After months of waiting for fridge repairs, woman Turns to Ted

Thursday, September 8, 2022
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FRESNO, Texas (KTRK) -- Debra Roberts spent about $2,000 on a new fridge and a few hundred dollars more on an extended warranty for it. So, when it stopped cooling less than two years after buying it, she called Home Depot, where she purchased it, for help.

At first, it seemed like the warranty process went well, she said.

"They were very nice about it. Sent someone out the following week and the guy came out and said, 'It's the compressor,' and gave me a slip and said, 'We'll be back. We have to order the part,'" Roberts told ABC13's Ted Oberg.

Roberts said the service company Home Depot works with never got back with her, so she reached out to Home Depot directly. While Roberts and her 86-year-old mother waited for a fix, they had to store their food in ice chests.

Then, a few more weeks went by, and they still hadn't received help.

The warranty supplied a smaller loaner fridge that couldn't fit much inside, Roberts said.

After two months of waiting, she hoped to solve the problem herself but eventually Turned to Ted.

"A lot of times, we, as individuals, don't want to reach out for help. We want to solve it ourselves," Roberts told Oberg. "I reached out to you."

Our team started making calls, and this time it helped.

"It was like a breath of fresh air," Roberts said.

Roberts got a call back from Home Depot pretty quickly, but told us the representative said she would fix the issue after she got back from vacation, so we called again.

"I got a call that evening and (they) said, 'Hey, this is what we'll do. We will buy you a refrigerator. Replace your refrigerator with a brand new refrigerator and replace your warranty, and we will deliver it within four days,'" Roberts said.

The new fridge was delivered and she hasn't had any issues with it.

Home Depot sent the Roberts family a new refrigerator after they were put through a monthslong wait to have their recently-purchased fridge fixed.

"I've never stared at a refrigerator - just open the doors and just feel the cold air and stare at it, like finally, this ordeal is finally over," she said. "That's thanks to you all."

Once our team reached out to Home Depot, they assured us they would work with her until she was satisfied.

A spokesman tells us, "We're very happy we were able to get Ms. Roberts her refrigerator and thank her for the opportunity to make this situation right."

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