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Owner of Appliance Repair Shop Fined, On Probation
After Pleading Guilty to Operating After License Was Revoked
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2004
MODESTO, Calif. — The owner of a local appliance repair shop has been fined and sentenced to criminal probation for operating on a revoked license, as a result of a consumer complaint filed with the California Department of Consumer Affairs' Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair (BEAR).
Donald Edward Hamlin, owner of Any Appliance Repair of Turlock, Calif., pleaded guilty in Stanislaus County Superior Court to operating without a BEAR license, a misdemeanor violation of Section 9840 of the Business and Professions Code.
A Superior Court judge ordered Hamlin to pay a $420 fine as part of a total $545 in payments that include fees and penalties. Hamlin was sentenced to three year's probation. The decision was made during an April 21 court hearing.
The case against Hamlin began after one of his customers filed a complaint with BEAR. The consumer claimed that Hamlin failed to properly repair an appliance, and that Hamlin had promised to refund the customer's money but had not yet done so.
BEAR investigated the consumer complaint, helped the consumer get his refund from Hamlin, and referred the complaint to the local District Attorney, who charged Hamlin with illegally operating his business without a license. His repair-dealer license had been revoked in 1994 for several violations, including incompetence or negligence, false advertising or statements, failure to return old parts, and failure to provide a proper invoice. All California appliance and electronics repair dealers must be licensed by BEAR and follow applicable consumer-protection laws and regulations.
Consumers with questions or complaints about the repair of home electronic equipment or major appliances should contact the Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair (BEAR) at (916) 574-2069 or online atwww.bear.ca.gov.
BEAR licenses more than 8,200 California electronic and appliance repair businesses and more than 2,800 companies that offer service contracts for consumer electronics and major appliances.
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