Ontario man spends almost $2,000, waits 10 months for oven repair

When Darren Horn’s 11-year-old Fisher & Paykel oven started malfunctioning last May, he said he Googled repair services, and called the first one that popped up in his search to come fix it.

While Horn lives in Whitby, Ont., the company he called, Express Repair, is based in Concord, Ont.

“They came, but after about six or seven visits and about $600 worth of service, it still didn't work," Horn said.

Horn said the repair company told him they could sell him a similar refurbished oven for $1,350. Horn agreed but said that unit didn’t work either.

“They installed it and the problem is once they installed it, it didn't shut off, and it kept heating up and heating up and the entire kitchen was 700 degrees. It just wasn’t safe,” he said.

On top of the original repair costs, which was $597, Horn said the total cost of replacing an oven has set him back almost $2,000 – now, ten months later, he says he still doesn’t have an oven.

“They keep dragging their feet saying we are waiting for a part and waiting for a part, just give us more time," said Horn.

Express Repair has many complaints on the Better Business Bureau’s website and the lowest rating of “F.”

Founder and CEO of Express Repair, Igor Imas, told CTV News Toronto what happened when their technician arrived to check out Horn’s oven.

“Our technician arrived on site and diagnosed the problem with the control boards being defective and partiality worn out, therefore they needed to be replaced. The order was placed for several parts that were required to repair the appliance as the client was aware that the appliance is very old, and some parts were on back order with no estimated time (ETA) of arrival,” Imas said.

“Some of the parts arrived and some were still on back order with no ETA from the manufacturer, therefore we tried to repair the appliance with the parts the manufacturer did send, but the repair was not successful.”

Imas said they offered Horn two options, which were to either wait for the parts, or pay for the work and cover 30 per cent of the costs of the parts, as they were specially ordered.

“We found a similar used model from our suppliers and offered it to the client but unfortunately, this unit stopped working after the installation and again the manufacturer had no ETA for the necessary parts for this model,” said Imas.

“The refund and the client’s old oven were prepared, but we did not get a signature or a response from the client. As stated, we tried to assist the client in many ways.”

Consumer Reports has done many studies on appliance repairs and recommends going directly to the manufacturer’s website, where you'll find authorized and approved repair services in your area.

"I would recommend going to the actual manufacturer and checking their website," said Keith Flamer, appliance expert with Consumer Reports. “If you go with an authorized dealer you have a bit of backup, because they can back up their work and they are more likely to get the parts first."

In the end, Express Repair agreed to refund Horn $910, which he plans to use to help buy a new oven.

“I felt frustrated and stuck. You hope eventually they are going to fix it, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen,” Horn said.

Consumer Reports advises against spending more than 50 per cent of the cost of a new product on an old one, especially if it's broken down before.