Dear Claudienne

I am seeking your assistance pertaining to an issue my aunt has with Singer.

My aunt purchased an LG door-in-door refrigerator from Singer on December 17, 2018 for $190,000. The delivery was made on December 20, 2018.

At the time of purchase I was given the option to pay Singer to do the installation or have my electrician do the installation. I opted for the latter. The refrigerator was not installed until early February 2019.

After the installation the ice maker was only making a few cubes of ice. A report was filed to Singer in February. They sent a technician who said the ice maker was broken, which is a fault of Singer, [and] as a result it will be resolved by them.

On May 15, 2019 I called the customer service line. The person did some inquiries with the Savanna-la-Mar branch from where the item was purchased. They informed me that because a person not employed to Singer had installed the item, the warranty on the refrigerator had been voided.

At no point was it ever communicated to my aunt that if she chose to use her technician, she would no longer have a warranty on the item.

When she realised that the refrigerator was not working properly and called Singer, they sent a technician to look at it. However, after the technician checked the refrigerator neither he nor the company informed her that there was no warranty on the item that she had spent almost $200,000 on.

Singer only gave my aunt information about the waranty over the phone on May 15, 2019, after I called the company’s customer service.

Please advise me as to how she should proceed to deal with this matter.

RT

Guest house telephone problem

Dear RT

Tell Claudienne sought clarification from the manager of Singer on the issues you raised.

Tell Claudienne received an e-mail from Singer that stated the following:

“In response to your e-mail. WT, our sales associate, completed a sale transaction with RW (your aunt) for the purchase of a LG 22 cu ft refrigerator on December 18, 2018.

The customer opted to have someone who was not a certified technician install the refrigerator, which voids her warranty.

“The store received a complaint on April 1st, 2019 that water was leaking from the ice maker. The technician (SW) assigned to the account visited the customer on April 5, 2019. He reported that the ice maker had a part broken off, which would not be covered under the warranty.

“I have contacted the Service Department and they have confirmed that the part will cost $6,000.

“Singer, in the interest of maintaining customer satisfaction, will waive the labour cost. The customer will be required to pay the transportation cost of approximately $3,000.

Our staff at the store have contacted RW and have communicated the above information to her, and we hope to have the matter corrected within a few days.”

Singer also told Tell Claudienne that when your aunt bought the refrigerator, she was given a copy of the document that explained the details of the waranty agreement.

We wish you all the best.

Dear Claudienne,

Today, March 4, 2019, I am writing from Brandon Hill Guest House in Montego Bay.

Our telephone numbers 876- 979-5759 and 876- 940-5609 have been dead for more than two months now as a result of the electrical wires on the road outside catching fire and burning the telephone cables.

They have not been replaced although we keep calling FLOW.

We understand that there is a box which could be utilised instead of replacing the burnt cables. The ticket number is 4713727.

Telephones are essential to the operation of this small business and I am hoping that you will have the time to make a quick call as I realise that you are receiving a multitude of letters.

RC

Dear RC

You informed Tell Claudienne that shortly after we contacted FLOW you received a call from the company promising to repair one of the lines promptly.

However, the lines were not repaired as promised.

We again contacted FLOW and note that both of your phone lines are now working.

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876- 936-9436 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail:edwardsc@ jamaicaobserver. com. Please include a contact phone number.