. They agreed that the A&E service was unacceptable and said they "would certainly direct me to a different service company" who would take care of me, and they gave me 3 companies to choose from. I called one and described the problem, and they said they were very familiar with that type of problem and even told me how I could open the back if I wanted to and look at the circuit board and purchase it myself to avoid a labor charge. THAT's good service. They said if I didn't want to do that, they could come out the very next day and fix it for me.

A & e factory service does not show up for appointments, they do not call. If you call A & E you just get a run around, the only way to reach the corporate offices is by mail, they are owned someway by sears. There is really nothing else to say except please learn from the thousands of us who have made a bad decision and both sears whirlpool and kitchenaid appliances, don't buy them, they are trouble and getting them fixed is a terrible experience.

Another unhappy customer
Michael in florida