Hall of Shame: Wolchek pulls plug on TV repairman (UPDATE)

Say hi to Mike the TV repair guy.

Mike told Wolchek's producer his brother died and when he got back to town, he'd contact Phillip and get him his TV.

"He's never called me once since the day he took my TV," Phillip said.

So, FOX 2 took a drive out to the address on the receipt of Mike's TV shop. The address doesn't exist.

Next stop, the 37th District courthouse in Warren and guess what - they knew who Mike the TV repairman was. Wolchek was told that people had been filing cases against him for years.

His real name: Michael Schultz of Center Line. He ran a TV repair business for decades called AA1. But he's got problems, like bankruptcies. He's filed one, two three, a whole bunch of bankruptcies. 

Schultz has an F rating with the Better Business Bureau for ignoring several complaints. 

He's also got a $25,000 judgement for not paying for his Yellow Pages ads. 

And he's got other judgements from lots of other customers who pretty much say the same thing.  They called Mike at either his AA1 TV repair business or his new business, Mike's TV Repair and he took a part or took the whole TV, took a deposit, and disappeared.

Just like he did when Wolchek set him up with an undercover cameraman and a broken TV.

Mike: "I'd have to take it with me."

FOX 2: "You have a shop?"

Mike: "Yeah, I got a shop."

FOX 2: "Where's your shop located at?"

Mike: "Ten and Van Dyke."

On the receipt he gives to Wolchek's undercover customer, Mike writes the same bogus address for his shop that he wrote on Phillip's receipt. FOX 2 pays Mike a $75 deposit and off he goes with our TV.

FOX 2: "Nice doing business with you."

Mike: "Thanks.  Same here.  I'll take care of it for you."

Mike may show up to collect your TV and deposit money, but he isn't as good showing up for court. 

Here are some letters Mike Schultz wrote to a judge to get out of court claiming family emergencies when people have sued him. 

There is one from 2008 when his reason for missing court was."My brother suddenly passed away on Sunday and I have to leave for the funeral."

That's exactly what he told Phillip twice this summer and to Wolchek's producer this fall.

Wolchek: "Hey Mike, Rob Wolchek from FOX 2,"

Don't touch that dial, here comes Mike now.

"Let's talk TV, we're a couple of TV guys," Wolchek said. "I need to ask you a couple of questions."

"I got a guy named Phillip and you were supposed to fix his TV." 

Mike: "Phillip who?"

Wolchek: "Phillip Boyd."

Mike: "Yeah, we're waiting to get a part for his set. I'm going to bring his set back to him next week and give him his $100 back."

"He's been waiting a long time," Wolchek said. "My producer called you about two months ago."

"I told him it would be mid-December before I'd bring it back," Mike said. "I'm going to bring it back to him next week."

Mike doesn't deny he's got the TV and the money.

"He doesn't have his TV and he doesn't have his $100," Wolchek said.  "We had our producer call you."

"Wait a minute, what about my service call," Mike said. "Do you (blanking) work for free?"

"You didn't do any work," Wolchek said.

"Did I go to his house," Mike said. "Was that my gas and my time?"

"Was that worth $100 to drive out there and take the guy's TV," Wolchek said.

Mike: "No I tried to fix it for him."

Well he never told Phillip that. Phillip said he told him he was waiting for a part and that he was at his brother's funeral. And Schultz used the same excuse a month later.

"So here's the deal," Wolchek said. "You told this guy twice that your brother passed away. And I got this letter from the judge you wrote back in 2008 regarding another guy who was suing you and was mad about his TV and you said your brother passed away.  

"How many brothers do you got?"

Mike: "Three."

Wolchek: "Three?  And they're all passing away?"

Mike: "Two of them did."

Wolchek: "So did you really have a brother pass away this summer?"

Mike: "Yes, yes. "

Wolchek: "What date?"

Mike: "Uh, it was back in September, early September."

"Mike, I know you've been in the business for a long time," Wolchek said. "Look at all these lawsuits."

"And I've known about Channel 2 and about you for a long time," Mike said.

"That I'm trying to get to the truth here," Wolchek said. "That I'm busting you right now for ripping this Phillip guy off."

"No I'm bringing his TV back next week. and if I don't, bring it back you can contact me," Mike said.

Wolchek: "I'm contacting you right now."

Several of Mike's complaints say he gets nasty when confronted.  Here's proof.

Wolchek: "You're a guy who been ripping people off for a long time."

Mike: "Oh and you haven't."

Wolchek: "Who have I ripped off,  who have I ever ripped off."

Mike: "How much you make a year, how much you make a year, you (expletive)."

Wolchek: "What's that got to do with you ripping people off."

Mike: "How much a year do you make (slur) boy."

Wolchek: "Now you're going to call me racial things now."

Mike: "Yeah, how much do you make a year."

Wolchek: "What does that have to do with anything."

Mike: "What are you putting your nose in my business for."

Wolchek: "I'm putting my nose into the business of people who contact me and tell me you're ripping them off."

Mike: "You know how many people rip me off."

Wolchek: "I don't care."

With that, Mike's ready to leave, but he's also ready to fight.

Mike: "You get that camera out of my face before I (blanking) break it."

Wolchek: "No, you're not going to do that."

Mike: "I'm not?  Don't bet on it."

Wolchek: "Ok."

Mike: "Don't bet on it. You're messing with the wrong guy."

Believe it or not, Mike Schultz was still not done.

"Turn off that (blanking) camera or I'm going to shove it up both of your (expletive)."

And Mike the TV guy is on his merry way.

Mike, Rob Wolchek's got bad news for you, you're in the Hhhhall of Shame!

UPDATE: Lots of people contacted Wolchek since the story aired about Mike - including another TV repairman.

George from Starlit TV Repair Center watched the report and said he had heard about Mike, who has been giving TV repair business a bad name for years.

George said Starlit has been in business for 50 years and says they are good guys - how good?

They gave Wolchek a nice LG HD TV to deliver to Phillip, who was thrilled.

"I am truly grateful to you and to Starlit TV," Phillip said.