SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 News) – The Appliance Doctor is no longer making house calls.
This after the state’s Attorney General’s office pulled the plug on his appliance repair business.
Over the past three years, a number of customers have complained to the state’s Division of Consumer Protection.
Others have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau.
Greg Baird of Park City is one of those.
His ice maker broke down.
So he made an appointment with the appliance doctor.
"I found his name in the yellow pages said they would do a service charge of 17.95 to assess my problem,” Baird said.
He paid nearly $200 cash as a deposit for repairs and never heard from the doctor again.
"He did not respond to return calls from me,” Baird said. “I left numerous messages asking what's going on. I just kept calling and calling."
The appliance doctor paid a visit to Susie Adams’ kitchen. Her microwave needed fixing. She paid cash up front.
"After about five days I started calling and calling,” she said. “I called over 20 times."
McMillan is hard to find. A business address along 3300 South and 400 east sits empty.
Another listed address leads to a mail box in Holladay.
For three year's customers have filed complaints with the state's consumer protection and the Better Business Bureau.
"We have an F rating on him and we want to warn people to don't give him any money because you never know he might not do the service for you,” said the bureau’s Director Jane Driggs.
He's racked up thousands of dollars in fines and several cease and desist orders for failing to do work and make refunds.
And after failing to respond to court orders, two weeks ago, the state ordered him to stop doing business in Utah.
After two days of searching, ABC4 NEWS finally found McMillan at a duplex in Holladay.
"I’ve let things go and its just time to get it taken care of and I'll get it taken care of,” McMillan said. "I apologize (to customers) and like I said I've contacted them (Consumer Protection) and it will be taken care of."
“He called this morning and offered to pay the fines and give people their money back,” said Kevin Olsen, director of the Division of Consumer Protection.
Olsen said the state is willing to forgive the fines if McMillan refunds customer’s their money.
“We want to protect the customers first,” he said. “But we are not willing to set aside the judgment (of not doing business in Utah).”
The Better Business Bureau said this is a lesson for all consumers.
“Never pay cash up front,” said Driggs. “If they (repairman) don’t agree to that then find someone else.”
The bureau also offers a grading system on many businesses operating in Utah.
Visit their website at:
www.bbb.org.
