Feb 26, 2026
Multiple Waterloo, ON residents report being overcharged and misled by an appliance repair company they believed was a trusted local business. As it turns out, there are over 700 other complaints against this business that reveal an insidious pattern of overcharging and not delivering.
One such resident, Bob Huegle, told CTV News that he sought out a reliable technician after his oven broke in January, and took a reference from the store he purchased the stove at to call Waterloo Appliance Service Ltd (1). The number they were given was for a different company, however, one that had paid for a sponsored Google ad and shared a similar name.
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Huegle paid $80 for a service visit and was told a further inspection would be $300. Following the inspection, the technician told Huegle the cost for the parts would be approximately $2,700. Huegle felt like something was “amiss," but agreed to the repairs. Later, he did his own research on the price for parts and found he had overpaid — by over $2,000. To boot, his stove broke down once more, and Huegle alleges the technician didn’t actually complete the work correctly.
Huegle contacted the owner of Waterloo Appliance Service to confirm his suspicions about the cost of the parts and the faulty repair, which were correct. The co-owner, Jason Value, told CTV this isn’t the first time an incident like this has happened.
“They Google our name, they’ll get the top five or six sponsored ads, they’ll see a name that’s close to ours and they’ll click on it,” Vale said, adding that, “[The other company is] trying to lead the customer into either buying a new [appliance] or going ahead with repairs that are extremely overpriced.”
A string of troubling narratives
Unfortunately, Huegle’s story is not a new one. Other Waterloo residents have come forward with similar issues.
Earlier in February, Esther Slevinsky’s washing machine malfunctioned and she found a similar Google ad for a company she thought was Waterloo Appliance Service, she told CTV (2). Thankfully, Slevinsky called the Waterloo Appliance Service desk and they confirmed they did not book an appointment with her. After a technician arrived in an unmarked vehicle, they told Slevinsky they were from a company called The Appliance Repair Team. Though she refused the repair work after sniffing out the bait-and-switch, Slevinsky still had to pay an $80 service fee.
Another Waterloo local, Joy Huggins, had the same company come to repair her washing machine after it stopped working. Huggins, who also came forward to CTV about her experience with this mysterious company, said that the technician — who also arrived in an unmarked van — charged her an $80 service fee and an additional $290 to examine the machine and allegedly repair it. However, she told the outlet that her machine was not fixed whatsoever.
These three stories are a small percentage of the egregious complaints lodged against The Appliance Repair Team. According to its Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile, the company has an “F” rating and 758 complaints in the last three years (3).
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How to spot service scams before the bill comes
Companies that use suspicious business practices take advantage of the fact that clients call during a high-stress situation. Losing access to your stove, dishwasher, or washing machine can feel like an emergency situation.
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Unfortunately, Canada-wide data showcases that bait-and-switch tactics similar to what these Waterloo residents experienced can still catch unsuspecting victims off guard en masse. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s Annual Statistics Report from 2024, service-related fraud was the second most reported type nationwide (4), with Canadians collectively losing over $20 million to variants of this approach.
Remaining vigilant during circumstances that demand your attention can be difficult, especially when your mind is solely fixated on getting a broken appliance fixed. Thankfully, there are some repair red flags you can spot quickly that should set off alarm bills before you agree to work with a contractor. For example, if a contractor shows up at your home in an unmarked vehicle and without a proper company uniform.
Vale told CTV that technicians who work on gas appliances are required to have Technical Safety Standards Authority (TSSA) certification and provide proof of it — their TSSA number must be visible on their vehicle by law.
Learn to protect yourself
Hearing that hundreds of Canadians were misled by a single local business can feel defeating. If hundreds of other community members got burned, what’s to say that you won’t either? While it’s a reasonable thought to have, there are some simple ways you can protect yourself from parasitic business practices before it’s too late.
- Conduct due diligence. Before hiring any company, take your time to review their Google listing, online reviews, BBB profile and other sources to see if any negative patterns emerge. Calling the business beforehand to confirm their certifications is another way to quell any uncertainties.
- Confirm work in writing. For the most part, reputable service companies will use a service contract of some kind to confirm their estimate, rates and other key terms clearly. Any company that appears leery when having to confirm their rates in writing or use a contract should give you pause before hiring.
- Obtain multiple quotes. When you are in a pinch, it can be tempting to work with the contractor with the shortest timeline. But it’s important to check pricing models across multiple companies to ensure you aren’t paying an unfair price on parts, nevermind labour.
In the event you do get charged for work you believe wasn’t appropriately authorized, you might have some recourse. For instance, you could report an unauthorized transaction to your credit card company if you paid with plastic (5), or retain a lawyer to pursue a civil suit.
Read more: The ultra-rich are bailing on volatile stocks right now — these 4 shockproof assets are their new safe havens
Bottom line
When an appliance breaks down unexpectedly, pressure mounts for you to act quickly and find a fair price. Trying to move too fast can put you into the hands of a greedy con artist. Instead, taking a measured approach to double check a business’ credentials, customer experiences and costs and can prevent you from facing an unreasonable bill — and an appliance that still doesn’t work.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
CTV News (1, 2); Better Business Bureau (3); CAFC (4); Government of Canada (5)
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Brett Surbey is a corporate paralegal with KMSC Law LLP and freelance writer who has written for Yahoo Finance Canada, Success Magazine, Publishers Weekly, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes Advisor and multiple academic journals. He and his family live in northern Alberta, Canada.
