Firedog's Extra Fee Leaves Wake Woman Seeing Red

Raleigh, N.C. — A Wake County woman wanted her television installed, but ended up paying extra.

Tiffany Byrd purchased a 40-inch Samsung TV from Circuit City and hired the group’s sister company, Firedog, to install it over her fireplace.

Byrd said the sales representative said she'd have to pay an extra $169 to have the TV installed because it was going above her fireplace. That’s because most fireplaces have brick, stone or other hard substance behind the wall, and installers have to drill through it.

Byrd said she explained to the sales representative that the fireplace wasn’t real, so the wall in question was simply drywall like any other wall – no brick or stone to drill through. Byrd says the sales representative told her the $169 fee would be refunded once the installer noted that it was indeed a basic installation.

“According to the installer, when he did it, it was basic installation, basic, normal installation. There were no extreme measures taken to actually get the TV up,” Byrd said.

The installer also noted that on the receipt, writing, “Basic wall installation. Waive Charge.”

After taking the receipt back to Circuit City to get her credit, Byrd said the manager told her they “don’t do that.”

Though the manager claimed to have “never heard of that,” a sales representative said the company has done it before, so the manager agreed to look into it.

When Byrd called back a few days later, she says she was told there was nothing that could be done about it, the TV had been installed and that was it.

So Byrd contacted 5 on Your Side.

When 5 on Your Side called Circuit City, a representative called Byrd, but did not offer a refund. When 5 On Your Side called again, Circuit City Spokeswoman Jackie Foreman continued to say, "It's resolved," no matter what question was asked.

“If you do the work, fine, I don't mind paying you, but if you didn't do the work that you're trying to charge me for, no,” Byrd said.

Five on Your Side also called the Circuit City store where Byrd bought her television.

The store manager agreed to look into it and escalate it to the people he works with at Firedog.

The situation remains unresolved.