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A HOMEOWNER desperate to retrieve her trapped vehicle from her garage called a repairman who was certified on Google but soon realized she was overcharged by $2,000.
Lori Chadwick had a busy day of errands ahead of her, and when she was ready to drive off, she learned her garage door was not opening.
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Chadwick immediately searched Google for a nearby handyman and called the first business that appeared on the platform.
“I found the first business that popped up at the very top that said Farmington location,” Chadwick told NBC affiliate WVIT.
The Connecticut resident said she was concerned about the ASAP Garage Door Repair company because no website was listed.
“I thought it was a little odd that they didn’t have a website or an address,” she told the outlet.
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However, she noticed the company had a five-star rating and a “Google Guarantee” badge, so she called the business and scheduled a repair.
A repairman quickly arrived at Chadwick’s home and outlined the garage’s problem.
The handyman said Chadwick’s needed two new springs, which he said were “expensive and hard to come by.”
“He showed me a screenshot that indicated that each spring was over $700, so I was in a bind,” she told the outlet.
Chadwick agreed to let the repairman work on her garage after he found two springs in his car’s truck.
“So now I’m like, ‘Oh yes, do whatever you need to do. I’m lucky that you have them now,” she recalled.
However, once the springs were replaced, the repairman informed Chadwick that she needed a new garage door opener.
“The fact that I didn’t know how much it would be and the fact that it was Google Guarantee with all those reviews made me put those red flags away.
Lori Chadwick
After those repairs were made, Chadwick was handed a bill of more than $3,700, which the workers said had to be paid by a check made out to cash.
“So, I said, ‘Hold up, I called the company,’ and she said someone with the company said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s our policy, that’s fine,'” Chadwick remembered.
Left with no other option, Chadwick paid the bill.
But, she quickly called around different repair shops and asked for estimates on the work conducted.
That’s when Chadwick learned she was overcharged by over $2,000.
“The fact that I didn’t know how much it would be and the fact that it was Google Guarantee with all those reviews made me put those red flags away,” she told WVIT.
Google told the outlet that it suspended ASAP Garage Door Repair from advertising in its local services section.
The search engine giant confirmed that companies must complete appropriate background checks and have the proper licenses and insurance to use Google’s Guarantee badge.
Google also refunded Chadwick $2,000 for his troubles, WVIT reported.
“I just heard from Google they are going to give me a refund of $2,000 for the overcharged scam that I endured,” Chadwick told the outlet.
“So, I’m happy.”
Google told the outlet that consumers who are unsatisfied with the quality of work performed by a Google Guarantee badge specialist could get a refund of up to $2,000.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Google for comment.
