Some of your questions should be covered in the warranty language. The repair can probably be negotiated but you are in a better negotiating position if you discuss the details before she starts working.

I might say something like. "I've already spent $1,000 and things have not been fixed. I am hesitant to spend any more $ with you. How should we handle this?".

Good luck!

Oh my gosh, I didn't receive a written warranty! I paid using my American Express.

She gave you a verbal warranty?

"The first visit, she replaced the drawer tracks on the freezer drawer and fiddled with the oven. That visit cost me $822.62."

What?! Did you agree to this before the work was done? That bill is insane.

I would tell her that it is your expectation that the problems be fixed upon he next visit, at no additional cost to you, and if it's not, you expect a refund. If she refuses, take her to small claims court.

Travel expenses? Thats a laugh.

Is this person licensed and bonded?

Is there warranty verbiage on your receipts (or is that what you mean that you paid by Amex and don't have a receipt?)?

I agree the $800+ bill seems a bit high and would remind her of that. It's possible after all this time she doesn't remember, depending on how well she documents. Then ask her about the warranty details and what it covers.

Yeah, no, I've never been charged for travel expenses. Is that common where you live?

She shouldn't charge you. she misdiagnosed it. It sounds like you need a new thermostat.

She hasn't fixed the original problem, I wouldn't pay another cent. Call American Express, see if they can pull the charges from her and if they say yes, tell her she has one more opportunity to fix it or you're going to ask for a refund, if she balks, file a claim with the credit card company.. If they say no, tell her she has one more opportunity or you want a refund and if she says no, threaten to file a complaint with the referral company as well as a small claims against her.

ETA: Sorry this is happening to you...when it rains it pours...

Be careful about non-payment and know your state's laws about it.

I wouldn't pay another penny. The freezer just required you boil hot water and put it on the drain. https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/128908/Freezer+on+bottom-+floor+fillin

g+with+water+%26+freezing-leaking+out

She should be giving you your money back.

If indeed your freezer needed a really simple fix, then you got swindled.

If you have a year warranty, what does it cover? Parts and labor? Parts only? The answer will determine whether you owe labor or not. You are protected with Amex and, if after she repairs, you continue to have problems, you can then call Amex, reverse charges and let Amex do the subsequent communications/negotiations with repair people. Start looking for another repair person....

A lot of the repair centers bid to be that mfrgs repair "expert" when they only know the basics. Additionally, 99% of time they push for new parts b/c they don't have time or inclination or training to think out problem and it is easier and more profitable for them to replace as much as they can get away with. You could call KA and ask they give you names of other authorized repair centers and give them an earful about the present one.

I jumped ahead. The refrigerator is most likely due to a blocked line. KA has a reconfigured replacement part that is supposed to solve the problem. Our freezer didn't close because the tracks were iced up. She's probably taking you for a ride. I only go through the manufacturer's service process for that reason. A little more on the front end, but well worth it.

Well, I took your combined advice and it worked! She (hopefully) fixed everything and ended up not charging me anything for it. I really do like her as a person and I trust her. And, yes, she is licensed and bonded and very experienced. But, she was originally going to charge me $190 for a new part that she brought , although "nothing for the labor" . She'd called some folks at KA and it was what they suggested. I told her that DH was really upset because we'd spent almost $1,000, had her out 4 times to fix them and nothing was fixed still. And then talked about how exhausting it always is to have to haul everything out to our garage fridge and freezer and then back again later. Which it truly is. That's a long walk back and forth dozens of times! I admit that I took the coward's way out, laying the anger on DH who wasn't present.

So, she installs the new part for the oven, which was pretty complicated, as I watched the whole thing. She turned it on . . . and it still didn't work! OMG, we were both so discouraged! She tries a few more things, but nothing. And then, she notices that the oven door has a small worn (?) hole in it where the latch fits in, and it is letting the latch slide out most of the time. When it slips out, the oven won't turn on! It was fairly unobvious, being on the door itself, but when the door successfully latched and stayed latched, the oven would turn on. When the latch slipped out, the oven wouldn't. She made a temporary small metal patch that she drilled in and will now search for a replacement latch hole strip. So, the new part wasn't needed after all, but she left it in because it would have been a bear to take everything apart again. She did say that in all her almost-20 years in this business, she's never seen of such a problem or heard of it. I told her to write a paper on it to present at the next convention.

And then she starts working on the freezer. She brought a small portable steamer with a cone nozzle, stuffed it down the drain in the bottom back of the freezer drawer and blew out and dried up a clog there. The clog caused the freezer to ice over and then drip. It also iced up the tracks that the drawer slides on, so we may have not needed the new runners after all. She did show me how to use our own steamer to do the same if it happens again, but she said it shouldn't for many years, if ever. She also said that the drawer was tilted down a bit and used a electric screw/bolt driver to tighten it.

What a saga! I truly hope it's over! Thank you all for your thoughts, words to use, and encouragement. I listened and they worked! If people are rude to me, I have absolutely no problem "jumping down their throats with both feet", as DH likes to call it. I'm very effective wording things, both in person and in writing. But, if it's a nice person that I like, and she is, it is so, so hard for me to say anything! So, this sometimes-Cowardly Lion says, "Thank you for the borrowed courage!"

I took the coward's way out, laying the anger on DH who wasn't present.

^^^

I do this a lot, especially if I'm being pressured to buy something.

"I'll have to talk to my husband about it" says the little Missus.

I'm so glad you have this stressor taken care of. Sounds like you've got your plate full.

Well, my plate always seems to be full (LOL), but after the first time she was here to try and fix everything in late-February, both my parents were very ill. I lost them both in the past six months. Mom in March and Dad just two weeks ago Friday. Thank you, though.

Kudos to 1929Spanish-GW for getting the diagnosis right!

Only because I lived it with ours!

Yes!!!

LynnNM wrote: And then talked about how exhausting it always is to have to haul everything out to our garage fridge and freezer and then back again later. Which it truly is. That's a long walk back and forth dozens of times! I admit that I took the coward's way out, laying the anger on DH who wasn't present.

My DH and I have both used the tactic of sharing the other's frustration in their absence. I don't think this is cowardly but rather letting the contractor/serviceperson/whomever know that it's been a shared issue in the household. That's honesty!

In addition, I agree with sharing the inconvenience this has caused you in clearing our your fridge in preparation of the visits. That's fair to do, especially because it wasn't just once. I'm fortunate that I have a flexible work schedule but I know many working couples who are greatly inconvenienced when a scheduled service call might take place at any point in a 4- or 5-hour timeframe... that's a half day off work. It's entirely fair to make your inconveniences known!

Anyway, glad this worked out. You were open and fair-minded and this always wins.