Totem Appliance & Refrigeration Ltd

I got great service from Tristan of Totem Appliance. He came the day after I called the company, assessed the part that needed to be replaced in the door of my washing machine, picked it up the next day and installed it the day after. He was friendly and professional and made sure the unit was working before he left. Total cost for labour and part was reasonable and ended up saving me a lot of money because no one else, including Sears, seemed able to figure out how to fix it and it looked like I was going to have to buy a new washing machine. When Tristan was over he also took a quick look at the ice machine on the fridge and determined why it wasn’t working, clearly explained what parts/​etc were needed and estimated the total cost of the repair.
This is the company that Trail Appliances relies on for all their repairs and if my previous experience is typical I can understand why. Prompt, efficient service that can fix the problem and save you from making an unnecessary purchase.

Bear with me, this IS a review about Totem, but it starts with my experience with Handy Appliances, BEFORE I went to Totem.
Phoned Handy Appliances about a whining/​wheezing noise coming from my Danby counter-​top dishwasher. Over the phone, I explained it was still under warranty and I also had purchased an extended warranty. She took down the model number of the dishwasher as well as my warranty info. Asked me if I purchased it from them, and told them I didn’t. Told me it wouldn’t be a problem for them to fix and it would take about ten days.
About two weeks later I go to their store to drop off the dishwasher. I was told, they don’t fix Danby counter-​top dishwashers, and that Danby doesn’t honour any warranty for this model of dishwasher. She then she said they «might» look at it but it will take at least 30 days. Then she said but they won’t anyways because I didn’t buy it from them. She then told me to go another service centre and suggested I phone Danby ask them to replace my unit.
So everything I was told over the phone was refuted by the person at the store, and I think it was the same person who I spoke with on the phone. Not only was I told the wrong information, but the attitude of the salesperson was less than friendly and more than condescending.
I then took my dishwasher to Totem Appliance in Burnaby. Night and day difference in service. Was told up-​front how long it may take, and what the possible outcomes could be if they couldn’t repair, didn’t have the parts of if Danby told them, as the service centre, to replace rather than repair the unit.
I took the dishwasher to Totem on Monday, and it was repaired by Thursday.

If it was possible, I’d give them ZERO stars!
Not only is this place expensive but they are a total waste of time!
It costed me $ 115 for the technician to come by and verify that my washer machine was broken, this process took 5 minutes.
They made an appointment with me to come by and fix my washer machine but on that day they called me and said the part for the washer did not come in as expected and that they will call and make another appointment with me once the part comes in.
Couple days later they called and made another appointment with me and told me the technician will call me between 8am — 9am. Then comes the day of my service, I waited and received no call so i decided to call in and ask if anyone was going to come by. The lady said the technician will call me in 10 minutes, which he did but only to give me bad news. He said that the part is no longer available because the washer machine had been discontinued. Up to this point I am very frustrated and angry. I asked for a refund or some kind of compensation because of my time wasted as I had to take 2 days off to fit my appointment. He said he would call me in couple days to let me know what was going to happen. It has been 2 weeks and couple days and I have heard nothing. I didn’t bother hassling him because my land lord is the one who is paying for the services.
I don’t understand why they would even call and make an appointment with someone when they don’t have the part in hand and what company calls you the day of to let you know they cannot make it in?! at least call the day before so customers get the chance to rearrange their schedule.

Have used them for a dishwasher repair.
Dishwasher leaked:
Tightened hose clamp
Dishwasher leaked:
Replaced hose clamp
Dishwasher leaked:
Oops, put hose clamp on wrong spot
Dishwasher leaked:
Oops, forgot to put on front support plate, machine unstable, caused another leak.
Dishwasher leaked:
New Technician, Wrong hose clamp used, replaced with proper one.
Now its been a little over a year, warranty is over. That will be $ 140 please.
Even though they had screwed up the repairs over the warranty period, their temporary fixes never did the job.
Now I’ve had 5 leaks which have probably caused water damage to the ceiling below, mold issues etc.
Not sure whats going to happen next but I have a feeling it won’t be good.

This place gets a 4 — star on promptness, punctuality, and professionalism. Was referred to them through Amana to have a look at my fridge. They called in a timely manner and showed up when promised. The repairman was courteous and kept me in the loop on the job.
However, he went straight to the repair from the diagnostic stage without letting me know what the «damage» would be.
The fridge works. YAY
Cost me $ 400 — NAY. If only he had let me know the total cost before proceeding with the repair I would have been happier and given them an extra star.

I dread having to call appliance repair people because I know that it is ridiculously expensive to have them even show up at your door. In this particular case my options were limited, we needed our oven fixed and I had to bite the bullet and get a service call.
Totem did a lot right — their technician was punctual, worked cleanly and carefully, protecting my hardwood kitchen floor and most importantly, came with a lot of potential parts that my oven might need so once he diagnosed the problem he could fix it without having to leave and return with the part.
I can’t give them 5 stars because I have a problem with appliance repair people earning more than neurosurgeons.