Galway Applience Repairs

Average-Ro

Has anyone dealt with these guys before? I'm having an awful time with them at the moment. Did a bit of googling and all I could really find were 3 bad reviews of them.

Mama.

I think I know what you read, and if we are talking about the same write-up, I can promise you that the one dated 26/05/2011 is genuine.

Average-Ro

Mama. wrote: »

I think I know what you read, and if we are talking about the same write-up, I can promise you that the one dated 26/05/2011 is genuine.

I don't doubt it's authenticity, not after my experiences with them. Just wondering if anyone else knows them or knows if they're supposed to be reputable?

Mama.

After that experience, I would NEVER recommend them....hope you get sorted...

biko

OP, it sounds like you need advice how to deal with this outfit so I'm shifting this from Galway to Consumer Issues.

dudara

What exactly is the nature of the Consumer Issue? Please describe the issue in detail, so that other posters can help you. Otherwise, I will close this thread again.

dudara

Average-Ro

Right. Long winded story alert!

Washing machine broke down (It washes ok, but the clothes are soaking wet at the end, it doesnt drain/spin properly) repair guy came and said it was the motor. Said he'll have it repaired by the next day and he'll give me a call. Two weeks passed without hearing anything so I rang. He said it was ready since the day after and that he'd drop by and reinstall it. (My fault, should have rang him earlier)

He came and reinstalled it. Tried the machine the next day and the same problem was still there. Tried calling the repair guys but they wouldn't pick up, so left a few messages explaining the problem and asking them to call back. They never did.

Started getting really busy with work (I'm self employed and have to travel for work) so asked the landlord to keep on them. After two or three weeks, nothing. Called landlord and he said he had called them and they promised to ring me; but I never heard from them.

By now, the floor boards in my bedroom started warping slightly and going black on the edges. Water damage. The repair guy never tightened the hose properly and it caused a small flood in a non-tiled recess behind the washing maching. This spread underneath the wall and into my bedroom causing damage.

Landlord got onto them again. Same story; they're sorry, they'll call me etc. Never heard from them.

I started calling them again myself on Monday. Eventually got through to MAN A, who said he was too busy so he'd send a text to MAN B to drop by my flat. I asked for MAN B's number so that I could follow up if I didn't hear from him, MAN A said it was on his phone and he didn't know how to get it when he was on a call. Waited for MAN B to get in touch, never did. Called MAN B repeatedly, but he didn't answer. Called office number repeatedly, woman there didn't answer.

Called again on Tuesday (yesterday), got through to the woman at the office. She said MAN A said he had dropped by the flat but no one was there, so he left a card. I was at the flat the entire time; no one dropped by and there was no card left behind either. She said she'll get in touch with him again and get back to me. Didn't hear from either of them.

Now Wednesday, haven't tried calling them yet. As far as I'm aware, they don't know about the damage they caused to the floorboards yet. They seem reluctant to come over and fix the washing machine properly, so I want to wait until they're here before pointing out the floorboards. Is this the right step or should I tell them about the damage over the phone?

What should I do next? I assume just keep phoning until the eventually come over and fix the machine.

dilallio

Did they give you a receipt after your original repair?

If they did, then take pictures of the water-damage. Call them, and ask them to confirm if their address is the same as the address that google gives you. If they don't show up at an agreed time and fix the issues, then take a small-claim against them. If you are going to claim for water-damage, you will probably need an assessor to assess the damages.

If you didn't get a receipt, unfortunately they can deny that they ever carried out a repair.

Average-Ro

I think they invoiced the landlord (it was him who paid them) I'll have to find out for sure though.

I haven't even thought about the floor properly yet. I just want to have a working washing machine again.

Discodog

If the machine was washing & the drum was turning then there was nothing wrong with the motor. The fault that you describe is usually a controller failure or a blocked filter. You do need some proof that they did the work. You could also do with an opinion from an expert. You wouldn't need a receipt if another witness, like your landlord, confirms that it was them. If he or you handed over a payment & were not given a receipt then it would suggest more wrong doing.

I would write to them by registered post - you have to have proof of delivery. You can hint that you have consulted an expert, even if you haven't yet. Make it clear that you are seeking a full refund & compensation for the damage etc. State that you will pursue the matter in Court if you fail to get a satisfactory response.

Average-Ro

Discodog wrote: »

If the machine was washing & the drum was turning then there was nothing wrong with the motor. The fault that you describe is usually a controller failure or a blocked filter.

Thanks for that Discodog. I know absolutely nothing about appliance repair so it's good to know that little tidbit.

Average-Ro

Right, sorry to bring this back up but I need more advice. This finished off last time with Galway Appliance Repairs saying that they had dropped by the house but no one was there so they left a card. I told them I was there the entire time and no one dropped by.

Got in touch with them the next day and apparently they had gone to the wrong house (don't know why they didn't just ring me if there was no answer at the door) I explained how they had damaged to floorboards in the bedroom and livingroom; she said they'd have to get in touch with the landlord about that. She said she'd pass all that info on to MAN A and MAN B and they'd call to sort something.

Didn't hear anything that day so I called MAN A directly the next day (June 26th) He didn't pick up so I left a voicemail.

Called the woman back instead. She said MAN B would be ringing me to sort out a time to call out. I made sure to get MAN B's number as I was fairly sure I wouldn't hear from him. Sure enough, I didn't. Tried ringing him and no answer.

Got a text from him the next day (27th June) asking when was good to call over; I replied the evening of the next day.

He came around, checked the machine and said the timer was broken (why didn't he spot that back in January when he first looked at it? It's still the same problem it's having) He said he'd check if they had the part in the workshop tomorrow, if not he'd order it in. Either way he'd let me know the next day what the story was.

Didn't hear from him the next day (29th June) so sent him a text on the 2nd of July asking if they had the part. He replied saying he had to order it and it would arrive in a few days (grand, now I know what's going on).

Didn't hear anything for a week so sent him another text on July 10th asking if it had arrived. No reply.

Rang the woman again on 18th July after waiting another 8 days. She said she'd check with MAN B and get back to me. She rang me back a few minutes later saying the people they order off were out of stock but that it's on backorder and I should have it in the next few days.

It's now the 8th of August (6 weeks after MAN B called out and look at the machine) and I still haven't heard anything. Tried ringing them today but neither MAN B nor the woman are picking up.

Have I been too nice up until now? Should I take some kind of legal action? Or is there any type of legal action I could take?

ZENER

I don't repair white goods too often but I'm pretty sure a faulty timer wouldn't cause a flood ! Not unless you opened the door at the end of the program thinking it was empty ? What happens when you select the drain program manually ? Does it empty the drum ? Is the machine still full of water at the end of the cycle ? Can you hear water flowing out ?

Try pulling the machine out and check that the drain hose is securely placed in the waste pipe. The "timer fault" sounds dodgy to be honest. Though it is possible, as mentioned above, that a controller fault might prevent the motor from going full speed to spin dry the clothes. Does the machine enter a spin cycle can you tell ?

What's the make/model of the machine by the way ?

Another thought: If the landlord supplied the washing machine with the property then isn't it his responsibility to get it sorted ? I know in my apartment my landlady is responsible for any appliances that were here when I agreed to rent.

Ken

Average-Ro

ZENER wrote: »

I don't repair white goods too often but I'm pretty sure a faulty timer wouldn't cause a flood ! Not unless you opened the door at the end of the program thinking it was empty ? What happens when you select the drain program manually ? Does it empty the drum ? Is the machine still full of water at the end of the cycle ? Can you hear water flowing out ?

Try pulling the machine out and check that the drain hose is securely placed in the waste pipe. The "timer fault" sounds dodgy to be honest. Though it is possible, as mentioned above, that a controller fault might prevent the motor from going full speed to spin dry the clothes. Does the machine enter a spin cycle can you tell ?

What's the make/model of the machine by the way ?

Another thought: If the landlord supplied the washing machine with the property then isn't it his responsibility to get it sorted ? I know in my apartment my landlady is responsible for any appliances that were here when I agreed to rent.

Ken

Thanks for the reply. The flood was caused by MAN B coming out in January to take a look at the broken washing machine, he didn't tighten the hose at the back of the machine when he was done and it caused a leak that went under the floorboards and caused water damage.

The machine seems to go through its normal actions (normal wash spins then the fast spin cycle at the end) What happened was the clothes would still come out dripping wet. The last few times I tried it (over a month ago) it wasn't draining properly. Switching it on also caused all the electronics in the apartment to turn off.

Not sure of make and model until I get home to have a look.

The landlord is responsible, and he DID take action by calling Galway Appliance Repair, getting them out and paying them for the "work" they did in January. When I told the landlord that what they did didn't fix it, he called them again, and again....and again. They kept promising him that they would ring me to sort out a call-out time but I never heard from them. I eventually got tired of waiting and called them myself.

Le_Dieux

Forgive me OP. I am no expert.

While agreeing this is shocking service from a repair company, surely Your gripe is with the Landlord - as to why can't You get Your laundry spun dry?

The issues with the washing machine and the floor boards are all his problems?