Gumtree Fridge Technician a Scam?

newbiesh on 12/06/2020 - 14:39
Last edited 12/06/2020 - 15:37 by 1 other user

So got a fridge issue, called a technician off Gumtree to come have a look. Came around and charged $100 for coming by. Before he started I asked him if he had all parts ready? Said yes.

Then troubleshooted by looking at it and said it could be sensor and will have to order it, charged me $100. I sent a text asking how long for the shipping etc. He called, said I Googled it, is gas issue and I don't have the tools to refill it. I suggest Googling finding someone to refill it.

What are your thoughts and experience?

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Comments

  • Peter Enis on 12/06/2020 - 14:45
    +78

    Do people seriously use Gumtree to find repair technicians?

    • Hybroid on 12/06/2020 - 14:48
      +18

      If you fancy a chuckle on this grey wet day, have a look at other posts..

    • bdl on 12/06/2020 - 15:39
      -1

      And English tutors.

    • Melb69 on 12/06/2020 - 20:05
      +16

      Same person who doesn't wear seatbelts.

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/531753

      • alikazi on 14/06/2020 - 15:42
        +8

        Ah the OzBargain tradition. Search through OP's profile for past mistakes and dumbf***ery. Name and shame.

      • markathome on 14/06/2020 - 15:52
        +1

        I feel this is getting a bit crazy. It's like when I have some misfortune (e.g. crash my car and find the insurance lapsed) the OzBargain response is going to be:

        Looks like OP can't book tickets online and is impatient for gift cards. May have been why he crashed.

        Seraphin7's comment on the below post was fair. Going from seeking investment advice as 51yo with a family one week to seeking general advice on moving out of home for the first time is noteworthy:

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/537985#comment-8719433

        But for other lesser offences maybe the community needs to lay off the past posts.

      • funnysht on 15/06/2020 - 08:22

        To be honest not using a seatbelt in a car park may give you better range of vision and reach and avoid pedestrians. Though most likely he probably took his seatbelt off to get the ticket and then forgot to put it back on

    • cktftw on 13/06/2020 - 12:09
      +5

      Op sounds like either a troll or someone who really lacks life skills…

      • CalmLemons on 14/06/2020 - 11:34
        +2

        plenty of the lacks life skills people around.

    • outlander on 13/06/2020 - 13:08
      +2

      Sure. I've used gumtree to find people before. That wasn't the mistake here.

      The mistake was paying upfront. You never pay the ferryman until he gets you to the other side. Everyone knows that

      • khomeini on 13/06/2020 - 23:21
        +1

        I placed a coin in my mouth when I last encountered the ferryman. I believe he took it from me during the ride (I do not recall).

    • inherentchoice on 13/06/2020 - 22:25

      Lots of genuine tradies and businesses on Gumtree. That's how I found cheap towing when I bought unregistered cars.

      I guess discretion is needed though. Look at their reviews and their website, and the age of their ad etc.

      • gimme on 14/06/2020 - 00:32

        Yea me too. Found several good and reasonably priced tradies

  • Hybroid on 12/06/2020 - 14:46
    +18

    You basically just paid a call-out charge for a random person to attend your property. Whether or not they're qualified or not, genuine needed parts or not, there's nothing you can do now.

  • Hardlyworkin on 12/06/2020 - 14:54
    +93

    Sounds like you should have called a hooker and paid them $100 if you wanted to get screwed.

    • Kangal on 13/06/2020 - 21:29
      -1

      Username (almost) checks out…

  • k-rokfm on 12/06/2020 - 15:27
    +17

    Before he started I asked him if he had all parts ready? Said yes

    How can you have all the parts ready before you know what the issue is?

    • ntt on 15/06/2020 - 20:24

      YES

  • bdl on 12/06/2020 - 15:40
    +5

    OP, has the Gumtree dude charged you $200 ($100 call out and $100 part) and you still don't have a working fridge?!

    • montorola on 15/06/2020 - 09:37
      +1

      Sounds like the repairman gave him the cold shoulder lol

  • pinkfong on 12/06/2020 - 15:47

    Probably have a brand new working fridge on aldi/kogan by paying the tech at gumtree.

  • Hithere on 12/06/2020 - 15:49
    +17

    OP is a 30ish year old person who has obviously lead a very sheltered life and apparently ends up in many odd situations according to their posts here.

    • BOGOF on 12/06/2020 - 16:15
      +18

      I think I may write a series of short stories based on his exploits

    • newbiesh on 12/06/2020 - 16:21
      -3

      hey man am 29 year old guy from brisbane, AMA

      • bdl on 12/06/2020 - 16:41
        +3

        Are you a nerd? :)

        • brendanm on 12/06/2020 - 16:45
          +14

          Obviously not, nerds can structure a sentence apparently.

      • Logical on 14/06/2020 - 08:33
        +3

        Lets set a trap for this gumtree dude. I will call him over to a house nearby and we ambush him and get all cash back.. Maybe even a bit more if we do it right.

  • Snake 4 on 12/06/2020 - 15:58
    +1

    If it needs gas it has a gas leak. Recharging without repairing the leak is a waste of money. If it's an internal leak it cannot be fixed. Gas leaks from fridges leaks these days are as rare as fresh dinosaur poo.

    Best you tell us what it is or isn't doing such as, is the motor running? The brand name may also help?

    Oh. Stay away from Gumtree and airtasker for appliance repairs.

    • newbiesh on 12/06/2020 - 16:20
      -2

      thanks.
      samsung srs583 side by side, the fridge is cool enough but the freezer not.
      can confirm the fan is working and kicking off.

    • Capo93 on 12/06/2020 - 20:25
      +2

      Clearly you are not in the industry, gas leaks are not rare.

    • Capo93 on 13/06/2020 - 00:24

      Removed, duplicate post.

  • Snake 4 on 12/06/2020 - 16:42

    Is the fan in the freezer blowing cold air? Has the knob that controls the flap in the freezer been knocked?

    • newbiesh on 12/06/2020 - 18:39
      -2

      fan working fine, no. i took out the sensor to test it but i dont have ice :D
      any other troubleshooting please

      • Snake 4 on 12/06/2020 - 19:49

        is the compressor running all the time?

  • Zachary on 12/06/2020 - 17:28
    +4

    …lol he googled the issue and charged you for it that you could simply googled yourself and save yourself $200….

    • Pimpiticians 4 Life on 14/06/2020 - 03:28
      +1

      OZBARGAIN REPAIR!

      Take a video of the fridge in action describing the problem and post that crap online.

      Countless experts or not will be happy to give an opinion and or analysis.

      Exactly google/youtube first and see if someone else had that or similar issue and identified it or fixed the issue.

      • cameldownunder on 15/06/2020 - 11:31

        Had my 3D printer dying on me, looked up Youtube, found video that showed disconnected cable, checked cable on my printer: Disconnected, took soldering kit, did re-solder the cable: Printer Working again.

  • Ausbargain007 on 12/06/2020 - 17:41
    +1

    Trying switching the fridge off for 48hrs and see if it fixes the issue or not. If it does then it's not a gas issue.

    • spaceflight on 14/06/2020 - 10:20

      But won't the coldness from the fridge escape?

  • picklewizard on 12/06/2020 - 17:44
    +1

    Yes, you got scammed. He said it was a sensor so he had a reason to leave, then told you he couldn't re-gas it so he had a reason not to come back. When did it go from sensor to re-gas?

    • newbiesh on 12/06/2020 - 18:40
      -1

      he said he googled and youtube and found out very common to a gas not sensor but can still come with new sensor but would charge me again.

      • Lexan on 14/06/2020 - 11:30
        +1

        I guess he's not a 100% experienced technician. He's a scammer. I wonder how many has he scammed.

      • picklewizard on 15/06/2020 - 09:41

        You already paid the call-out fee. His lack of knowledge or preparedness does not mean you get charged another fee. It's generally accepted that call-out fees are per job, not per visit.

        Did you get an invoice?

  • Traveller107 on 12/06/2020 - 17:59
    +1

    Wow. I'm having trouble believe this really happened.

    • bdl on 12/06/2020 - 18:05
      -1

      Chill bro, now's not the time to freeze. Give yourself some time to cool off.

  • Capo93 on 12/06/2020 - 18:56

    Very possible it is a system issue(gas leak), correct way to check it is by splitting into the system and putting gauges on it to check the pressure or at the very minimum checking the frost line on the evaporator. Can’t regas(refill in his words) without finding the leak first. It amazes me when techs say to refill, yeah what about the leak?

    Samsung sensors are known to fail to. Can meter it with a multi meter and see what resistance it gets. I’m sure there is a YouTube video on checking and evaporator frost line.

    • Snake 4 on 12/06/2020 - 19:53

      What is a "sensor"?

      Do you mean thermostat? The thermostat doesn't have resistance. It's either on or off.

      • Capo93 on 12/06/2020 - 20:23
        +1

        In the OPs original post they said “ it could be sensor and will have to order it” which is where I get sensor from. A sensor is what it’s called, a sensor or to be more specific the tech/OP would have been referencing the evaporator air sensor. 95% of modern fridges produced in the last 10-15 don’t have a thermostat, they have long been replaced with electronic controls which is where sensors come into play. You would check the resistance of the sensor and compare it to the manufactures service manual in relation to what it’s resistance should be at X temperature.

        Technically when a thermostat is closed(on) you will get a resistance, when it is open(off) you will get no resistance or open circuit.

        • newbiesh on 12/06/2020 - 23:50
          -1

          thanks Snake4 and capo93 he referred to the sensor that looks like earplugs, he said he couldnt get reading out if it but after gooogling around i heard u need to have ice to test it :(
          i will test ou the gas leak it happened overnight so could it something else? fi it was gas leak it wouldve been slow process or atleast fridge itself would get warm too but the fridge is fine just the freezer

          • Capo93 on 13/06/2020 - 00:06

            @newbiesh: If it’s a air sensor it doesn’t need ice or cold to get a resistance, if an air sensor open circuit or in his terms he can’t get a reading off it then it’s faulty.

            The sensor that requires ice or coldness is a DTT, defrost termination thermostat, the DTT will terminate the defrost cycle when the temperature reaches X level so as the heat from the defrost element doesn’t damage anything so the DTT being open circuit or “couldn’t get a reading” in the techs terms, this is normal. A quick way to check them if you have it handy is to throw it in the freezer for a few hours then check it again.

            This is your defrost thermostat for your model https://shop.onlineappliancespares.com.au/part/m1234660-93/4…, they are known to fail on Samsung’s.

            And no if it has a gas leak it can drop has in a matter of hours, if it’s a R600 gas fridge the unit would only have about 60-90grams of gas in it so it doesn’t take long to lose it.

            • newbiesh on 13/06/2020 - 01:31

              @Capo93: ok thanks what i tested so far:
              1. air sensor i was able to get reading by putting into ohm and saw the temp drop slowly with my hand covering it so yea it is not broken as he said.
              2. thermal fuse the one connecting into the coils i was able to get reading by connectivity.
              3. am not sure where to spot defrost thermostat: please the pic is this just fan or deforst with fan?
              https://imgur.com/a/UXfCJg3

              • Capo93 on 13/06/2020 - 09:48

                @newbiesh: 1) the air sensor will change resistance if you rub it to make it warm or make it cold, however they can change resistance but still be out of range.
                2) thermal fuse should just be closed circuit
                3) the defrost thermostat will be clipped onto the evaporator, most of them are yellow like in the link I posted above.

      • ssquid on 12/06/2020 - 23:53

        Thermistor.

        • Capo93 on 13/06/2020 - 00:08

          Yes that is it’s technical name, it will then either be a NTC or a PTC but we have a gumtree technician here using very bad terminology then relaying that information onto the OP so let’s not confuse anyone.

  • Seraphin7 on 12/06/2020 - 19:38
    +6

    Some people just struggle to adult.

    • Snake 4 on 12/06/2020 - 21:20
      +1

      Yes they do.

    • Lastchancetosee on 13/06/2020 - 13:12

      When did adult become a verb?

      • Seraphin7 on 13/06/2020 - 13:47
        +3

        Since about 1980 according to Merriam-Webster with various other meanings, but since about 2010 with this meaning.

      • inherentchoice on 13/06/2020 - 22:31

        Adult-ery is a verb?

  • randomusername2017 on 12/06/2020 - 20:43

    what are those metal things with wheels you put your shopping in…

    • ssquid on 12/06/2020 - 23:54
      +4

      Cars?

  • Ughhh on 12/06/2020 - 21:33
    +4

    Op, if you decide to sue this legit gumtree tech (or any other gumtree professionals), make sure you don't get a gumtree lawyer.

    • newbiesh on 12/06/2020 - 23:47

      hes got ABN so not that dodgy atleast hes got that as "technican"

      • Capo93 on 13/06/2020 - 00:09

        What state are you in? Post the ABN?

        • newbiesh on 13/06/2020 - 01:01

          qld : 35 791 573 930

          • bmerigan on 13/06/2020 - 17:10
            +4

            @newbiesh: Wow - his business has been registered for a week! (This time)

          • readeral on 15/06/2020 - 14:53

            @newbiesh: Clicking through his business name shows his address… write him a letter demanding a refund.

  • Mentallysick on 12/06/2020 - 22:34

    Lucky you. Mine had an issue as well. charged me $100 for coming $250 for parts she has replaced. a month later it broke again, called him. He came and checked and said the motherboard needs to be replaced and he couldn't find any supplier for my fridge motherhood. I ended up buying new fridge. Luckily he did not charge me for visiting second time. Learnt a lesson hard way. NEVER REPAIR A FRIDGE. IF BROKEN, REPLACE IT WITH A NEW ONE!!!!

    • Capo93 on 12/06/2020 - 23:10

      Curious to know what brand the fridge was?

      • Lastchancetosee on 13/06/2020 - 13:14
        +5

        Curious to know gender of repair person

      • Mentallysick on 13/06/2020 - 13:38

        Whirlpool

        • ssquid on 13/06/2020 - 13:44
          +2

          Terrible brand renowned for control board failures within a few years, in that case you would be right to chuck it. But not every brand is like that.

          (OTOH the other components in their fridges like the compressor, heater etc. are usually fine so if you've got a bit of electrical/computing know-how it's easy to replace the control board with an arduino type board.)

      • Mentallysick on 13/06/2020 - 13:39

        Whirlpool

      • newbiesh on 13/06/2020 - 16:35

        samnsung

    • lgacb08 on 13/06/2020 - 20:44

      To be precise, never repair fridge, if broken and you can afford, buy a new one, if not buy a sub $200 off Gumtree, make sure it's not Samsung.

      • Capo93 on 14/06/2020 - 21:01

        What type of advice is that? So you’re saying to never repair a $4000 Miele fridge?

        • lgacb08 on 18/06/2020 - 11:07
          +1

          Don't spend $4000 on a fridge unless you can either get minimum 10 year warranty out of it or can afford to chuck it out and buy another one once its broken. If you're true ozbargain then 20 years warranty is the minimum

          • Capo93 on 18/06/2020 - 12:28

            @lgacb08: That's like saying don't buy a $50,000 car unless you can get a 40 year warranty.

  • Snake 4 on 13/06/2020 - 10:50
    +2

    ABN registered 10 days ago.

    https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landi…

    • newbiesh on 13/06/2020 - 11:10

      can i do anything about it or count as a lesson?
      can anyone apply for abn as sole trader ? thought needs licence..

    • krakenn on 13/06/2020 - 12:41
      +1

      This says it has existed in some form since 2009. trading as a different business name, but same job.

      https://abr.business.gov.au/AbnHistory/View?id=35791573930

      • bmerigan on 13/06/2020 - 17:15

        Even got his address in there for the inevitable bikies call

        • inherentchoice on 13/06/2020 - 22:44

          Interesting that he changed his surname in 2009. Wonder why.

          • bmerigan on 14/06/2020 - 11:27

            @inherentchoice: It was only for a week - benefit of the doubt maybe he filled in the form wrong with a 2nd middle name

  • Snake 4 on 13/06/2020 - 11:33

    Anyone in NSW can register a business name to repair appliances. In QLD I have no idea.

    You don't need a licence in NSW to repair electrical appliances. You need a licence and be registered to regass refrigerators/freezers/air conditioners.

    As for regress. Put it down to a learning curve.

    Mate there are numerous things that can cause you fridge to behave the way it is. I would look for a reputable repair company/sole trader. Yes they can be hard to find. A lot work from home. There is nothing wrong with that as it's a huge cost saving with no extra rent to pay.

    A good fridgie should have an idea as to the problem. I haven't been in the game for 25 years.

  • Snake 4 on 13/06/2020 - 13:08

    Did Jason Brian Blake change his name to Jason Brian Welsford?

    WELSFORD, JASON BRIAN

    BLAKE, JASON BRIAN

  • KozieSeller on 13/06/2020 - 13:55

    Scumtrees full of bogans, go figure

  • bitambitious on 13/06/2020 - 14:36

    always use an authorised service centre from the manufacturer of the fridge. If you're based in Melbourne, have a look at Woolley Appliance Services - https://woolleys.com.au/

  • Snake 4 on 13/06/2020 - 15:05

    Why?

  • Plug on 13/06/2020 - 16:33

    Real basic question - does the freezer door seal fit properly all round?

  • bigbadboogieman on 13/06/2020 - 19:01
    +5

    Regardless of what everyone says.. a normal person like myself could have been easily fooled in such a situation. Thanks for posting this here… Atleast one person, i.e. myself got some awareness from this post. :)

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