I had a problem with my gas furnace not shutting off (sporadically). The Williams Furnace troubleshooting guide said it was probably either the thermostat or the gas valve. I had Dicks send a technician over, and for $49.50 he diagnosed it as the gas valve. If I signed up for a yearly service plan, he'd replace the valve for $478.50. I signed up for the yearly service plan and agreed to let them perform the repair. He said the part would arrive in approximately three days. I called twice in the next ten days inquiring on the part and they were very uninformative, just saying it would be a little longer. After two weeks (on a hunch), I replaced the thermostat and that fixed my furnace. When I called Dicks and explained that my furnace didn't need the gas valve (or the $478.50 repair), they were rude and refused to refund my money. If they had gotten the part on time, I would have paid for the ""repair"". I doubt they would have refunded the $478.50 for the useless repair since they won't refund $49.50 for a useless diagnosis.
Update: I sent this complaint to the Better Business Bureau, the Fair Trade Commission, and the state Attorney General. I suggest that anyone who gets this kind of treatment from them do the same. If everyone does this, an investigation from the FTC and the AG will follow. They know it's not worth our time to take them to court for fifty bucks...
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