Atlantic Repair 2004 Ltd. - Vacuum cleaner service sucks

Reader Donna was good enough to copy ishopandtell.com on the following account that she sent to the Better Business Bureau after her experience at Atlantic Repair 2004 Ltd. onTopsail Road in St. John's:

"I brought my Fantom vacuum cleaner for repairs to the on/off switch three times; the first time around the 14th of January. They said there was nothing wrong with it and that it was working in their workshop.

It failed to turn on again in February so I brought it back. During the second vist the switch was replaced at a cost of approx. $51.00. I cannot locate bill. I also purchased a hepa filter (March 6th) at a cost of $39.49 (I have bill for this one). Even with the new on/off switched replaced, when I brought it home it worked for a brief period and then ceased to work again.

I brought it back, they got it to turn on and off with no problem but at this point in time said that my motor was on its way out which is probably the reason for the issue.

Essentially, they waited until I spent close to 100 dollars before telling me this vital piece of information. Had I known that up front, I would not have sought repairs or a new filter. No one can afford to throw money away. When I brought the vacuum home after this visit, again it functioned for a brief period and now I am left minus a vacuum cleaner and $90.00.

They are suppose to be experts when it comes to their knowledge of vacuums therefore they had to know that the motor was going. It had a strange sound for well over a year now and it is very audible.

These people owe me the money and they are saying that there is no warranty on parts or service. The replacement of the switch took place sometime in February/March. At this point the only way I can verify it is to go through all debit and credit card receipts.

They never did respond to the BBB and are rated "F" on their site."

If only Atlantic Repairs had advised Donna that her vacuum was "on the way out", she would have saved the money on pointless repairs. It seems to me that they had the opportunity to gain favour in spite of their poor BBB rating but chose not to seize it. It's too bad that they sacrificed this customer (and possibly a few others) for the sake of 90 bucks.