BELDING, Mich. (May 19, 2014) — Larry Ellsworth, 72, wants his 55-inch television back. He said his daughter took it to a Greenville repair shop for him more than a year ago.
Ellsworth said he bought the Sony Wega in 2007, but after a few years the “picture started to turn green and greener and greener.”
So the Belding man took it to G and E Electronics (formerly called Cybers Spot) in downtown Greenville to get it fixed.
May 7, 2013 is the date on the work order. He paid $280 dollars upfront by credit card. Ellsworth’s daughter said she made the transaction and was told it would take 4 to 5 weeks to the get the TV back.
He said a couple months after the TV was taken in for repair, he was told the part needs to come from overseas. Ellsworth said he was told that it would take a while to get through customs.
“‘We’ll call you when it’s ready.’ [They] haven’t called yet,” Ellsworth said.
So Ellsworth called and called. He still wanted it fixed.
“Eventually, their story was, it came but it was the wrong part,” he recalled.
Ellsworth and his daughter Kellie said they requested a refund four months ago and wanted the $280 credited back onto her card.
However, that never happened.
FOX 17 called the store and the owner agreed to an interview to give his side of the story.
Gregory Keates said he offered Ellsworth a cash refund in December. Keates said he had spent seven months of searching for the part unsuccessfully.
“So he said he really wants it fixed,” Keates recalled.
“He doesn’t want his money back and wants it fixed. So I said it’s going to take me longer to try and find the part for you,” Keates said.
The store owner said Ellsworth “bugged me, bugged me, and bugged me, and bugged me. And if every customer keeps bugging you, you can never get any work done, you know what I mean.”
Ellsworth said he wasn’t offered a cash refund or else he would have taken the money and the TV to another shop.
Nonetheless, Ellsworth said he was told last week that the part is finally in.
“This is the one that just came in,” Keates said he found the part on Ebay from a seller in China.
A week and a half from now, Keates said he expects to have the TV back to Ellsworth in working order.
But first, he’s got to clean out the dust to ensure the TV will work properly.
Keates said, “It takes time. He’s not my only customer.”
FOX 17 asked if Keates had any other customers where it would take a year to get a part and make the repair.
“This is the only TV [repair] we’ve had because it’s an old TV and that’s why,” Keates said.
