Call Kurtis: Getting Paid for Late or No-Show Repairmen

STOCKTON (CBS13) — We have all been there waiting hours for the cable guy or repairman to show up.

A self-employed Stockton woman says she was forced to shut down her nail and massage business, to wait for a Sears technician get her washing machine fixed.

Nancy Bredis cannot believe despite having two appointments in April the Sears repairman stood her up both times. "oh my blood boils," said Bredis.

Bredis' broken washer is located in her second home in Saratoga, which means she had to travel a grand total of 352 miles back and forth from Stockton for the repair appointment.

Bredis estimates 16 hours of her life she will not get back, plus gas and miles on her car. "I've lost my time, I've lost money. I've lost the stress and the headache," said Bredis.

"You can actually sue for damage," said Consumer Attorney, Stuart Talley. Talley says California Law Civil Code Section 1722(a) which says you can collect up to $600 if companies with 25-or more employees don't show up during the promised 4-hour window. "If you stayed home from work to wait for the person you can recover lost wages," said Talley.

We reached out to Sears, which never explained how this happened. However, they did end up fixing Bredis' washer and sent her an apology for the "missed service appointments" offering her a $75 gift card for her troubles. But Bredis says no thanks "I would never stop into sears for anything."

If the company calls you up during the scheduled window and cancels or says they're running late, Talley says the company would be off the hook.

If the company does not show, do not expect they will cut you a check; you may have to take them to court.

Bredis recently told us she filed her case against Sears in small claims court for $2,700 to cover each missed appointment and gas. She is now waiting for her day in court.

When dealing with a company you could let them know, you know about this law and are considering suing. Alternatively, you can try to negotiate with them for something, like a partial refund or a gift card.