Robinson Appliance Service

Three times I’ve called them in a bind on different matters. Once, when carbon monoxide detector was going off because of stove. Then my icemaker was overproducing and yet again yesterday, because I’m purchasing a home and the stove needed to be inspected prior to closing. On all occasions, Tim was my inspector. He came the same day I contacted him and resolved the matters quickly. There was a part required for icemaker that had to be ordered, but again he had the part and installed it in a few days.
His prompt response and coordination with the realtor yesterday put my mind greatly at rest. I urgently needed the inspection conducted in order to progress in my closing. Tim wrote up what the lender required on the spot and my closing continues as scheduled!
I’m happy and would recommend
anybody in need.

The reviews are accurate. Absolute worst company to work with. Only ones kitchenAid lets you use for warranty work. Canceling warranty and using another repair service.

I don’t even know what to say. As Minay T put it: «They are impossible to work with!!! How are they still in business?»
Our fridge was (and still is) a giant warm box. I signed up for KitchenAid’s extended warranty (perhaps my first mistake!) on Dec 1, and they scheduled a Dec 3 appointment with Robinson Appliance Service (sometime from 8am-​5pm). I called and spoke with Tim twice beforehand to narrow the window significantly, and everything seemed great. I’d already read their may negative Unilocal reviews but was optimistic that things would work out better for us because we were so polite, accommodating, and overtly grateful for his assistance and expertise.
Tim arrived on time for our Dec 3 appointment, asked a couple questions about the appliance, looked at it for a few seconds, and then spent 20 – 30 minutes looking at his phone (for parts, I assume?!) and writing out an invoice that should’ve taken 2 – 3 minutes tops to complete. The most notable part of the service call was that his phone rang constantly while he was at our house (other irate customers, I assume), and he NEVER answered it.
He needed to order some parts and said it’d be about 2 weeks. While this seemed like a ridiculous timeframe for a professional service company in 21^st century Chicagoland, I trusted his professionalism and gave him the benefit of the doubt. What choice did I have, after all?
So we waited. I called Robinson on Dec 14 for an update and left a brief, polite message. No response, no call back. I tried again Dec 16. Same thing. On Dec 19, I called KitchenAid directly. They tried calling Robinson. Same thing. KitchenAid then said they’d call me back Monday. They didn’t, so I called KitchenAid again on Dec 21. They called Robinson again. Same thing. Instead, they managed to schedule us for a Dec 23 appointment with Robinson (sometime from 8am-​5pm). Lucky me.
On Dec 22, I called Robinson again, left a brief, polite (and unsolicited) message to confirm our appointment. No response, no call back. On Dec 23? THEY DON’T SHOW UP. At 5pm, I called KitchenAid. They called Robinson again. Shockingly: no answer, and their voicemail is full. OMG. You can’t make this stuff up.
Needless to say, we’ve got another company scheduled for Monday. Good times…

Our appliance gave a strange display on our oven. They referred us to RAS telling us there would be a $ 90 service and a tech came five days later. He walked in and told us that the this was a glitch and then to just turn off the circuit and turn it back on (3 minutes). We then told him about our refrigerator that was leaking. he said there was a spot in the back that needed to be cleaned. This would be an additional $ 80 to repair. We agreed and this took about another 10 minutes. In the process he also tried to talk us into buying additional some warrantee with RAS. He spend a total of 20 minutes and charged us $ 185. Not too many companies can get away with charging $ 550/​hour for service that can be learned at a 8 week trade school.

Soooo… it’s ¹²⁄₄ and I never heard back from my friend Tim Robinson of Robinson Appliance Service, so the company managing KitchenAid’s extended warranty policies set me up with a different company — Diamond Appliance Services. Tom from Diamond came today and what’s interesting is he was able to FIX the dishwasher in less than 30 minutes. Ah, so I’m pretty sure my original statement about 1 star being generous is still pretty spot on. Not only does Robinson’s customer service suck, but he’s clearly not very competent.

They are impossible to work with!!! How are they still in business? The reviews here are very accurate. They don’t know what customer service it about. You can’t call them because they never pick up their phones and can’t leave a voice mail because it is full.
My ice maker stopped working and called whirlpool to get it fixed. They sent us this company and gave a time window of 10 to 12 pm and they should be at your house. They showed up at 2 pm!!! No calls or nothing that they were running late. It’s been 3 weeks now and until now, I called them last week to follow up and said that the part has not come yet, what kind of a part do they need that it takes forever to get it? It’s almost thanksgiving and until now no calls from them. I need my ice maker to work!!! DO NOT HAVE THEM SERVICE YOU!!! BIG MISTAKE! I’m just glad I didn’t have to pay them.

I have had the worse service experience ever from this guys. First of all, very unorganized, they lack customer service skills and have no idea how to communicate with customers. Unfortunately my Whirlpool refrigerator broke and needed a fan motor. i called and Whirlpool send this guys. First they were scheduled for Monday 11−5pm. they never showed up. I called them after 5:30pm and the guy said: «oh! we where there and called you. Whats your number?» i said: «what address did you go to? what do you have on file?» the guy responded: «let me get your number and ill get back to you?» i told him «no! you give me the info you were given about this repair» turned out that even though they were scheduled they never made it. They never called either. This guy was lying saying he had called when he actually never called. The guy wanted the number because he also wanted to say that he called and no one answered. They came the next day after i called them multiple times. One guy came and left a note. That was it. No «this is what is wrong and this is how we will correct it». BTW call these numbers and you tell me if this is ok for a company: 773−761−3801 or 847−933−9055. The 847 number never answers and you can’t leave a message cause the mailbox is full. The other number will answer 1 in 15 calls. Try it! I’m not kidding.
Two weeks later they have not called or given me an update. I have a six month old and I kinda need a refrigerator. I have been calling them every day and no response. I have called Whirlpool also and they are as arrogant as … – fill in the blanks. Today I finally got a hold of someone. Again, the dude (773) has no idea of what is going on. Says that they receive parts everyday and will check. he says: «I’ll call you in an hour». I know what that means. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU ARE STILL IN BUSINESS WITH THIS TYPE OF SERVICE? ARE PEOPLE IN NEED OF THIS SERVICES JUST PUTTING UP WITH YOU BECAUSE THEY THINK THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE?
I called Whirlpool and told them I wanted my $ 330 refund for the added warranty which they said they would refund but I have to write a letter to them first.
I have gone online and Amazon has the part for about $ 40 with shipping and here in two days.
At least I trust Amazon that they will deliver. I am watching youtube videos on how to install the part. Thanks Amazon and Youtube.
To everyone: shop around before giving your business to this Stooges… No offense meant to the three stooges.
I am in customer service and i thought a lot before writing this note and while people are allowed to have a bad day this is just not acceptable. It is not!

There are 3 things you can do with Robinson Appliance Service (RAS): 1.) Take him to small claims court. Make sure you have your receipt or cancelled check and/​or contract if you have one. 2.) File a claim with Better Business Bureau
3.) Complain to the manufacturer of the appliance you are trying to get fixed. Explain that they should remove him (RAS/​Tim Robinson) from their list of companies or people that can fix the appliance.
To see all Unilocal reviews: Go all the way down to the bottom of the reviews shown. .. then click on the section that says «14 other reviews that are not currently recommended» —- you will only see 3 or so additional reviews BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE:
read further —- go to «Continue reading other reviews that are not currently recommended» and you will get 11 more.
So of the 14 reviews that are currently not recommended 13 of them have a 1 star rating and very negative reviews. These 14 reviews that are not currently recommended are not included in the average star rating.
Don’t let him do to you what he has done to so many before you.

STAY AWAY! I agree one star is much for these people. This company is horrible.
They came out to my apartment in early July to look at my dishwasher. First, after giving me the window of 8 AM — 5 PM, they show up at 455 pm. I love wasting my whole working day at home waiting for them. Second, the guy basically did nothing and said oh you need a new panel — something which I am pretty sure he could have figured out after speaking with me over the phone. Third, after a few days I did not hear from them so I called to follow-​up and they basically told me there is no way to know when the part would be in — «its up to the manufacturer», «they don’t make this part anymore» etc etc. I was patient and I said, ok, I will follow-​up in a few days but asked if they could maybe get a status from the manufacturer. I never received a call back from them (as they had indicated) so I called again. This time for a week straight and repeated voicemails, I got no return call, nothing, radio silence. Finally, I called again about a week later from a new number and they picked up — again with nothing more that excuses about the manufacturer and not able to give me any sort of information, or timeline — this now August 18. Finally to get me off the phone, he said he would call the manufacturer and call me in the morning with their number and the owners number so I could personally speak with someone. Today — no phone call. I tried calling all three of their listed numbers and got nothing but voicemail.
Save your money and time, find a different service provider who actually respects their customers and understands the meaning of customer service.

STAY AWAY!!! One star is generous but its the lowest rating I can give. These guys are shady.
So I needed to fix a newer Kitchen-​Aid dishwasher and I paid for a service warranty thru Kitchen-​Aid. They set me up with an appointment with Robinson. The owner told my wife that the warranty does not include their initial fee to come out and diagnose the issue. This of course was incorrect and he came up with some lame excuse as to why he tried to squeeze us for extra money.
So they come out and it turns out the part I need is on back order. So its two weeks till the part comes in which sucked but there is nothing I can do. 2 weeks go by and I call them and get no answer and no call back. I call the factory and they confirm that yes the part is now available so im just waiting for Robinson to receive it and come back out. I proceed to call them at least 10 times over the next 2 weeks leaving several messages but no one answers the phone or calls me back. I finally had to call the warranty provider and have them send out a different repair company. So now a repair that should have taken 2 weeks took 6 weeks to fix.
These guys clearly do not care about their customers and have no respect for people. I truly hope they get what they deserve and are forced to go out of business.

My experience was unfortunately similar to M G.‘s. Unprofessional, made a lot of promises they could not keep, and then fell off the face of the earth. DON’T GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY!

Tim is the guy to call for all issues with your appliances! Found them doing a search in my area and had no other info… but I was soooo happy! He took care of my fairly new but out of warranty washer. I signed up for their extended warranty program they offer and I am grateful I did! My washer ended up having something completely different break a few months after and after that my dryer went! They certainly don’t make them like they used to, but I’m fairly certain Tim could fix it… he’s a super nice guy and completely trustworthy! This is a family owned local business, even more reason to support them!

Truly awful customer service.
First service visit diagnosed the problem with my oven — replace a part. I was told the part would arrive in 5 – 10 days and then be installed. I left messages for *two months* that were never answered, no sign of the part. I only got a response when I left one stating I demanded a refund if I wasn’t called back — that got a callback within hours, and I was told it was ‘backordered’ (interestingly enough when I called the manufacturer and they indicated the part was in stock and could be shipped to me that day). But it had been enough months at that point that the install date was finally getting close.
He came to install it, and discovered then that yet another part was bad — which would result in another wait and double the cost of the repair. Since now this would equal out to buying a new oven, we chose to buy new and I asked for a refund for the part that was not installed. Not asking for the «diagnostic» fee back, even though the initial diagnosis was wrong, just the unused part. I continue to leave messages that go unanswered, still no refund, and unfortunately I only seem to get calls back when I threaten repercussions. It’s a shame, but this has honestly been one of the worst customer experiences of my life.
:Update:
Months later and still no call back, despite being investigated and negatively reviewed by the Better Business Bureau. Only the threat of legal action eventually got me a refund.

Once upon a time (August 2014) my 5 year old under-​warranty IKEA by Whirlpool microwave broke. IKEA sent me to whirlpool who sent me this guy.
This should have been a lot easier. I told him on the phone what was wrong (everything lights up and spins around, but nothing gets hot) The sum total of the service call was «do you have a coffee cup?» Yes. «Can you fill it up with water and put it in the microwave» Sure. Nothing happens. «Yes, it’s broken» Really? Wow.
Every time I called in Aug and Sept he told me that he needed Whirlpool to tell him if they wanted to repair or replace it. Ok, I understand, just let me know. Every time I got the same answer «waiting for Whirlpool»
Dude, I BUILT this place in less time than this is taking. I could have WALKED to Bentorn Harbor Michigan, gotten the part, taken a course and installed it myself in less time than this is taking. What can I do to speed this along? «Nothing, we’re just waiting».
I left him a very pointed voice mail last week (October 15, 2014) explaining my frustration and demanding a call back with an update. NOTHING.
So I called the very nice people at Whirlpool back. They had a record of the issue. I don’t know exactly what he told them or what exactly is wrong (my Megatron is broken… should we call in one of the Transformers?)
When I called Whirlpool back to tell them about the nightmare I was having, they found a different company, way out in the ‘burbs (I live in the loop) He called me for an appointment, showed up on time, with the part I needed, fixed it, all at no charge since they have a lifetime warranty. All at no charge
This guy is just not to be trusted. I’ll never be able to review his technical skills, or financial requirements, but his customer service skills SUCK.

The MOST dishonest technician! I am beyond disappointed in the lack on integrity and just plain BS. The technician goes out to check my microwave and stated that he needed to change the entire circuitry and that it would cost $ 640 or so. I said forget it then my honey noticed the panel was blinking something about a sensor and she said maybe it just needs to be reset, which she then did and it started working. The Tech then called me to try to play it off and asked if I used the popcorn often or reheat meal buttons. He just tried to BS his way through and this has me very upset, The Tech’s name is Tim and I think he just a jerk. But what has me the most upset is that the TECH tried to CHARGE me for something that I NEVER NEEDED.
I just saw a show on ²⁰⁄₂₀ about dishonest car mechanics I wish they would have done a show on DISHONEST appliances technicians!
I call that BEING DISHONEST — stay away !!!

They fixed our fridge and were upfront about the price. It took three visits because they misdiagnosed the problem the first time, and then an extra piece broke on the second visit. However I would rather have the problem solved correctly than hastily! And we didn’t pay extra for the extra visits. I would definitely use them again.

These guys are awesome. Had a massive leak with the refrigerator water filter and they showed up same day and 30 mins early for my appointment. The repairman was extremely friendly and had the issue resolved relatively quickly. I also thought their service charge was reasonable and compared to others in the area. Will definitely use again in the future.

RAS has repaired our appliances for at least 10 years. Tim gives excellent, professional and personable service.

No one thinks much about their appliances until they break and luckily Tim with RAS is here to help us retreat back into the world of appliance bliss. When our washing machine broke he had it back running without a glitch! And when the fridge went out only a few months later there he was again to the rescue. Not only does Tim respond quickly and get the job done, but he calls to check up on his work and makes certain you are a happy customer.
While I hope not to have to call RAS anytime soon, I know that when I do we’ll get great service. Thanks!

I ended up paying this clown $ 238 to fix a loose wire.
Service call charges are about $ 100 (after 1^st call, which will be $ 144), and that’s just to have someone look at the problem. He didn’t fix the problem the 1^st time, came back to tighten the wire, and hit me with $ 94 on the second visit.
Next time I’ll just buy a new appliance.