(WSVN) - A daughter caring for her elderly mother says a South Florida repairman took their money but never finished the job, and this is not the first time his customers have been worked up. The Nightteam’s Brian Entin has tonight’s special report: “Repair Despair.”
Brian Entin: “Seems like a very sad situation.”
Linda Ramsack, neighbor: “Oh, the whole thing is.”
Linda Ramsack walked us up to her neighbor’s mobile home to introduce us to two women, Ana Friedich and her 106-year-old mother Juana, who has dementia.
Juana was in her bedroom resting when we visited before the coronavirus pandemic.
Linda Ramsack: “That’s her world in there.”
Ana does everything for her mother. She buys groceries, bathes her and does her laundry.
At least she did until their washing machine stopped working, and their repair problems started.
Linda Ramsack: “He told her she needed this particular part, and so he needed the cash right then and there.”
He is repairman John Guerrio.
The women say Guerrio told them it would take a couple of weeks for the work to be completed.
That was nearly six months ago.
The work was never done.
Ana Friedich, paid deposit for repair: “First, he told me it was the holidays, but after the holidays passed, he told me that it was the company. I started calling him, and he never answered my phone calls, and when he did, he says, ‘Do not call me anymore.'”
The work order is clear.
It says Ana paid a $134 deposit “in full by cash,” and while $134 may not seem like a ton of money, it’s a lot for Ana, who is using any extra money each month to prepay for her mother’s funeral.
Linda Ramsack: “She dipped into her mom’s funeral expense money that she’s saving and paid him the cash.”
Ana Friedich: “He’s not supposed to take my money, or at least, he never called me to give me any answer or tell me what happened.”
So we went to get answers.
John Guerrio: “Hello?”
Brian Entin: “Hi, John, my name is Brian Entin. I’m a reporter at 7News.”
We found repairman John Guerrio at his Hollywood home.
Brian Entin: “We have the receipt. You were out there, and they say you just disappeared.”
John Guerrio: “No, didn’t disappear. Actually, the part never came in, and we’re still waiting for the part to come in. It never did come in.”
This is not the first time customers have complained about Guerrio.
Broward court records show he has been sued three times in three years in similar cases.
In 2019, there was a $410 deposit for parts for a broken dryer.
In 2017, two broken refrigerators and two more lawsuits — one claiming a $320 loss and the other $1,400.
Brian Entin: “Do you not feel bad? Did you see the woman in the hospital bed in the house?”
John Guerrio: “No, sir.”
Brian Entin: “A 106-year-old woman?”
John Guerrio: “No, never saw her.”
But Juana’s bedroom leads right to the laundry area.
Brian Entin: “How quickly will you return the money?”
John Guerrio: “Probably within 30 days.”
Brian Entin: “Thirty days, but they have already been waiting months and say you haven’t been calling them back.”
John Guerrio: “We will call them back, and we will give them their money back.”
Brian Entin: “But John, you have a history of not paying people.”
John Guerrio: “Oh, yes, I do.”
Brian Entin: “I have seen in the court records. You have had issues in the past.”
John Guerrio: “That’s not true.”
Ana still hasn’t heard from Guerrio.
Ana Friedich: “He run away with my money.”
She relied on neighbors for months to do laundry before finally buying a used washing machine.
Now, she can continue to care for her mom, who turns 107 years old next week.
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